Pedigree Query

Looking for Exaggerator's Beyer I saw that two of Birdstone's progeny, Noble Bird (110) and Mexikoma (107), have the top two Beyer speed figures on dirt this year (Melatonin also got a 107 in the SA Handicap). Pretty remarkable for a $5000 stallion.

http://www1.drf.com/drfLeaderBoard.do?category=beyer

Birdstone - a woefully underrated sire. His foals can run classic distances and a reasonable bet at 2x the current stud fee. He still has upward potential as well

jm

Yes Noble Bird's last race was as spectacular and his previous race was almost a non-event. I gather he's quite a moody horse, but wonderful when he's on form.

I understand Birdstone is quite small so isn't seen as a good commercial prospect, but he can get a serious racehorse.

I'm very pleased with our birdstone colt from this year. I've never understood the aversion to anything under 16hh.

Watching their races, I recall hearing commentators refer to Swipe and Noble Bird as big horses. Maybe Birdstone just needs a big mares.

The sad thing about poor Birdstone is that people knocked him for awhile because he wasn't drawing quality mares - I think once they started offering free breedings for qualified mares - that helped to improve some of the book of mares he had. I've always loved him and even though he is only 15.2 to 15.3 h - when you see him, he is not slight of build at all. He might not be "commercial" but I wonder what people would say if Northern Dancer was still alive as he was small in stature as well. Some of the greatest racehorses weren't 16h - Shared Belief is a perfect example.

If you are breeding to race - Birdstone is certainly worth it in my opinion - and if your mares pedigree has blacktype in the first two generations - he is free. I bred to him, sadly my mare wouldn't settle in foal to him

Back in the 60s a practical rule-of-thumb for those breeding to race was to breed to a classic winner which was the son of a classic winner, or was himself the sire of a classic winner. Belmont winner Birdstone was bred according to that first suggestion. His sire Grindstone won the Derby and was sired by Derby winner Unbridled.

Birdstone in turn has become a prime example of the second suggestion. With his first crop of 68, he sired not only Derby winner Mine That Bird but also Summer Bird, winner of the Belmont in which Mine That Bird ran 3rd. And for a bargain basement stud fee at that! A similar stallion – also out of a Storm Bird mare -- that qualified as per the second suggestion, was Thunder Gulch, a horse I very much fancied. I bought a lovely filly by him at an Ocala 2YO-in-training sale but reluctantly turned her back when the vet found sesamoiditis.

We bred Birdstone to a 16 hand Bernstein mare and got a colt this spring. Don't know how tall he will be, but he is a solid-looking colt. http://www.pedigreequery.com/strider7

Altanbarr wrote:We bred Birdstone to a 16 hand Bernstein mare and got a colt this spring. Don't know how tall he will be, but he is a solid-looking colt. http://www.pedigreequery.com/strider7

Nice MP/ND inbreeding. Grindstone didn't get much respect either, hence Birdstone inherits that, but the fact that he won the Belmont rebuffs the idea it takes a 'big' horse. With closers, a more nimble horse may be advantageous, rather than just the one-dimensional type.

jm

A fellow poster on this board, acting as agent for a CA client, picked out this good-looking colt at the OBS Spring 2YO-in-training sale. Interesting pedigree - think Summer Bird.
http://www.pedigreequery.com/bird+is+the+word2

Bird is the Word looks good under tack and that was a quick time, 10.1, for a colt bred to go long. Good purchase, I think.

Good Luck to the connections of Bird is the Word on Saturday at Del Mar. He has a nice string of workouts.

Bird Is The Word goes up against the Big Boys in Saturday’s Grade 3 Sham Stakes at Santa Anita. I'm told he's also been nominated to the SA Derby and that his owner turned down a sizeable offer for him.

RESULT: He ran fourth in the Sham, beating two stakes winners and now has one qualifying point for the KY Derby -- tied for 27th on the Derby Leader Board. Not bad for a maiden.

Blue Tone won the off-the-turf San Gabriel (G3) for Birdstone today.

Bird is the Word looked good breaking his maiden. Got a nice Equibase speed figure too. I expect he'll be back in stakes company soon.