BloodHorse.com

We are often asked the question on nick ratings - ''do they work across multiple generations?'' The answer ironically depends on the genuine strength of the affinity between the sire lines in question. Examples of nicks that seem to span generations and withstand the scrutiny of time include Fappiano over In Reality-line mares and Seattle Slew ...

It’s amazing that six weeks can go by so quickly, yet also seem like an eternity. Was it just last month, or was it last year when we saw Big Brown bound past us on the Churchill Downs backstretch during a chilly morning in Louisville? Was it just a few weeks ago, or was it a couple of months ago that we witnessed a coronation off the Northern ...

We are gaining the impression that breeding a stallion back to a mare from his own broodmare sire line can work quite well. One example is Pure Prize (TrueNicks, SRO), the young Storm Cat horse who is making a very strong start with his first crop, now only 4. He is out of a mare by Seeking the Gold, a son of Mr. Prospector, and crossing him back ...

We have previously posted about the impressive start that Coolmore's group I English Derby winner Galileo has had with mares by the ill-fated champion sire Danehill. The Coolmore stud ''mega-nick'' added a juvenile group success when Cuis Ghaire (Galileo-Scribonia, by Danehill) scored a 3 1/2 length victory in the €100,000 Gr3 Swordlestown Stud ...

No matter what happens in the June 7 Belmont Stakes (gr. I), the 2008 Triple Crown season will always be defined by the triumph and tragedy of the heir apparent crown prince, Big Brown, and the fallen heroine, Eight Belles. And tradition says that this Belmont, factoring in Big Brown’s pre-race hoof injury, will come up as a “hold your breath,” ...

Alan responds to a few readers' questions... Q: Are there any downfalls to nicking? A: Nick ratings are a measurement of one area of pedigree affinity, that of the sire (or sire line) for mares by the broodmare sire (or broodmare sire line). There is a very high correlation between a high TrueNicks rating and the potential for success. However, ...

The holiday weekend was a remarkable one for Coolmore associates, who swept all three group I events at the Irish Guineas meet. In the Irish One Thousand Guineas (Ire-I), the Pivotal filly Halfway to Heaven chose a good spot to capture her first stakes event. Halfway to Heaven is one of six stakes winners from the current 3-year-old crop sired by ...

“History consists of a series of accumulated imaginative inventions.” - VoltaireAs a Thoroughbred owner, I stand on the shoulders of giants. Horse racing’s tradition and history are like no other. However, in the past 30 years, we’ve been surpassed by the major sports leagues. Being a traditionalist, I don’t blame the caretakers for this lapse. ...

Champion 2-year-old Macho Uno (TrueNicks, SRO) is off to a bright start with a first crop - now 3-year-olds - which has already produced Wicked Style, who took the Arlington-Washington Futurity (gr. III) and Keeneland Lane's End Breeders' Futurity (gr. I); undefeated Withers Stakes (gr. III) winner Harlem Rocker; Macho Again, winner of the ...

Recently as I re-read some of the late humorist Frank Sullivan’s pieces, I thought what a shame it was that this gifted writer never turned his sights on horse racing, a sport he loved. During his 40-year newspaper and New Yorker magazine career, Sullivan was widely read as he poked gentle fun at a variety of subjects in politics, sports, and ...