Swagger Jack is a son of Smart Strike. Mr. Prospector’s son Smart Strike has crossed well with a wide range of bloodlines.

Smart Strike has sired 100 stakes winners, including 50 Graded Stakeswinners to date. His Graded stakes winners are

out of broodmares by 38 different sires,demonstrating that Smart Strike has worked well with a wide range of sirelines.

Swagger Jack is bred on the famed Mr. Prospector/Northern Dancer cross, so he is linebred 4 x 5 to Native Dancer. Other

 than Native Dancer he has no other duplications within 5-generations. Smart Strike is from the excellent female family

of No Class, Canadian Broodmare of the Year in 1991.

    Swagger Jack’s dam Lyrical Prayer is by Northern Dancer’s English Derby (G1) winning son The Minstrel. The Minstrel is

 out of a daughter of Victoria Park, a son of the great E.P. Taylor mare Victoriana. Victoriana is the 2nd dam of Vice Regent,

the sire of Deputy Minister. At least 10 of Smart Strike’s Graded Stakes winners carry a cross of Vice Regent, with 6 of those

 through his son Deputy Minister. Therefore, Vice Regent and his son Deputy Minister, are both top selections in mares

for Swagger Jack; resulting in linebreeding elite mare Victoriana. Mares with French Deputy (out of a Hold Your Peace

mare) and Regal Classic, a Vice Regent ½ brother to Smart Strike’s dam, both result in very clever matings.

    Swagger Jack’s damsire The Minstrel is related, and/or has a similar pedigree pattern to three other important sires;

that should be considered in a suitable mate: Nijinsky, Storm Bird and Vice Regent. Nijinsky II is The Minstrel’s ¾ brother.

Nijinsky’s son Sky Classic provides for an exciting mating, as he is from the same family as Smart Strike, resulting in

linebreeding to both No Class and Flaming Page. Flaming Page has a proven genetic affinity with Blushing Groom, whose

sire Red God carries a similar Menow/Bull Dog cross. Both the aforementioned Vice Regent and The Minstrel carry a strain

 of the famous mare Victoriana in their pedigrees. The Minstrel is bred on a Northern Dancer/Bull Page/Chop Chop cross,

whereas Storm Bird is bred on a similar Northern Dancer/Chop Chop/Bull Page cross. Storm Bird and his son Storm Cat are

 excellent selections for speed and precocity. The famous mare Fanfreluche is out of Ciboulette; she is bred on the same

Chop Chop/Windfields/Bull Dog cross as The Minstrel’s dam Fleur; both are linebred to the full-brothers Omaha and Flares.

Therefore, look for Fanfreluche’s sons D’Accord and L’Enjoleur.

    Swagger Jack’s 2nd dam Belle Gallante is by the closely inbred Gallant Man. He is inbred 3 x 3 to Mah Mahal, a daughter

of the great Mumtaz Mahal, the grandam of Nasrullah, and Mahmoud, and great grandam of Royal Charger. Royal Charger’s

son Turn-to and his line can be reinforced, as Swagger Jack already carries 6-lines of Mumtaz Mahal beyond 6-generations.

Turn-to’s son Hail to Reason is especially good. Reinforcing this family of Lady Josephine has historically been responsible

 for classic speed. Considering Gallant Man’s close inbreeding, one might look for Damascus, whose damsire My Babu

carries Badruddin, a close genetic-relative to both Mah Iran and Mahmoud.

    Swagger Jack is from the historically elite female family of Prayer Bell. A daughter of Better Self, Prayer Bell carries some

interesting strains that can be reinforced through some easily found ancestors. Prayer Bell carries the Great elite

broodmare La Troienne close-up in her pedigree! Better Self is bred on a La Troienne/War Admiral cross, with her sire

Bimelech being the rare son of La Troienne.

    La Troienne herself is the dam of numerous daughters, and an amazing five granddaughters by War Admiral; Busanda,

Busher, Striking, Searching and Blue Eyed Momo. Busanda produced Buckpasser, probably the most important and prolific

La Troienne descendant in modern pedigrees; easily found in a suitable broodmare for Swagger Jack. The great Seattle Slew

is out of My Charmer, she is inbred 3 x 3 to the full-sisters Busher and Striking; they are ¾ sisters to Buckpasser’s dam Busanda.

Therefore Seattle Slew and his son A.P. Indy (2nd dam by Buckpasser) are excellent matches with Swagger Jack. Other

La Troienne selections include Private Account, whose dam Numbered Account has the ¾ sisters Busanda and Striking 2 x 3.

Numbered Account’s full-sister Playmate is the dam of Woodman.

    Another powerful influence that should prove excellent for Swagger Jack is Wavering Monarch. Wavering Monarch is out of the

Buckpasser mare Uncommitted and is closely inbred to the War Admiral/La Troienne cross. Uncommitted’s dam Lady Be Good is

bred on the same Better Self/Eight Thirty cross as Prayer Bell. Wavering Monarch’s son Maria’s Mon should prove to be an

excellent choice.

     Prayer Bell produced the super fast and precocious 2-year old Silent Screen, by Prince John. Prince John has a special pedigree

pattern with Prayer Bell involving the mare Herodias, and her son Pilate, daughter Herodiade, and the full-siblings Bathing Girl and

Over There. Prince John’s grandson Hold Your Peace, and his son Meadowlake are exceptional in reinforcing Prayer Bell’s genetic

strengths. Interestingly, Swagger Jack’s excellent sister Tap Dance (G2) is by Pleasant Tap, and his damsire is Prince John’s son

Stage Door Johnny. Along the same lines is Halo, whose damsire Cosmic Bomb is a half-brother to Prince John’s dam Not Afraid, both

being out of the mare Banish Fear. Halo is from the same family as Northern Dancer; his dam Cosmah is a half-sister to Northern

 Dancer’s dam Natalma, therefore linebreeding to Almahmoud. Halo’s sons, the full-brothers Devil’s Bag and Saint Ballado, are both

good selections. Halo and Prince John are major genetic impact ancestors in a suitable mating for Swagger Jack!

    Considering the immediate family has proven very successful with both Pleasant Tap and Pleasantly Perfect; Pleasant Colony and

his sire His Majesty (full-brother to Graustark) should be considered. In Prayer Bell, we find a strong build up of multiple strains of

Rock Sand/Fairy Gold, especially through her damsire Eight Thirty. In Reality is inbred 3 x 3 to War Relic, and has an amazing 8-lines

of Rock Sand/Fairy Gold. In Reality’s son Relaunch is out of a daughter of The Axe II, bred on a Mahmoud / La Troienne cross.

    In summary, Swagger Jack has an interesting pedigree, with a tremendous opportunity to cross well with a wide array of bloodlines

easily found the broodmare population. Although his    sire Smart Strike has sired has at least 100 stakes winners that have been

researched; it must be remembered that 50% of Swagger Jack’s pedigree is different from his sire. Therefore,    bloodlines and genetic

affinities that have proven to work with Smart Strike, may be very different with Swagger Jack’s. Breeders must consider the genetic

 backgrounds of The Minstrel, Gallant Man, and the great elite broodmare Prayer Bell when planning their matings.
--- Robert S. Keck