Friday. March 4, 1983

SIRE LINES OF INTERNATIONAL JUMPERS

THE FRENCH DOLLAR LINE

  P. H. Birdsall. DVM

  Last In A Series Of Eight Articles

The French Dollar line was named after the stallion Dollar, who stood in France in the last part of the nineteenth century. Five generations after Dollar, his line produced Bruleur, a high class stayer on the race track. The sire line continued through Bruleur's son Ksar. Ksar's outstanding contribution to modern bloodlines was when he sired *Tourbillon, a winner of the French Derby and champion sire in France on four occasions until his death in 1954.
Although the Dollar line originated in France, the family has not been as prominent in the bloodline of jumpers in Europe as it is in North America.
Both Dollar of the French Dollar line and Le Sauncy of the French Grey line descend from the stallion Buzzard, many generations previously a descendant of the Herod line.
Perhaps the line was not as popular because Bruleur and his descendants had reputation for being high strung. Abgar, the steeplechaser who is a leading sire of jumpers in Holland, descends on his dam's side from Tourbillon.
Abgar also descends from the French Grey line and the *Teddy line. Abgar sired Humphry, a show jumper ridden by Hans Gunther Winkler for Germany, and the jumper Claus.
Kerrygold, also known as Pele is by a grandson of *My Babu, who was a grandson of Tourbillon. *My Babu also sired The Hammer, a steeplechase sire and sire of Sympatico and Golden Gavel in North America.
In North America the line is very important, often descending through Tourbillon's imported son, *Ambiorix.
*Ambiorix is in the pedigrees of many jumpers and steeplechasers in North America.
Show jumping descendants of *Ambiorix include Mighty Ruler, whose dam, Sarcastic, was a daughter of *Ambiorix.
Mighty Ruler was a Grand Prix winner and member of the USET and Pan American Games in Mexico competitor.
Another grandson of *Ambiorix is Sandor, who was sired by Amber Morn, a son of *Ambiorix. Sandor was a Grand Prix of Florida winner in 1977.
Sloopy was by a son of *Ambiorix named Ambehaving. Ambehaving also sired the champion steeplechaser Augustus Bay. Sloopy descends from several strong jumping lines including *Blenheim II, *Sir Gallahad III, Man o' War, and The Tetrarch, as well as *Ambiorix. Sloopy won the Grand Prix of Aachen of 1971 and, as a member of the USET at the Munich Olympics, won a team silver medal and an individual bronze medal.
Other North American jumpers descending from the Dollar line include Act I, a grandson of *Tourbillon's son Goya II, as was Advance Ticket, a USET member in 1969.
Don Juan, winner of the Grand Prix of New York, is by Tourbillon's grandson, El Toro II, and he descends from Bruleur on his dam's side.
The Hammer, sire of the leading Grand Prix jumper Sympatico and the United States Equestrian jumper Golden Gavel,is a grandson of Tourbillon's son Djebel.
The Hammer also sired steeplechasers.
The Jones Boy, second place winner in the FEI World Cup in Sweden, one of the top ten jumpers in the world in 1979, and winner of the 1982 Grand Prix of Florida, is by a grandson of Tourbillon of the Dollar Line.
Mystic II, the sire of Springer, a member of the Canadian Equestrian Team and Grand Prix winner, is a grandson of Tourbillon. Mystic II is also the sire of the champion steeplechaser Life's Illusion.  Encore, a USET member who won the Grand Prix at Fontainebleau, France, and the Garden State Grand Prix, descends from Tourbillon through her sire Super Stock. Super Stock is also the sire of the jumper Black Market.
Kristin, the dam of the great USET jumper Ksar d'Esprit, is a daughter of *Ksar. Ksar d'Esprit won 22 international classes and was a member of many Nations cup winning teams. On many occasions he won puissance classes at over 7'. Kristin also produced the USET jumper Ksarina, who in turn is the dam of Ksarim, winner of the Phoenix Grand Prix in 1980.

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