The wait is on. After shattering all records with his first crop of juveniles, the quality of the mares sent to Captain Al in 2006 took on a new dimension. Great things are expected. Of course, improved quality of mares may be one thing, picking the right pedigree affinity can be another great help. Let’s look at his best runners.

Captain In Charge. Narrowly defeated in the Gr1 Premier’s Champion Stakes as a 2yo, and subsequently exported. His dam Cry For The Lion is an unraced daughter of Gr1 Natal Oaks winner Danseuse Classique, from a top staying female line. The pedigree of Danseuse Classique (a daughter of Harry Hotspur bred on stamina extremes) shows her to be inbred 3x4 to two closely related daughters of Tudor Minstrel, Minstrel’s Pride (dam of Mexico) and Arietta (dam of second damsire Romulus). Danseuse Classique was mated to Elliodor to produce Cry For The Lion. Elliodor is inbred 3x4 to Court Martial, and turns out to be a close genetic relative of Minstrel’s Pride, thus building further on what Danseuse Classique had. This in turn was picked up by Captain Al’s third dam Beylic, a close genetic relative of Elliodor’s third dam Martial Loan (by Court Martial). The mating of Captain Al with Elliodor mares has seen ten runners to date, eight of them multiple winners, including highclass Lordship and stakes placed Show A Profit. The latter’s dam is by Elliodor from a Harry Hotspur mare - the same as the dam of Captain In Charge.

Captain In Command was the first of Captain Al’s first crop to win a Graded race. His dam Encircle is by Trigger Finger out of Enticement by Capture Him. The dam of Trigger Finger, Royal Suite, is a very close genetic relative of Mr Prospector (sire of Capture Him), making Encircle inbred 2x3 to the pair. Added to that, the dam of Mr Prospector (Gold Digger) and the dam of Royal Suite (Nature) are genetic sibling of a third mare Bramalea (dam of Roberto, in Captain Al’s male line). That gives a 4x4x5 treble with the trio. It can’t be overlooked, though, that Encircle’s sire Trigger Finger is by Lyphard (also sire of Elliodor) and that Capture Him’s grandam is by Court Martial, giving the Court Martial double also found in Elliodor, and going back to Captain Al’s third dam Beylic. Encircle’s dam Enticement has another link, as she’s inbred to Court Martial and genetic sibling Mountain Path (dam of Sovereign Path).

National Secret, the dam of Gr3 placed National Captain, is by Secret Prospector out of Gr1 winning race filly Grand National, by Port Merion (Abernant) out of a mare by Filipepi. The pedigree shows inbreeding 4x5 to Buckpasser, and 4x4 to the dams of Roberto and Mr Prospector (Bramalea and Gold Digger). Then there’s the other view, which shows that Secret Prospector’s dam is inbred to genetic relatives Flower Bowl and Swaps (2x3), and that both are genetic siblings of Abernant, sire of National Secret’s damsire Port Merion. The pedigrees of Abernant and Court Martial are peas in a pod. It will not come as any surprise to find that Graustark and Captain Al’s third dam Beylic belong in the same camp as well.

Things are taking shape. Captain Al’s highest rated son Admiral Jellicoe has as his dam Silver Thisle. She’s by Mexico (we met him already as the sire of Harry Hotspur, in Danseuse Classique and Show A Profit). Mexico’s dam Minstrel’s Pride crosses with Beylic.

Cape Breeder’s Stakes runnerup Grand Duke is a half brother to a host of multiple winners, three of them by Captain Al’s damsire Complete Warrior, another by Trigger Finger. Their dam Uplands is by Elevation out of Cheteko, a daughter of Silver God, by Red God. The latter makes for the proven affinity cross with Buckpasser in Captain Al. But we also note that Elevation’s sire High Veldt and Captain Al’s third dam Beylic are close genetic relatives.

The conclusion to be drawn is that Captain Al’s affinities go two ways. One seems to be the way his sire Al Mufti throws: through the clan of Buckpasser, and/or through Roberto - via Roberto’s sire Hail To Reason (Turn To), or dam Bramalea (back to her genetic sibling Gold Digger in Mr P.). The other view is that elements from Captain Al’s female line, notably his third dam Beylic, may be what matters. These elements involve combinations of Court Martial, Abernant, Hyperion, etc. Further support for the latter theory comes from Captain Al’s own stakes winning half siblings, Mustang Manny (by Print) and Shadow Dancing (by Fort Wood). Fort Wood has a Hyperion affinity (from his dam, through Khaled/Swaps), while Print (a grandson of Sharpen Up) has as his grandam Jojo, who is a genetic sibling of Beylic.

The multiple appearance of Buckpasser (from Al Mufti and Complete Warrior) leads to other members of the Tom Fool-clan. This affinity-inbreeding involves Tom Fool and his son Buckpasser, Nijinsky’s grandam Flaring Top, and Blushing Groom, a son of Red God whose dam Spring Run is a Tom Fool genetic sibling. Two lesser known Tom Fool genetic sibling sources are Admiral’s Voyage (damsire of Danzig) and the mare Dinner Partner (by Tom Fool, she is second dam of Caesour). The pedigree of Dinner Partner has much in common with Hail To Reason, and consequently also with the one of Al Mufti. Hail To Reason is another Tom Fool-clan affinity member - which puts the 2x2 Hail To Reason x Buckpasser double in Al Mufti in perspective.

Mares whose pedigrees combine any or all of these Tom Fool-clan members might well give spectacular results with Captain Al. Now that he has established himself, his books should include well performed mares with Jallad, Dancing Champ, National Assembly, and the like.

On the other side of the equation are the Court Martial and Hyperion elements. The presence of Harry Hotspur and sire Mexico in Captain Al’s best (so far) cannot be taken lightly. Elliodor and Lyphard will no doubt feature prominently in future generations. In this context, Trigger Finger may well have a special significance for Captain Al.

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