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TrueNicks welcomes Pure Precision (TrueNicks,SRO), a fast and precocious son of Montbrook standing at Blackstone Farm near Pine Grove, Pennsylvania. Pure Precision is out of the speedy Distinctive mare Al’s Helen, winner of the First Flight Handicap (gr. III) over 7 furlongs. Al's Helen is a half sister to gr. II winner and sire Straight Man, who ...

One of the most disconcerting things about the Thoroughbred industry is the number of horses that don’t even make it to the races. After being weaned, broken, and trained, for whatever reason—due to injury or just lack of ability—some horses quietly slip between the cracks. Where do they all go? We can only hope that more of them have ...

2009 European Horse of the Year and proverbial superhorse Sea The Stars has completed his first stud season at the Aga Khan's Gilltown Stud in County Kildare, Ireland. The six-time group I winner commanded a fee of €85,000 (US$105,000 as of today) and covered a Who's Who book of 140 top producers and race fillies. Economically speaking, this ...

By Gene Kershner, EquiSpace So how do you think the year is shaping up so far for the sport of thoroughbred horse racing? Do you think the glass is half empty or half full? It's time for my annual half year inspection of the Bests and Worst of thoroughbred racing. You can see the mid-year reports for 2009 and 2008 in the archives (always fun ...

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 ...

--- While attending the American Horse Publications convention over the weekend, I was able to network with a lot of cool horse peeps. One of which was Lyndsey White. She informed me on a big event occurring named ''riders4helmets National Helmet Awareness Day'' on July 10th, 2010. Lyndsey said, This is the first time the helmet ...

Of all the Breeders' Cup divisions, at the moment there may not be a more unsettled one than the Sprint. After 25-1 Dancing in Silks won a four-way photo in the 2009 BC Sprint at Santa Anita last fall, things have gotten even shakier through five and half months of 2010. If you had to pick a leader of the division right now, who would it ...

(Originally published in the June 26, 2010 issue of The Blood-Horse magazine. Feel free to share your own thoughts and opinions at the bottom of the column.)   By Evan Hammonds It was roughly 20 years ago when the migration from wagering on track to simulcasting began in earnest. The rule of thumb over the last few ...

By Tim Capps  With the 2010 Triple Crown now in the record books, it is time for the annual wailing and gnashing of teeth that always follows or starts happening during the five weeks of Triple Crown hoopla. This year’s wailing has been predictable: The races are too close together; it’s too early in the season for 3-year-olds who, in ...

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 ...