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It would be reasonable to suggest that while time may prove Coolmore stallion Galileo superior to his breed-shaping sire Sadler's Wells, with the exception of siring a group I winner over 4000m (which Sadler's Wells did in the form of the brilliant Yeats), right now Galileo is every bit as good a classic sire as his father. Like many elite stallions, Galileo...
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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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According owner Rick Porter, recently-retired Havre de Grace is currently for sale , and she could be offered at a broodmare sale this fall. Given that Royal Delta, the champion 3-year-old filly of 2011 realized $8.5 million at last year's Keeneland November Sale, we should expect fireworks if Havre de Grace—Horse of the Year and champion older filly or mare...
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Pedigree historians have long been suspicious about the exact parentage of the 1880 Epsom Derby winner. The record books will tell you that the winner was Bend Or , a son of Doncaster out of the Thormanby mare Rouge Rose, bred and owned by the 1st Duke of Westminster. However, not long after the 1880 running of the Derby, the owners of the runner-up, Robert the...
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The most recent weekend saw two Kentucky Derby (gr. I) preps with $1 million purses, and both resulted in upsets. The Florida Derby (gr. I, video ) seeing longtime Derby favorite Union Rags and the well-regarded El Padrino finish third and fourth, respectively, behind gate-to-wire scorer Take Charge Indy. The Louisiana Derby (gr. II, video ) fell to another pacesetter...
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Continuing on the Secret Circle theme from today's Blood-Horse Pedigree Weekly Newsletter , there is certainly no question about the speed and courage possessed by this 2012 Kentucky Derby (gr. I) hopeful. Secret Circle's potential distance capacity – a weekend win in the 8½ furlong Rebel Stakes (gr. II) not withstanding – remains something of a mystery. If our...
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There are few topics in the world of pedigree theory—and for that matter in the Thoroughbred community as a whole—that are more emotive than the subject of inbreeding. On one hand, inbreeding, and what is perceived as a consequential decline in genetic variety, is blamed for all manner of ills including a supposed decline in soundness. On the other, it has been...
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We're always happy to see TrueNicks customers succeed on the racetrack, and we were especially thrilled when Derby prospect El Padrino won the Risen Star Stakes (gr. II) over the weekend. Emory Hamilton, breeder of El Padrino, uses TrueNicks broodmare reports for her mares, and a report for El Padrino's dam, Enchanted Rock, identified Pulpit ( TrueNicks , SRO...
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Recent discussion of the pedigree of the Australian supermare Black Caviar focused some attention on Tom Fool, whose son Silly Season is doubled in Black Caviar’s pedigree. Since he was a foal of 1949, Tom Fool will now, to many, mean little more than a name that is found in the more distant removes of modern pedigrees. But, if you want to know how good Tom Fool...
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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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Bearing in mind that stud fees have been ticking up again, and that proven horses are in demand, we were pretty surprised to hear recently about a stallion that you can still book to. While many other proven stallions are already full, this stallion can still be bred to for as little as $13,500 live foal (or $15,000 stands and nurses). He is sire of 39 stakes...
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I've had more than one customer describe TrueNicks as a "dating service" for Thoroughbreds. This might be a fair assessment, since increasingly more breeders are using TrueNicks as a research tool during their stallion selection process. With Valentine's Day just a few days away—and in hopes that breeders everywhere will find the right stallion match for their...
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While the equine Hansen ( TrueNicks ) – the champion 2-year-old of 2011 – is pointing to the Holy Bull Stakes (gr. III) and hopefully his first step on the road to the Kentucky Derby (gr. I), his owner and breeder, Dr. Kendall Hansen, is looking well beyond the Run for the Roses. With a long-term view to his star's eventual stud career, Dr. Hansen has subscribed...
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While horseman in the Northern Hemisphere are working their way through the dark, damp days of winter, a significant portion of the Australasian breeding and racing community were enjoying the sunshine at the Gold Coast in Queensland. From a racing standpoint, the highlight was the A$2,000,000 BMW Magic Millions Two-Year-Old Classic, run over six furlongs. In...
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We at TrueNicks are pleased to announce our 4th anniversary this month! Time flies, and it's amazing to think that TrueNicks is now beginning its 5th Northern Hemisphere breeding season. TrueNicks was founded in 2007 as a partnership between Pedigree Consultants (Alan Porter and Byron Rogers) and Blood-Horse Publications, with the calculation running off the...
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The two-day 2011 Thoroughbred Pedigree, Genetics & Performance Conference , to be held at the Marriott Griffin Gate hotel in Lexington, Ky., September 7-8, kicks off one week from today, and several well-known pedigree analysts will be on hand to share their perspective. Scene at last year's panel discussion The agenda includes Sid Fernando, president of eMatings...
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The Blood-Horse magazine, in conjunction with Pedigree Consultants LLC and TrueNicks.com, announces the 2011 Thoroughbred Pedigree, Genetics, and Performance Conference . The two-day event will be hosted at the Marriott Griffin Gate hotel in Lexington, Kentucky, on September 7-8, 2011, conveniently preceding the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Designed to...
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Jim Squires wrote an interesting article that appeared in The New York Times over the weekend. Commenting on the newly-in-foal Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta, " Breeders Chasing the Superhorse " references nicking theory several times in the piece. While the simplicity of Squires's nicking explanation is a bit misleading as he doesn't touch on the statistical...
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Leading bloodstock news, on Valentine's Day no less, was that the union of two of the highest-rated horses of each sex in modern times—namely the 2008 Prix de l'Arc winner Zarkava and the 2009 winner Sea The Stars —has resulted in a colt foal, born Friday night at the Aga Khan's Haras de Bonneval in France. The colt is Zarkava's second foal as she produced a...
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by Ian Tapp Few could mount a serious case that Uncle Mo was not one of the most talented 2-year-olds American racing has seen in quite a while. He was impressive at six furlongs, brilliant at a mile, and dominant in the 8 ½-furlong Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (gr. I) that clinched his Eclipse championship. Detractors will remind us that he's made just three career...
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by Ian Tapp Dialed In ’s story begins in late April, 20 years ago, when a gelding named Dinard was the 1991 Kentucky Derby favorite. The son of Strawberry Road had just worn down Best Pal to win the Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) for owner-breeder Allen Paulson. With the defections of Wood Memorial (gr. I) winner Cahill Road (Unbridled’s full brother) and sweetheart...
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by Ian Tapp When Tapizar won last weekend's Sham Stakes (gr. III, video ) in easy, front-running style, he became the newest graded stakes winner to emerge from the successful breeding program developed by late Verne Winchell. Winchell's son Ron races Tapizar under the Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC banner, the same group that campaigned that colt's sire, Wood Memorial...
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by Ian Tapp On November 28, 2010, the Bob Baffert-trained The Factor went postward as one of the most hyped two-year-old maidens of the year. Sent off at 3/5, the gray War Front ( TrueNicks , SRO ) colt broke well in the 6.5-furlong race, but was taken off the pace, shuffled back, and was never a factor while finishing fourth ( video ). Realizing that stalking...
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by Ian Tapp When the Kentucky Derby is on your mind, how could you not be fascinated by an A.P. Indy ( TrueNicks , SRO ) colt with the flashy name of Astrology ? Winner of the one-mile Iroquois Stakes (gr. III, video ) at Churchill Downs back in October, Astrology has an intriguing story. First mention must go to Astrology's illustrious ninth dam, Plucky Liege...
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Congrats, photo by Louise Reinagel With the impressive victory of his daughter Turbulent Descent in the Hollywood Starlet Stakes (gr. I), Congrats ( TrueNicks , SRO ) may well have sewn up the 2010 freshman sire’s race. The winner’s purse of $245,550 propelled him into what may well be an uncatchable lead over Bluegrass Cat ( TrueNicks , SRO ) (out of a mare...
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