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The first U.S. 2-year-old grade II winner of the year is Jack’s in the Deck (TrueNicks A+ ), who upset the Futurity Stakes (gr. II, video below), breaking his maiden in only his second start. Jack’s in the Deck is from the second crop of Love of Money ( TrueNicks , SRO ) (by Not For Love ( TrueNicks , SRO ), a brother to Rhythm, and three-parts-brother to Woodman...
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A standout in Australia, More Than Ready ( TrueNicks , SRO ) has also been a very successful and consistent sire in the U.S., but his Northern Hemisphere record had lacked one important thing: a grade I winner. That omission was corrected over the weekend when his progressive daughter Buster’s Ready (TrueNicks A++ ) captured the Mother Goose Stakes (gr. I, video...
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Although a front-running victory in a sloppy renewal of the Alabama Stakes (gr. I) would prove to be the final win of Pretty Discreet’s racing career, she was about to commence a broodmare career that would bring her even greater acclaim. Last weekend, Awesome Maria became the latest grade I winner to extend from Pretty Discreet when winning the Ogden Phipps...
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Withdrawn from the English 1,000 Guineas (gr.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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A muddy renewal of the Belmont Stakes (gr. I, video below) always seemed to have the potential to deliver an upset, and so it proved, with the unheralded Ruler On Ice (TrueNicks B+ ) defeating Stay Thirsty and Brilliant Speed, with the Kentucky Derby (gr. I) and Preakness Stakes (gr. I) winners Animal Kingdom and Shackleford off the board (as an aside, when,...
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Incredibly, 2011 was the first time in history that all three Triple Crown races were won by horses with double-digit odds, but longshot or not, siring a classic winner is an achievement not to be taken lightly, especially for a young sire. The chart below shows longshot (10-1 or longer) classic winners since 2000 and the resulting effect on their sires' fees...
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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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Although he sired champion 2-year-old filly Folklore in his first crop, two-time Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I) hero Tiznow ( TrueNicks , SRO ) is generally associated with horses who distinguish themselves in route events, such as Well Armed, Colonel John ( TrueNicks , SRO ), Bullsbay ( TrueNicks , SRO ), Da' Tara, Tizdejavu ( TrueNicks , SRO ), and Informed...
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Having come within a furlong of stealing the Kentucky Derby (gr. I) off very slow early fractions, Shackleford succeeded in capturing the Preakness Stakes (gr. I, video below) after what appeared to be a suicidal first quarter. We’d noted that the victory of the turf-bred Animal Kingdom in the Derby came in a contest which was actually run like a turf race, with...
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Last week was a major one for America's top sires Distorted Humor ( TrueNicks , SRO ) and Giant's Causeway ( TrueNicks , SRO ). The elite pair joined the list of stallions to sire 100 stakes winners, a select group that includes only four other active stallions: Zabeel, Danehill Dancer, Dynaformer ( TrueNicks , SRO ), and Montjeu. The victory of Savvy Supreme...
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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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Saturday’s Kentucky Derby (gr. I, video below) was, we suspect, a history-making one on more than one count. We have a strong suspicion that the winner, Animal Kingdom, is the first horse to capture the Run for the Roses on his dirt debut, and we’d also nominate him as candidate for the title of “Derby Winner With the Most International Pedigree.” Animal Kingdom...
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In the week that saw the passing of the mighty Sadler’s Wells, it was appropriate that his grandson Frankel (TrueNicks A++ ) should produce a dominant performance in the first English classic of the year, the 2,000 Guineas (gr. I, video below). The son of Galileo was equipped with a pacemaker, but set such a rapid pace that he was soon alone in the lead. Around...
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Officially rated the best long distance runner in the world last year was So You Think. He earned a figure of 122 as an extended distance performer on the basis of a third under top-weight in the Melbourne Cup (gr. I). However, he was actually rated 126 as a middle distance runner, a standing earned with five straight victories during the Australian 2010-2011...
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Third crop sire Kitten's Joy ( TrueNicks , SRO ) had a big meet at Keeneland. Derby Kitten captured the Coolmore Lexington Stakes (gr. III, video below), and although he probably won't have the earnings to attempt to live up to his name at Churchill Downs, he could still point to the Preakness Stakes (gr. I). Another Kitten’s Joy 3-year-old, Holiday for Kitten...
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Following his sensational trial in the seven-furlong Greenham Stakes (gr. III, click for video ) on April 16, last season's European champion 2-year-old Frankel looks ready for Saturday's English 2,000 Guineas (gr. I). The son of Galileo – who has taken over from his sire Sadler’s Wells as Europe’s leading classic sire – is from a stout family. His dam is a half...
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This weekend it was the Roberto line's turn to dominate the Derby trials. The $1,000,000 Arkansas Derby (gr. I) went to Archarcharch who held off the on-rushing Nehro by a neck. Archarcharch is by Arch ( TrueNicks , SRO ) (by Kris S.) out of the Woodman mare Woodman’s Dancer. His second dam, Pattern Step, a daughter of Nureyev, won the Hollywood Oaks (gr. I)...
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Recent weekends have been good ones for U.S. second season sires, as it saw two of that group represented by their first grade I winner, and another by his first U.S. graded winner. In 2005, the Wood Memorial Stakes (gr. I) was captured in astonishing fashion by Bellamy Road ( TrueNicks , SRO ), who scored by 17½ lengths in track record-equaling time, running...
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Japan may still be reeling from the consequences of the epic natural disaster that hit that country, but the result of the Dubai World Cup (gr. I, video below), the world’s richest race, gave considerable cause for national pride. Not only did the Japanese-bred 4-year-old colt Victoire Pisa score a famous victory, but that triumph was achieved at the expense...
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As our TrueNicks tour continues, Byron and I traveled north out of the Waikato region to Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand. Here we visited Russell Warwick at Westbury Stud and Shannon Taylor at Haunui. The Westbury stallions have now joined TrueNicks for the first time, and Haunui – a longtime TrueNicks supporter – announced Showcasing , their exciting...
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