Last Saturday saw two important GI Kentucky Derby trials, each carrying 100 points for the winner. The big difference between the two was that they were staged roughly 12,600 kilometres apart, in Dubai and Miami, yet both were won very decisively by progressive colts on a winning roll. And–remarkably–there are some strong similarities between the [...]

“Selling Take Charge Indy was one of the toughest decisions I've had to make in my time as a syndicate manager, but, ultimately, we have to blend the passion we have for our horses with business principles for our shareholders.” That was the quote from Elliott Walden, the WinStar president, when it was announced that [...]

Back in the fall of 2013, when breeders were contemplating the matings responsible for this year's classic crop, Malibu Moon had a total of 29 foals of racing age out of daughters of Unbridled and Unbridled's Song. Only one of the 29 had become a black-type winner, but that black-type winner was none other than [...]

Only a week ago, when discussing the long-term prospects for the survival of Storm Cat's male line, I wasn't sure whether to mention the Forestry branch alongside those of Harlan, Hennessy and Giant's Causeway. In the end I decided not to, but perhaps I should have–it was Forestry's son Shackleford who supplied Promises Fulfilled, the [...]

The recent 50th anniversary of the birth of the great Mill Reef acted as a reminder that great sires are not always destined to establish a long-lasting male line. Despite having numerous stallion sons, Mill Reef's influence in Europe depended heavily on his Derby winning son Shirley Heights and to a lesser extent on his [...]

When someone first gambled on the idea of sending a daughter of Cee's Tizzy to Awesome Again, I wonder if they really expected to see the lights flash and the jackpot cascade. In fact, the lever had to be pulled a few times before the first payout, with the nick's statistics standing at eight foals, [...]

Thanks to Bill Finley's Op/Ed piece last Thursday, the topic of lack of runners in the U.S. has been much discussed in recent days. The Jockey Club's figures show that the average field size has fallen to fewer than eight runners per race since 2011 and that a modern American racehorse can be expected to [...]

Although the 20-year-old Speightstown got into the act, thanks to Strike Power in the GIII Swale S., it was largely the younger division of Kentucky stallions which dominated last weekend's graded stakes action for 3-year-olds. Two 9-year-olds–Declaration of War and Graydar–were respectively responsible for Speed Franco (GIII Dania Beach S.) and Lombo (GIII Robert B. [...]

There was a time when any visit to Kentucky would not be complete without a visit to Robert Clay's Three Chimneys Farm. Time the visit right and you might witness the unusual sight of the stallions returning to the barn after their ridden exercise. I remember well seeing the two-time champion Slew o'Gold being hosed [...]

It almost seems like tempting fate to name a horse after a man who once declared at a press conference that he thinks he is special. The man in question, soccer manager Jose Mourinho, now virtually owns the nickname of “The Special One,” with journalist Sean Gibson once commenting that “he has helped write his [...]

When a two-year-old son of Arch sold for $1,050,000 in Florida last March, the successful bidder, Lawrence Best of OXO Equine, commented that the youngster was “a very good-looking horse” and a hard, hard runner, while Mike Ryan, the underbidder, was sufficiently impressed to describe the colt as a “hell of a horse,” before adding [...]

The New Year may be little more than a week old, but the Kentucky Derby hype machine is already cranking into action, thanks to 'TDN Rising Star' Mask's highly impressive romp in the Mucho Macho Man S. Incidentally, the race is named after a Breeders' Cup Classic winner who finished third in the Derby when [...]