HALF OURS
2003 by Unbridled’s Song–Zing, by Storm Cat
By Avalyn Hunter
A brilliantly fast horse when healthy, Half Ours was a precocious juvenile who won the five-furlong Three Chimneys Juvenile Stakes in stakes record time. He confirmed his ability over sprint distances at four with a win the Richter Scale Breeders’ Cup Stakes (gr. II) over seven furlongs.
Sown, the third dam of Half Ours, is a half-sister to successful California stallion Pirate’s Bounty, so crossing these half siblings within a potential foal’s pedigree might be an interesting starting point. Pirate’s Bounty was, of course, by Hoist the Flag, who has combined well with both Storm Cat and Half Ours’ second damsire, Flying Paster and may be worthy of consideration in his own right..
Unbridled's Song has three grade I stakes winners from mares returning In Reality, a line also compatible with Storm Cat. In particular, Valid Appeal, already the broodmare sire of two-time grade I winner Splendid Blended, is attractive, as are returns of In Reality through daughters.
Inbreeding to Caro has also shown promise with Unbridled’s Song and his sons, producing multiple grade I winner Octave and grade III winner He’s Got Grit (by Songandaprayer ). The broodmare sires of these fine runners were Caro’s sons Dr. Carter and With Approval, respectively, and other Caro-line sires include Cozzene, Alphabet Soup, In Excess, and Indian Charlie.
Inbreeding to Northern Dancer is certainly a possibility. Unbridled’s Song has grade II winners Songster and Last Song from crosses involving Deputy Minister. Danzig and Nureyev also appear to have a better than average chances of success, and Royal Academy could be intriguing as he hails from the same female family as does Storm Cat. Inbreeding to Mr. Prospector should not be ruled out when the conformation match is good; possible targets include Gone West, Seeking the Gold, Woodman, Miswaki, Crafty Prospector, Forty Niner, and possibly Gulch, as well as strains through daughters.
Other pedigree elements worth considering include Buckpasser, Damascus, and Halo. Seattle Slew has not worked well with Unbridled’s Song and his sons to date, but the cross of Fappiano over A.P. Indy has shown promise, and A.P. Indy has also worked well with Storm Cat and his sons.