Superman

TRACK record breaker, twice a Group 1 winner, a Derby winner, multiple city winner and one of the best, if not THE best, of his generation - that's the credentials of the royally bred son of Brett Lee-I'm Puzzles who just had to be a superstar.

His name is Superman and if ever a dog had a pre-ordained future it is this one.

Superman's credentials when he went to stud a few years ago were impressive, super impressive.

He'd won the Group 1 Perth Cup, Group 1 Hobart Thousand, the Group 3 Qld Derby and ran a track record at Cannington. He made Group finals all over the country not just on his home tracks in Victoria - testament to his fabulous nature.

So when Superman went to stud, it was expected the dog had all the right attributes to make it at stud. Paul Bushell certainly thought so. He spotted an opportunity to buy him when a huge offer was made for Superman from Chinese interests. Paul bought him and two of the first bitches he mated were Sisco Train and One Pledge both of who have since produced sensational litters.

With just a very few of his progeny on the racetracks, Superman in 2011 has already sired Kilty Lad and Amakler Girl both Group 1 winners.

Kilty Lad is something special and already has a stud career ahead of him. Champion sires produce champion sires. Kilty Lad has won the Group 1 Adelaide Cup, Group 1 Silver Chief and ran a race record to win the Group 3 Young Star Classic as a pup at Cannington in WA. He has also been a finalist in the Group 1 Golden Easter Egg, the world's richest greyhound race, and the Group 1 Hobart thousand.

Amakler Girl led throughout to win the Group 1 Sapphire Crown Classic at Sandown. She's been a star sprinter all her career and was also a finalist in the Ladies Bracelet at Wentworth Park.

The pedigree of Superman's two champions gives every indication of ways to match him with great success.

Firstly, look at the pedigree of Superman himself.

His sire Brett Lee was a legend on the racetrack and is already in the Hall of Fame. At stud he got only the best broodbitches and he has achieved stud success throughout the world. With the success of his progeny in the US, Ireland and England, as well as his home country, Brett Lee is truly an international stud wonder.

I'm Puzzles, dam of Superman, is from one of the strongest damlines this country has seen. It is a mixture of staying strength and Group 1 sprint winning lines. I'm Puzzles is a litter sister to champion stayer Bentley Babe winner of the Hume City Cup, Dillon Memorial, Sale Cup, Sandown Cup and a finalist in many Group races.

To Brett Lee, Bentley Babe produced Bentley Jane herself an outstanding Group stayer. The mating of I'm Puzzles to Brett Lee was a natural and a dog the quality of Superman had to be expected.

Malawi Blue, second dam of Superman, was a sister to champion Mancunian Girl who won both the Australian Cup and Golden Easter Egg. Star stayer Cyanogen was another sister who was a champion stayer.

When Superman retired to stud he went with all the necessary credentials for success - pedigree, pace and performance!

His sireline is second to none, it had to be. His sire Brett Lee was a phenomenon and his damline continues to produce Group 1 winners.

Breeders contemplating using Superman need only look closely at the pedigree of his two superstars Kilty Lad and Amakler Girl to get a very serious guide on ways to mate to him.

Head Honcho, damsire of Superman, is a very important ancestor within his pedigree.

Kilty Lad's pedigree shows a 3x4 duplication and sex balance to Head Honcho via his daughter I'm Puzzles and son Band Of Stars. Breeders with bitches that carry SONS of Head Honcho like Carlisle Jack, Go Wild Teddy, No Intent, Wild Season, and even the Irish stud success Dave's Mentor, all suit Superman for this reason.

New Tears, the damsire of Brett Lee, is another important and dominant ancestor within the pedigree of Superman. In Kilty Lad's pedigree New Tears is duplicated via two daughters 4x5. There is also the opportunity to bring in New Tears via his many champion sons i.e. Light Of Fire (via his son Awesome Assassin and grandson Collision), Northern Legend, New Fox, Proper Tears and especially Roanokee. The latter went to Ireland to become a stud success, but Roanokee could be a vital ancestor within broodbitches to help Superman produce a future champion. Roanokee's direct tail female line runs to the famous foundation bitch Our Barbara. This is also the direct tail female line of Superman. Reinforcing famous female lines can often help to upgrade for racetrack success.

The Our Barbara damline is also responsible for such famed pedigree influences as Admiral Lynch, Antiquity, Top Priority etc. In fact, Antiquity is found in a very strong position in the pedigree of the champion producer Cheeky Sprite (dam of Queen Lauryn). A bitch from Cheeky Sprite's line could very well be excellent to be mated to Superman.

Kilty Lad's pedigree also shows a strong link between Malawi (sire of Superman's second dam Malawi Blue) and his litter brother Buka Sunset. Linking Malawi and Buka Sunset is one of the strongest pedigree matches within greyhound racing in this country. It is the 3x3 dominant cross in the middle of the pedigree of champion sprinter and sire Bombastic Shiraz.

This would mean Superman can mate as many daughters of Bombastic Shiraz as possible.

This significantly means bitches with Black Shiraz and his sons like champion sire Primo Uno. They all bring in a cross of Buka Sunset to link with Malawi in the damline of Superman. Kilty Lad's dam is a daughter of Primo Uno.

And bitches that reinforce Malawi via his champion and dominant son Malawi's Prince are ideal for Superman. He is found in Collision, Bombastic Shiraz, Token Prince, Go Wild Teddy, Collide, Over Flo - all sires of influence. Australian greyhound racing has seen a particular success story via the duplication of Malawi's Prince. Many of the best progeny of Collision and Bombastic Shiraz carry this theme. Superman is a MUST for these bitches because his DAUGHTER strain of Malawi (sire of Malawi's Prince) acts as a balancing influence for the SON strains.

Collision is a significant stud dog in the chances of Superman at stud. Superman has two son strains of Brother Fox in his pedigree and Collision brings in a DAUGHTER strain via his tail female line. This has been a great part of the success behind Collision at stud.

An interesting mating for Superman could be bitches that carry Pop Gun within their pedigree. He is a litter brother to National Star who is found as the sire of Superman's third dam Raheen Star. Bringing in brothers and sisters within a mating can upgrade for racetrack success. Pop Gun is found in the damline of Ashigga who is the sire of popular current day sire Vapour Whirl. Daughters of former star galloper and sire Hall's Northern also will bring in Pop Gun in a strong position to impact in a mating with Superman.

When Amakler Girl led throughout to win the Group 1 Sapphire Crown Classic at Sandown, she again stamped Superman as a great sire. Her pedigree too is an extremely powerful source of just how Superman can be bred to produce Group 1 winners.

Amakler Girl's dam brought in the reinforcement of two of Superman's most powerful lines, that of Gun Law Osti (grandsire of Superman) and Head Honcho (his damsire). This came via females in Amakler Girl's dam Sky Alarm a daughter of Prince Of Tigers who significantly is a son of Malawi's Prince out of a bitch that is a genetic sister to Gun Law Osti.

Reinforcing the famous Osti Lee damline (from which Gun Law Osti comes) is a proven recipe for success. Hallucinate, Where's Pedro and Meticulous are all bred this way.

Bitches with the Osti Lee female line within their pedigree certainly suit Superman.

One of his best performers is the smart WA galloper Off The Chart who carries a cross of Paris Match (from the Osti Lee damline) in his tail female line.

An aspect of Superman's pedigree that needs correcting is the fact he carries three SON strains of Waverly Supreme within his pedigree via Chariot Supreme, Malawi and Dashing Disco. Superman thus needs to mate bitches that brings in DAUGHTER strains of Waverly Supreme in their pedigree. His star offspring Kilty lad and Amakler Girl both have daughters of Waverly Supreme within the pedigree of their dams, and so does his very smart gallopers Off The Chart and Top Pledge (a Warrnambool Classic finalist).

Brett Lee has an established nick with the Spiral Nikita line specially in Ireland and England. With the recent success of Spiral Nikita within Australia, the multitude of broodbitches with him in their pedigree are also well suited to a cross to Superman the son of Brett Lee.

The recent infusion of the use of frozen semen by US, Irish and English stud dogs within the pedigrees of Australian bitches also gives Superman and his pedigree, line bred to Brother Fox, Waverly Supreme, Bowetzel and a number of others, the opportunity to link with outcross lines.

Another strong link that could be developed in the future is any bitches that have Australian classic winner and Irish stud legend Top Honcho in their pedigree. Top Honcho is a SON of Head Honcho and too will balance the daughter strain found so dominant in the pedigree of Superman.