Special Bond has a unique pedigree: His sire Fairy King has one of the best pedigree’s in the world, is from a genuinely great stallion family, and is a proven multi-Champion stallion on a world scale. Fairy King has also made his mark in Australia as a sire of stallions through his fine son Encosta de Lago, who is firmly established as one of the best sires in Australia. Other sons of Fairy King at stud in Australasia include Helissio (sire of Derby winner Helenus from his first crop) & Shinko King (sire of Oaks winner Bramble Rose in his first crop). His dam Theme Song is a member of Australasia’s Family of Champions, being a grand daughter of the great mare Eight Carat. Theme Song is a great producer in her own right, the dam of three black type performer’s including the 2002 Group One winner Emerald Dream. Theme Song is a half sister to Danewin & Commands, and her dam is a half sister to Octagonal. These three stallions are all among Australia’s most exciting young sires.

Sireline:

FAIRY KING - As a race horse Fairy King failed to make an impression, finishing unplaced in his only race start. However this son of the legendary Northern Dancer was a full brother to the outstanding Sadler’s Wells, and a ¾ brother to Nureyev & closely related to Thatch; and having one of the best pedigrees in the world meant that Fairy King was given his chance as a stallion.
Fairy King lived right up to his heritage at stud, providing his own chapter in this fabulously successful stallion dynasty. Fairy King was Leading First Year sire by both Races Won & Individual Winners, & became a Champion 2YO sire in UK three times.

With this immediate success Fairy King firmly established his ability to sire quick maturing, tough, sound young horses that were able to train on to become outstanding older performers. Fairy King’s statistics to March 2006 include: 633 runners, 395 winners, 73 stakes winners, 48 stakes placed, progeny earnings of A$60million. He has sired 15 Group One winners including:
FALBRAV - World Champion racehorse in 2003. 13 wins. Japan Cup-G1, Eclipse S-G1, Hong Kong Cup-G1. Now standing at Arrowfield Stud.
HELISSIO - Champion 3yo in Europe. 8 wins. Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe-G1, Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud-G1-twice. A successful sire, his progeny include the champion HELENUS.
SECOND EMPIRE - Champion 2YO in Ireland. 4 wins Grand Criterium-G1.
OATH - 3 wins inc Epsom Derby-G1, Chester Dee S-LR.
PHAROAH’S DELIGHT - 3 wins Phoenix S-G1, 2nd Moyglare S-G1.
FAIRY HEIGHTS - 3 wins Ascot Fillies Mile S-G1, 2nd Racing Post Trophy-G1.

Fairy King’s Australian bred sire son ENCOSTA DE LAGO has been an immediate stud success. Already sire of winners of $30 million & 23 stakes winners, his progeny include Alinghi, Mmemosyne, Titanic Jack, Delago Brom, Lashed, Our Smoking Joe, Delzao, Vocabulary, Gold Lottey, Lago Delight, Brockman’s Lass, Murray Downs etc. This meteoric rise has seen Encosta De Lago’s stud fee rise from $8,000 to it’s current level of $132,000, standing at Coolmore Stud.

NORTHERN DANCER – The sire of Fairy King is probably the biggest single influence on the breeding world. An outstanding race horse he was Canadian Horse of the Year & Champion US 3YO. As a sire he was Champion Sire in USA & Champion Sire in UK four times. Sire of a record breaking 146 SW including 26 Champions, Northern Dancer established a dynasty by becoming a great sire of Champion Sires. His sons include the top sires Sadler’s Wells, Danzig, Nureyev, Nijinsky, Fairy King, Tate Gallery, Lyphard, Be My Guest, Vice Regent, El Gran Senor, Storm Bird, Northfields, The Minstrel, Lomond, Dixieland Band etc. He has also been Champion Broodmare sire in USA, the dam sire of 225 Stakes Winners of over $89million.

FAIRY BRIDGE – The dam of Fairy King is an integral member of one of the world’s most important female families. This family has produced top class race horses and leading stud horses for many years, Fairy Bridge herself the Joint Top Filly on the 1977 Irish 2YO Free Handicap. At stud she is the dam of three Champion Sires, and a further two sires of stakes winners. Both her dam & grand dam have produced Champion Sires, as has her half sister. In each generation not only has the dam produced outstanding sons but also the daughters have bred on, producing Group class gallopers all over the world. Fairy Bridge has had a significant impact on Australasian racing, three of her sons having sired Group One winners here, and another son and grand son having produced black type horses.

BOLD REASON – The dam sire of Fairy King was a top class racehorse with 7 wins inc American Derby-G1, Holly- wood Derby-G1 & 3rd Kentucky Derby-G1. A son of the Champion racehorse & sire Hail To Reason, Bold Reason represents the dominant Royal Charger sire line. Bold Reason is also a half brother to the brilliant sire Never Bend. Bold Reason was the sire of 20 stakes winners, and was the dam sire of a further 31 stakes winners. His son Sound Reason was a successful stallion in NZ siring 42 stakes winners & dam sire of 36 stakes winners. Bold Reason’s influence will live on for some time largely through Fairy Bridge and her sons.

Damline:
THEME SONG is a member of Australasia’s Family of Champions. She is a grand daughter of the legendary Eight Carat, who as the dam of FIVE individual Group One winners ranks as one of the world’s most successful brood mares ever. A city winning racehorse, Theme Song has herself been an outstanding producer at stud. She is the dam of four winners from four to race; three of these are stakes performers, including the 2002 Group One winner Emerald Dream, & Special Bond. In producing a Group One winner Theme Song has emulated her first four dams, all of whom have produced Group One winners. Theme Song is a half sister to the Champion racehorse Danewin, an excellent young sire whose progeny include the outstanding Hong Kong mare Elegant Fashion; and to Commands – one of Australia’s leading first season sires this year. She is also a half sister to the dam of top NZ sprint filly Taimana, and to the grand dam of Impaler, a multiple Group winner in Sydney.

SACKFORD – the sire of Theme Song was a smart racehorse winning 4 times from eleven starts. He won the Ascot Queen Elizabeth II S-G2. His sire Stop The Music was a brilliant racehorse & sire by the Champion Hail To Reason; thereby providing a duplication of Hail To Reason in Special Bond’s pedigree. Sackford has been a highly consistent sire producing almost 200 winners of $8.3million incl 9 stakes winners & four Group One winners. He is also becoming a very good brood mare sire with 30 stakes horses earning over $9.8 million to date.

COTEHELE HOUSE – the grand dam of Special Bond was unraced. As a daughter of Eight Carat she is a half sister to five Group One winners including the Horse of the Year Octagonal (now an exciting young sire with Lonhro in his first crop). Cotehele House has herself been a major contributor to this fabulous dynasty being the dam of two stakes winners and grand dam of three stakes winners. Her son Danewin was a Champion racehorse winning five Group One races with a further six Group One placings. Both Danewin and Commands (her other stakes winning son) are now very popular young sires, with Commands being shuttled to stand the Northern Hemisphere in France.

So far three of Cotehele House’s daughters have also produced black type performers. Cotehele House is by My Swanee who was a stakes winner of 17 races including the York Magnet Cup and the Epsom City & Suburban H. My Swanee is a son of Petition, who is by Fair Trial. Cotehele House therefore has a significant duplication of the great Lady Josephine - through her grandson Fair Trial and her daughter Mumtaz Mahal (the direct female line of Eight Carat).

EIGHT CARAT – the grand dam of Theme Song ranks as the only mare ever to produce five individual Group One winners. Such is her influence that this success is breeding on through both her sons and her daughters. She is now the first, second or third dam of twelve Group One winners including five Group One winners in the past 2 years. Two of her sons have sired Group One winners; and three of her daughters & three of her grand daughters have already left Group One winners. This is Australasia’s most popular & commercial family, regularly producing the top price yearling of the year. In fact the top price yearling ever at NZ$3.6million is her grand son Don Eduardo, who is a Group One winner.

Eight Carat was unplaced herself as a racehorse but is a half sister to the champion Habibti, one of the greatest female sprinters of all time. Eight Carat is also a half sister to Kreisler, a very successful sire in NZ. Her sire Pieces of Eight was a stakes winner of the Eclipse S-G1 & the Champion S-G1, and was by Relic from a mare by the influential Dante. Eight Carat’s dam line traces directly to Lady Josephine and is one of the most influential stallion-producing female lines in history. Her third dam is a half sister to Royal Charger, and her fourth dam is a half sister to Nasrullah. This is also the direct female line of the great sires Fair Trial, Mahmoud, Prince Taj, Abernant, Kalamoun, & Tudor Minstrel.

SPECIAL BOND – this exceptionally well bred horse is a very attractive individual standing 16.1 hands. He was lightly raced, being a stakes winning 2YO and a city winner from 1200m to 1600m. He was also stakes placed twice. Unfortunately injury restricted his career but not before he had created an enormous impression with everyone connected to him. Having a sire with the pedigree strength of Fairy King and a dam with the pedigree strength of Theme Song, Special Bond is bred to be a marvellous stallion prospect. His sire was a Champion Sire, from a Champion sires pedigree. His first five dams have all produced Group One winners. His female line has been producing outstanding stallions for decades, and completely dominates the Australian racing scene.

Stop Press!
To August 2006

Special Bond’s first progeny have started to race – from approximately
ten runners to date his progeny include:
 

TOP STRAND	- a 5½ length winner on debut at Echuca in March, followed by a desperately unlucky second & then a highly impressive city win at Sandown in August.
SPIN THE DICE	- a convincing winner at her second race start in provincial NSW, following a terrific debut fourth.
MAHADESA	- an easy winner of his first TWO starts in Singapore.
&
SPECIOSITY	- placed at her first two starts including a debut third to Follow The Till.
Top Strand wins at Sandown