On this occasion Metal Storm (Fr) was credited with two winners, with a daughter, Avenida Madero, and son, Stockie’s Yarn, taking out respective heats of the Winter Championship (1200m). Tribu’s stakes winning three-year-old Dexian was a two and a half length winner of the Del Basso Plate (1600m) and Zingarlo ran Stockie’s Yarn to a three quarter length margin in the last.

Both Metal Storm and Tribu are sons of the French champion sire Kenmare and their separate accomplishments since going to stud in 1995, are an indication of the influence that Kenmare is having on Western Australian racing at present. In fact, so much so, after the untimely death of Metal Storm in September last year, the South Australian based Kenvain was purchased by Western Australian interests.

Kenmare is perhaps more readily identified in the eastern states through the exploits of his Group One gallopers Keltrice and Kenvain but it is in France that Kenmare enjoyed great success.

A Group One winner at three in his native France, Kenmare, by Kalamoun, duplicated his racetrack success at stud, heading the leading sires table in France for 1988-89. Researcher and author Ken MacLean predicted his success in his 1984 book Tesio Master of Matings. "Kenmare may well become a very successful sire of winners and a big influence as a broodmare sire." He attributed his potential (at the time) to a "reduced genetic pool" which included full brother and sister Nasrullah (x2) and Rivaz, and their relations Badruddin and Fair Trial (from Lady Juror, half-sister to Mumtaz Mahal the grand dam of Nasrullah and Rivaz).

Like Kenmare, Metal Storm raced in France and was imported to stand at the leading West Australian stud Mungrup. His success was almost immediate siring the exciting gallopers Kalatiara and Old Fashion in his second crop along with stakes winners Metal Master, Storm Shot, and Krystal Storm. Since his death Metal Storm has added Oxidation and Paris Moon to his list of black type horses which includes a further eight stakes placed horses. Of interest to breeding buffs is the fact that Metal Storm’s dam Porphyrine carries Nasrullah’s three quarter relation Royal Charger through her sire Habitat and Fair Trial through Busted, the sire of Metal Storm’s second dam.

Tribu, a half-brother to Black Opal winner Speed Week, has steadfastly built on his stallion career from significantly fewer foals than Metal Storm. Tribu is from Vain Princess by Biscay from Vain Queen by Vain. Standing at Taunton Vale Stud, Tribu has sired six stakes winners, two of which, Highwood and Kensyl Bay, hailed from his first crop. In keeping with Ken MacLean’s theories Tribu too carries additional lines of Nasrullah (x2) through Orgoglio (dam sire of Vain), and through Ruler. The sire line of Vain descends directly from Fair Trial.

Likewise an examination of each of Tribu’s stakes winners also reveals duplication of these same ancestors. For example Saturday’s winner Dexian, stakes winner of the Group Three WATC Sir E Lee-Steere Classic, is out of the Harbour Town mare Ripetta. Harbour Town carries Nasrullah and his three quarter relation Nilo as well as Fair Trial. Secret Society, the dam of Ripetta is by Boysie Boy a male line descendant of Nasrullah.

Tribu’s ‘poster pony’ Tribula, a pint sized winner of over $250,000 is linebred to Vain 4f x 4f. Her dam is by the Sir Tristram horse Dynamo and therefore carries Nasrullah’s relations Royal Charger, Mahmoud and Badruddin, as well as carrying the extra lines of Nasrullah provided by Vain and So Chic the dam of Beau Brummel, sire of Tribula’s second dam.

Naturally to provide actual evidence of the success of the replication of certain ancestors would take a detailed study of both a stallion’s winners and non-winners and is certainly beyond the scope of this article although it does provide food for thought.

Whatever the reason it would appear that Kenmare’s sons have enjoyed, and continue to enjoy success with Western Australian broodmares.

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