The Breeding Corner
Bertrando (559)
The Breeding Corner has been on hiatus and makes a come back this week with the highly under rated Bertrando. Those that live in
Real Life- Bertrando is by Skywalker (Relaunch). His dam sire is Buffalo Lark and his dam’s dam sire is Third Martini. This is a pedigree with in which the dam side will have you asking who? Both sires on the dam side though where salty runners in their time. Buffalo Lark won nearly half a million dollars in the mid 1970’s winning a few grade two and grade three races. Third Martini won twenty five races including some stakes races during the 1960’s.
Over all the pedigree appears to be a speed type pedigree as his high dosage index of 8.22 would indicate. Do not let that influence you in a negative way. Bertrando himself was a great route runner, Skywalker was a route runner, and Buffalo Lark was a route runner. I will preface this by saying “in my opinion” this is a good example of a dosage index that does not truly indicate the stamina present in Bertrando’s pedigree.
Bertrando’s sire Skywalker was a Breeder’s Cup Classic winner. His dam sire Buffalo Lark won several grade two and grade three races on dirt and turf. Bertrando himself was second in the Breeder’s Cup Juvenile, He was a grade two winner at three and ran second in the Santa Anita Derby. He blossomed at four winning two grade one races the Woodward and the Pacific Classic. He would also go on to run second in the Breeder’s Cup Classic that year.
Bertrando has produced eight graded stakes winners and forty-one stakes winners from thirteen crops eleven of which are of racing age. His most famous offspring was the incredible two year old runner Officer. He has a grade one winner this year to go along with five other stakes winners. Currently his progeny that are having success this year are sprinters. Keep in mind though he produces a versatile bunch such as his second highest earner Smooth Player who won in turf routes.
Sim Life –. In his last five sim crops he has only been used seventy-seven times for an average of about 15 runners a year. He has produced one stakes winner from his 2004, 2005 and 2006 crops with the limited use. During this time his runners have earned more on turf than dirt but that is skewed by a runner that has earned over $200,000 on the turf and his runners are at about a 50/50 split of sprint to route runners.
Win you take a look at his win percentage over this time it is low at around 50%. I am not ready to blame his lack of ability for that low percentage. Of nineteen runners in his 2006 crop six are still maidens and have not races since January of this year. In his 2005 crop you of three maidens of the eighteen total runners that have not raced in over a year and another three runners retired with four or less career races. My point is it is tough to get higher winning percentages when about thirty percent of two crops have excuses.
He has produced a graded stakes winner in the sim, Slipstream (Vice Regent), who is retired. His current stakes winners have some solid dam sires like Sadler’s Wells, Septieme Ciel, Fantastic Light and Holy Bull.
Breeding Suggestions – For how little he is used in the sim Bertrando’s sire price remains higher than that of sires that get used at about the same rate. His ticker price gets into the low 60’s at the end of the week and looking back at ticker prices from last year that has not changed. That to me is an indication that there is untapped talent here.
His pedigree is free and clear of Northern Dancer, Mr. Prospector, or Turn-To line sires. That means there should be an endless supply of options for dam sires with Bertrando. In the sim you have Northern Dancer influence in three of his four active stakes winners. Of his top ten performers this year in real life five of the dam sires are from the Northern Dancer line, Seattle Slew line is used as well as the Halo line.
Breeding to Bertrando I think adding stamina to the pedigree is a wise choice. The Relaunch line has traditionally nicked well when crossed with the Seattle Slew line so I will give high consideration to that line. That includes sires like General Meeting, Slew City Slew, Seattle Song, Capote, Slewpy, and Slewacide. I love A.P. Indy here as well if you are willing to pay the price and even his sons that are now eligible for dam sire use such as Stephen Got Even, Golden Missle, Malibu Moon, and Aptitude.
I also really like the Northern Dancer line in general especially when looking at making the pedigree a little more turfy. I like the Mr. Prospector line and other Raise a Native line sires as well like Majestic Light. Give strong consideration to the Roberto line and other Turn-To line dam sires such as Zabeel.
Bertrando (559) X Golden Missle (12970) X El Gran Senor (1894)
Bertrando (559) X General Meeting (2397) X L’Enjoleur (3484)
Bertrando (559) X Summer Squall (6327) X Cryptoclearance (1415)
Bertrando (559) X Unfuwain (6862) X Candy Stripes (951)
Bargain Bred – I am not a big fan of bargain breeding a sire that costs in the sixties at the end of the week. That means you really have to use some lesser dam sires which I do not think is a good formula for putting together successful bargain pedigrees. None the less I will give a couple of suggestions. You need to find under valued dam sires here in order to be successful.
Bertrando (559) X Slew the Coupe (5152) X Dahar (1449)
Bertrando (559) X Manzotti (3799) X Creator (GB) (1378)
What to Expect – Bertrando himself was a good two year old and he has produced Officer who was a very good two year old so it should be no surprise if you runner does well at two. Still Bertrando did not hit his full stride until he was four, his sire Skywalker was the same way. I suspect Bertrando’s runners will get better with age. He might throw the great two year old but his runners seem to take a little time to develop. Of his stakes winners two where on top of their game at two and is three now and really starting to his stride. I would try them at different distances and surfaces.
That concludes this edition of the Breeding Corner. To update the fans of the Breeding Corner, I am now attending school full time as well as working full time and it is the Breeding Corner that I no longer have as much time to write anymore. I will continue to write them as I have time so you may not get them on a weekly basis. As always if you have any questions, comments, or sire requests please drop me a line at mcbwildcat@aol.com. Be sure to reference the Breeding Corner. Good luck and good breeding!