A winner of three straight races, including the Holy Bull Stakes (G3) and Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2), Greatest Honour is by Tapit out of a half-sister to Champion Rags to Riches from the fabulous family of Best in Show.

The cross of Tapit with mares from the Storm Cat branch of Northern Dancer has been a prolific one. This includes Champion Monomoy Girl by a son of Tapit out of a mare by Henny Hughes, who is by Hennessy, himself the broodmare sire of a Tapit Grade one winner, and sire of Johannesburg (sire of Scat Daddy) – also broodmare sire of a Tapit Grade one winner, and crosses with mares carrying Johannesburg and Scat Daddy give inbreeding to the sisters Preach and Yarn, as found in Justify. Tapit line Champions Hansen and British Idiom are out of mares by Storm Cat sons Sir Cat and Mr. Sekiguchi. There are also Tapit grade one winners from daughters of Forestry (sire of Discreet Cat and Shackleford), Giant’s Causeway (sire of First Samurai, Eskendereya, Creative Cause and Not This Time, and a brother to Freud), Tabasco Cat, Bluegrass Cat, Yankee Gentleman, Bernstein and Seeking the Dia. There are three graded stakes winners out of mares by Harlan’s Holiday (sire of Into Mischief – himself already broodmare sire of Tapit line Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) winner White Abarrio – Majesticperfection and Shanghai Bobby, also dam of a Tapit line graded stakes winner) and there is also a graded winner out of a mare by Menifee, who like Harlan’s Holiday is by Harlan. We can also note Tapit graded winners out of mares by Storm Cat line stallions Forest Wildcat (sire of Wildcat Heir) and Catienus, and stakes winners out of mares by Stormin Fever, Pure Prize, Hold That Tiger, City Place, Three Wonders and Tale of the Cat and his son Forty Tales.

Greatest Honour has a second dam by Deputy Minister, a branch of Northern Dancer that has done well under Tapit. Here, the Deputy Minister strain will be in the fourth generation of Greatest Honour, permitting breeding back over Deputy Minister line mares. On this cross, grade one winner American Gal is one of five stakes winners by Tapit and sons out of mares by Ghostzapper (by Awesome Again, also broodmare sire of a Tapit line stakes winner, and sire of Paynter, Oxbow, Toccet, Daaher and Awesome of Course). Tapit and his sons also have graded winners out of mares by Graeme Hall, a son of the Deputy Minister stallion, Dehere (also broodmare sire of a Tapit line stakes winner) and French Deputy, and stakes winners out of mares by Touch Gold and his son, Mass Media, as well as Posse and Spring At Last, both by Silver Deputy, who should work very well here.

Sadler’s Wells is another branch of the Northern Dancer line, and on the Tapit cross with that line there are grade one winners out of mares by Galileo (sire in the U.S. of Cape Blanco and Magician) and El Prado and his son, Kitten’s Joy. There are also two graded winners out of mares by El Prado son, Medaglia d’Oro (and two stakes winners out of a mare by Medaglia d’Oro son, Warrior’s Reward, with Medaglia d’Oro also sire of Violence), which also suggests Artie Schiller. There are also stakes winners out of mares by Sadler’s Wells line stallions High Chaparral and Horse Chestnut.

From the Danzig branch of Northern Dancer, there are graded winners Souper Tapit, Webslinger, Silver Dust out of mares by Hard Spun, graded stakes winner Personal Best out of a mare by War Front (sire of Declaration of War and The Factor) and there are also Tapit line stakes winners out of mares by War Chant, Belong to Me, Exchange Rate, Danzig Connection and Boundary (sire of Big Brown), Anabaa and Exceed and Excel (by Danehill). This would also suggest daughters of Langfuhr (sire of Lawyer Ron). From the Dixieland Band branch of Northern Dancer, Tapit has a graded stakes winner out of a mare by Dixieland Band himself, and there are four graded stakes winners out of mares by that horse’s son, Dixie Union.

Greatest Honour is a product of a version of the Tapit cross with Mr. Prospector line mares, but that horse will be in the fifth generation of Greatest Honour’s offspring, allowing breeding back over selected branches of that line. On the cross of this line via Gone West, Tapit’s champion and classic winner Essential Quality is out of a mare by Elusive Quality (sire of Quality Road and Smarty Jones, as well as Omega Code, the broodmare sire of a Tapit line stakes winner). From other sons of that stallion, we find Grade one winners out of mares by Mr. Greeley (and a stakes winner out of a mare by his son, Whywhywhy, with El Corredor being another source) and Proud Citizen, and graded stakes winners from mares by Speightstown (sire of Munnings), Muqtarib, Johar and Grand Slam (and a stakes winner out of mare by his son Limehouse).

There also seems to be an affinity for the Forty Niner branch of Mr. Prospector, with grade one winner Constitution out of a daughter of Distorted Humor (sire of Sharp Humor, Maclean’s Music and Jimmy Creed); grade one winner Dance Card out of a mare by Editor’s Note; as well as two stakes winners out of mares by Coronado’s Quest, and stakes winners out of a mare by Bankers Gold, Sunday Break and End Sweep (sire of Trippi).

From a mare by Mr. Prospector son, Carson City, Tapit sired grade one winner Pretty City Dancer, and two other graded stakes winners, who would suggest daughters of City Zip and Cuvee – both broodmare sires of Tapit line stakes winners – Five Star Day, Good And Tough, Pollard’s Vision and Lord Carson. There are Tapit graded winners out of mares Smoke Glacken and Ponche, both sons of Two Punch; Tapit line graded winners out of mares by Cape Town and his sire, Seeking the Gold (also sire of Petionville and Mutakddim); out of mares from the Smart Strike line there is a Tapit line graded stakes winner out of a mare by Curlin; two stakes winners out of mares by Roman Ruler, a son of Fusaichi Pegasus; and a stakes winner out of a mare by Lemon Drop Kid.

Tapit is out of a mare by Unbridled, from the Fappiano branch of Mr. Prospector and there has been some success with the cross back over Fappiano line mares.  Tapit is sire of grade one winner Ring Weekend out of a mare by Fappiano line stallion, Cryptoclearance, and a stakes winner out of a mare by his son, Crypto Star, inviting daughters of Candy Ride (sire of Twirling Candy and Gun Runner) and Victory Gallop.

There are seven stakes winners, including Grade one winners Valiance, out of mares by Empire Maker (sire of Pioneerof the Nile – himself broodmare sire of Tapit line stakes winners – and Bodemeister, and grandsire of American Pharoah and Cairo Prince), two stakes winners out of mares by Broken Vow, and seven, including Champion Unique Bella, out of mares by Unbridled’s Song, sire of Dunkirk (broodmare sire of a Tapit grade one winner), First Defence (broodmare sire of a Tapit line graded stakes winner), Cross Traffic, Arrogate, Liam’s Map, Songandaprayer, Rockport Harbor, Old Fashioned, Even The Score, Mission Impazible and Half Ours (broodmare sire of a Tapit line stakes winner).

From other branches of the Unbridled line come Grindstone and Birdstone, and it could also pay to consider introducing Fappiano through Rubiano (sire of Burning Roma and Too Much Bling) – a three-quarters brother to the dam of Tapit – and Quiet American (grandsire of Midnight Lute).