Mating Analysis Per Incanto

Like all great stallions, Per Incanto has shown an ability to click withan array of pedigrees however he clearly has an affinity with certain female lines.

Northern Dancer line mares trend favourably, a cross which has worked successfully with his own sire Street Cry, and there’s increasing evidence that it goes to a new level when it features Danzig, and his champion son Danehill.

Street Cry (Machiavellian) has had a lot of success with Northern Dancer line mares, and in particular his legendary grandson Danehill. The combination of Street Cry over Danehill mares provides inbreeding to Blue Hen Natalma and her half-sister Cosmah (Cosmic Bomb).

Group 1 winners Roch N Horse, Belclare, Bonham, Shadows Cast and Santa Monica all carry male lines of Danzig. His $4.3 million earner Lost And Running also has a male line of Danzig through a son of Danehill, as does his 2023 Group 2 winner Faithful Feat (Snitzel).

Per Incanto’s dual Oaks runner-up Charms Star, and her promising brother Jimmysstar carry a female line of Danehill.

The Street Cry/Danehill combination gives three lines of Natalma and one of Cosmah in five generations.

Another standout nick is with O’Reilly mares, something which will come as little surprise to advocates of line-breeding to influential broodmares.

The cross with O’Reilly mares, which incorporates Northern Dancer and duplicates the wonderful matron Best In Show, is already responsible for dual Group 1 winner Belclare, three time Group Two winner Saracino, dual Australian stakes winner Lanciato, stakes winning juvenile Tennessee,  and stakes winning sprinters Don Carlo and Casaquinman.

O’Reilly’s sire Last Tycoon is a son of Try My Best, a grandson of Best In Show and a brother to the leading racehorse and sire El Gran Senor. Per Incanto’s link to the blue hen mare is via his second dam Daffodil Fields, a daughter of Try My Best.

Duplicating Best In Show in pedigrees has been very successful in Australia, particularly with Redoute’s Choice and his sire sons.

Mares by the likes of Duelled, Lucky Unicorn, Fast ‘N’ Famous and Coat’s Choice, all sire sons of Redoute’s Choice, can provide the same pedigree pattern while Lucky Unicorn carries separate male and female lines of Best In Show. Breeders can also replicate Best In Show using mares by Towkay.

Also,the Success Express blood found in Street Cry’s best Australasian performer the mighty Winx, who is by Street Cry from a daughter of Al Akbar, a son of Success Express, is extremely effective with Per Incanto.

16 runners by Per Incanto out of Savabeel mares have produced 13 winners, including Belluci Babe, It’s Time For Magic and Lightning Jack who have both won at stakes level. His highly promising Australian galloper Gringotts is from a Savabeel mare, from Winx’s family.

Sadlers Wells and his sons Galileo and Carnegie are other Northern Dancer line stallions who have nicked successfully with Street Cry and Per Incanto. Carnegie is the dam sire of Per Incanto’s Gr.1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas placegetter Sweepstake and sire of Saracino’s second dam.

Interestingly, Street Cry’s dual Group One winner Whobegotyou is line-bred on a sex-balanced basis to Mr Prospector. Local breeders could achieve a similar mating pattern using a daughter of Elusive City, One Cool Cat or Scaredee Cat.

Roberto line mares have also worked well with Street Cry. The fabulous Zenyatta is from a Kris S (Roberto) mare. The key to the success of this mating may lie with Roberto’s sire Hail To Reason, who also happens to be the sire of Halo, the dam sire of Machiavellian, resulting in a double-up of Hail To Reason.

Dixieland Band mares have also crossed very well with Street Cry. His Gr.1 Kentucky Derby and Gr.1 Breeders’ Cup winner Street Sense is from a Dixieland Band mare and his Gr.1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner New Year’s Day is from a mare by Dixie Union, a son of Dixieland Band out of a daughter of Seattle Slew – which again picks up the Hail To Reason line. Interestingly, Street Sense’s female genetic structure could be closely replicated in reverse by using a Keeper mare out of a Stark South mare.

While the Street Cry factor offers breeders a lot of flexibility from a pedigree perspective, Per Incanto’s female family could be the key that really unlocks his genetic potential. And although only sparingly tried to date, some of the results duplicating his female family look very promising.

Per Incanto’s dam sire is the high-class Irish stallion Indian Ridge who has been a leading sire and broodmare stallion. A son of Ahonoora, he gives breeders with mares by Cape Cross and the half-brothers Danasinga and Towkay the opportunity to achieve sex balanced duplication with his own sire, while Danasinga also brings in the proven Danehill cross.

Indian Ridge is a tail line descendant of the Blue Hen mare Cinna, whose has many descendants locally through sons and daughters such as Beau Pere, Balloch and Gallant Guru.

Per Incanto is a tail female descendant of Orama, the second dam of leading stallions, Todman, Noholme and Shifnal. She can be picked up via descendants of stallions such as Don Eduardo, Jungle Pocket, Centaine and Strategic image. 

Per Incanto has a Group 1 winner from a Centaine mare while he has three other stakes winners that are grand-daughters of the former champion sire.

With a strong and varied genetic make-up, and limited Northern Dancer blood, Per Incanto’s elevation into New Zealand’s elite band of stallions will come as little surprise to pedigree aficionados.