IF 6 WAS 20 – THE FAMILY ROOTS OF FRENCH DERBY WINNER STUDY OF MAN

  • Posted: June 9, 2018  by Alan Porter   -  
  • Comments Off on IF 6 WAS 20 – THE FAMILY ROOTS OF FRENCH DERBY WINNER STUDY OF MAN

To paraphrase Jimi Hendrix, “if 6 was 20, would we mind?” Well we might if we’re interested in mtDNA haplotypes, and were looking at the family of last week’s Prix du Jockey-Club/French Derby (G1) winner, Study of Man. Out of the Storm Cat mare, Second Happiness, he is a grandson

HOLLIDAY, HARZAND & MINDING

  • Posted: July 2, 2016  by Alan Porter   -  
  • Comments Off on HOLLIDAY, HARZAND & MINDING

With Harzand and Minding taking the Epsom Derby (gr. I) and Epsom Oaks (gr. I), and then following up with wins in the Irish Derby (gr. I) and Pretty Polly Stakes (gr. I), it’s interesting to reflect how both go back to families developed by the great English breeder, Major

ROYAL ASCOT – DAYS 4/5 – THE NEED FOR SPEED

  • Posted: June 22, 2016  by Alan Porter   -  
  • Comments Off on ROYAL ASCOT – DAYS 4/5 – THE NEED FOR SPEED

Run for only the second time the six furlong Commonwealth Stakes (gr. I) for three-year-old sprinters fell to Quiet Reflection, who was winning for the sixth time in seven starts, all but one of those victories coming in black type company. Quiet Reflection is from the second crop of the

ROYAL ASCOT DAY 3 – CUP OF ST GEORGE

  • Posted: June 17, 2016  by Alan Porter   -  
  • Comments Off on ROYAL ASCOT DAY 3 – CUP OF ST GEORGE

After a runaway win in the Irish St. Leger (gr. I) at three last year, Order of St George was given a World Racehorse Ranking that rated him among the best stayers of recent years. To justify such lofty consideration he really needed to win this year’s Ascot Gold Cup

ROYAL ASCOT DAY 2 – SCAT DADDY SCORES AGAIN

  • Posted: June 16, 2016  by Alan Porter   -  
  • Comments Off on ROYAL ASCOT DAY 2 – SCAT DADDY SCORES AGAIN

On Day 1 at Royal Ascot, Carvaggio, a son of Scat Daddy, scored an impressive victory in the Coventry Stakes (gr. II). Last year, Scat Daddy was represented by Royal Ascot juvenile group winner Acapulco, and before that there was No Nay Never. None of that trio, however, was as

ROYAL ASCOT DAY 1 – TEPIN ON TOP

  • Posted: June 15, 2016  by Alan Porter   -  
  • Comments Off on ROYAL ASCOT DAY 1 – TEPIN ON TOP

Day 1 at Royal Ascot was a big day for milers. The meet kicked off with the Queen Anne Stakes (gr. I) for older horses over the straight mile, and saw history made as U.S. invader Tepin (by Bernstein) became the first horse trained outside of Europe to capture this

NYQUIST AND THE PARADIGM SHIFT PART II – UNCLE MO & NYQUIST PEDIGREE PATTERNS

  • Posted: May 11, 2016  by Alan Porter   -  
  • Comments Off on NYQUIST AND THE PARADIGM SHIFT PART II – UNCLE MO & NYQUIST PEDIGREE PATTERNS

In part one of this post we looked at how Nyquist is an example of what we think is something of a paradigm shift with regard to the modern classic U.S. dirt horse. The industry is so much better at producing fast horses than true middle-distance runners, that more and

NYQUIST CONTINUES THE PARADIGM SHIFT?

  • Posted: May 10, 2016  by Alan Porter   -  
  • Comments Off on NYQUIST CONTINUES THE PARADIGM SHIFT?

Last year the running style of what were at the time three of leading candidates for the Kentucky Derby – American Pharoah, Firing Line and Dortmund, who ultimately took the first three places at Churchill Downs – caused us to consider whether we were seeing something of a change in

Cathryn Sophia Is The Boss In Kentucky Oaks

  • Posted: May 6, 2016  by Alan Porter   -  
  • Comments Off on Cathryn Sophia Is The Boss In Kentucky Oaks

For a horse who was advertised to stand at just $12,500 in 2016, Street Boss has done commendably to sire at least one top-class horse in each of his first three Northern Hemispher crops. From his initial runners came the King’s Bishop Stakes (gr. I) scorer, Capo Bastone; Danza, who

TRIPLE CROWN FOR THE DEPUTY MINISTER LINE

  • Posted: May 4, 2016  by Alan Porter   -  
  • Comments Off on TRIPLE CROWN FOR THE DEPUTY MINISTER LINE

Twice Leading Sire Deputy Minister – Champion in the U.S. and Horse of the Year in Canada at two – wasn’t a stallion generally associated with staying turf runners. He did, however get one of that kind in Go Deputy. Bred by Wertheimer et Frere, out of a Secretariat half-sister