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The 1 3/4-mile San Juan Capistrano Invitational Handicap (gr. IIT) was once one of America’s great races, but it’s gone the way of all other American contests over a distance of ground, either shortened or downgraded. That said, it still paid out a nice $120,000 to winner Midships. He is a member of the second crop of Mizzen Mast, who is ...

Kentucky Derby (gr. I) winner Monarchos looks as if he might be about to enjoy his most successful season. He is already represented by four 2009 stakes winners, headed by Informed Decision, who captured the Vinery Madison Stakes (gr. I) April 9, and Win Willy, who upset Old Fashioned to take the Rebel Stakes (gr. II) a few weeks earlier. The ...

With the weekend Kentucky Derby trials -- the Wood Memorial Stakes (gr. I), Santa Anita Derby (gr. I), and Illinois Derby (gr. II) -- going to horses (I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile, and Musket Man, respectively) that had captured graded stakes on their previous start, the most interesting new 3-year-old stakes winner was the filly Hooh ...

The weekend crowned two new grade I winners among the older division. Vinery already has one promising stallion prospect in their homebred Friesan Fire, a 3-year-old son of A.P. Indy (TrueNicks,SRO). Now they have another in 4-year-old Kodiak Kowboy. A son of Vinery stallion Posse (TrueNicks,SRO) , Kodiak Kowboy was purchased by Vinery as a ...

Prix Noailles The first major French Derby prep of the year, the Prix Noailles (Fr-II) was won by the French-foaled but decidedly German-pedigreed Grandcamp (FR) (by Platini (GER) out of a mare by a son of Super Concorde), who is rated A++ by TrueNicks. Platini is a son of the great sire Surumu (GER), from the male line of Dark Ronald ...

Last year we saw the conclusion of the career of the undefeated New Mexico-bred filly Peppers Pride (who has now been bred to Tiznow (TrueNicks,SRO) ). A new star has now emerged from a Southwestern regional program, in the shape of Carlsbad. Carlsbad started her career winning four straight against fellow Arizona-breds -- easily winning her ...

Medaglia d'Oro (TrueNicks,SRO) is currently in command of what looks to be a promising group of second-crop sires (the leaders' list also includes Tapit (TrueNicks,SRO) , Candy Ride (ARG) (TrueNicks,SRO) , Speightstown (TrueNicks,SRO) , and Lion Heart (TrueNicks,SRO) ), and he added another stakes winner recently when She's Our Annie took ...

We mentioned a while back in a TBH MarketWatch article that inbreeding to a major horse tends to transition from controversial, to accepted, to commonplace (''From Controversial to Commonplace'' in TBH MarketWatch Feb. 2009, pg. 23). In recent times, the most prominent horse to undergo that journey was Northern Dancer. It's been more than a ...

If Sir Thomas More was the man for all seasons then Giant's Causeway (TrueNicks,SRO) is the sire for all-weather. Although he's also had plenty of top-class runners on dirt or turf, there is no mistaking that his offspring are just killers on synthetic surfaces, be it California's more turf-like version, or the deeper Turfway Park going that ...

Now firmly-established as the heir to Sadlers Wells, Galileo (IRE) had a transatlantic double at the weekend. In Ireland, Oh Goodness Me (GB) (out of Coyote (GB) by Indian Ridge (IRE)) flashed her classic credentials in the Lodge Park Stud E.B.F. Park Express Stakes (Ire-III). On the same afternoon, 4-year-old Dress Rehearsal (IRE) (out of ...