In an action-packed week on both sides of the Atlantic, there were notable performances from quite a few stallions. For example, War Front had Grade I/Group 1 winners at Santa Anita and Newmarket, where his sons provided the exacta in the historic Middle Park S. Then there was the ever-reliable Dubawi, with his Grade I/Group [...]

Back in April 2009, I began a TDN article on the G3 Greenham S. winner Vocalised by saying that: “Jim Bolger isn't a trainer hidebound by convention. For a start, he subscribes to the rather old-fashioned theory that racehorses are meant to race frequently if they are fit and well. What's more, he's prepared to [...]

About 100 years ago the American journalist Lincoln Jeffens visited the fledgling Soviet Union and declared “I have seen the future; and it works.” Well, he got that one very wrong, so I am hesitant to say that I too have seen the future; and it works. My moment of epiphany came when the 'TDN [...]

To the question, “Which stallion is going to be the next big thing in American breeding?” I guess quite a few people would nominate Into Mischief. One fully paid-up member of the Into Mischief fan club is Garrett O'Rourke, judging by the fact that nine of Juddmonte's 2017 American foals are by the up-and-coming Spendthrift [...]

In Europe everyone has become used to seeing Galileo dominate affairs, but last week was a bit of an exception. Even though he notched up first and second in the G2 Debutante S., thanks to Magical and Happily, and saw his son Order of St George win the G3 Irish St Leger Trial, Galileo was [...]

Three-time champion sire Tapit has never been slow to reach important landmarks. In an unbeaten juvenile career, he followed up a wide-margin debut victory at Delaware with an eye-catching display in gaining his first stakes success in the GIII Laurel Futurity. These efforts earned him 114 on the Experimental Free Handicap, and there was every [...]

Is it possible to have too much of a good thing? When the good thing is chocolate chip cookie dough ice-cream, the answer is a definite yes. But when the good thing is brilliant stallion Sadler's Wells, the answer appears to be a resounding no, at least where the extraordinary Enable is concerned. A winner [...]

There's still a very long way to go in the race for first-crop sire honours on both sides of the Atlantic, but several of the stallions which covered their first mares in 2014 already have their first group/graded winner to their credit. With last week's start of the Saratoga meeting, we saw the year's first [...]

Long ago, I used to have the dubious pleasure of spending my wintery Saturday mornings watching my young son playing soccer. If ever the team fell behind in the score, an extremely enthusiastic mother of another player used to harangue the boys with the repeated question of “How much do you want it?” This is [...]

Take a look at Galileo (Ire)'s extensive list of 2017 black-type winners and you could be forgiven for thinking that there is virtually only one way of bringing out the best in this astonishing stallion. Only three of the 23–the listed winners Order of St George (Ire), Galipad (GB) and Key To My Heart (Ire)–have [...]

One of the bitterest lessons a racehorse owner must learn is that a brilliant racemare isn't necessarily destined to become a brilliant broodmare. Fortunately some do. Personal Ensign, a Breeders' Cup Distaff winner who was undefeated in 13 starts, produced three GI winners headed by My Flag (Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies) and one of Personal [...]

The magnificent four-timer by the much-lamented Scat Daddy ensured that the Royal Ascot meeting wasn't all about Galileo, but the eight-time champion sire still enjoyed a terrific time–in more ways than one. Galileo was directly responsible for a one-two-three in the G1 Prince of Wales's S., with the teak-tough Highland Reel once again displaying his [...]