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The influence of Sharpen Up's son Diesis was strongly felt on the Thursday of Newmarket's July meeting. Last year's St. Leger (gr. I) winner Lucarno -- out of a mare by Diesis -- led throughout to take the Princess of Wales's Stakes (gr. II), while 2-year-old Classic Blade (by a son of Diesis) employed similar tactics to take the July Stakes (gr. ...

 For six weeks in late summer, top Thoroughbreds, owners, and trainers assemble in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., to put on a one-of-a-kind equine display. Saratoga Race Course is often referred to as “America’s Great Race Place” or simply “The Spa.” My wife and I have made the sojourn each August since 1999 and we admit—we’re hooked! As we bask in ...

The Hungarian-trained mare Kincsem was one of the greatest runners of the 19th century, winning 54 races without defeat, in six different countries, between 1876 and 1879. Those victories included the Goodwood Cup in England and the Grand Prix de Deauville in France - in the space of 17 days - when international racehorse transport wasn't quite ...

The highly successful Danzig / Sharpen Up nick had a very good weekend. Mount Nelson (A++ TrueNicks rating), a son of Rock of Gibraltar out of the Selkirk mare Independence, found most in a driving finish to win the Coral-Eclipse (gr. I) at Sandown, in doing so he returned to the form that saw him capture a grade I race at 2. Bred along similar ...

It's no secret that Darley stallion Street Cry (IRE) (TrueNicks, SRO) has made an exceptional start to his stud career, but his performance over the July 4 weekend can't go without comment. First, on July 4, Summer Doldrums captured the Presque Isle Mile Stakes. Out of a mare by Unaccounted For, she is rated A++ by TrueNicks. Then ...

Since he was our Owner-Breeder International (a publication now incorporated into The Blood-Horse MarketWatch) pick for the Leading Freshman Sire title, we're naturally thrilled with the start made by Lion Heart. The son of Tale of the Cat already has nine winners, two of them stakes winners. He really upped the tempo at the weekend with Azul Leon ...

Take one part grandson of Danzig with one part daughter of Equalize and shake... what do you get? The A++ TrueNicks-rated and current sprinting superstar Lucky Island (Arg), that is what! Starting on the 4th of July in the time-honored Tom Fool Handicap (gr. II), Lucky Island burst out of the gates from the one hole and simply rolled to a 4 ...

It's no secret that Giant's Cauesway is having another very good season. Currently sitting third on the 2008 sires' list, he has been represented by by 10 stakes winners this year, nine of them graded. He added a new grade I winner at the weekend when his son Frost Giant won the Suburban Handicap in a gritty style very reminiscent of his ...

If there is anyone who has worried about the health of our industry more than I have the past 20 years, I feel sorry for that person. Always, it seems, there is bad news: declining attendance, declining handle, offshore wagering issues, drug positives, reduced field size, aging fan base, high-profile breakdowns, diminished soundness of the ...

Visitors to http://www.truenicks.com/will now notice that those stallions subscribed to our service are treated a little bit differently than the norm, with their name in bold and links to both their TrueNicks page and Stallion Register Online page following their name. As an example, any story featuring the young Adena Springs stallion North ...