Magna Graduate is by Honor Grades, son of Danzig, out of a Seattle Slew line mare, and therefore an outstanding candidate for mares from the Mr. Prospector line. Particularly fascinating will be mares by Seeking the Gold (a half-brother to the broodmare sire of Magna Graduate) and his sons, such as Cape Town and Muktakddim (who both give inbreeding to Seattle Slew) and Petionville. Other Mr. Prospector line stallions that have sired the dams of Honor Grades stakes winners are Conquistador Cielo, Distinctive Pro, Mining and Rare Performer.
Other Mr. Prospector line broodmare sires that have produced stakes winners by Danzig line stallions are Afleet, Allen’s Prospect, Crafty Prospector, Forty Niner (who would be particularly interesting here to giving inbreeding to Danzig), Geiger Counter, Gone West (Mr. Greeley looking a particularly good source), Gulch, Kingmambo, Lycius, Miswaki, Tank’s Prospect and Woodman. Another Mr. Prospector line stallion to have potential here is Smart Strike.
Another branch of the Raise a Native line that has been very good with Danzig line stallions is that of Alydar, who could be brought in through Alysheba, Criminal Type, Easy Goer, Saratoga Six, Strike the Gold and Turkoman, all of whom have worked under Danzig. It might also pay to introduce Raise a Native through his Exclusive Native and his son Affirmed. Danzig and his sons have also met with success when bred to mares by Majestic Light and his son, Wavering Monarch (sire of Maria’s Mon).
Danzig has generally crossed well with mares from the Turn-to/Hail to Reason line. Honor grades has stakes winners out of mares descending from this sire line out of mares by Roberto and his son, Kris S. (Roberto, who could also be brought in the such as Dynaformer, Red Ransom, Lear Fan, and Silver Hawk), Sir Tristram (by Sir Ivor, who would be particularly interesting through Champion Bates Motel, a three-parts-brother to the third dam of Magna Graduate). Danzig has also sired stakes winners out of mares descending from Turn-to/Hail to Reason through Stop the Music (whose son Cure the Blues, and grandson American Chance), Halo (and his son, Devil’s Bag, a brother to Saint Ballado), Cox’s Ridge, Lord Gaylord (and his son Lord Avie), Smarten and Mr. Leader.
Honor Grades has sired two stakes winners out of Blushing Groom line mares, from mares by Runaway Groom (by Cherokee Run) and Rahy. It would also be worth considering mares by Mt. Livermore and his son Housebuster.
Honor Grades is sire of two stakes winners – one grade one – out of Damascus line mares. One is of these is out of a mare by Private Account (sire of Corporate Report, Private Terms, Personal Flag, Secret Hello,Unaccounted For; grandsire of Afternoon Deelites), Ogygian, Time For a Change, Timeless Moment (sire of Gilded Time).
Magna Graduate already carries the strain of Ribot – one that has combined well with Danzig – through Alleged (from the Hoist the Flag/Tom Rolfe branch). It could be worth reintroducing Ribot through either of the brothers His Majesty (sire of Pleasant Colony) or Graustark.
Magna Graduate is out of a mare by a son of Seattle Slew, but breeding a stallion back to a mare from his own broodmare sire line is pattern that can work well. One particularly interesting source of Seattle Slew to try here would be A.P. Indy – giving inbreeding to Weekend Surprise, the dam of Honor Grades, something already found in an Eclipse Award winning Champion Two-Year-Old. A.P. Indy is sire of Pulpit, Malibu Moon, Stephen Got Even,Golden Missile, Jump Start, Mineshaft, Aptitude, and Old Trieste. Other Seattle Slew sons who might work well are Slew o’ Gold and Slewacide (both three-quarters related to the broodmare sire of Magna Graduate), Avenue of Flags, Capote, Gold Legend, Metfield, Seattle Song, Septieme Ciel, Slew City Slew, Slewpy and Williamstown.