Temlee

pre·po·ten·cy n 1. The unusual ability of an individual or strain to transmit its characteristics to offspring because of homozygosity for numerous dominant genes. [Lat, Pre - before, Potens - powerful]

- Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary

In every species or breed, there are individuals or families that possess the rare ability to pass on to their progeny preferable traits to a far greater degree than those with whom they are mated. Indeed, in Origin of the Species, Darwin described prepotency as one of the engines of Evolution, that it is not only important for mutation to occur to effect change in a species, but a prepotent individual must pass that desirable mutation on to further generations.

In domesticated animals, breeders have known this for centuries and through selective breeding to prepotent individuals have improved the performance and productivity of their animals. Long before Gregor Mendel came along with his theory of dominant and recessive traits, breeders used Linebreeding, a powerful tool that crossed closely-related animals to intensify the traits they wanted to perpetuate.

For many years, sires intensely linebred to the Australian sire Temlee have had enormous success. Ireland, in particular, is an example of sires intensely linebred to Temlee being introduced into a population entirely devoid of his blood with tremendous success. Examples include Roanokee*, linebred to Temlee 3x4x4; Smooth Rumble*, 3x4x4; Honcho Classic*, 4x4x5x5x5x6x6x6; and the all-conquering Top Honcho*, 4x4x4x4x5x5x5.

Temlee was whelped in March of 1972 and was a replacement pup for one that had died. In his first race Temlee ran .02 off the track record at Sale, then won the Juvenile at Traralgon, and returned to Sale where he equaled the track record. He followed that with a track record at Olympic Park and capped it off by winning the National Sprint Championship in 1974. In the 1974 National Derby final at Wentworth Park he drew trap six and his inexperience showed as he was unable to overcome early traffic. In the final of the Melbourne Cup at Sandown Park he broke his leg and was retired to stud, just two years of age.

At first glance, his career as a racer was no more or less remarkable than other top stars. Many dogs before and since won more races and set more records, but speaking to those who saw him one quickly realizes that he was far and away the fastest dog of his era and rated as one of the best there ever was in Australia. In the breeding house he is indisputably the most influential sire of the past 50 years, and perhaps in Australian history. In barely more than two decades since his death, he is found, often numerous times, in the pedigree of nearly every Australian greyhound.

His pedigree is remarkable. His sire Tivoli Chief is by the Irish import Tivoli Dreamer*, a son of the great Pigalle Wonder, who possessed unnatural speed—his times on grass 50 years ago would be fine accomplishments for greyhounds on today’s faster surfaces. Tivoli Dreamer’s dam, Racing On, is by the fine damsire Man Of Pleasure out of Millie’s May, foundation dam of arguably the finest female line in all of racing. In the U.S. alone, we have felt its influence through the likes of Fortress*, Oswald Cobblepot, Dodgem By Design, WW Apple Jax, Trojan Cruze, Bart’s E Mail, Minaki Zeke, My Unicorn, Wild Breeze, Yellow Printer* and many others. Tivoli Chief’s damsire is Top Linen, a tremendous racer in his own right, and a highly successful stud, numbering the great Black Top among his progeny. Tivoli Chief’s third and fourth damsires are the superb Dream’s Image and Chief Havoc. Dream’s Image is best known to U.S. breeders as the sire of Cleveland Lad*, the topline sire from which HB’s Commander and He’s My Man descend. Chief Havoc, who is enshrined in the U.S. Hall of Fame, exerts his influence on U.S. breeding through his maternal grandsons Tell You Why* and Metal Jet*, to whom we shall return later.

Temlee’s dam, Temora Lee, is by Mister Moss out of Venetian Babe. Mister Moss, winner of the National Derby, is a son of another Irish import, Which Chariot*. Mister Moss is the full brother of Max Moss*, damsire of Hall of Fame racer and sire K’s Flak. Their dam, Elsie Moss, by Magic Babe out of Maggie Moss, won the New South Wales St. Leger. In addition to Mister Moss, she produced two New South Wales Greyhounds of the Year, Rose Moss and Pearl Moss. Magic Babe is the full brother of Tell You Why* and Metal Jet*, whose influence on U.S. breeding is profound beyond description. Venetian Babe is by Brenda’s Babe out of Venetian Rose. Brenda’s Babe brings in another cross of Magic Babe and his dam Brenda’s Daughter is a litter sister of Top Linen. Venetian Rose brings in a second cross of Dream’s Image and her damline descends from the great Frances Colleen, foundation dam of a line that produced, in addition to Temlee; Gorgeous Babe, Frightful Flash*, Token Prince, Just The Best, Iceni Princess, Flying Amy, Paua to Burn, Modern Assassin, and Elsie Moss.

Temlee’s success at stud was immediate. His first generation of pups was impressive in its greatness and depth. It included such stud greats as Tangaloa, Little Blade, Satan’s Legend, Nation Parade, and Roy Trease, and had breed-shaping broods like Osti Lee, and Promises Free, dam of Australia’s "litter of the century." His dominance was such that within a few generations it became clear that linebreeding back to Temlee was not only necessary because of the proliferation of his blood, but desirable because of the results! Current stud sensation Brett Lee carries Temlee 4x4x4x5. Perennial top sire Token Prince, only 4x5x5. Just The Best, 4x5x5x5x5x6. Awesome Assassin, 4x5x5x5x5.

Curiously, Temlee’s reach has not yet extended to the U.S. like it has to Australia, Ireland and the U.K. His son Billy Bale* had some initial success, but left little to remember in American pedigrees. A number of lesser race dogs, grandsons and great-grandsons of Temlee, never produced. These were dogs that most likely would have attracted no attention at stud Down Under. The mercurial How’s The Fort* arrived with tremendous race credentials and fanfare, but proved incompatible with most American broods. A rare exception was the fine racer Star Chariot*, 3x4 to Temlee, who produced the fantastic litter of Jimbo Scotty, Jimbo Okie and Jimbo’s Chelsie. He was clearly underutilized and his son Jimbo Scotty has attracted the attention his sire could not. It is pretty clear that Temlee’s rare opportunities on these shores were either through unsuitable progeny, or were underutilized.

Fast forward to 2003 when the first vials of Brett Lee arrived. Unlike his many Australian cousins over recent decades, his pups were not short over our standard course of 550 yards, the American breeder’s primary worry when breeding to foreign stock. Brett Lee proved that Temlee, introduced through a prepotent source, is compatible with American bloodlines and will stay the full 550 yards and beyond.

It’s also clear that Temlee’s pedigree, outlined above, is very compatible with ours. He is very closely related to K’s Flak. Any cross to American blood dosed with K’s Flak linebreeds to the potent cross of Rocket Jet x Gorgeous Babe and to Which Chariot* x Elsie Moss, herself a product of the Rocket Jet x Gorgeous Babe cross that produced Tell You Why*, Metal Jet* and Magic Babe. Important elements of Temlee's pedigree spawned the great HB’s Commander and Fortress*. Dillard*, a Newdown Heather son, figures strongly in the pedigree of Molotov, who carries Temlee relations in nearly every corner of his pedigree. It is inconceivable that any American pedigree won’t carry multiple elements of Temlee’s forbears.

Ready or not, Temlee is here. A number of Brett Lee sons are already available. Australian-Irish crosses featuring multiple crosses of Temlee abound. It will be up to the observant American breeder to calculate which of Temlee’s many progeny will meet our needs. As history has shown, some will produce tremendous early speed, but short. Others will offer that tremendous foot speed for which his get are famous. Brett Lee has shown that the American breed of greyhound is ready for Temlee. Are you?

David Cahill 1935-2005

Dave Cahill was a man who knew greyhounds. Like most County Kerry people, he grew up with a natural eye for them. As a boy he was around his father's coursing dogs which would remain his first love all his life, and later he was attracted to track dogs after he had begun to achieve financial success.

He came to America in 1957 at just 22 years of age and sought work in Chicago. "All he knew how to do in those days," recalls Don Cuddy, "was use a pick and shovel." But he was no stranger to hard work and soon his little contracting company grew into one of the largest in Chicago.

Return trips to Ireland often found him at his first love, greyhounds. In the late 1960s he bought brothers from a succession of litters that made waves in both Ireland and the United States. The first was Monalee Wonder*, a March 1967 whelp. He ran grade A and stakes at Miami Beach and Biscayne and set track records over 722 yards at Miami and on the 605 yard Biscayne Course. From a repeat breeding of Prairie Flash and Sheila At Last whelped in September of 1968, he acquired Monalee Pride, a dog with brilliant early speed that Dave thought was best suited to stay in Ireland. Indeed, the young and lightly raced dog was entered in the 1970 Irish Derby, but was offered little consideration as a potential finalist. In the final, 1969 winner Own Pride went to the traps a 5/4 favorite having easily won his semi by four lengths. Starting from trap 1, most thought his victory was a foregone conclusion. When the traps opened, however, it was Monalee Pride who burst to the lead and was never headed leading Own Pride to the line by two-and-a-half lengths. Incredibly, his victory in the Irish Derby final was just his eighth career start.

On another trip back to Ireland, Dave spotted a black dog that had just four starts at Tralee. His keen eye for young pups had just discovered Rocking Ship. He thought his running style was best suited for America and sent him to Pat Dalton's kennel at Hollywood where Cuddy was the trainer. When he arrived on the tarmac at Miami airport, he didn't make a favorable impression. Cuddy thought he wasn't much to look at, and that Dave must have been crazy to pay £1300 for him. To compound matters, he wouldn't eat and didn't get settled into American kennel life for weeks.

Rocking Ship*, however, found comfort at the track. Seemingly overnight, he became the preeminent distance dog in America, winning the Flagler Marathon, Flagler Marathon Match Series, the Hollywood Endurance Stake, the Biscayne Spring and Fall Marathons, and the inaugural running of the Biscayne Irish-American. He was a fan favorite everywhere he went and drew huge crowds and appeared on the front page of the Miami Herald. His Irish-American victory was his last however, as he died of a snake bite shortly thereafter. Overall, he won 53 of his 86 starts, a large portion of which were against stakes-caliber competition, and earned in excess of $100,000 in an era when a new Corvette cost $5,000. He was Captain of the 1972 All America team and was the recipient of the Flashy Sir Award. In 1973 he was posthumously named to the All America team and earned his second Flashy Sir Award. He was inducted into the Greyhound Hall of Fame in 1980.

Over the years, Dave owned or co-owned a number of other fine dogs including Romping To Work, Gaultier Captain, Monalee Hiker, and Dromlara Champ, but none reached the dizzying heights of Rocking Ship* or Monalee Pride.

In the early 1990s, Dave retired from the building business and returned to his estate, Maryville Castle in County Limerick. His wasn't an idle retirement, however. He raised Charolais cattle and was among the first breeders to use and ship frozen semen as a part of his breeding program. He branched out into thoroughbreds, especially steeplechasers, a national passion in Ireland.

He was still a regular at coursing fixtures and at the track, and in 2002 acquired a young dog he named Maryville Rumble. His career resembles that of Monalee Pride three decades earlier. Rumble was lightly raced and attracted little attention in the 144-dog field in the 2003 Irish Derby. Still, three wins, a third and a dead-heat second got him through to the final. The story was different this time as Rumble broke behind pre-race favorites Climate Control and Mustang Mega. He ran a gutty, fast-closing third, two and a half lengths off the lead. Despite the loss, Dave felt that Maryville Rumble was the best dog he ever had. Don Cuddy called him, "a good, strong, resolute runner, better suited to America than here." Dave planned to send Rumble to the U.S. to run at Derby Lane, but he came up lame for the final of the Irish St. Leger and was retired.

Dave Cahill's dogs have left an indelible mark on the greyhound scene. Monalee Wonder* lives on through his spectacular son John Denton, still found in a number of American pedigrees. Monalee Wonder's place in American breeding is assured for decades to come as the third damsire of Gable Dodge, our current number one sire. Glenroe Hiker lives on in pedigrees on three continents. Now Maryville Rumble* has embarked on his own career at stud. If history is our guide, Dave Cahill's eye for greyhounds could continue to influence greyhound pedigrees for generations.