In 1956 Harold Hampton produced a pedigree analysis entitled, ‘The Hidden Blend of Blandford’ and I pay homage to him and that analysis, in this article. For 60 years later, we have the astonishing proof of the enduring wisdom of Hampton’s work.

 

In 2013, Monsun entire, Fiorente, was imported from Europe to run in and win, arguably the greatest staying test on the international racing calendar, the Melbourne Cup. A year later, Protectionist emulated his paternal half-brother with success in the 2014 Cup. And two years later, his gelded son, Almandin, claimed yet another. In the race that draws competitors from across the globe, Monsun sons have succeeded in three of the last four Melbourne Cups. So the question now is how and why.

 

Let’s start with Monsun.

 

Now deceased, this German based stallion rose to prominence across Europe as the sire of 112 black-type winners, an astonishing 15% of his foals of racing age.

 

As well as his three Melbourne Cup winners, Monsun has also sired Gold Cup winner, Estimate; three Deutsches Derby winners, Samum, Shirocco and Schiaparelli; the King George winner Novellist; and the Grosser Preis von Baden winner, Getaway.

 

Monsun is by Konigsstuhl, Germany's champion racehorse and first triple-crown winner. He is a male line descendant of a three-time leading sire in Great Britain & Ireland, Blandford, whose influence, as we shall see, continues spectacularly today.

 

Blandford was bred at the Irish National Stud and is by Swynford out of Blanche, a White Eagle mare who was half-sister to the One Thousand Guineas and Oaks winner, Cherry Lass. As a foal, Blandford was extremely delicate. Suffering pneumonia, he was not ready for an early sale, but was later offered at the December Newmarket Sale where he sold for 720 guineas to the well-known trainer, RC Dawson and his brother.

 

A top heavy colt with bad legs, Blandford’s race career was limited to just four starts. At age two, he ran second in the Windsor Castle Stakes at Ascot Racecourse, and at three, won the Princess of Wales Stakes. He retired to the Dawson brother’s stud near Dublin where he sired eleven British classic race winners, including four which won the Epsom Derby.

 

When he died at the age of 16, his progeny had won over 300 races worth more than 327,000 pounds. In the year of his death, Blandford was champion sire in both France and England.

 

So, why was Blandford so successful?

 

Blandford’s sire success relates unequivocally to the cross he enjoyed with mares carrying Desmond, the black son of St Simon out of L’Abbesse de Jouarre, who had won the oaks for Sir Winston Churchill’s father, Lord Randolph Churchill.

 

Desmond was a very good two-year-old who lost his appetite for racing, and was then tried at stud. He did well as a sire and was leading stallion in 1913 when his son Aboyeur was awarded the Derby on the disqualification of another of his sons, Craganour. He also sired Gold Vase winner, Charles O’Malley, the sire of Malva, the dam of Blenheim by Blandford.

 

And it is here that we get to the point of Hamptons work, and that is Blandford loved Desmond in his mares, or rather, what Desmond had. I will leave it to the reader to investigate this, as their enthusiasm requires, but offer some exceptional racehorses that carry the cross of Blandford over Desmond; Trigo and siblings, Athford, Harinero, Primero and Havino; Blenheim and his brother, His Grace; Buland and Buland Bala; Statesman; Solicitor General; Persian Gulf; Meld; Nivrag and finally, I give you Monsun.

 

The Blandford sireline of Monsun found utopia in Germany where Festa, the regally bred daughter of St Simon and L’Abbesse de Jouarre, and full sister to Desmond, had been imported in 1901 and founded the first great German thoroughbred family of the twentieth century. She became the dam of multiple stakeswinner and influential sire, Festino; 2000 Guineas and Derby winner, Fels, and his sister, 2000 Guineas winner, Fabula; multiple stakes winner, Faust; and Guineas and St Leger winner, Fervor.

 

The cross of Blandford over Desmond, as successful as it had been in Europe, became supercharged in Germany where Desmond's full sister, Festa, entered the mix.

 

It is no surprise then, that Monsun is inbred 4x4 to full brother and sister, Kaiserkrone and Kaiseradler, both carrying Festa.

 

Monsun’s Triple Crown winning sire, Konigsstuhl, is inbred 5fx4m Arjaman, who also carries Festa.

 

Monsun’s grandsire, Dschingis Khan, is out of a mare by Neckar who carries multiple lines of Festa; and his sire, English bred, Persian Gulf, carries a daughter of Desmond on his dam line.

 

But it is Persian Gulf’s sire, Bahram, the English Triple Crown winning son of Blandford, whose pedigree is ‘the exception that proves the rule’ and replicates in the Melbourne Cup winning sons of Monsun.

 

Let’s see how it works.

 

Desmond and Festa are by St Simon ex L’Abbesse de Jouarre ex Festive by Carnival by Sweetmeat and traces tail female to Miss Agnes by Birdcatcher out of Agnes by Clarion.

 

Bahram’s dam has no Desmond or Festa but she has the genetic equivalent, the 'hidden blend' in dam, Friars Daughter, who traces to Concertina, who like L’Abbesse de Jouarre, is by St Simon and out of Comic Song ex Frivolity by Macaroni by Sweetmeat and also traces tail female to Miss Agnes by Birdcatcher out of Agnes by Clarion. Different, but the same.

 

Now let’s take a step forward to Monsun's Melbourne Cup winners to see what we find.

 

The cross of Monsun with mares carrying Tiger Hill has produced 31 foals of racing age for 6 stakes winners including Group 1 winners, Sortilege and 2016 Melbourne Cup winner, Almandin. Tiger Hill carries the Festa family.

 

And what of Protectionist and Fiorente?

 

In terms of pedigree, Protectionist and Fiorente are the same.

 

Protectionist is out of Patineuse by Peintre Celebre and inbred 3mx5f Special. Special traces to Dalmary by Blandford ex Simon Shoes by Simon Square. Simon Square is by St Simon ex Sweet Marjorie by Kendal, whose daughter Windermere is by Macaroni by Sweetmeat ex Miss Agnes by Birdcatcher out of Agnes by Clarion. The cross of Blandford over Simon Square then, is the same as Blandford over Friars Daughter and Blandford over Desmond/Festa.

 

Fiorente’s pedigree strength lies straight down his damline. There he traces directly to Country House, a great granddaughter of Blandford and tail female to Simon Shoes by Simon Square.

 

So like Protectionist, Fiorente carries the same ‘hidden blend’ that is the genetic match of the Blandford-Desmond/Festa cross that Harold Hampton identified all those years ago.