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On a holiday weekend that is uniquely American, Chinchon proved himself an ungracious visitor, but a talented runner, taking the biggest prize on offer over that period, the $450,000 for the first home in the United Nations Stakes (gr. I) at Monmouth. Bred in Ireland, and campaigned in France, Chinchon finished fifth, beaten under five lengths, ...

Unlike his namesake, a notorious thief and highwayman, Dick Turpin has earned an excellent living through honest endeavor. However, since defeating his stable companion Canford Cliffs to take the Greenham Stakes (gr. III) at the start of the year, he had been continually thwarted in his attempts to gain the group I prize which his talents ...

Last weekend saw the Carreras de las Estrella – an Argentine Breeders’ Cup – contested at Palermo racecourse. Among many highlights was a double by second year sire Equal Stripes in the two juvenile events. In the one mile (or actually 1600m metric equivalent) Estrellas Juvenile, Paulinho (TrueNicks A++) remained undefeated with a six lengths ...

Well-backed on the day, the filly Devil May Care looked a brief threat in the Kentucky Derby (gr. I) before fading late. Making her first start since that effort, and back against her own sex, Devil May Care ran out a convincing winner of the Mother Goose Stakes (gr. I) on Saturday. Her victory was part of an excellent weekend for here sire, ...

In the Irish Derby (gr. I), Cape Blanco, who had defeated Epsom Derby (gr. I) winner Workforce in the Dante Stakes (gr. II) but disappointed in the French Derby (gr. I), boosted the classic form by leading home an Aidan O’Brien one-two-three. All three are Sadler’s Wells grandsons: both the winner, and runner-up, Midas Touch, are by Galileo, and ...

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 ...

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 ...

Over the last few years, British racegoers have learned to have a very healthy respect for Australian sprinters. One of the first horses to school them in that regard was Choisir, a Danehill Dancer son who took both the King’s Stand Stakes (gr. I) and Golden Jubilee Stakes (gr. I) within a five-day period at the same Royal Meeting. On Saturday, it ...

When Newsells Park Stud sent Dahlia’s Krissy, a stakes-placed Kris S. mare out of a stakes-placed daughter of the great runner and producer Dahlia to the court of Giant's Causeway (TrueNicks,SRO), we doubt that they expected the resulting foal would start his career at four in a bumper (a National Hunt Flat race, run under jump rules, but without ...

We are often asked why we assign a No Rating designation to some crosses. Well, it's quite simply that sometimes the most honest answer to a question is “We don't know – there isn’t enough evidence to give a verdict.'' Click for Conveyance's pedigree, an example of a No Rating. In assessing a cross, the TrueNicks algorithm tries to calculate a ...