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Cairo Prince ( TrueNicks ) (Pioneerof the Nile—Holy Bubbette, by Holy Bull; Airdrie Stud) established himself as one of the winter favorites for the Kentucky Derby (gr. I), with three juvenile starts bringing wins in a maiden at Belmont Park and the Nashua Stakes (gr. II), and a close second to Honor Code (with Wicked Strong third) in the Remsen Stakes (gr. II...
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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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While breeding produces more than its share of upsets, a look at the leading European third-season sires has a reassuringly predictable quality about it, the pecking order being very close to what most knowledgeable judges would have predicted on the basis of performance, pedigree, and opportunity. The leader by cumulative earnings, New Approach ( TrueNicks ...
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With the William Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale (from April 8-10) just over the horizon, it's worth a look at the very eclectic mix of stallions that will be represented here by their first yearlings. It's an unusually mixed bag, including Northern Hemisphere shuttlers, both proven and unproven in their part of the world, as well as domestic stars ranging...
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In the past few years, the number of stallions who are subscribed to TrueNicks has nearly doubled—in 2010 there were 425 mostly U.S.-based stallions; today there are 820 stallions representing some of the top stud farms internationally. A major growth catalyst was the TrueNicks Enhanced Report , a two-page report that includes detailed statistics to help describe...
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The roster of TrueNicks stallions includes some outstanding performers from around the globe, and the latest of these is Brazilian superstar Plenty of Kicks (BRZ) ( TrueNicks ), who retires to Haras San Francesco for the 2013 breeding season. Plenty of Kicks finished second over seven furlongs on his debut but was to go undefeated in seven subsequent starts,...
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For much of the second half of the first decade of the 21st century, the Australian sire's premiership was fought out between Encosta de Lago (AUS) ( TrueNicks ) and Redoute's Choice (AUS) ( TrueNicks ), the duo eventually claiming two titles apiece. Now New Zealand breeders will have the opportunity to breed to a stallion who combines bloodlines tied to both...
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With the first two major summer yearling sales in the books, we'll take a quick look at the top 10 commercial sires of 2013 by yearling average and ponder on the potential for them to extend their lines. The millennial stallion crop, whose first foals were born in 2000, included Awesome Again ( TrueNicks , SRO ), Indian Charlie, Elusive Quality ( TrueNicks ,...
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On June 30, 1996, Devon Lane made his racing debut against two other Thoroughbreds and six Quarter Horses. He finished third in the 870-yard "around the hook" event at New Mexico's Ruidoso Downs. A Quarter Horse won the race. The runner-up, a Thoroughbred, was by a stallion with an advertised stud fee of $500. Devon Lane's sire, Storm Cat, had stood the 1996...
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Smiling Tiger ( TrueNicks ), one of the stars of the California sprint scene over the last several seasons, will remain in California for his stud career, which will commence at Premier Equine in Oakdale, Calif., in 2014. A winner of nine races and almost $1.5 million, Smiling Tiger broke his maiden on his debut at 2. He took the Lost in the Fog Stakes by eight...
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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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TrueNicks passed another landmark last week with the first stallions from South Africa and Chile to officially join the program. Photo: Avontuur Estate Var (Forest Wildcat—Loma Preata, by Zilzal) At Avontuur Estate we find two of the hottest young sires standing in South Africa in Oratorio (IRE) ( TrueNicks ) and Var ( TrueNicks ). The well-traveled duo both...
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The victory of Snow Bell in the Prix des Lilas at Chantilly on June 4 credited the young French sire Kendargent with his sixth individual stakes winner from his first two crops. Kendargent's start as a sire has been a lot more impressive than his early career as a runner. In fact, he started six times at 2 and 3 before he was able to gain his first win, scoring...
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As Andrew Bensley tweeted, Australian champion More Joyous has been retired. The More Than Ready ( TrueNicks , SRO ) mare earned $4.5 million while racking up eight group I wins, capped off by her impressive run in the 2012 Queen Elizabeth Stakes shown below. Owner John Singleton will send More Joyous to England in July or August to be covered by Frankel, who...
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Photo: Three Chimneys Flower Alley , who is inbred 3x3 to Mr. Prospector, has had success with mares carrying Mr. Prospector or Raise a Native. There are plenty of examples in racehorse breeding when popular opinion turns out to be wrong. I was looking through an old racing book, The Spell of The Turf (1926) by Hildreth and Crowell, and found an interesting passage...
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Photo: Daehling Ranch Peppered Cat Not many people outside Northern California have heard of the stallion Peppered Cat , but with current earnings per starter of $36,400 compared to a 2013 stud fee of $2,000, the 13-year-old son of Tabasco Cat is starting to get some attention. Granted, he's had just 16 starters, but that group includes 10 winners and three stakes...
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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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With today's news that Frankel's three-quarter brother Bullet Train (GB) ( TrueNicks , SRO ) is heading to Wintergreen Stallion Station for the 2013 season, it means that the siblings will begin their stud careers under very different circumstances. Frankel (by Galileo) will stand for £125,000 at Juddmonte's Banstead Manor Stud in England, while Bullet Train...
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Calumet Farm is a name that has been associated with history-making stallions since the arrival of English Derby winner Blenheim II in 1936. In that case, Calumet—for whom Blenheim II sired Triple Crown hero Whirlaway—was only part of the investment group that brought the Aga Khan's classic victor to the U.S., Blenheim II's stateside home being Claiborne Farm...
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Checking the TrueNicks website, we were somewhat shocked to find just how many new sires have already been declared for the 2013 breeding season. There is quite a lot to keep track of, so to try and ensure none get overlooked when making breeding plans for 2013, here is a very quick overview of the new sires of 2013 that are currently enrolled on the TrueNicks...
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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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The 3-year-old crop of 2007 was one of the most contentious of recent years as Street Sense ( TrueNicks , SRO ), Curlin ( TrueNicks , SRO ), Hard Spun ( TrueNicks , SRO ), and Any Given Saturday ( TrueNicks , SRO ) fought it out for leadership of the division. Curlin would emerge with titles as champion 3-year-old and Horse of the Year, and he remained in training...
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It's early—make that very early—to starting reviewing the progress of the 2012 freshman sires , but remarkably at least 40 of them have already been represented by a winner. The surprise leader is Magna Graduate ( TrueNicks , SRO ), who has two winners from seven starters, including Blueeyesintherein, winner of the Debutante Stakes (gr. III). Out of a daughter...
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