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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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Blue Gum Farm near Euroa, Victoria, has a 30-year history, and is famed for nurturing the early career of one of Australia’s outstanding sires, Encosta de Lago. Today, the farm is at the forefront of the Victorian breeding industry, and is home to one of the strongest stallion rosters in the state. That roster includes the only European classic ...

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 ...

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, all ...

The latest Australian stallion farm to join TrueNicks is Arrowfield, the Hunter Valley powerhouse whose roster is headed by champion sire Redoute’s Choice. Winner of the Blue Diamond Stakes (gr. I) in two starts at 2, Redoute's Choice (AUS) (TrueNicks,SRO) earned a title as champion Australasian 3-year-old miler the following year, capturing ...

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 ...

Established on a property with a near 100-year history as a Thoroughbred nursery, Vinery Australia offers a line-up of stallions that encompasses the best of both international breeding and domestic bloodlines. The roster is headed by More Than Ready (TrueNicks,SRO), a brilliant juvenile and grade I-winning 3-year-old sprinter who has the unique ...