BloodHorse.com

Sadly, every year makes it less likely that we -- in the U.S. -- will find true outcross stallions (i.e., a completely non-U.S. 5-cross pedigree).  I'm all for clever patterns of inbreeding and building on tried-and-true bloodlines... but sooner or later, you've got to add new blood.  Candy Ride (ARG) (pedigree) has Mr. P as his ...

Kingsgate Native has always been something of a mold-breaker. He very nearly won the Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot last year on his racecourse debut, and two races later, the 2-year-old broke his maiden in the Nunthorpe Stakes (gr. I), beating established older sprinters. He open his 3-year-old campaign on the first day of this Royal Ascot ...

It was Galileo's model of the universe that prevailed on Day Four at Royal Ascot. Daughters of Galileo landed two of the three group races on the card, including the day's jewel, the Coronation Stakes (Eng-I). In that event -- a contest for 3-year-old fillies -- Galileo's daughter made up for the disappointment of her run in the Oaks (Eng-I), ...

  For those of you who followed my blog when I was writing for another racing Web site, you may recall a couple of my popular ''tough beat'' posts. You know, those betting nightmare stories that come around every so often - getting nosed out on a huge ticket, taken down on an objection, locked at the window, etc. You seasoned handicappers ...

A few weeks ago, I mentioned my disappointment that the U.S. lost Judge T C (pedigree) from our bloodstock choices when he was exported to Saudi Arabia. I'll give credit to Prince Sultan Mohammed Saud al Kabeer and Nofa Equestiran Resort:  they saw something in a stallion that was overlooked in the domestic breeding market, and they ...

Courtesy of Becky Johnston The next to last day of the 2008 Royal Meet at Ascot Race Course came up windy and cloudy with the ground much harder than most European runners desire.  Rain would not fall until the fifth contest of the day.  Bookmakers empty their pockets  The first race was the Group 3 Albany Stakes for two year ...

Courtesy of Becky Johnston  South Central opens double for America The Group 2 Norfolk Stakes was the first race on the card of day three at Royal Ascot.  The son of Forest Camp out of the Forty Niner mare, Brittan Lee, won his first start at Carlisle by a double-digit margin.  Today, he squeaked out a win over the Irish-bred ...

The day started with a score for the the U.S. when South Central (Forest Camp - Brittan Lee, by Forty Niner) -- a 13-length winner on his debut -- blazed the trail and then held on gamely for a narrow win. South Central was bred in Kentucky by the partnership of Tony Holmes and Dr. Walter Zent, also breeders of juvenile champion Stevie Wonderboy ...

It's no secret that Seattle Slew and Mr. Prospector have been combining well in pedigrees for a considerable amount of time (and probably no coincidence that both go tail-female to the Myrtlewood branch of the family of the great tap-root mare Frizette, who is incidentally doubled in Seattle Slew's granddam). One of the most successful versions ...

While Day One at Royal Ascot was dominated by Mr. Prospector-line horses, Day Two was a Danzig day, that line capturing four of the five stakes events on offer. First off the mark was Aqlaam (Oasis Dream - Bourbonella, by Rainbow Quest), who was making only the third start of his career when capturing the seven-furlong Jersey Stakes (Eng-III). ...