It didn't appear to be the dawn of a new era when Miswaki's daughter Urban Sea narrowly landed the 1993 G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at odds of 37-1. After all, there was nothing hugely unusual about a filly or mare winning the Arc: four had done so in the 1970's and another four [...]

There was a time, before the advent of the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, when being named champion 2-year-old virtually brought with it a ticket to GI Kentucky Derby success. Thanks to Riva Ridge, Secretariat, Foolish Pleasure, Seattle Slew, Affirmed and Spectacular Bid, the double was achieved six times in the space of eight years during [...]

Just two words–Galileo gold–were all that was needed to provide a near-perfect summary of the first Classic weekend of the European season (though they don't shine enough light on Paco Boy, sire of the equine Galileo Gold who triumphed in the G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas). It was Galileo who was responsible for Minding, Ballydoyle and [...]

The O'Callaghan family of Tally-Ho Stud has every reason to believe that history does indeed repeat itself. One of Tally-Ho's current inmates, Kodiac, has been transformed from a run-of-the-mill €5,000 stallion into a champion sire of 2-year-olds commanding €45,000. This remarkable transformation has taken place even though this hugely popular son of Danehill retired without [...]

When I reviewed Cupid's pedigree following his victory in the GII Rebel S., I concluded that “perhaps, like Frosted, Cupid will stay well enough to acquit himself with credit on Kentucky Derby day, but at this stage it is impossible to be confident that he will. Let's hope the GI Arkansas Derby will provide more [...]

What's that old saying about familiarity breeding contempt? Well, contempt is much too strong a word for what I have in mind, but it is fair to say that familiarity often leads to boredom in the bloodstock world. Time and again we see elderly proven stallions coming out second best in the popularity stakes, with [...]

For all their undoubted virtues, all-weather tracks don't make it easy when it comes to forecasting how accurately the form will translate to a different surface. Keeneland's relationship with Polytrack developed an eight-year itch which ended in divorce. I suspect that one of the issues which led to the parting of the ways was the [...]

Not for the first time, the Dubai World Cup meeting must have left a few of America's older breeders fighting the urge to kick themselves. This urge to don a hair-shirt dates back to 1990, when it was announced that 1989's Horse of the Year Sunday Silence was being retired to the Stone Farm of [...]

Memories being as short as they are, it is easy to forget that two-time champion sire Tapit has not always been America's highest-priced stallion. Far from it, the Gainesway star initially made his name with crops sired at either $15,000 or $12,500 and it was only as recently as 2012, in his eighth year as [...]

Of the owners whose hopefuls set out on the road to the Kentucky Derby, some come to identify with the Beatles' lyrics for “The Long and Winding Road”. All too many are indeed destined to shed “a pool of tears,” but the connections of Destin and Danzing Candy have every reason to be joyful at [...]

If ever anyone wanted to prove that success breeds success, they need look no further than Bernardini, the champion 3-year-old colt of 2006. With the GI Preakness S., GI Travers S. and GI Jockey Club Gold Cup among Bernardini's sequence of six victories, his success on the track made him easily the highest-priced freshman sire [...]

One of the fascinations of bloodstock breeding is that the more you know, the more you realise how much you don't know. The topic is packed with puzzles which often defy logic. For example, when Street Cry (Ire)'s early crops reached the racetrack, they provided ample proof that the 2002 G1 Dubai World Cup winner [...]