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The battle for the leading freshman sire crown in Australia and New Zealand for 2014-15 may well come down to Fastnet Rock vs. the rest. Fastnet Rock While there is plenty of interest among the current freshman crop, there is no doubt that one of the more intriguing developments to watch will be the progress of the first contingent of sons of Fastnet Rock ( TrueNicks...
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Complimentary TrueNicks Enhanced Reports are available below for the Oct. 12 Caulfield Guineas (Aus-I) at Caulfield Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia. The Caulfield Guineas has a long history in Australia racing. First held in 1881, the Guineas is regarded as a stallion-making race for the winner, and has been won by a host of star gallopers who have gone on...
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One can't look at the leading Australian and New Zealand freshman sire lists for 2012-13 without an intense sense of loss over Northern Meteor, who died as a result of a colic attack on the very eve of the day that would see him crowned champion freshman sire. Nicknamed "racing's Usain Bolt" for his brilliant sprinting performances, the son of Encosta de Lago...
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While Redoute's Choice (AUS) ( TrueNicks , SRO ) has rapidly stamped himself as a sire of sires, his fellow Danehill son and erstwhile stud companion Flying Spur has been awaiting an heir. It now appears as if one may arrived in the shape of Casino Prince (AUS) ( TrueNicks ), who heads the Australia second-season sires list. He already has a star in the shape...
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Wherever in the world you're breeding, the search for value goes on, and like we did yesterday with New Zealand sires , today we'll take a look at some Australia sires that we think fall into that category. Choisir (AUS) ( TrueNicks ) (by Danehill Dancer) strikes us as incredible value at Aus$27,500 when compared to some of the unproven, or barely proven, sires...
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Australian media outlets have reported that undefeated two-time Australian Horse of the Year Black Caviar's first mating will be to Darley stallion Exceed And Excel (AUS) ( TrueNicks , SRO ). Photo: Darley Exceed And Excel (Danehill—Patrona, by Lomond) Exceed And Excel was, like Black Caviar, a sprinter. His first of two group I wins at 3 came in the seven-furlong...
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A focus on the top five freshman weanling sires in Australia by average shows a diverse group with a pair of European classic horses, two home-grown stars, and a shuttler from the U.S. Photo: Widden Stud Star Witness (Starcraft—Leone Chiara, by Lion Hunter) The list was topped by Star Witness (AUS) ( TrueNicks ), who was co-highweighted 2-year-old colt in Australia...
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While he is now considered an "elder statesman" of the Coolmore Australia stallion roster, there can be no doubt that Encosta de Lago (AUS) ( TrueNicks , SRO ) is one of the premier stallions standing in Australia this year. The son of Fairy King has amassed a sensational record at stud with 6.3% stakes winners to foals and 7.6% stakes winners to runners (up...
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Today brought the news of Black Caviar's retirement from racing. The big question now is which stallion will have the privilege of serving the great mare in her first season at stud? But first, to reflect on Black Caviar's remarkable record, her unbeaten 25-race career included 15 group I victories and spanned six consecutive calendar years. She was the world...
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Back in August, we posted an interview with Cecile Smith , co-breeder of champion So You Think (NZ) ( TrueNicks ). Cecile emailed me to report that So You Think's now 22-year-old dam, Triassic, foaled a healthy Medaglia d'Oro ( TrueNicks , SRO ) colt in October. Triassic with her 2012 Medaglia d'Oro colt. Cecile said: "He is a big, strong colt and Triassic had...
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On a week when much will be written about the great Frankel (Galileo– Kind , by Danehill) as he retires to Juddmonte Farms to serve his first season at stud in 2013, this writer had pause to reflect on the outstanding performance of his broodmare sire, Danehill, who has thus far proved himself a phenomenon as a sire and broodmare sire in two hemispheres—a true...
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Triassic, the dam So You Think, in April 2012 I recently had the opportunity to interview Cecile Smith, owner of Piper Farm and co-breeder of Australian champion and 10-time group I winner So You Think (NZ) ( TrueNicks ). Cecile owns So You Think's dam, the 22-year-old Tights mare Triassic, who is currently in foal to Medaglia d'Oro ( TrueNicks , SRO ) and is...
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The weekend past saw the 56th running of the world's richest 2-year-old race, the AAMI Golden Slipper (Aus-I), run over 1200m (6 furlongs) at Rosehill in Sydney with the victor being the undefeated Gai Waterhouse-trained Pierro (Gai had touted Pierro strongly leading up to the race as seen in this pre-race video ). Traditionally the race that decides the champion...
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Easter may be a holiday, but it’s also a time of intense activity in the Australian Thoroughbred industry, especially in Sydney. The BWM Sydney Carnival runs from March 24 to April 28 at Royal Randwick and Rosehill Gardens, and features the world’s richest 2-year-old race, the A$3.5 million AMI Golden Slipper (gr. I)—contested on Easter Saturday—and, one week...
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More Than Ready Photo: Vinery Hindsight is always 20/20, but when the Vinery Stud stallion More Than Ready ( TrueNicks , SRO ) shuttled to Australia, he looked to be a ‘lock’ to suit mares by then-leading sire Danehill. Invariably within breeding populations, the next great sire establishes himself with the daughters of a previously great sire. Just as Danehill...
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While we are only in the first few weeks of the Northern Hemisphere breeding season, stallion masters in Australia are already at work on recruiting new stallions to their rosters for the 2012 breeding season, which begins in the Northern Hemisphere summer. The first of these to appear on TrueNicks is Smart Missile ( TrueNicks ), who will be standing at Arrowfield...
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Over two years ago, we ran a TrueNicks Broodmare Report for the O'Reilly (NZ) ( TrueNicks ) mare Rare Insight. The report was ordered by Rare Insight's part-owner Neil Hoar, who gave a copy to his trainer, leading Australian trainer John O'Shea. After reading the report, the trainer told us: "I'm impressed that the report has Danehill Dancer as a top pick. I...
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The brilliant victory of Black Caviar in the MRC C.F. Orr Stakes (gr. I, video below) - which took her record to 18 wins in 18 starts - gives us an excuse to post an article of her pedigree that ran in the Australian publication Inside Breeding last year, which explored the potential reasoning behind the mating that led to her. Why is Black Caviar brilliant?...
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In what was somewhat of an upset victory, the classy mare Pinker Pinker won the historic Cox Plate (Aus-I), the best weight for age race over 10 furlongs in Australasia, last night at Moonee Valley. Interestingly, the owner of Pinker Pinker's dam Miss Marion had asked TrueNicks to run a Broodmare Analysis Report on the mare when Pinker Pinker was still an unnamed...
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"He is a freak," said rival jockey Jim Cassidy after Lonhro (AUS) ( TrueNicks , SRO ) rolled past his mount Grand Armee in the 2003 George Main Stakes (gr. I, 1 mile, video below). "That is the first time ever I've heard the whoosh as a horse goes past me. He burnt my ears. I let down and he let down five more gears. I'm stunned." Lonhro was an exceptionally...
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Over 140 stallions standing in Australia and New Zealand have joined TrueNicks in advance of the 2011 Southern Hemisphere breeding season. Thoroughbred breeders who are currently busy working on their 2011 mating plans can now run complimentary TrueNicks Enhanced Reports with these stallions. ( Click here for the full list ) TrueNicks Enhanced Reports include...
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Set in the Isis Valley near Scone, Kitchwin Hills is home to two exciting young sires, Dane Shadow and Duporth, one an extremely promising young son of Danehill, and the other a horse with tremendous potential as an outcross for Danehill. Dane Shadow (AUS) ( TrueNicks ) – a group stakes-winning sprinter by Danehill out of champion 3-year-old filly Slight Chance...
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Larneuk Stud is a proven winner-producing nursery, situated near Euroa in the heart of Victoria’s thoroughbred country. The farm has now subscribed two of its promising young sires to TrueNicks, allowing breeders to run complimentary hypothetical matings with O’Lonhro and Bramshaw. O'Lonhro (AUS) ( TrueNicks , SRO ), who will soon commence his second season at...
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Royal Ascot occupied most of our attention last week, but we wanted to note a few interesting pedigrees from last week before they get too distant in time. In Australia, the Stradbroke Handicap (gr. I, video below) saw Sincero (TrueNicks A++ ) become one of the few 3-year-olds in that country this season to defeat his elders in a major race this year. Sincero...
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Blue Gum Farm near Euroa, Victoria, has a 30-year history, and is famed for nurturing the early career of one of Australia’s outstanding sires, Encosta de Lago. Today, the farm is at the forefront of the Victorian breeding industry, and is home to one of the strongest stallion rosters in the state. That roster includes the only European classic winner by Danzig...
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