When the gates opened for Saturday’s Fountain of Youth Stakes (gr. II), Buddy’s Saint was the favorite for the Kentucky Derby. But after a disastrous trip a he passed the baton to runaway winner Eskendereya. From the only crop of Horse of the Year Saint Liam, out of a mare by Blushing John, Buddy’s Saint...

Rule, was expected to get his classic campaign off to a bright start in the Sam F. Davis Stakes (gr. III) and he accomplished this with aplomb. Rule certainly has a classic pedigree. He is from the first crop of Roman Ruler ( TrueNicks , SRO ) (by Kentucky Derby (gr. I) winner, Fusaichi Pegasus ( TrueNicks...

Roman Chestnut, winner of Saturday's Busher S. in New York, is the fifth stakes winner, and tenth stakes horse, from the first crop of Roman Ruler ( TrueNicks , SRO ) , the top North American-raced son of Fusaichi Pegasus ( TrueNicks , SRO ). What made us do a double-take, however, was when we noticed...

Bim Bam is a son of Deputy Wild Cat (by Deputy Minister, out of Champion Hollywood Wildcat, and a brother to stake winner Minister’s Wildcat, and half-brother to War Chant ( TrueNicks , SRO ) ), who stands at Fairberry Farm in Illinois. Deputy Wildcat has sired just 64 foals in his first three crops...

Last Saturday, Quality Road erased the Gulfstream Park nine furlong track record that he himself had established in the 2009 Florida Derby (gr. I), earning a Ghostzapper ( TrueNicks , SRO ) -like 121 Beyer in the process. Quality Road’s sire, Elusive Quality ( TrueNicks , SRO ) can now claim to be responsible...

Last weekend was relatively light on graded stakes action in the U.S., with just three races at that level. Two of the three, however, went to horses with interesting genetic relative inbreeding. Medaglia d'Oro ( TrueNicks , SRO )’s “other” grade I winning filly, Gabby’s Golden Gal, took her second race...

El Corredor ( TrueNicks , SRO ) is off to a very good start in 2010, and when El Caballo took the Colonel E. R. Bradley Stakes (gr. III), he followed the Santa Ysabel Stakes (gr. III) victress Crisp, as the second graded winner of January for the sire. El Caballo, a six-year-old gelding who was beaten...

We have to wonder if there has been a more prolific family in the last couple of years than that of the Verbatim mare, Right Word, the dam of three stakes winners: the graded scorer Ascutney and Words of War (both by Lord At War) and Word o’ Ransom (by Red Ransom). Ascutney is dam of two graded winners...

Winslow Homer has been a “talking horse” ever since his three lengths maiden win at Saratoga in August and he came through loud and clear in the Holy Bull Stakes (gr. III) on Saturday. Winslow Homer is the first foal of his dam, Summer Raven, winner of the Tempted Stakes (gr. III) at two. A daughter...

Among the weekend’s fillies, the biggest win was that scored by Amen Hallelujah in the Santa Ynez Stakes (gr. II). The daughter of Montbrook was overdue a good win, having finished third in the Hollywood Starlet Stakes (gr. I) and Alcibiades Stakes (gr. I). She is out of Sara’s Success, a stakes winning...