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It's no secret that the late German stallion Monsun, who died last September at the age 22, was an outstanding sire. However, even by his standards, he had exceptional day May 26, with 5-year-old Maxios taking the Prix d'Ispahan (Fr-I) and 3-year-old filly Silasol capturing the Prix Saint-Alary (Fr-I), both at Longchamp; and in Milan on the same afternoon, Charity...
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The weekend saw New Approach (IRE) ( TrueNicks , SRO ) become the first European-based freshman sire of 2012 to be represented by a group I winner when his son Dawn Approach took the Vincent O'Brien National Stakes (Ire-I) by 4 3/4 lengths. This was the fifth win in five starts for Dawn Approach, who had taken the Coventry Stakes (Eng-II) at Royal Ascot on his...
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A few weeks ago, when looking at the emerging French second year sire Turtle Bowl , we noted that he conformed to something of a recent trend in France, the appearance of a number of good sires with relatively unfashionable pedigrees, other examples that come to mind including Linamix (by Mendez), Muhtathir (by Elmaamul), and Chichicastenango (by Smadoun). The...
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At the end of 2011, the French-based sire Turtle Bowl drew some attention to himself when his son French Fifteen took the Criterium International (gr. I) to propel Turtle Bowl to a position as leading freshman sire and leading sire of 2-year-olds in France. Promising as that start was, it is the events of the last two weekends that have made it clear that Turtle...
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Last week was a very tough one for the mighty Coolmore/Ashford stallion operation. On March 29 came the news that Montjeu had died in Ireland at the age of 16 after a short illness caused by septicemia, an infection in the bloodstream. Just two days later at Ashford, 17-year-old Grand Slam, who had been enjoying an excellent start to 2012, died as a result of...
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Photo courtesy Shadwell Stud Distinguished 28-year-old Danzig stallion Green Desert was pensioned earlier this week . Sire of nearly 100 stakes winners, among them 14 group or grade I, he has already made a strong impact as a sire of sires. His best stallion sons include Cape Cross, Oasis Dream, Invicible Spirit, Volksraad, Desert Style, Shinko Forest, Desert...
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John Donnelly , an employee of Darley America and keen pedigree student, has penned the following guest post for TrueNicks. He takes a slightly different look at the influence of Northern Dancer on the Epsom Derby. With the 50th anniversary of Northern Dancer's birth, May 27, 1961, just recently passing, and the Epsom Derby being run and won, we thought that...
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It wasn't exactly the best of times or the worst of times, but there were some strange and contradictory contrasts in the two English 1½ mile classics, the Oaks and Derby (both gr. I). In the Oaks, the winner – by a sprinter/miler, out of a mare by a sprinter – was ridden for stamina, while the Derby saw a son of a French Derby winner out of a mare by a French...
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With the game triumph of Roderic O’Connor in Saturday's Irish 2,000 Guineas (gr. I) following hot-on-the-heels of the smooth victory of Golden Lilac in the Poule d'Essai des Pouliches-French 1,000 Guineas (gr. I) one week ago, and Frankel’s runaway English 2,000 Guineas (gr. I) win three weeks ago, the cross of Galileo and mares by Danehill has become the classic...
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In the week following the runaway 2,000 Guineas (gr. I) victory of Frankel – which simultaneously confirmed his brilliance and the extreme improbability of him staying the Derby trip of 1½ miles – there were a number of significant Derby and Oaks trials in Europe. Not surprisingly, the Sadler’s Wells line was a dominant force in these, and the most recent week...
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The sterling efforts of Pivotal, and of Sadler’s Wells sons Galileo and Montjeu – who come to the fore as the distance increase – not withstanding, European racing often appears to be dominated by the Danzig line, particularly via Danehill and Green Desert. Those two branches were particuarly in evidence in the last week, through Dansili – who is vying with Danehill...
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Tragically, the brilliant Dubai Millennium died after serving just one season at stud. He was represented by just 56 registered foals, of which 35 started, and five were stakes winners. The best of his three group winners was the colt Dubawi, winner of the National Stakes (gr. I), Irish 2,000 Guineas (gr. I) and Prix Jacques Le Marois (gr. I), and placed third...
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March 18 might as well have gone down as Kingmambo ( TrueNicks , SRO ) day in France, as his sire ons dominated the stakes events at Deauville. The 6½ furlong Prix Montenica, for three-year-old colts and geldings, went to Too Nice Name, a son of Kingsalsa. A group III winning miler, Kingsalsa also finished second in the Prix de la Salamandre (gr. I) and third...
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We have to wonder if there has been a more prolific family in the last couple of years than that of the Verbatim mare, Right Word, the dam of three stakes winners: the graded scorer Ascutney and Words of War (both by Lord At War) and Word o’ Ransom (by Red Ransom). Ascutney is dam of two graded winners, headed by Raven’s Pass, winner of the 2008 Breeders’ Cup...
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Of the numerous orders we have received for the new TrueNicks Stallion Analysis and companion Pedigree Consultants Stallion Compatibility Report, one of the most intriguing was for Sabirli , who retires to Karacabey Farm in Turkey for 2010. While Sabirli may not be a very familiar name, he is a son of 1991 Kentucky Derby (gr. I) winner, Strike the Gold, out of...
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Giant's Causeway ( TrueNicks , SRO ) celebrated his first Leading Sire crown in appropriate fashion, notching up his twenty-third stakes winner of the year when Tiger’s Rock captured the Gallant Fox Handicap at Aqueduct on December 31. This was the first stakes win for the three-year-old, who is out of the Afleet mare, Call Me Fleet (TrueNicks rated A ). What...
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Sea the Stars has rightfully dominated the headlines from Europe but the other story of the weekend was the remarkable performance of horses bred and owned by the Aga Khan. We'll start with the 2½ mile Prix du Cadran (gr. I), which went to Alandi (TrueNicks A ), who is by Galileo out of the stakes winning Darshaan mare, Aliya, and is one of no less than five...
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If asked to nominate the freshman sire most likely to be the first North American or European stallion to be represented by a group or grade I winner, it is a fair bet that few experts would have nominated Powerscourt (GB) ( TrueNicks , SRO ) . A tough, much-travelled son of Sadler's Wells, who was first past the post in back-to-back renewals of the Arlington...
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Scarcely a weekend goes by without sons of Danehill striking all over the world -- they had stakes winners in Europe, the U.S., and Australia over the latest weekend -- but they don't often match the achievement of Danehill Dancer (IRE), who had the first three home in the Camas Park and Ashtown House Studs Phoenix Stakes (Ire-I), a six-furlong event for 2-year...
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