Hot spell for Shantou puts Burgage back where it belongs

The instances of sire lines developed by the same operation working in harmony is not uncommon. It stands to reason that studs, if lucky enough to be in possession of two or more successful stallions, will experiment with crossing the lines in question when the opportunity arises, and in doing so are likely to be armed with a strong knowledge of progeny traits, making the likelihood of success that much stronger.

It's a strategy that has unsurprisingly benefitted many of racing's larger outfits. For Marcel Boussac, the idea of relying on crossing the blood of his own stallions, in particular Asterus, Pharis, Tourbillon and his son Djebel, yielded champions Esmeralda, Ardan, Palencia, Priam, Caracalla, Arbar, Djeddah and Coronation among others.

Numerous examples relate to today's age. Juddmonte stallions Dansili and Distant View have struck up an excellent relationship (six stakes winners from 11 runners) as have Cheveley Park Stud's Dutch Art and Pivotal mares (six stakes winners from 28 runners).