Mating Recommendations: by Alan Porter
HALF OURS
A brilliant record-breaking juvenile stakes winner, and graded stakes winning sprinter, Half Ours, is one of the most exciting stallion sons of Unbridled’s Song.
Half Ours is bred on one of the most successful crosses for his sire, that with mares by Storm Cat. It could be worth cautiously considering breeding him back to correct mares by sons of the that sire. Storm Cat is my Storm Bird – a strong cross from Unbridled’s Song in his own right – and from that line one could also consider mares by Summer Squall (who is three-quarters related to Storm Cat). Half Ours is a product of an extended version of the Mr. Prospector/Northern Dancer cross, and most stallions bred on that cross have found success when bred back over Northern Dancer line mares. Branches of Northern Dancer which have produced stakes winners by Unbridled’s Song include Deputy Minister (with Dehere and Silver Deputy looking very interesting), Danzig (whose son, Chief’s Crown, would double the Northern Dancer/Secretariat cross here through Storm Cat), The Minstrel, Dixieland Band and Magesterial.
Unbridled’s Song and his sire, Unbridled, have an extremely strong affinity with In Reality line mares. This cross has already produced five stakes winner for Unbridled’s Song, including grade one winners Splendid Blended and Unbridled Elaine, Splendid Blended out of a mare by Valid Appeal, and Unbridled Elain out of a mare by Taylor’s Falls. Unbridled’s Song also has a stakes winner out of a mare by Star of the Crop, from the Relaunch branch of this line.
Unbridled’s Song has worked well with several different branches of the Nasrullah sire line. He has sired three stakes winners from Blushing Groom line mares, out of daughters of Rahy, and Mt. Livermore and his son, Housebuster. Unbridled, Unbridled’s Song and his son, Songandaprayer, have sired major stakes winner out of mares descending from Caro, and he could be brought in through With Approval, Dr. Carter. Cozzene, and In Excess (sire of Indian Charlie). Both Unbridled’s Song and Songandaprayer have stakes winners out of Never Bend line mares, and Unbridled’s Song has a stakes winner out of a mare by Olympio (by Naskra). From the male line descending from Nasrullah’s three-parts-brother Royal Charger, to Turn-to, Unbridled’s Song has stakes winners out of mares by Drone, Bates Motel (by Sir Ivor) and Lord Avie, who are all from the Sir Gaylord branch of this line. He also has a stakes winner out of a mare by Turn-to’s grandson, Halo.
Unbridled’s Song has sired stakes winners out of mares from his own sire line, that of Mr. Prospector. Likely candidates includes mares from the Gone West and Forty Niner branches, and Mr. Prospector/Northern Dancer crosses. Unbridled’s Song also has stakes winners out of mares descending from Raise a Native through Majestic Prince (out of a mare by (Wavering Monarch), Exclusive Native (out of a mare by Premiership, and Alydar.
Out mares descending from Prince John, Unbridled’s Song has sired stakes winners out of mares by Silent Screen and Hold Your Peace.