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Last weekend was relatively light on graded stakes action in the U.S., with just three races at that level. Two of the three, however, went to horses with interesting genetic relative inbreeding. Medaglia d'Oro ( TrueNicks , SRO )’s “other” grade I winning filly, Gabby’s Golden Gal, took her second race at that level, the Santa Monica Handicap (gr. I). She is...
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El Corredor ( TrueNicks , SRO ) is off to a very good start in 2010, and when El Caballo took the Colonel E. R. Bradley Stakes (gr. III), he followed the Santa Ysabel Stakes (gr. III) victress Crisp, as the second graded winner of January for the sire. El Caballo, a six-year-old gelding who was beaten a nose in the Mervin Muniz Jr. Handicap (gr. II) in his previous...
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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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Winslow Homer has been a “talking horse” ever since his three lengths maiden win at Saratoga in August and he came through loud and clear in the Holy Bull Stakes (gr. III) on Saturday. Winslow Homer is the first foal of his dam, Summer Raven, winner of the Tempted Stakes (gr. III) at two. A daughter of Summer Squall, Summer Raven is out of Rahy Rose, a Rahy half...
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Among the weekend’s fillies, the biggest win was that scored by Amen Hallelujah in the Santa Ynez Stakes (gr. II). The daughter of Montbrook was overdue a good win, having finished third in the Hollywood Starlet Stakes (gr. I) and Alcibiades Stakes (gr. I). She is out of Sara’s Success, a stakes winning daughter of Concorde’s Tune (by Concorde Bound, a son of...
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It’s only the third week in January, but the classic generation are already beginning to crank up. As far as the Derby is concerned the most significant race was the San Rafael Stakes (gr. III). This was won by unbeaten Conveyance, a son of Indian Charlie ( TrueNicks , SRO ). The dam, Emptythetill, is by Holy Bull ( TrueNicks , SRO ) , out of a Mr. Prospector...
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Wildcat Heir ( TrueNicks , SRO ) ended 2009 with the frankly-staggering total of 39 individual juvenile winners. Despite this, he’d reached November before a stakes winner appeared. But surely enough, time has begun to reveal quality among Wildcat Heir’s great quantity of winners. On November 13, Karmageddon took the Jersey Juvenile Stakes, and the very next...
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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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There was a 'lucky' ending to the last major two-year-old contests of the year with Looking At Lucky taking the Cashcall Futurity (gr. I) and Blind Luck the Hollywood Starlet Stakes (gr. I). Lookin At Lucky is a son of Smart Strike ( TrueNicks , SRO ) , who won’t repeat his Leading Sire titles of 2007 and 2009, but who has had enjoyed another excellent season...
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We were interested to note the victory of Apapane in the Hanshin Juvenile Fillies (gr. I), the most important contest for two-year-old females in Japan. The race has been won in recent years by such stars as Buena Vista and Vodka, and Apapane was scoring for the third straight time in four starts. Apapane (TrueNicks rated A++ ) is by Kingmambo ( TrueNicks , SRO...
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We've tracked the progress of freshman Pollard's Vision ( TrueNicks , SRO ) in several previous posts, but we must admit we didn't expect him to vault to the top of the Freshman Sire table. However, that's what happened when his daughter, Blind Luck, emerged from the Oak Leaf Stakes (gr. I) with a 2½ lengths victory. She is the fourth stakes winner from the first...
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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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There were several stakes for juveniles last weekend and two freshman sires, Kitten’s Joy (who also had the Summer S. (gr. III) runner-up Becky’s Kitten) and Roman Ruler ( TrueNicks , SRO ) put stakes winners on the board. Kitten’s Joy, who now has 11 first crop winners, was represented by Sunday Silence Stakes winner William’s Kitten who is out of a mare by...
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A lot of the key North American action was focused in Canada this weekend. The most valuable race of the weekend was the $1,000,000 (Canadian funds) Woodbine Mile (gr. I), which was taken in storming fashion by the five-year-old mare Ventura (TrueNicks A++ ). She is a reminder of just how severe a loss the premature death of her sire, Chester House was. He sired...
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A sire who has been on fire of late is Elusive Quality ( TrueNicks , SRO ) . The month started well when Quality Road returned to from the injury that sidelined him from the classics to take the 6½ furlong Amsterdam Stakes (gr. II) in a new track-record. Six days later, on August 9, Elusive Heat (a daughter of Xtra Heat, and a Pedigree Consultants recommended...
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Giant's Causeway ( TrueNicks , SRO ) had no luck with his son Hold Me Back in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I), but he was still represented by a weekend classic winner when his daughter Ghanaati captured the Stanjames.com One Thousand Guineas (Eng-I). Ghanaati was making her seasonal debut -- her last start came in October -- and was running...
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With the Australian racing season winding to a close, the final stakes race of the winter was run at Eagle Farm last Saturday with the Glenlogan Park-owned mare Perfect Feeling claiming the listed Tattersalls Mile. Perfect Feeling is a daughter of the Coolmore stallion Spinning World, who in this author's opinion is one of the best value stallions to stand in...
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