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Stallion managers and broodmare owners have offered some interesting insights since the release of TrueNicks. One stallion manager told me that he would come across clients who would reject matings that rated A on another nicking product because they wanted A++. In an e-mail conversation regarding a prospective mating, a broodmare owner told me ...

Lexington's Hurricane Hall is the latest farm to sign up to provide complimentary TrueNicks ratings for its stallion roster. Managed by Ben Walden Jr., Hurricane Hall stands first year stallions English Channel (TrueNicks, SRO), recently crowned as the champion turf horse of 2007; millionaire Silver Wagon (TrueNicks, SRO), winner of the Hopeful ...

TrueNicks welcomes three new sires in the shape of Crestwood Farm stallions Kipling (TrueNicks, SRO), Noble Causeway (TrueNicks, SRO), and Unbridled Energy (TrueNicks, SRO). Crestwood is located in Lexington, Ky. Kipling is by Gulch and out of Weekend Storm-a Storm Bird full sister to Summer Squall, and half sister to A.P. Indy. He moves from ...

Even though the race took place at the ''Santa Anita speedway,'' Bob Black Jack's Sunshine Millions Dash splits of :20.92 and :42.46, which led to a final time of 1:06.53-the quickest ever run on a track other than turf-more than likely makes him ''the fastest horse whose pedigree you have never heard of.'' We have to admit the name of the sire, ...

The latest farms to subscribe to provide complimentary TrueNicks are Vinery Kentucky and Vinery Florida. Vinery's Kentucky operation stands 10 stallions including leading freshman sire Posse (TrueNicks, SRO); flagship stallion More Than Ready (TrueNicks, SRO); Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. I) victor Silver Train (TrueNicks, SRO); and first year sire ...

The 6-year-old Giant’s Causeway horse Angliana, who captured his first stakes with a win in last week's Aqueduct Handicap, has a very clever pedigree pattern. Out of the graded stakes winning Jade Hunter mare Pratella, he earns an A TrueNicks score on the basis of the extremely successful Giant's Causeway/Mr. Prospector cross-one that has also ...

By Louis Quatorze - a horse very capable of getting a top-class runner, but not the most consistent stallion in the world - out of a South American mare, Repent (TrueNicks, SRO) was somewhat difficult stallion to evaluate when he retired to stud in Florida for the 2004 breeding season. The class which saw him win four graded stakes at 2 and ...

One nick that made a considerable advance at the weekend was that of Awesome Again (TrueNicks, SRO) with mares by Seattle Slew and his sons. The broad Deputy Minister/Seattle Slew cross has proved to be a productive one, with grade I winners including Pool Land, Hello Seattle, and Mayo On the Side. Until this weekend, however, it had had ...

While the Golden Slipper Stakes (Aus-I) might not mean much to the average North American Thoroughbred breeder, with its AUS$3.5 million purse-which is just on US$3 million today-it is in fact the world's richest race for 2-year-olds. Run at 1200m (about 6f) the Golden Slipper has a long storied history as a race that shapes the Australian breed ...

The successful return of likely 2-year-old champion filly Indian Blessing in the Santa Ynez Stakes (gr. II) at the weekend was a pleasing one for me, having had a very small part in her story. Back in 1999, I was dispatched to the Keeneland January sales to purchase mares specifically to support then-Florida stallion Matty G. The first mare I ...