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On a holiday weekend that is uniquely American, Chinchon proved himself an ungracious visitor, but a talented runner, taking the biggest prize on offer over that period, the $450,000 for the first home in the United Nations Stakes (gr. I) at Monmouth.

Bred in Ireland, and campaigned in France, Chinchon finished fifth, beaten under five lengths, in the 2008 French Derby (gr. I). Following that promising effort, Chinchon competed in eight straight black type events (seven group/graded contests, and one listed race), never finishing worse than fourth (twice in a pair of grade I events, including behind Gio Ponti in the Man o’War Stakes (gr. I)), and several times narrowly missing a major win. He finally achieved an overdue stakes score when taking the La Coupe de Maisons-Laffite (gr. III) on his final outing of 2008. Successful in the Prix Exbury (gr. III) on his 2009 debut, Chinchon then ran off the board in the Prix Ganay (gr. I), and fourth in the Grand Prix de Chantilly (gr. II) before returning to form at the weekend.

A Pedigree Consultants recommended mating, Chinchon carries the colors of Dario Hinojosa’s Darpat SL. Hinojosa breeds and races only a handful of horses a year, but has been one of the most successful employers of pedigree patterns in our experience. As far as the U.S. is concerned, he has been represented either as a breeder or owner of Chinchon; the Metropolitan Mile (gr. I) victor Bribon; multiple graded stakes winner Istan (TrueNicks,SRO) (all three from Pedigree Consultants recommended matings); the Garden City Handicap (gr. II) captress Pharatta; and Andujar, who he raced and sold before she developed into a grade I winner.

Chinchon (TrueNicks rated A+) is a good reflection of the kind of upgrading that Hinojosa has achieved with pedigree patterns. Neither the dam – the Hector Protector mare Jarama – nor the second dam, Tijuana Tango, have previously produced a stakes winner, but the third dam is Northern Prancer, a sister to El Gran Senor and Try My Best. Northern Prancer was the “weak sister” from a mating that also produced Northern Guest (Champion Sire in South Africa), classic sire Compliance, and graded stakes producers Golden Oriole and Bella Senora. Foaled the year before El Gran Senor – the most outstanding of the siblings – Northern Prancer never ran. She did produce four winners from ten starters, but neither she, nor any of her daughters succeeded in producing a black type winner. However, for Pedigree Consultants clients, working with mares descending from Northern Prancer has proved to be the equivalent of mining a rich seam.

The first example was Entepreneur, bred by George Waggoner. He was by Cure the Blues out of Iniki, who in turn was out of Chisme, a non-winning daughter of Secretariat and Northern Prancer. Entepreneur won seven races and $441,214, including the Great White Way and Sleepy Hollow Stakes, and was several times graded stakes placed. We suspect that the reason that Entepreneur represented a significant upgrading in the achievements of his family is to be found in the fact that the three-parts-siblings Speedwell and Secretariat reside 3 x 3 in the pedigree. Chinchon is also inbred 3 x 3, but in his case, the inbreeding is to full siblings Try My Best and Northern Prancer, Try My Best being the paternal grandsire of Chinchon’s own sire, Marju (for good measure, Chinchon also has the Never Bend genetic relatives Mill Reef and Riverman in the fourth generation, as well as a tremendous build up of La Troienne).

A third stakes winner descending from Northern Prancer is Joku. A winner of a trio black type races in Australia this season, and a Pedigree Consultants recommended mating, Joku is bred by Eduardo Cojuangco’s Gooree Park Stud Pty Ltd. Joku is by Xaar (by the Gone West horse, Zafonic) out of U.S.-bred Biru Lang, who in turn is by Pine Bluff out of Northern Prancer’s Commemorate daughter Tandra Gee. This mating gives a 3 x 5 inbreeding to Northern Prancer’s granddam, Best in Show, and it also combines the genetic relatives Halo and Sir Ivor.

The only one of Northern Prancer’s first four stakes winning descendents not to have an obviously clever inbreeding pattern is Roman Romance (by San Romano), although she does have well-placed La Troienne. However, she also got in on the act at the weekend when her son Sensational Slam made a winning debut by capturing the Clarendon Stakes at Woodbine. The two-year-old is a son of Grand Slam (TrueNicks,SRO) (dam by El Gran Senor) and has El Gran Senor and Northern Prancer 3 x 4. For good measure, he also has a double of Secretariat and Tamerette, the sire and dam of Secrettame (dam of Gone West), the sire of Grand Slam. Thus four of Grand Slam’s eight grandparents are doubled here.

Overall, it’s fascinating to reflect how clever inbreeding and line breeding has brought respectability, and ultimately grade I success, to a branch of a family that otherwise would have been a deeply disappointing one.

Filed under: Recent Winners