Sid Fernando
Sid Fernando is president and CEO of Werk Thoroughbred Consultants, Inc., originator of the Werk Nick Rating and eNicks. He has written a bi-weekly column for the TDN since March, 2018.
Taking Stock: U.S. Climate for Yoshida May Be Ripe
December 5, 2019
There's been a lot of news lately about the exportation of U.S. stallions and stallion prospects, most notably the sale of Kentucky Derby winner California Chrome (Lucky Pulpit) to Japan, which is also where another Kentucky Derby winner, Animal Kingdom (Leroidesanimaux {Brz}), and potential Horse of the Year Bricks and Mortar (Giant's Causeway) will stand [...]
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Taking Stock: American Pharoah Alone At Top
November 7, 2019
Coolmore is a stallion maker, and its American division at Ashford Stud has a specialty for minting leading first-crop sires. Over the last nine years, this includes Scat Daddy (2011), Henrythenavigator (2012), Dunkirk (2013), and Uncle Mo (2015). There's every chance that Triple Crown winner American Pharoah will become the Irish-based global operation's fifth champion [...]
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Taking Stock: Constitution is New Star for WinStar
October 18, 2019
Constitution, by Tapit from Baffled, by Distorted Humor, is the new rising star in the WinStar stallion barn. As of Thursday, Constitution was ranked second behind American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile) on the first-crop sire list with less than $25,000 separating the two as the high-dollar and game-changing Breeders' Cup races loom in a few [...]
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Taking Stock: West Offers $500,000 for Derby Study
October 4, 2019
Gary West lives in Rancho Santa Fe in San Diego, but he was back at Keeneland in Lexington last month to buy potential classic colts; or, to be specific, to try to buy a colt for the Gl Kentucky Derby–a race he's wanted to win more than any other. Inconspicuously dressed in a long-sleeved t-shirt, [...]
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Taking Stock: Oddballs in Kentucky
September 20, 2019
There's a 5-year-old Pennsylvania-bred horse in the Gll Kelso H. Saturday at Belmont Park by the name of Monongahela (K One King), which is the name of a river that flows through Pittsburgh in southwestern Pennsylvania. It's also the name of a small city–called “Mon City” for short–about 17 miles south of Pittsburgh with a [...]
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Taking Stock: New Era for Phipps Stable
September 5, 2019
The iconic Phipps Stable is doing the unprecedented. For the first time, it is selling its entire crop of yearling colts. This is set to go down next week at the Keeneland September sale through Claiborne, as agent. No need to sound the alarm, however–Daisy Phipps Pulito, who co-owns the elite Claiborne-based operation with her [...]
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Taking Stock: Into Mischief's Changing Profile
August 23, 2019
Spendthrift's flagship sire Into Mischief (Harlan's Holiday) is a remarkable stallion. For proof, just look at three of the six Grade l stakes entries at Saratoga on Saturday: he's represented by Owendale and Chess Chief in the Runhappy Travers S.; Mia Mischief in the Ketel One Ballerina S.; and Rowayton in the H. Allen Jerkens [...]
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Taking Stock: New Life for New Year's Day
July 26, 2019
The unusual arc of New Year's Day (Street Cry {Ire})'s stud career has given him new life. The sire of Gl Xpressbet Florida Derby winner Maximum Security, disqualified from an apparent victory in the Gl Kentucky Derby, but most recently the winner of the Gl TVG.com Haskell Invitational S. at Monmouth last weekend and one [...]
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Taking Stock: First Crops of Sires are Potent
July 12, 2019
Fasig-Tipton's July Sale this past week once again highlighted the allure of yearlings by first-crop sires. In particular, Darley's duo of Frosted (Tapit) and Nyquist (Uncle Mo) had the sale's co-second-highest lots at $330,000 each, while the WinStar young guns Outwork (Uncle Mo) and Speightster (Speightstown) had the fourth- and fifth-highest sales at $300,000 and [...]
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Taking Stock: Khozan Leads as 2YO Season Heats Up
June 28, 2019
First-crop sires, headed by Triple Crown winner American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile), will be under the microscope as the 2-year-old season heats up, particularly at the marquee meets of Saratoga and Del Mar this summer. At this writing, Florida-based Journeyman Stud's Khozan (Distorted Humor) leads TDN's freshman sire list (see Top 10 on page 3) [...]
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Taking Stock: Tracy Farmer's Classic
June 13, 2019
Tracy Farmer, owner of Shadowlawn Farm in Midway, Ky. with wife Carol, is a native Kentuckian with a distinct accent that blends hints of the American Midwest in a gravelly southern drawl. He wasn't feeling well enough to travel to Belmont Park for the last leg of the Triple Crown series, instead watching the proceedings [...]
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Taking Stock: Beneath Lasix, EIPH Is Real
May 30, 2019
“Back in the early 1970s, you'd see horses bleeding from the nostrils more commonly than you do now,” said trainer Barclay Tagg, who took out his license in 1971. “I had a horse back then that came back after a race, and he was being washed up and suddenly he starts gushing blood from the [...]
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