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The saying is that “great minds thing alike,” but sometimes, and especially with horses, there is more than one way to the same destination. We didn't have time or space to cover her in detail in our U.S. weekend round up, but one recent example is Pica Slew , who stamped herself as one of the leaders of the three-year-old filly sprint division by running a 101...
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Last year Gio Ponti put together a four-race win streak – all in grade I events – from spring through summer, that stamped him as one of the best around. Since then, however, the now five-year-old has been on a more frustrating streak. He ended the year with seconds in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational (gr. I) and Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I), and garnered...
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At Royal Ascot, Australian-bred Starspangledbanner captured the Golden Jubilee (gr. I), a contest that the Racing Post suggested was “arguably the classiest sprint ever run in this country” with 12 of the 24 starters having previously won group or grade I events. In the July Cup (gr. I), Starspangledbanner lined up against another top-class speedster, Equiano...
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Franny Freud has had very few slips in her career; in fact she has never been beaten sprinting on the dirt. In a six-race juvenile career, she won four races, including the Ontario Debutante Stakes, Lady Finger Stakes and Fifth Avenue Stakes, her only defeats coming when second in the My Dear Stakes on Woodbine’s all-weather, and off the board in the one-mile...
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On a holiday weekend that is uniquely American, Chinchon proved himself an ungracious visitor, but a talented runner, taking the biggest prize on offer over that period, the $450,000 for the first home in the United Nations Stakes (gr. I) at Monmouth. Bred in Ireland, and campaigned in France, Chinchon finished fifth, beaten under five lengths, in the 2008 French...
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Unlike his namesake, a notorious thief and highwayman, Dick Turpin has earned an excellent living through honest endeavor. However, since defeating his stable companion Canford Cliffs to take the Greenham Stakes (gr. III) at the start of the year, he had been continually thwarted in his attempts to gain the group I prize which his talents suggested he deserved...
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Last weekend saw the Carreras de las Estrella – an Argentine Breeders’ Cup – contested at Palermo racecourse. Among many highlights was a double by second year sire Equal Stripes in the two juvenile events. In the one mile (or actually 1600m metric equivalent) Estrellas Juvenile, Paulinho (TrueNicks A++ ) remained undefeated with a six lengths margin of victory...
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Well-backed on the day, the filly Devil May Care looked a brief threat in the Kentucky Derby (gr. I) before fading late. Making her first start since that effort, and back against her own sex, Devil May Care ran out a convincing winner of the Mother Goose Stakes (gr. I) on Saturday. Her victory was part of an excellent weekend for here sire, Malibu Moon ( TrueNicks...
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In the Irish Derby (gr. I), Cape Blanco , who had defeated Epsom Derby (gr. I) winner Workforce in the Dante Stakes (gr. II) but disappointed in the French Derby (gr. I), boosted the classic form by leading home an Aidan O’Brien one-two-three. All three are Sadler’s Wells grandsons: both the winner, and runner-up, Midas Touch , are by Galileo , and the third...
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We've already covered the one-two for Afleet Alex in the Pegasus Stakes (gr. III) in a separate post, but he wasn’t the only second season sire with a graded winner at the weekend. 2005 Champion Turf Male Leroidesanimaux got off the mark when his son Leroy’s Dynameaux , benefitted from a fast early pace to strike late and take the Will Rogers Stakes (gr. III...
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Afleet Alex ( TrueNicks , SRO ): Conformation, left, and nearly falling before winning the 2005 Preakness Stakes (gr. I, Video ). With a view to the future, it’s possible that the most significant race of the weekend in the U.S. was the Pegasus Stakes (gr. III) at Monmouth. With plenty to play for as far as leadership of the 3-year-old male division is concerned...
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Over the last few years, British racegoers have learned to have a very healthy respect for Australian sprinters. One of the first horses to school them in that regard was Choisir, a Danehill Dancer son who took both the King’s Stand Stakes (gr. I) and Golden Jubilee Stakes (gr. I) within a five-day period at the same Royal Meeting. On Saturday, it was an Australian...
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Despite lacking Special Duty, winner of the English and French 1,000 Guineas (gr. I) – both on DQs – and Bethrah, the Coronation Stakes still may have given shape to the three-year-old filly division in Europe. Lillie Langtry had won the Debutante Stakes (gr. II), Coolmore Stud Fillies Sprint (gr. III), and the richly endowed Tattersalls Timeform Fillies’ 800...
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When Newsells Park Stud sent Dahlia’s Krissy, a stakes-placed Kris S. mare out of a stakes-placed daughter of the great runner and producer Dahlia to the court of Giant's Causeway ( TrueNicks , SRO ), we doubt that they expected the resulting foal would start his career at four in a bumper (a National Hunt Flat race, run under jump rules, but without obstacles...
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The big race on Wednesday, the ten-furlong Prince of Wales’s Stakes (gr. I), saw a Juddmonte one-two, as Byword scored from Twice Over. The result paid a further compliment to Tuesday’s Queen Anne Stakes (gr. I) heroine, Goldikova, who had defeated Byword by a ½ length in the Prix d’Ispahan (gr. I) on her seasonal reappearance. Byword (TrueNicks A++ ) is by Peintre...
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The first day of the Royal Ascot meeting featured five stakes events, four group, and three group I. The highlights were the Queen Anne Stakes (gr. I) for older horses on the straight mile, and the St. James’s Palace Stakes (gr. I) – which our colleague Bill Oppenheim has appropriately called the “European 2,000 Guineas” – for three-year-olds on the round course...
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While the death of Red Ransom was a serious loss to the breeding industry, we take a degree of comfort in his undoubted legacy as a sire of sires and as a broodmare sire. His influence in that first role was underlined over the last two weekends when Snow Fairy, by Red Ransom’s son Intikhab, took the Epsom Oaks, and the rapidly improving Pressday, from the first...
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Saturday in the U.S. saw a potential star among the older horse ranks gain his first grade I, and a slew of events for older fillies. An in-form Rachel Alexandra might have tackled males in the Stephen Foster Handicap (gr. I), but she side-stepped that one, and instead the race confirmed Blame as one of the best of his division. Blame gained his first black type...
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Convenience, a two-time winner of the Vanity Handicap (gr. I) in 1972-73, is the third dam of this weekend's Obeah Stakes (gr. III) winner Miss Singhsix (by Singspiel). One day later, Zenyatta became the first mare to win three Vanity Handicaps.
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Sarafina didn’t see a racecourse until May 3, but just six weeks later she is a classic and dual group I-winner. Successful in over a mile at Chantilly on her debut, she returned three weeks later to take the Prix Saint-Alary (gr. I) by ½ length over Deluxe (a Storm Cat half sister to Banks Hill, Heat Haze, Dansili, Intercontinental, Champs Elysees, and Cacique...
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We have covered Belmont Stakes (gr. I) victor Drosselmeyer in detail in an earlier post, but there was plenty of other significant weekend action in the U.S. The Belmont undercard provided several other good contests. Not surprisingly, European pedigrees played a major part in the destination of two of the turf events. Juddmonte, who had won the English Derby...
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The day after Workforce scored a runaway win in the Epsom Derby (gr. I), the French 2,000 Guineas (gr. I) victor, Lope de Vega, was almost equally impressive in recording an easy triumph in the Prix du Jockey Club (French Derby) (gr. I). In taking both classics, Lope de Vega emulated his sire, the impressive second crop sire, Shamardal ( TrueNicks , SRO ). A...
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Back in January we noted in a column that Distorted Humor ( TrueNicks , SRO ) was a stallion whose offspring took a while to develop, and noted that he had a whole group of promising three-year-olds that could develop into serious runners. Of the horses mentioned, Colizeo took an allowance race in impressive style last time out; Age of Humor has captured the...
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Just last Sunday we reported on the Japan Derby (gr. I) victor of Eishin Flash, a son of King’s Best. Just a week later, another son of King’s Best, Workforce, gave King’s Best a remarkable Derby double with a seven lengths Epsom Derby (gr. I) win, in a new course record. This was the second win in three starts for Workforce, who won a maiden in his only start...
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While others could doubtless offer worthy alternatives, Quality Road ( TrueNicks , SRO ) impresses us as the most naturally talented U.S. runner we’ve seen since Ghostzapper ( TrueNicks , SRO ). His latest exploit saw him return from a near four-month break to take the Metropolitan Handicap (gr. I). In doing so, he lead throughout, turning back a pair of well...
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