These breeding principles determine the success of a racehorse - The work of Federico Tesio

The most famous thoroughbred lines in the world are the result of the work of Federico Tesio. There have been many approaches in the history of thoroughbred breeding, but only a few have truly revolutionized it. Breeding the Racehorse is based on Tesio's principles and offers a well-founded approach for owners and breeders that has been tried and tested over decades.

Frederico Tesio (Quelle: Wikipedia)

It is crucial to understand the original idea of a mating. That is why I start my research in the auction catalogues with exactly this idea in mind. Many rely on fads: popular matings, high stud fees or short-term auction trends. The Tesio rules, on the other hand, show that long-term success is based on other principles: genetic balance, structural health and strategic line breeding.

The principles taught here form the basis of modern breeding strategies – from the optimal genetic combination to the targeted strengthening of high-performance mare lines.

Likewise, the work of Federico Tesio has refuted numerous breeding myths. Examples of this include statements such as:

- "The best with the best makes the best"

- "High stud fees guarantee success"

- "Full siblings achieve similar things"

- "Exterior alone determines potential"

Some thoroughbred agents have mixed feelings about Tesio's firm theses. Especially in interviews, the exterior of horses is often overrated, which does not necessarily correspond to Tesio's philosophy. Two outstanding examples that put the exterior in the background are:

1. Wootton Bassett – a champion with an impressive racing career and excellent sire quality. However, his conformation is not flawless. Rather, his success is the result of well thought-out and balanced line breeding.

2. Highfield Princess – an outstanding top sprint mare who was successful at Group I level despite obvious conformational defects. Her performance refutes the assumption that a perfect conformation is a prerequisite for success.

With the increasing focus on precocious horses, some agents and trainers are placing more emphasis on conformation. Racing is becoming faster, more demanding and more expensive, which is also changing the selection criteria.

Wootton Bassett (Quelle: Coolmore Stud)

Tesio also shows why certain breeding approaches often fail. He explains why thorough pedigree analyses, targeted genetic combinations and a well-thought-out mare selection make the crucial difference:

- Well thought-out combinations instead of blind trend following

- Optimal balance between outcrossing and inbreeding

- Strengthening proven mare lines for sustainable success

Breeding is undoubtedly a gamble with ever-increasing stakes. It is about controlling probabilities in a targeted manner and compensating for genetic weaknesses.

In general, I advise not to completely ignore auction trends, as they can determine success at an auction, particularly in small/weak markets such as Germany. However, one should not focus solely on high stud fees. I still believe that the importance of the mother family is crucial. The number of stallions used for breeding remains high, as does the number of stallions that are rejected despite having solid offspring because they do not meet the requirements of the large stud farms. This often happens prematurely, especially in stud farms that do not supply their own stallions with high-quality mare material.

This is precisely why the quality of the dam's family is crucial - because the stallions were usually outstanding racehorses. But there are exceptions: Kendargent was not a top racehorse and began his breeding career with an extremely low stud fee and weak mare material. Nevertheless, he developed into one of the most influential sires of the last decades.

A solid pedigree must show a clear direction of development. It is not enough to just look at the first one or two generations. Successful trainers and agents analyze generations further back in order to understand the strategic considerations behind a mating. Inbreeding at Sadler's Wells in particular is a factor that should not be underestimated. Currently, some stallions are being advertised with the option of active outcrossing. The aim here is to find a balance between strengthening positive characteristics through inbreeding and reducing undesirable characteristics through outcrossing. Each mare must be considered individually.

Breeding planning should never be done in the short term. For example, when I train racehorses, I don't just think about the next race, but the one after that. It's the same with breeding: ideally, there should already be a (rough and dynamic) multi-year plan for mating a mare in order to exploit her full potential. Only with the necessary foresight can sustainable success be achieved both in the racing stable and in breeding.

JS