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15.33%. That's the coefficient of relatedness between Frankel and Chrysanthemum, the first mare scanned in foal to the champion racehorse during his first season at stud. As a point of comparison, first cousins are 12.5% related and half siblings are 25% related. Chrysanthemum, owned by the Coolmore team of Tabor, Magnier, and Smith, won a pair of group III races...
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It might be a bit too early to say that "The Winds of Change are Blowing Through the Nation," but with frequently expressed concerns about the durability and stamina of the U.S. Thoroughbred, there appears to be a move that indicates stallion masters and breeders are willing to at least consider standing or breeding to something other than stretching-out sprinter...
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2011 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Fr-I) winner Danedream has been retired and will be bred to Frankel in 2013. Danedream was forced to miss the 2012 Arc when her Cologne, Germany, training base was put under quarantine for swamp fever Oct. 1. The filly remains confined to the facility pending future tests. Owner Teruya Yoshida, whose family also owns top Australian...
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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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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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With Danedream flashing her credentials for a shot at back-to-back victories in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (Fr-I) with a score in the Grosser Preis von Baden (Ger-I) at the weekend, we thought it was worth a look back at her pedigree from this article we wrote for the International Thoroughbred after her win in the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes in...
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Last weekend was an exciting one for bloodstock consultant Gary Hadden ( haddenbloodstock.com ). Gary recommended the mating that produced Reckless Abandon, a son of Exchange Rate ( TrueNicks , SRO ) who won Sunday's Darley Prix Morny (Fr-I) and solidified himself as the top European 2-year-old. The colt previously took the Norfolk Stakes (Eng-II) at Royal Ascot...
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With all the attention currently (and deservedly) lavished on Frankel , it's probably worth giving a perspective on Brigadier Gerard, the horse that he's supplanted as miler of a lifetime. "The Brigadier" had more humble beginnings than Frankel. Bred by John Hislop (an outstanding amateur jockey and noted breeding and racing writer), was by Queen's Hussar (a...
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The Diamond Jubilee Stakes (gr. I) was probably the most eagerly awaited contest of the Royal meet, as it featured Australian wonder-mare Black Caviar, officially rated the world's number one sprinter, trying to extend her undefeated record to 22. Starting for the first time outside her native land, Black Caviar started at 1-6 to defeat her 13 opponents. She...
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The expression "pace makes the race" is a common one in the U.S., but it also sums up the feature race on the fourth day of Royal Ascot, the Coronation Stakes (gr. I), run over a mile for 3-year-old fillies. On soft ground, the 1,000 Guineas (gr. I) winner, Homecoming Queen, made the running from Samitar, who was successful in the Irish version of that race....
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Despite being run over 2 1/2 miles, the Ascot Gold Cup (gr. I) resulted in a three-way photo finish. In a Godolphin one-two, and after surviving a stewards' inquiry, the verdict went to 4-year-old Colour Vision, over Halling's son Opinion Poll, and Saddler's Rock. The defending champion of the race, Fame and Glory, made a smooth move from the rear early in the...
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New Zealand-bred So You Think (NZ) ( TrueNicks ) came to the yard of Aiden O'Brien with a ranking as the official high-weight on the International Classifications in the long-distance category, as well being highly-rated at shorter distances. However, that long-distance rating, which was earned with a brave third under top weight in the Melbourne Cup (gr. I)...
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"He's not a horse, he's a bloomin' steam engine..." We were reminded of that statement, made by the legendary jockey Fred Archer, after being run off with on the Newmarket heath by the mighty St. Simon. Frankel didn't quite bolt off on Ascot heath yesterday, although it did take Tom Queally about half a mile to pull up after the finish of the Queen Anne Stakes...
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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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Withdrawn from the English 1,000 Guineas (gr. I) after misbehaving in the stalls, and unplaced in the French 1,000 Guineas (gr. I), Immortal Verse turned a corner with a win in the Prix de Sandringham (gr. II). In the one mile Coronation Stakes (gr. I, video below), she delivered a very impressive performance sweeping from last-to-first to win by 2¼ lengths....
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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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If the modern horse is not supposed to be as tough and durable as the stars of bygone eras, it’s clear that Banimpire (TrueNicks A++ ) and her connections didn’t get the message. The daughter of Holy Roman Emperor was making her seventh start of the season (six of them in not much more than three months) when gamely defeating the Galileo filly Field of Miracles...
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It was generally considered that one of the absolute bankers of the meeting would be So You Think in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes (gr. I, video below). The New Zealand-bred had become a superstar in Australia, and was a highweight in the long-distance category on the International Classifications, as well as being highly-rated at shorter distances. He’d scored...
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One of the most eagerly awaited contests of the week was the first day’s opening contest, the Queen Anne Stakes (gr. I, video below). Run over the straight mile, it brought together the 6-year-old mare Goldikova, winner of three straight runnings of the Breeders’ Cup Mile (gr. I), and the 4-year-old colt Canford Cliffs, coming off four consecutive group I wins...
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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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Complimentary TrueNicks Enhanced reports are available for the Epsom Derby (gr. I) field listed below. Click on the horse's name or letter grade to view the report. To help analyze which horses may have the profile for the 12-furlong Derby distance, each cross's average winning distance is included in the table—see the full report for addition cross-specific...
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