Shockingly ... I have a steeplechase mare. Help?

[Eric Nalbone]

Imagined is a blue hen SC mare of whom the Bloodstock agent has this to say: "Agent: 'Imagined' looks like a blue hen, what a special mare! Imagined's greatest strength could be as the dam of steeplechasers. Good luck!" She hypos a flat A to Dogfox Apparatus for steeplechasing. This is the extent of what I know about steeplechasing.

So ... a question for people who know more than I do:

1) Is an A acceptable for chasers, or should I be looking for an A+?
2) Does anyone have the remotest idea what to do with a Sun Raider steeplechase mare that isn't Dogfox Apparatus, the only hypo I've tried?

[Lisa Strummer]

I have never got an A+ for a chaser hypo, for me it's usually an A/A- but I stopped hypo-ing awhile ago. I try to send my chaser mares to stallions with comparable distance preferences, but that's just me, and that's not possible with your mare.

There are a lot of new promising chaser stallions like Centauros, Russian, Researcher, as well as Dogfox Apparatus. Any one of those would probably do well with your mare.

[Glenn Larson]

I would try her with Akward.....

[Mike Springer]

Russian and Dogfox are the 2 that I would be looking at. I always wanted a horse that could win a few races on the flat before switching over to the jumps. I would definitely be trying to get a foal that could win at both disciplines.

[Darcy McBride]

Eric, I don't know squat about Steeplechasers; however, I did lease a mare from Laura F., and while hypomating her, Night Fury came up as a B+ hypo with her for a steeplechaser. I don't know if that would produce a flat runner and a steeplechaser; I hear that is difficult to do. Good luck; I'll be watching with interest!

[Eric Nalbone]

Thanks everyone! I went with Dogfox Apparatus because he and Centauros were the two flat A hypos I found, and Dogfox Apparatus clearly has the most suitable dirt route pedigree ... so it makes sense to pursue the suggestion of trying to get a flat winner before trying to figure out jumpers!