Quality chefs

What are Quality chefs?

We believe the dosage has limited value, at best, when it comes to selecting the ideal stallion for a mare, as well as for identifying potentially superior runners at auction. It is no question that the racing class of a thoroughbred is greatly influenced by the quality of the ancestors that comprise his or her pedigree. With a few notable exceptions, chefs-de-race stallions not only pass on identifiable altitudinal influence to their progeny, but also superior racing class.

Because most chefs-de-race are named during the twilight years of their stud careers (and often after they are dead), stallions such as Storm Cat and A.P. Indy have not yet been named a chef-de-race, and based on Roman's dosage system, there is no guarantee that they ever will be. At the same time, it is undeniable that Storm Cat and A.P. Indy transmit superior racing class to their offspring.

Consequently, we developed and maintain a list of what we identify as Quality chefs. These are stallions we have determined transmit superior racing class and are dominant influences in pedigrees. Not only do they include the likes of Storm Cat and A.P. Indy, but also the most important sire influences of Australia and South America, where few such stallions have been assigned chef-de-race status by the Roman dosage system.

Why are Quality chefs important and how are they different than regular chefs-de-race?

We have done numerous studies over the years in an attempt to discover a correlation between dosage and superior racing stock. The one and only factor we have found that appears to influence the racing class of thoroughbreds is the total dosage points of individual stakes winners, as the chart below shows:

Level of Achievement Total Points
Grade 1 & 2 SWs 36.5
Grade 3 SWs 34.8
Ungraded SWs 30.4
Commercial Sample 26.5


Using our Quality chef designation, Storm Cat and A.P. Indy now contribute 16 dosage points as the sire of an individual, eight points if he is the grandsire, etc. When Quality points (QP) contributed by such deserving sires are combined with Roman dosage points, the total points tend to more accurately reflect the overall class in a pedigree. If and when a Quality chef stallion is assigned chef-de-race status by the Roman dosage system, his Quality chef designation (Q) is replaced with the Roman dosage system’s aptitudinal designation (B, I, C, S, or P). Because our "total dosage points" is the combination of dosage points and quality points, the change in status does not affect total points.

View a current list of the Werk Thoroughbred Consultant's 172 Quality chefs