Triassic, Dam of So You Think, Bred to Azamour

Last year I interviewed American-born New Zealander Cecile Smith, breeder of Australian champion So You Think (NZ) (TrueNicks) and owner of his now 23-year-old dam, Triassic (read blog). At that time, Cecile was in the process of selecting a stallion for Triassic's 2012 mating, and she ultimately decided on top Waikato Stud stallion Savabeel (AUS) (TrueNicks). Sadly, Triassic did not get in foal. "I would have loved a Savabeel filly for this year but it wasn't to be," Cecile said. "It's a shame because he is a lovely horse with a good temperament and would have suited my old girl." Cecile decided that 2013 will be the final breeding season for Triassic, who Cecile reports to be in excellent heath, with a dappled coat that belies her age. Savabeel's success has sent his stud fee out of Cecile's price range, but she found another option in 2005 European champion older horse and new shuttle stallion Azamour. Triassic was covered by Azamour Oct. 3. "Azamour is the first stallion that the Aga Khan has shuttled to New Zealand, and he is standing at Nick and Anne-Marie King's property, Brighthill Farm," Cecile said. Azamour is a proven stallion with a pretty good pedigree match. This will be Triassic's last mating, so keep your fingers crossed that we get a result." The mating is similar to that of one of Azamour's best runners, Eleanora Duse, an Irish group II winner who also placed in the Darley Yorkshire Oaks (Eng-I). Eleanora Duse is out of Drama Class, a daughter of Caerleon, and both Caerleon and Tights (Triassic's sire) are by Nijinsky II out of Round Table mares. This means that Drama Class and Triassic are 9.38% related (by coefficient of relatedness), giving the mating a compelling angle. The sire line cross itself—Azamour with Nijinsky II line mares—rates an above-average B on TrueNicks, with two stakes winners and a stakes-placed 3-year-old filly from 24 starters. As you'll see in the Enhanced Report below, the average winning distances suggest that an Azamour—Triassic foal should have no problem covering a distance of ground.