One stallion who has been enjoying a great February is More Than Ready (TrueNicks, SRO). In the U.S., last week brought stakes wins for Ruff and Ready (who routed the opposition in the Shotintheheart Stakes at Gulfstream on Valentine's Day) and Ready for Fortune (winner of the Dearly Precious Stakes at Aqueduct three days later).
Ruff and Ready, out of a mare by Notebook, is an A++ TrueNicks scorer. Ready for Fortune scores an A based on the More Than Ready/Mr. Prospector cross. This mating pattern - which gives a double of Mr. Prospector, who is also the grandsire of More Than Ready's dam - is an interesting one as it is standing up well to extensive use, and returning good results with a wide variety of Mr. Prospector-line representatives.
In the meantime, More Than Ready also has, from a shuttle crop, two of the most promising juveniles in Australia, in the shape of the undefeated Sebring (AUS) and Augusta Proud (AUS). Sebring, who is generally considered to be the number one contender for the Golden Slipper (AUS-I) this coming Easter, is out of a mare by the Danehill horse Flying Spur (AUS). This warrants an A+ rating, the cross of More Than Ready with mares by Danehill having also produced grade/group I winners Benicio (AUS) and Perfectly Ready (AUS).
More Than Ready with Danehill gives a double of Northern Dancer, an extra cross of Northern Dancer's dam, Natalma (the third dam of Danehill) and a fourth cross of Natalma's dam, Almahmoud (the second dam of Halo, the grandsire of More Than Ready). With Flying Spur, the mating also doubles Mr. Prospector (broodmare sire of Flying Spur), and brings in more Northern Dancer through Flying Spur's third dam, Fanfreluche.
Augusta Proud is out of Kadasha (AUS), a daughter of Langfuhr, out of a Cryptoclearance half sister to Florida Derby and Hopeful Stakes (both gr. I) winner Mercedes Won. On the basis of the broader More Than Ready/Danzig (sire of Danehill) cross, Augusta Proud earns a TrueNicks A rating.