So you had a Filly

Good enough and ready to go to Sea the Stars for €85-100k then you realise that you could go to the hottest sire in Europe Cape Cross for €35k who just happens to be the sire of Sea the Stars and wonder filly Ouija Board would you still choose to go to Sea the Stars?

No! would take 3 pops at Cape Cross

good question

100% and that will be the flaw in theri business model if they choose to go in that high

Then you miss out on the excellence of Sea The Stars himself and the influence of Urban Sea, one of the greatest broodmares of our time and an Arc winner like her son. Cape Cross is a good sire but he aint Sadler's Wells. Until he fails STS deserves a high price tag, and he may be a much greater sire than Cape Cross anyway.

Magic I think is correct.

More often the father is better than the son, but when the sire is more modest the a son can eclipse him.

So son's of Royal Prerogative and Foveros struggled to get out from the shadow of their great fathers, Jet Master has easily eclipsed his sire Rakeen.

I think it's a mistake to go to a modest stallion on the strength of one great progeny and hope to get rare lightning to strike again. Many average stallions have produced one great runner.

The son has to be better than the father sometimes or the breed would be going irreversably backwards with each generation.

No, the father has many sons and most fail.

It is very hard for an outstanding horse to throw better than himself.

Normally there is a big jump of a great horse from a below great athlete.

Things converge towards a norm, otherwise tall nations would become 10 ft tall, and short nations 1 ft tall.

I said sometimes.

Took a mare to Horse Chestnut today.

Never seen a stallion with a better temperament.

I hope this time's sometimes.

If so, I hope you're nominating for the Arc.

Based on this reasoning, I must be the milk man son..
4 brothers are tall 6f 5 inch and lean..
I am short.... 6f by 6f wide

and I was thinking the idea is always to breed a better horse than the mummy and daddy....silly me!