TrueNicks : Just for Fun

The Tribe has Spoken! - Curlin tops potential matings for Rachel Alexandra

brogers — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:42:00 GMT

The TrueNicks community voted on the best first mate for superfilly Rachel Alexandra. Here are the results, along with links to the full reports....(read more)

Your Turn: Time to Suggest a Mating for Rachel Closes FRIDAY!

brogers — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 13:06:00 GMT

Classic-winning filly Rachel Alexandra gave the boys a lesson this weekend in the Haskell. Because of her latest accomplishment we're going to extend our request for readers' choices for Rachel's best breeding match....(read more)

Your Turn: Analyze Rachel Alexandra's Breeding Opportunities

brogers — Mon, 11 May 2009 14:00:00 GMT

Rachel Alexandra has taken North American racing by storm. The runaway winner of the Kentucky Oaks has been sold since her Classic win, she's been involved in some Preakness controversy, and her new owners have indicated mating plans even before her retirement. Amidst all the hoopla, TrueNicks readers are asked to help select the perfect stallion to match an exceptional mare. Read on for the rules of the game.......(read more)

Tied Together -- Birdstone, Medaglia d'Oro, and Musket Man

aporter — Wed, 06 May 2009 02:38:00 GMT

Several recent posts inspire us to take a quick look at some similarities -- perhaps coincidental -- between the pedigrees of Birdstone, Medaglia d'Oro, and Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) third Musket Man. ...(read more)

Who Should Peppers Visit? -- Suggest a Mating for the Record-breaking Thoroughbred Mare.

brogers — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 20:20:00 GMT

With the imminent retirement of record-breaking mare Peppers Pride, Byron Rogers offers his suggestion as to a suitable mating for 2009, and turns it over to you to make yours....(read more)

What If? Nick Ratings for Your Dream Mating

sgillies — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 15:30:00 GMT

I had some fun coming up with potential mates for the great mare Hasili (IRE). Now it's your turn, readers: pick your favorite mare (from your own herd or from the racing headlines) and run a FREE hypothetical mating against any of the 300+ subscribed stallions on TrueNicks. What's the best rating you can produce?...(read more)

TrueNicks the Trifecta

admin — Sun, 18 May 2008 20:05:00 GMT

While it may not have been rocket science to pick out the winner, you could have had yourself the Trifecta in the Preakness Stakes if you had merely boxed the five horses that were A++ rated by TrueNicks (link to Alan's post).

With Macho Again and Icabad Crane filling the place and show, a $2 box for the five horses would have cost you $120 for a return of $336.80. Just another way to win when you use TrueNicks!

Handicap the Preakness with TrueNicks

admin — Fri, 16 May 2008 19:05:00 GMT

Twelve contenders will go to the post for the May 17 Preakness Stakes (gr. I). Let's see how they're rated by TrueNicks.

A++

BIG BROWN (Boundary - Mein, by Nureyev) - Went into the history books by winning the Derby on only his fourth start, but is also there as one of the most closely inbred Derby winners of all time: with Northern Dancer 3 x 3, Damascus 3 x 4, and Round Table 4 x 5, all of the stallions in the third generation of the pedigree of his sire are repeated in his dam.
HEY BYRN (Put It Back - Restraining Order, by Skip Trial) - By the very talented 3-year-old sprinter Put It Back, who has now emerged as one of Florida's best young sires. There is stamina in the distaff side of the pedigree through the dam, a daughter of Skip Trial, and the granddam, who is by Storm Bird out of a sister to the dam of champion older male Lemhi Gold.
ICABAD CRANE (Jump Start - Adorahy, by Rahy (TrueNicks, SRO)) - From the second crop of A.P. Indy's promising young son Jump Start, this one is closely related to turf grade I winner Rutherienne (by A.P. Indy son Pulpit, out of a three-parts sister to the dam of Icabad Crane). Granddam Adorable Micol, by Riverman, was a stakes winner in France and a graded winner in the U.S.
MACHO AGAIN (Macho Uno - Go Donna Go, by Wild Again) - Macho Again, along with the Keeneland Lane's End Breeders' Futurity (gr. I) victor Wicked Style and Withers Stakes (gr. III) winner Harlem Rocker, are all stakes-winning colts from the first crop sired by champion 2-year-old Macho Uno. The dam is half sister to stakes winners Kiwi Sunshine and Kiwi Mint, and the granddam was a stakes winner of nine of 39 starts.
RILEY TUCKER (Harlan's Holiday - My Sweet Country, by Bold Ruckus) - By the Preakness Stakes fourth Harlan's Holiday, who is off to an excellent start with grade I winner Into Mischief and graded winners Denis of Cork (also third in the Kentucky Derby) and Tasha's Miracle in his first crop. Riley Tucker is half brother to Patriot Love, a stakes winner who also took second in the Canadian classic Breeders' Stakes. Riley Tucker comes from a Canadian family that also produced Fanfreluche, Strategic Maneuver, Halory Hunter, and Van Nistelrooy.

B+

GAYEGO (Gilded Time - Devils Lake, by Lost Code) - By speed influence Gilded Time, out of a mare by a fast horse who could carry that speed nine furlongs, Gayego never looked likely to get the Derby trip, but has a shot in the Preakness, at least as far as distance is concerned.
STEVIL (Maria's Mon - Company Storm, by Storm Creek) - A son of Maria's Mon, Stevil is out of the stakes-winning Company Storm. The granddam, Company Girl, a stakes winner in New York-bred competition, is by Cormorant, sire of Kentucky Derby winner Go For Gin. This also means that the pedigree combines the genetic relatives Majestic Light and His Majesty, similar to Maria's Mon stars Monarchos, See How She Runs, and Strong Contender (TrueNicks, SRO) , who have either His Majesty or full brother Graustark on the bottom half.

GIANT MOON (Giant's Causeway - Moonlightandbeauty, by Capote) - Giant Moon is the second classic starter for Giant's Causeway this year, following Cowboy Cal in the Kentucky Derby. The dam was a stakes winner in New York-bred company, and the granddam took the Demoiselle Stakes (gr. II). This is also the family of recent Canadian
classic (Queen's Plate) winner Niigon.

C+

YANKEE BRAVO (Yankee Gentleman - Vickey Jane, by Royal Academy) - A member of the first crop of his sire, a very fast son of Storm Cat, Yanko Bravo has a very interesting pedigree pattern, as his dam is by Royal Academy (like Storm Cat, a grandson of Northern Dancer), out of Crimson Saint (granddam of Storm Cat). The granddam is a sister to South American-bred star Siphon (BRZ).

Kentucky Derby Contenders Seen Through TrueNicks

admin — Thu, 01 May 2008 16:05:00 GMT

With the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands mere days away, we thought it was worth giving TrueNicks a tryout on the leading contenders. TrueNicks came through its Derby Trial with flying colors. Of the top 24 contenders at time of writing, nine (37.5%) were A++; 17 (71%) were A or above; 21 (87.5%) were B+ or higher. Of the remaining three, two are D; one, a non-stakes winner, does not achieve a rating....

The rest of Alan Porter's story can be viewed as part of the Derby 134: Contenders' Pedigree Profiles free download. In addition to seeing the TrueNicks rating for all 20 horses in the field, you'll see detailed pedigree analyses for each starter - many written by Alan.

Don't miss your FREE DOWNLOAD here.

You Heard It Here First!

admin — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 03:04:00 GMT

This is a blog, and indeed TrueNicks is not supposed to be a handicapping service - but we are seriously going to have to reconsider this after the win of Sebring in the Golden Slipper Stakes (Aus-I) on the weekend!

It was back on the 20th of January, some 13 weeks ago, that we first mentioned the then-non stakes-winning Sebring as a likely Golden Slipper candidate.

Under a masterful ride by Glen Boss, the son of More Than Ready (TrueNicks, SRO) - who rated an A+ by TrueNicks before he ever stepped onto a racetrack - came with a well-timed run to win the richest 2-year-old race in the world by just on a neck.

Just remember ... you heard it here first.

Giant's Riches

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 17:03:00 GMT

Yesterday brought the news that champion 3-year-old filly Rags to Riches was to be retired and bred to Giant's Causeway.

The match of the history-making Belmont Stakes (gr. I) heroine with Storm Cat's leading son is one that should create a tough runner, and a horse that will have no problems with classic distances.

Of course, we couldn't resist running it through the TrueNicks program. This came up with the mating as a C based on the Storm Cat / A. P. Indy cross. That cross has produced only three stakes winners, albeit a couple of notable names, headed by the Haskell (gr. I) winner and Kentucky Derby (gr. I) runner-up Bluegrass Cat (TrueNicks, SRO), and graded stakes winner Untouched Talent. Storm Cat himself sired Bluegrass Cat and Untouched Talent from seven starters out of A.P. Indy mares, but so far there are 42 starters by sons of Storm Cat out of A.P. Indy mares, and only one stakes winner.

There are, however, some other factors - beyond the outstanding class of the sire and dam, a very important point - that might help this mating. From a pedigree pattern standpoint, we can note that both Giant's Causeway and Better Than Honour, the dam of Rags to Riches, are Northern Dancer / Blushing Groom crosses. We can also note that Giant's Causeway is sire of the exciting sophomore stakes winner Giant Moon, who is out of a mare by Capote who, like A.P. Indy, is a son of Seattle Slew.

A New Look for TrueNicks Reports

admin — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 23:02:00 GMT

As part of the TrueNicks commitment to ongoing improvement of our product line, we are pleased to unveil a new look for the basic Hypothetical Mating and Named Foal reports (click on the report names to see samples).

The new presentation is designed to be easier to read and interpret, and includes all the same features that users have found on the reports previously.

So, what has changed?

First, you'll notice that the TrueNicks letter grade and variant scores are more prominent. The location in the upper corner of the report assures that the rating is visible on your browser without having to scroll.

Second, the name of the horse (for Named Foal reports) or the sire-dam (for Hypothetical Mating reports) is clearly noted at the top of the report, along with the sire line / broodmare sire line cross used for the report.

Third, the breeder's name and location are included for all Named Foal reports, an enhancement that was suggested by our users.

Fourth, we've changed the notation for listed stakes races from (LR) to (L) in the listing of "Best Horses Bred on This Cross."

If you'd like to compare the reports, you can view the previous formats: view the Hypothetical Mating (older format) or the Named Foal (older format) reports.

The sample reports again feature popular filly Rags to Riches as the named horse, and a Street Sense-Rags to Riches cross for the hypothetical match. You might find it interesting to note the minor changes in variant scores in the five weeks since the previous samples were run. As you can see, the overall rating was unaffected in both cases. Why is this important? It confirms that TrueNicks ratings are always based on the most recent information, and that additional success (or lack thereof) of a given sire line / broodmare sire line cross will affect the ratings. Importantly, though, once a nick rating has been established, new foals bred on the same cross tend to validate the rating over time. The date stamp on the upper right corner of the report lets you know that the rating you're reviewing was calculated with the most recently available data.

Aiming for a Derby Double

admin — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 23:02:00 GMT

While most second-season colts with classic hopes are just taking their first steps on the Triple Crown Trail, one possible candidate is already a Derby winner. That horse is the remarkable Tomcito. A $7,500 Keeneland September yearling purchase, Tomcito was shipped to Peru where, despite being up to six months younger than his Southern Hemisphere rivals, he was an immediate hit.

Tomcito took his first two races, one at 5 1/2 furlongs and the other at 6 1/2 , by a total of 26 lengths. Second in his stakes debut, he then captured the Clasico Ricardo Ortiz de Zevallos (Per-I) at 1 1/4 miles, and Derby Nacional (Per-I) at 1 1/2 miles, despite not yet being a 3-year-old by Northern Hemisphere terms.

Now Tomcito is in Florida at Palm Meadows training center, with the Florida Derby or UAE Derby (both gr. I) as his potential targets. By Street Cry (IRE) (TrueNicks, SRO) - who, after Street Sense's (TrueNicks, SRO) victory in 2007 would be on a Derby double if Tomcito makes it to Churchill Downs - Tomcito is out of a mare by Eastern Echo. This sees him earn a TrueNicks A++ rating, on the basis of the Street Cry/Damascus cross. A quick look at the pedigree also shows that Tomcito's dam is inbred 3 x 4 to Northern Dancer, where Street Cry is free of Northern Dancer, but has the great stallion's half sister Natalma in his fourth generation.