Today we will look at Rocktruder who is a 4yo mare having her first start in Race 4 at Mildura. One of the important factors is that she is a daughter of Australia’s most expensive stallion, Fastnet Rock. He is a son of Danehill out of a RoyalAcademy mare in Piccadilly Circus who won the Debuntante Stakes and Blue Diamond Prelude for fillies. Fastnet Rock is in the news with arguably his best progeny in Atlantic Jewel returning to the track tomorrow after a 16 month break due to injury.
Rocktruder is out of a Desert King mare called Desert Marauder. Desert King is of course best known as the sire of another champion female in Makybe Diva. Notably in this instance, he is another son of Danehill, meaning that stallion is represented 2x3 in the pedigree of Rocktruder. In spite of the precocious nature of many of Fastnet Rock’s progeny, and those of Danehill for that matter, it is likely that this duplication could be the main underlying reason that this mare has not yet raced.
Desert Marauder is out of the good mare, Postage Due by Luskin Star, who won the Sweet Embrace way back in 1987. She is particularly special in that she was sent to Ireland in 1988 where she produced the stakes placed Back Log, and returned to Australia to continue her breeding career in 1997. Desert Marauder is the first live foal of her return to Australia. This is a great family with the presence of the likes of Copperama, Danendri, Faint Perfume, Chickens and most recently, Do You Think.
We cannot mention the pedigree of Rocktruder without noting the Danehill duplication. On top of that, we see that there are four lines of his grand sire, Northern Dancer, and yet another of Nearco, the grand sire of Northern Dancer within six generations. While close inbreeding is recommended in some instances, these are usually rare, and we would suggest that this is not one of those cases. Simply put, the pedigree is fraught with danger, and is something that should be discouraged in most cases. In terms of dosage, we see that Rocktruder has a profile that reads [0.74/3.47] [7-15-15-1-0]. In such a low quality race, if close inbreeding to Danehill was an advantage, you would expect Rocktruder to win comfortably. We doubt this will happen, and will be surprised if she races more than a handful of times. The pedigree represents one that has been of detriment to the breed, and it is important to recognise the dangers that are often inherent in this risky strategy.