The Byerley Turk ( c. 1680 – c. 1703 [1]), also spelled Byerly Turk, was the earliest of three stallions that were the founders of the modern Thoroughbred horse racing bloodstock (the other two are the Godolphin Arabian and the Darley Arabian). [2] [3]
The biographical details of the stallion are the subject of much speculation. The entry in the General Stud Book simply states: "BYERLY TURK, was Captain Byerly's [ sic] charger in Ireland, in King William's wars (1689, &c.)." [4] As for his earlier history, the most popular theory is that the horse was captured at the Battle of Buda (1686) along with the Lister Turk, who was brought to England by the Duke of Berwick. Other sources speculate he was one of three Turkish stallions captured at the Battle of Vienna. [5] It is even possible he was bred in England from previously imported stock. [6] He was definitely the war horse and cavalry mount of Captain Robert Byerley, who was dispatched to Ireland in 1689 during King William's War and saw further military service in the Battle of the Boyne. According to early records, Captain Byerley was nearly captured while reconnoitering the enemy, "owing his safety to the superior speed of his horse". [5]
As a general rule, the spelling of a name registered with the Jockey Club is considered definitive, even if it is an obvious error. [7] However, the original edition of the General Stud Book was compiled nearly a century after the fact (in 1791) and contains several errors that have been subsequently corrected. Most sources consider the correct spelling of the horse's name to follow the correct spelling of the owner's name, Byerley. [5]
The Byerley Turk was a dark brown or black [1] horse of unknown breeding, but described in historic accounts as an Arabian. [5] At the time, Turkish horses were described as descended from "those of Arabia or Persia", but stated that they were longer in the body and of a larger size. [8] He was described as a horse of elegance, courage and speed. [5] Many of his offspring were also noted to have been either bay or black. [9]
In 1692, Captain Byerley married his cousin, Mary Wharton (sole heir to the estate of Goldsborough, near Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, England) and moved to live with her at her family home of Goldsborough Hall. After Byerley retired (as Colonel Byerley), the Byerley Turk retired to stud, first at Middridge Grange, then, from 1697, at Goldsborough Hall. [5] The Byerley Turk died there in 1703 and it is believed he is buried close to the Hall. Goldsborough Hall is now a private family home that offers accommodation, which includes the commemorative Byerley suite. [10]
He did not cover many well-bred mares, [11] but his most significant sons include:
The Byerley Turk also sired several highly influential daughters, most of whose names do not survive. They are generally classified by the female family that they belong to:
The Byerley sire line persisted by producing a major sire every few generations, whose sons would create branches of their own. Most of these branches have died out over the course of time in the purebred Thoroughbred, but remain present in other horse breeds in which mares were bred to male descendants of the Byerley Turk. The line of descent to the present day is as follows: [20] [21] [22]
Thus, the continuation of the Byerley Turk sire line through Herod in the purebred Thoroughbred now largely depends on the descendants of Djebel, primarily through four descendants of his son Clarion (Captain Chop, Indian Haven, Pearl Secret, and Luck Money: via the Indian Ridge line), [34] [39] [40] [41] and secondarily through two descendants of his son My Babu (Bulleton via the Better Boy line, and Quite Fine via the Milesian line). [33] [36] [37] [35] [42] [43]
Recent research from 2017 [45] and 2019 [46] has brought into question the lineage of the sire Galopin. The research suggests that Galopin descends, not from the Darley Arabian sire line, but from the Byerley Turk. This is due to the descendants of Galopin possessing the Y chromosome Tb-oB1 rather than Tb-d, which is found in descendants of the Darley Arabian. [47] This line of descent, which is a rare line via sire St. Simon (1881 – 1908), was found to exist as recently as 2023 in Saudi Arabia, from the sons of Pleasant Colony. [25]
Of special note, a direct male descendant by the name of Gem Twist, a three-time American Grand Prix Association champion Thoroughbred show jumper, had three clones produced [48] [49] that have successfully produced more than 200 offspring, as of 2023. The clones and any offspring of them are not considered Thoroughbreds, however, as the Jockey Club requires procreation by natural means. [50] Offspring of all three clones of Gem Twist, with the most prolific being Gemini CL, have been registered with the Anglo European Studbook (AES) instead, or as another breed, such as Swedish Warmblood, Zangersheide, and other warmblood horse breeds. [51] [52]
Focusing on the sire line may underestimate the ongoing influence of the Byerley Turk; detailed pedigree analysis shows that he has a higher percentage of blood in the modern Thoroughbred than either of his fellow foundation sires through other lines of descent. [31] Thormanby (1857–1875), a Byerley Turk descendant who sired almost 100 stakes winners, is present in the pedigrees of almost all modern Thoroughbreds through his daughter, Rouge Rose, who produced the Epsom Derby winner Bend Or ( Darley Arabian line). [53] [54]
The influence of the Byerley Turk has been felt through other horse breeds through his direct male descendants Diomed ( American Quarter Horse and Standardbred), [55] [56] [57] [58] Denmark ( American Saddlebred), [59] and Justin Morgan ( Morgan horse). [60] Denmark, Justin Morgan, and Sir Archy [61] (son of Diomed), are key foundation sires for their respective breeds. [59] [60] Therefore, the Byerley Turk overall sire line lives on today more prominently in the United States through the American Quarter Horse, American Saddlebred, and Morgan horse, as opposed to the purebred Thoroughbred.
A rare breed founded in Hungary called the Kisbér Félvér has a direct sire line link to the Byerley Turk. The lineage can be traced to the German-born Thoroughbred stallion Fenék (b. 1883), who was by the British stallion Buccaneer - a descendant of Herod (b. 1758) through Herod's son, Highflyer (b. 1774) - out of the mare Hélène Triomphante, of the Godolphin Arabian line. Fenék was transferred to the Kisbér Stud in Hungary in 1894, where he had a stud fee of £30 for foreign-owned mares, and £20 for Hungarian-owned mares. [62] [63]
In the Trakehner, a German warmblood breed that was developed in Prussia ( Germany) from the early 1800s onwards, the Byerley Turk also had a major influence. From 1800 to 1860, a recorded 68 English Thoroughbred stallions stood at the stud at Trakehnen, comprising 18% (1 in 5) of all breeding stallions. Later on, from 1861 to 1925, a total of 116 English Thoroughbreds stood at the stud, making up 51% (1 in 2) of all stallions. Of these, seven Thoroughbred stallions would go on to have a significant impact on the breed, including Byerley Turk sire line descendant Snyders (b. 1833), a male-line descendant of Herod (b. 1758); and Perfectionist, a member of the disputed Galopin line. The German Thoroughbred stallion Lehnsherr (b. 1927), a Byerley Turk male-line descendant through Atlantic (1871–1891) through his son, the French Thoroughbred stallion Le Sancy (b. 1884), would also become an influential sire in the Trakehner breed. [64]
The Byerley Turk sire line also lives on through the Polish Anglo-Arabian stallion Ramzes (b. 1937), who was sired by the gray Belgian Thoroughbred stallion Rittersporn (b. 1917) out of the Shagya Arabian mare Jordi. Rittersporn was a male-line descendant of the English Thoroughbred racing stallion Herod (b. 1758) through Herod's son, Woodpecker (b. 1773), and Woodpecker's son, Buzzard (b. 1787).
Ramzes was an influential warmblood sire of show jumping and dressage horses who stood at various studs, including the Janów Podlaski Stud Farm in Poland, and would go on to have a strong influence on the Westphalian, Holsteiner, and other German warmblood horse breeds. [65] The Grand Prix and 1996 Olympic dressage team stallion Rubinstein I (1986 – 2000), a Westphalian, was one of Ramzes' most influential descendants among German warmblood and sport horse breeders, siring 89 state premium mares and 66 approved stallions. [66]
Rubinstein I went on to have an exemplary career at stud, siring over 400 mares in different German warmblood registries, as well as numerous stallions, particularly in the Oldenburg and Hanoverian breeds. [67] The performances of his get placed him 4th on the dressage index for older stallions. [68] Another influential Hanoverian stallion of the Byerley Turk line includes Bolero (1975 – 1987), by the Thoroughbred stallion Black Sky (b. 1966) of the Djebel line, out of the Hanoverian/ Thoroughbred mare Baronesse (b. 1970). [69]
Black Sky was imported to Germany in 1972, where stood at stud at Schmidt-Ankum and Landesbrück; he was a less popular sire than Cardinal (b. 1964), a male-line descendant of the Darley Arabian. During a performance test, his son Bolero performed only moderately, placing 6th out of 30 stallions in his 100-day test. In his nine seasons at stud, he sired 47 licensed stallions, including the champion of his year, Buenos Aires; his most influential stallion sons have been Brentano II (b. 1983, Hanoverian) and Bismarck (b. 1980, Hanoverian). Bolero’s progeny proved to be excellent dressage horses, but showed little jumping ability.
Nevertheless, Bolero proved to be successful broodmare sire, fathering a total of 316 registered broodmares, of which 98 were awarded State Premium status. In 2002, the last year he appeared in the Hanoverian stallion book, Bolero was represented by 417 competition horses, with collective winnings of more than €725,000. There were 16 horses that had won more than €10,000 in dressage competitions. The most successful of Bolero's get were the mare Boney M, with more than €105,00, followed by the gelding Borsalino (over €95,000); Bini Bo (over €28,000); and the stallion Beauvalais (over €27,000). All were registered as Hanoverians. Beauvalais (b. 1987), ridden by the Spanish rider Beatriz Ferrer-Salat, won the individual silver medal and team bronze at the 2002 World Equestrian Games, as well as the team silver and individual bronze for Spain at the 2004 Summer Olympics. [70]
One of Bolero's female descendants, the Hanoverian mare Brentina (1991 – 2021), [71] began her international career at 8 years old with rider Debbie McDonald at the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Canada, becoming the first U.S. equestrian double gold medalist at the Pan American Games since 1983. Brentina also earned a team silver medal and finished fourth individually in the 2002 World Equestrian Games; became the first American horse to take the FEI World Cup Final in 2003; made the shortlist for the 2004 Summer Olympics; and was also named to the 2006 World Equestrian Games team, earning a bronze medal in the latter for the United States. [72] Brentina was retired from competitions after the 2009 World Cup Finals in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States at the age of 18, and became a broodmare. [73] Brentina's achievements are widely credited with helping the development of dressage in the United States.
Bolero's sire line has achieved renewed prominence in recent years, thanks largely to the efforts of Belisimo M (b. 1999, Rhenish Warmblood) and Breitling W (b. 1991, Hanoverian) as well as the sons of Breitling W: Burlington FRH (b. 2003, Hanoverian) and Burlington II (b. 2011), and the Burlington I son, Bodyguard (b. 2009, Hanoverian). Belisimo M is a grandson of Bolero through his son, Beltain (b. 1984, Hanoverian), and Breitling W is a grandson of Bolero through another son, Bismarck (b. 1980, Hanoverian).However, Bolero's most successful son was the Hanoverian stallion Brentano II (1982 – 2010), who sired Brentina and Poesie, the dam of the Brandenburger mare Poetin (1997 - 2005). [74]
Gem Twist (June 12, 1979 – November 18, 2006) was a 16.3 hands (67 inches, 170 cm) world champion American Thoroughbred show jumping gelding registered under the name "Icey Twist". [75], bred by equestrian Frank Chapot. [76] Gem Twist was a male-line descendant of the Byerley Turk through his ancestor, the gray French Thoroughbred sire Le Sancy (b. 1884), and his sire, Atlantic (1871–1891), a chestnut British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire who won the 2000 Guineas and the Epsom Derby. After his retirement, Atlantic was exported to France, where he became a successful and influential sire of stakes winners. Gem Twist's gray coat came from Le Sancy, who was out of Gem of Gems (b. 1873), a gray Thoroughbred broodmare. [77] [78] After Gem Twist's death in 2006, three clones of him were produced to use in German warmblood sport horse breeding programs in Europe.
In May 2012, it was revealed that Gemini CL (c. 2008), the first clone of Gem Twist, had successfully sired his first crop of foals, primarily out of German warmblood mares, and through the use of artificial insemination (AI). He was also bred to the Thoroughbred mare Otherwise Engaged, a descendant of the Irish Thoroughbred racehorse Turn-To (1951–1973), [79] who gave birth to a healthy chestnut colt. [80] The colt was born at Park Avenue Stables in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in March 2012, and he was named "The Proposal".
Any offspring of clones are not considered Thoroughbreds, and cannot be registered with the Jockey Club, as the breed requires natural procreation for the bloodlines to qualify for the stud book; as such, "The Proposal" was registered with the Anglo European Studbook (AES) instead. [51] However, Thoroughbred clones and their offspring would still be eligible to compete in Olympic competitions, [50] with Gemini CL primarily being bred to produce show jumping horses.
As of 2023, Gemini CL was listed by Groupe France Elevage for stud services through artificial insemination (AI), with fresh semen being available for warmblood and sport horse breeding in France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany, and frozen semen being available for breeding worldwide. His booking fee was listed at €350, and his pregnancy fee was listed at €850. He is advertised as "passing blood, power and an incredible technique" to his offspring. [81] He was exported from the United States to the Netherlands, where he currently stands at stud as a sire of German warmblood sport horses and show jumpers. Starting in 2013, Gemini CL also started being regularly bred to Zangersheide mares.
The website Horse Telex Pedigree listed a total of 217 offspring sired by Gemini CL as of 2023. Most were registered as German warmbloods, but one foal - the filly Obora's Guapa (b. 2016) - was listed as a purebred Thoroughbred, out of the mare Emirates ( Pop Rock x Enamaqua, by Namaqualand, a son of Mr. Prospector). [82] The foal was registered as a Swedish Warmblood [83] due to Jockey Club restrictions on cloned Thoroughbreds. Another offspring, the bay filly Rocana Twist (b. 2018), is ¾ Thoroughbred, being by Gemini CL out of the partbred Thoroughbred mare Rocana II (by Ituango, a German Thoroughbred stallion of the Dark Ronald line, out of Rose, an Oldenburg mare). [84]
Two other clones of Gem Twist, Murka's Gem and Gem Twist Alpha Z, were registered in the Anglo European Studbook (AES) and the Zangersheide studbook, respectively. [85] [86] [87] The latter, Alpha Z, was bred by Frank Chapot, who also bred the original Gem Twist, and is primarily used in Zangersheide ( Belgian Warmblood) sport horse breeding programs.
Byerley Turk descendants (click to expand)
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The Byerley Turk ( c. 1680 – c. 1703 [1]), also spelled Byerly Turk, was the earliest of three stallions that were the founders of the modern Thoroughbred horse racing bloodstock (the other two are the Godolphin Arabian and the Darley Arabian). [2] [3]
The biographical details of the stallion are the subject of much speculation. The entry in the General Stud Book simply states: "BYERLY TURK, was Captain Byerly's [ sic] charger in Ireland, in King William's wars (1689, &c.)." [4] As for his earlier history, the most popular theory is that the horse was captured at the Battle of Buda (1686) along with the Lister Turk, who was brought to England by the Duke of Berwick. Other sources speculate he was one of three Turkish stallions captured at the Battle of Vienna. [5] It is even possible he was bred in England from previously imported stock. [6] He was definitely the war horse and cavalry mount of Captain Robert Byerley, who was dispatched to Ireland in 1689 during King William's War and saw further military service in the Battle of the Boyne. According to early records, Captain Byerley was nearly captured while reconnoitering the enemy, "owing his safety to the superior speed of his horse". [5]
As a general rule, the spelling of a name registered with the Jockey Club is considered definitive, even if it is an obvious error. [7] However, the original edition of the General Stud Book was compiled nearly a century after the fact (in 1791) and contains several errors that have been subsequently corrected. Most sources consider the correct spelling of the horse's name to follow the correct spelling of the owner's name, Byerley. [5]
The Byerley Turk was a dark brown or black [1] horse of unknown breeding, but described in historic accounts as an Arabian. [5] At the time, Turkish horses were described as descended from "those of Arabia or Persia", but stated that they were longer in the body and of a larger size. [8] He was described as a horse of elegance, courage and speed. [5] Many of his offspring were also noted to have been either bay or black. [9]
In 1692, Captain Byerley married his cousin, Mary Wharton (sole heir to the estate of Goldsborough, near Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, England) and moved to live with her at her family home of Goldsborough Hall. After Byerley retired (as Colonel Byerley), the Byerley Turk retired to stud, first at Middridge Grange, then, from 1697, at Goldsborough Hall. [5] The Byerley Turk died there in 1703 and it is believed he is buried close to the Hall. Goldsborough Hall is now a private family home that offers accommodation, which includes the commemorative Byerley suite. [10]
He did not cover many well-bred mares, [11] but his most significant sons include:
The Byerley Turk also sired several highly influential daughters, most of whose names do not survive. They are generally classified by the female family that they belong to:
The Byerley sire line persisted by producing a major sire every few generations, whose sons would create branches of their own. Most of these branches have died out over the course of time in the purebred Thoroughbred, but remain present in other horse breeds in which mares were bred to male descendants of the Byerley Turk. The line of descent to the present day is as follows: [20] [21] [22]
Thus, the continuation of the Byerley Turk sire line through Herod in the purebred Thoroughbred now largely depends on the descendants of Djebel, primarily through four descendants of his son Clarion (Captain Chop, Indian Haven, Pearl Secret, and Luck Money: via the Indian Ridge line), [34] [39] [40] [41] and secondarily through two descendants of his son My Babu (Bulleton via the Better Boy line, and Quite Fine via the Milesian line). [33] [36] [37] [35] [42] [43]
Recent research from 2017 [45] and 2019 [46] has brought into question the lineage of the sire Galopin. The research suggests that Galopin descends, not from the Darley Arabian sire line, but from the Byerley Turk. This is due to the descendants of Galopin possessing the Y chromosome Tb-oB1 rather than Tb-d, which is found in descendants of the Darley Arabian. [47] This line of descent, which is a rare line via sire St. Simon (1881 – 1908), was found to exist as recently as 2023 in Saudi Arabia, from the sons of Pleasant Colony. [25]
Of special note, a direct male descendant by the name of Gem Twist, a three-time American Grand Prix Association champion Thoroughbred show jumper, had three clones produced [48] [49] that have successfully produced more than 200 offspring, as of 2023. The clones and any offspring of them are not considered Thoroughbreds, however, as the Jockey Club requires procreation by natural means. [50] Offspring of all three clones of Gem Twist, with the most prolific being Gemini CL, have been registered with the Anglo European Studbook (AES) instead, or as another breed, such as Swedish Warmblood, Zangersheide, and other warmblood horse breeds. [51] [52]
Focusing on the sire line may underestimate the ongoing influence of the Byerley Turk; detailed pedigree analysis shows that he has a higher percentage of blood in the modern Thoroughbred than either of his fellow foundation sires through other lines of descent. [31] Thormanby (1857–1875), a Byerley Turk descendant who sired almost 100 stakes winners, is present in the pedigrees of almost all modern Thoroughbreds through his daughter, Rouge Rose, who produced the Epsom Derby winner Bend Or ( Darley Arabian line). [53] [54]
The influence of the Byerley Turk has been felt through other horse breeds through his direct male descendants Diomed ( American Quarter Horse and Standardbred), [55] [56] [57] [58] Denmark ( American Saddlebred), [59] and Justin Morgan ( Morgan horse). [60] Denmark, Justin Morgan, and Sir Archy [61] (son of Diomed), are key foundation sires for their respective breeds. [59] [60] Therefore, the Byerley Turk overall sire line lives on today more prominently in the United States through the American Quarter Horse, American Saddlebred, and Morgan horse, as opposed to the purebred Thoroughbred.
A rare breed founded in Hungary called the Kisbér Félvér has a direct sire line link to the Byerley Turk. The lineage can be traced to the German-born Thoroughbred stallion Fenék (b. 1883), who was by the British stallion Buccaneer - a descendant of Herod (b. 1758) through Herod's son, Highflyer (b. 1774) - out of the mare Hélène Triomphante, of the Godolphin Arabian line. Fenék was transferred to the Kisbér Stud in Hungary in 1894, where he had a stud fee of £30 for foreign-owned mares, and £20 for Hungarian-owned mares. [62] [63]
In the Trakehner, a German warmblood breed that was developed in Prussia ( Germany) from the early 1800s onwards, the Byerley Turk also had a major influence. From 1800 to 1860, a recorded 68 English Thoroughbred stallions stood at the stud at Trakehnen, comprising 18% (1 in 5) of all breeding stallions. Later on, from 1861 to 1925, a total of 116 English Thoroughbreds stood at the stud, making up 51% (1 in 2) of all stallions. Of these, seven Thoroughbred stallions would go on to have a significant impact on the breed, including Byerley Turk sire line descendant Snyders (b. 1833), a male-line descendant of Herod (b. 1758); and Perfectionist, a member of the disputed Galopin line. The German Thoroughbred stallion Lehnsherr (b. 1927), a Byerley Turk male-line descendant through Atlantic (1871–1891) through his son, the French Thoroughbred stallion Le Sancy (b. 1884), would also become an influential sire in the Trakehner breed. [64]
The Byerley Turk sire line also lives on through the Polish Anglo-Arabian stallion Ramzes (b. 1937), who was sired by the gray Belgian Thoroughbred stallion Rittersporn (b. 1917) out of the Shagya Arabian mare Jordi. Rittersporn was a male-line descendant of the English Thoroughbred racing stallion Herod (b. 1758) through Herod's son, Woodpecker (b. 1773), and Woodpecker's son, Buzzard (b. 1787).
Ramzes was an influential warmblood sire of show jumping and dressage horses who stood at various studs, including the Janów Podlaski Stud Farm in Poland, and would go on to have a strong influence on the Westphalian, Holsteiner, and other German warmblood horse breeds. [65] The Grand Prix and 1996 Olympic dressage team stallion Rubinstein I (1986 – 2000), a Westphalian, was one of Ramzes' most influential descendants among German warmblood and sport horse breeders, siring 89 state premium mares and 66 approved stallions. [66]
Rubinstein I went on to have an exemplary career at stud, siring over 400 mares in different German warmblood registries, as well as numerous stallions, particularly in the Oldenburg and Hanoverian breeds. [67] The performances of his get placed him 4th on the dressage index for older stallions. [68] Another influential Hanoverian stallion of the Byerley Turk line includes Bolero (1975 – 1987), by the Thoroughbred stallion Black Sky (b. 1966) of the Djebel line, out of the Hanoverian/ Thoroughbred mare Baronesse (b. 1970). [69]
Black Sky was imported to Germany in 1972, where stood at stud at Schmidt-Ankum and Landesbrück; he was a less popular sire than Cardinal (b. 1964), a male-line descendant of the Darley Arabian. During a performance test, his son Bolero performed only moderately, placing 6th out of 30 stallions in his 100-day test. In his nine seasons at stud, he sired 47 licensed stallions, including the champion of his year, Buenos Aires; his most influential stallion sons have been Brentano II (b. 1983, Hanoverian) and Bismarck (b. 1980, Hanoverian). Bolero’s progeny proved to be excellent dressage horses, but showed little jumping ability.
Nevertheless, Bolero proved to be successful broodmare sire, fathering a total of 316 registered broodmares, of which 98 were awarded State Premium status. In 2002, the last year he appeared in the Hanoverian stallion book, Bolero was represented by 417 competition horses, with collective winnings of more than €725,000. There were 16 horses that had won more than €10,000 in dressage competitions. The most successful of Bolero's get were the mare Boney M, with more than €105,00, followed by the gelding Borsalino (over €95,000); Bini Bo (over €28,000); and the stallion Beauvalais (over €27,000). All were registered as Hanoverians. Beauvalais (b. 1987), ridden by the Spanish rider Beatriz Ferrer-Salat, won the individual silver medal and team bronze at the 2002 World Equestrian Games, as well as the team silver and individual bronze for Spain at the 2004 Summer Olympics. [70]
One of Bolero's female descendants, the Hanoverian mare Brentina (1991 – 2021), [71] began her international career at 8 years old with rider Debbie McDonald at the 1999 Pan American Games in Winnipeg, Canada, becoming the first U.S. equestrian double gold medalist at the Pan American Games since 1983. Brentina also earned a team silver medal and finished fourth individually in the 2002 World Equestrian Games; became the first American horse to take the FEI World Cup Final in 2003; made the shortlist for the 2004 Summer Olympics; and was also named to the 2006 World Equestrian Games team, earning a bronze medal in the latter for the United States. [72] Brentina was retired from competitions after the 2009 World Cup Finals in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States at the age of 18, and became a broodmare. [73] Brentina's achievements are widely credited with helping the development of dressage in the United States.
Bolero's sire line has achieved renewed prominence in recent years, thanks largely to the efforts of Belisimo M (b. 1999, Rhenish Warmblood) and Breitling W (b. 1991, Hanoverian) as well as the sons of Breitling W: Burlington FRH (b. 2003, Hanoverian) and Burlington II (b. 2011), and the Burlington I son, Bodyguard (b. 2009, Hanoverian). Belisimo M is a grandson of Bolero through his son, Beltain (b. 1984, Hanoverian), and Breitling W is a grandson of Bolero through another son, Bismarck (b. 1980, Hanoverian).However, Bolero's most successful son was the Hanoverian stallion Brentano II (1982 – 2010), who sired Brentina and Poesie, the dam of the Brandenburger mare Poetin (1997 - 2005). [74]
Gem Twist (June 12, 1979 – November 18, 2006) was a 16.3 hands (67 inches, 170 cm) world champion American Thoroughbred show jumping gelding registered under the name "Icey Twist". [75], bred by equestrian Frank Chapot. [76] Gem Twist was a male-line descendant of the Byerley Turk through his ancestor, the gray French Thoroughbred sire Le Sancy (b. 1884), and his sire, Atlantic (1871–1891), a chestnut British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire who won the 2000 Guineas and the Epsom Derby. After his retirement, Atlantic was exported to France, where he became a successful and influential sire of stakes winners. Gem Twist's gray coat came from Le Sancy, who was out of Gem of Gems (b. 1873), a gray Thoroughbred broodmare. [77] [78] After Gem Twist's death in 2006, three clones of him were produced to use in German warmblood sport horse breeding programs in Europe.
In May 2012, it was revealed that Gemini CL (c. 2008), the first clone of Gem Twist, had successfully sired his first crop of foals, primarily out of German warmblood mares, and through the use of artificial insemination (AI). He was also bred to the Thoroughbred mare Otherwise Engaged, a descendant of the Irish Thoroughbred racehorse Turn-To (1951–1973), [79] who gave birth to a healthy chestnut colt. [80] The colt was born at Park Avenue Stables in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in March 2012, and he was named "The Proposal".
Any offspring of clones are not considered Thoroughbreds, and cannot be registered with the Jockey Club, as the breed requires natural procreation for the bloodlines to qualify for the stud book; as such, "The Proposal" was registered with the Anglo European Studbook (AES) instead. [51] However, Thoroughbred clones and their offspring would still be eligible to compete in Olympic competitions, [50] with Gemini CL primarily being bred to produce show jumping horses.
As of 2023, Gemini CL was listed by Groupe France Elevage for stud services through artificial insemination (AI), with fresh semen being available for warmblood and sport horse breeding in France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany, and frozen semen being available for breeding worldwide. His booking fee was listed at €350, and his pregnancy fee was listed at €850. He is advertised as "passing blood, power and an incredible technique" to his offspring. [81] He was exported from the United States to the Netherlands, where he currently stands at stud as a sire of German warmblood sport horses and show jumpers. Starting in 2013, Gemini CL also started being regularly bred to Zangersheide mares.
The website Horse Telex Pedigree listed a total of 217 offspring sired by Gemini CL as of 2023. Most were registered as German warmbloods, but one foal - the filly Obora's Guapa (b. 2016) - was listed as a purebred Thoroughbred, out of the mare Emirates ( Pop Rock x Enamaqua, by Namaqualand, a son of Mr. Prospector). [82] The foal was registered as a Swedish Warmblood [83] due to Jockey Club restrictions on cloned Thoroughbreds. Another offspring, the bay filly Rocana Twist (b. 2018), is ¾ Thoroughbred, being by Gemini CL out of the partbred Thoroughbred mare Rocana II (by Ituango, a German Thoroughbred stallion of the Dark Ronald line, out of Rose, an Oldenburg mare). [84]
Two other clones of Gem Twist, Murka's Gem and Gem Twist Alpha Z, were registered in the Anglo European Studbook (AES) and the Zangersheide studbook, respectively. [85] [86] [87] The latter, Alpha Z, was bred by Frank Chapot, who also bred the original Gem Twist, and is primarily used in Zangersheide ( Belgian Warmblood) sport horse breeding programs.
Byerley Turk descendants (click to expand)
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