MATERNAL strength is all powerful and this was never more evident than within the past few weeks with impressive performances by Kalden Athena and her litter sister Vancouver Kiss (Big Daddy Cool-Abbadale Gold).

Vancouver Kiss landed the Group 2 Dapto Auction by a widening margin of 10 and three quarter lengths.

And then Kalden Athena ran a brilliant 29.37 to win her semi-final of the Sandown Laurels last Thursday night. She now goes into this week's Group 1 final with a huge chance.

The first and most obvious cross is to the sisters Tenthill Flyer and Bonnie Chariot (Chariot Supreme-National Queen) which comes 4x4 in this pedigree through a male Just The Best and a female Abbadale Gold.

But the bitch Abbadale Gold is already line bred 4x5 to the half sisters Bay Supreme (by Waverly Supreme) and National Queen (by Tangairn). Abbadale Gold was a very good race bitch making an Interstate Stayers Challenge at Cannington in 2004.

The high class galloper Kalden Fury (No Intent-Fancy Blonde) was a Group winner. His dam Fancy Blonde was a litter sister to Abbadale Gold's dam Sprinkles Of Gold. Their dam Dale's Fancy was a city winner at Albion Park when the Biddle family who developed this line was based in Queensland. Dale's Fancy was also a Group 2 Qld Futurity finalist.

With such intensity in Abbadale Gold, line bred to the famous Bay Road Queen via half sisters, it was a brave move by the Biddles to reinforce this female line (maternal strength) by putting Abbadale Gold to Big Daddy Cool.

The bitch had already had relatively successful litters to No Intent (similar mating to Kalden Fury) and Just The Best (maybe a little too close for comfort).

But the mating to Big Daddy Cool pushed the further intensity back one generation to the fifth and it has worked wonders. Big Daddy Cool has a noticeable nick with daughters of Token Prince. Many city winners sired by Big Daddy Cool are bred on this theme. It continues the successful nick between the genetic sisters Flying Amy and True Temptation.

The fact Abbadale Gold carries a SON of Chariot Supreme (Shining Chariot) also helps balance the three daughter strains within this pedigree.

This is also the damline of current Queensland star, Geoff and Beryl Draheim's Auriga Fox (Black Lee-Auriga Gipsy) winner of the Vince Curry Maiden early in the year. His dam Auriga Gipsy is line bred 4x4 to National Queen on the tail female line on both sides of her pedigree. This comes via the sisters Tenthill Flyer and Bonnie Chariot, the same cross found in Kalden Athena and her sister Vancouver Kiss.

So where to from here for such high quality potential broodbitches like Vancouver Kiss and Kalden Athena?

Obviously the success of Auriga Fox should be a key. The dominant ancestor within the pedigree of Kalden Athena/Vancouver Kiss is New Tears and he should be brought in, ideally via a son, in the sire either mates. Collision could be ideal because he will bring in the SON of New Tears but also bring in a duplication and sex balance to Malawi's Prince. Bombastic Shiraz, too, will introduce a duplication to Malawi's Prince.

With such maternal strength, these bitches will be extremely dominant for all the great genes of the Bay Road Queen damline. It should be allowed to dominate any mating they have. This could also mean a one generation outcross for these bitches.