Street Sense and the RF Effect--

In continuing with this year's Breeders' Cup theme, the Juvenile Male winner put on quite the impressive show. Street Sense ran away with the race, but in all fairness, he did have that golden rail trip that proved so effective throughout the day on dirt.

Regardless of a track bias, he was supremely impressive and has a pedigree that could make him a force in the upcoming Classics. By the high-class Street Cry and out of a young Dixieland Band mare from an exceptional female family, 10f is within grasp and the class is there, as is a special pedigree pattern, the Rasmussen Factor.

Street Sense traces back to Champion French sprinter Lianga. She was an exceptionally fast daughter of the much maligned Dancer's Image. Lianga produced well in getting two stakes-placed runners and one French stakes-winner, but her real contribution to the breed was through her daughter Long Legend.

Long Legend was sired by Reviewer who will always be remembered (or blamed) as the sire of the ill-fated Ruffian. Long Legend produced stakes-placed Talltalelady, stakes-winner Majestic Legend, and G3 and important sire Mr. Greeley. Mr. Greeley has been consistent in throwing versatile foals on the track, and his foals bring large sums by both domestic and international buyers.

Long Legend's most productive daughter to date is the aforementioned Majestic Legend. Majestic Legend was produced by the exceptional stallion and turf and stamina influence His Majesty. Majestic Legend produced stakes-winner Binalegend, and a score of hard-knocking types, one of which is Bedazzle, the dam of Street Sense.

Fours wins in 22 starts, Bedazzle earned just under 200k competeing in good company. By Dixieland Band, her value as a broodmare was a birth right. Having Dixieland Band over His Majesty and Reviewer, her pedigree showed great versatility and had what is often a good pattern of speed and stamina exchanged over a few generations.

Bred by James Tafel, Street Sense is a result of his dam Bedazzle being sent to the talented Machivellian son, Street Cry. Street Cry was a top-notch runner bred by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and raced under the colors of Godolphin. Out of the top Group 1 winning mare Helen Street, Street Cry was effective winning from 8f to the American Classics' distance of 10f.

His sire, the late Machiavellian, was one of the best-bred stallions that has ever stood stud. A champion 2-year-old colt in France, he hails from possibly the most important sire producing family in the stud book, that of Almahmoud and her daughter Natalma, his 4th and 3rd dams respectively.

Besides Northern Dancer, Natalma's biggest contribution to the breed is through her fellow bluehen daughter Raise the Standard. Raise the Standard and her daughters are responsible for champions Machiavellian, Orpen, Coup de Genie, Denebola, Bago, and of important runners Bluemamba, Coup de Folie, Glia, Snake Mountain, Loving Kindness, Jules, etc.

As if this family needed any more proof that they're capable of producing a top international stallion, El Moxie proves its prowess at such a task. El Moxie was nothing more than a claimer by Conquistador Cielo out of Raise the Standard. Sent to Australia with a sub-par race record but with the genetics of his female family behind him, El Moxie was able to sire one of the most internationally talked about horses in quite some time, Silent Witness.

Bred in Australia, Silent Witness did most his running in Hong Kong where he was named Hong Kong's Horse of the Year and champion sprinter for the 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 seasons and also broke the modern day record for most consecutive wins with 17 in a row.

But getting back to Street Sense and tying in the importance of Machiavellian's female family's effect on his pedigree, Street Sense carries the Rasmussen Factor to Natalma 5sx4d through bluehen daughter Raise the Standard and to super-sire son Northern Dancer. The Rasmussen Factor is a term used to describe inbreeding to superior female families through different individuals within the first 5 generations. Its a breeding practice that has been used for 100's of years, but was coined after the late Daily Racing Form Bloodlines columnist Leon Rasmussen and Rommy Faversham.

This inbreeding technique is still considered a theory (but isnt everything in breeding???), but there's been too many great examples of the RF seeming to be responsible in an inordinarily amount of excellent runners and producers when compared to the majority of horses who do not carry it.

To further the class of Street Sense's pedigree and the RF to Natalma, Machiavellian's dam, Coup de Folie, also carries the RF to Almahmoud quite close up supplying a 3sx3d to her through daughters Raise the Standard and Cosmah, the latter being through son Halo.

With all the said, Street Sense's devastating performance secured him on the top of most Derby pundits lists for next year, and rightfully so. The soon to be named Champion 2-year-old, has both the pedigree and class to be a threat well into next year and beyond at the very top levels. Mark another for the Rasmussen Factor and to a lesser extent, the absolute class and brilliance of the Natalma/Almahmoud clan.

ASB