BloodHorse.com | Horse Racing News

Hurricane Ike to Make Landfall at Preakness

PORTER ON PEDIGREES, by Alan Porter
His Derby Trial victory effectively dashed the Derby hopes of two competitors seeking graded earnings, but Hurricane Ike will use the win as a Preakness Stakes prep.

Exhi Emerges as Sophomore Standout

MAHUBAH'S CORNER, by Avalyn Hunter
Descending from one of Canada's leading female families, Exhi hit his stride just a bit too late for likely KY Derby eligibility, but he's a good bet for other big races in 2010.

Inside Pedigrees: Derby by Pedigree

INSIDE PEDIGREES, by Les Brinsfield
Eskendereya is the favorite, and also the pick of a pedigree pundit.

Stately Victor: a Blue Grass Surprise

PORTER ON PEDIGREES, by Alan Porter
The first grade I winner sired by Ghostzapper - whose own pedigree is free of five-generation duplicated bloodlines - has an inbreeding pattern to the closely-inbred In Reality.

Sidney's Candy: Sweet Rise to Derby Contender

MAHUBAH'S CORNER, by Avalyn Hunter
The pedigree of Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) winner Sidney's Candy pairs speed with stamina. Will it be enough to get around the Derby oval first?

Endorsement Earns Derby Nod with Sunland Win

PORTER ON PEDIGREES, by Alan Porter
Distorted Humor again figures in Triple Crown hopes as son Endorsement enters the Derby picture in the newly-graded Sunland Derby.

Line On Linebreeding

INSIDE PEDIGREES, by Les Brinsfield
The concept reduces genetic variance and increases odds of predictability.

Ice Box Turns Up Heat on Derby Trail

MAHUBAH'S CORNER, by Avalyn Hunter
By one of the hottest sires in American and out of a stamina-oriented mare, Ice Box has bloodlines that indicate he's a smart pedigree pick for the Triple Crown races.

Odysseus Journeys to Churchill Downs

PORTER ON PEDIGREES, by Alan Porter
The Malibu Moon colt Odysseus embarked on what what might be an epic lead-in to a 2010 Triple Crown campaign when he captured the recent Tampa Bay Derby (gr. III).

Power of La Troienne

INSIDE PEDIGREES, by Les Brinsfield
La Troienne is the best mare in American pedigrees since going into production.

Awesome Act Sets Up Family Showdown

MAHUBAH'S CORNER, by Avalyn Hunter
From a separate branch of the Almahmoud family than fellow Triple Crown hopeful Eskendereya comes Awesome Act, who powered into consideration with an easy Gotham Stakes win.

Backtalk Looks to Follow Smarty's Hoofprints

PORTER ON PEDIGREES, by Alan Porter
Brent Fernung stands to go down in history as a three-time purchaser of "Derby dams" if Backtalk's impressive style carries him to a win on the first Saturday in May.

She Be Wild is A Good Return

INSIDE PEDIGREES, by Les Brinsfield
She Be Wild is evidence of the old formula, 'Return to the sire the best blood of his dam.'

Will Eskendereya Mature Beyond Youth?

MAHUBAH'S CORNER, by Avalyn Hunter
Restoring new hope to a branch of the Almahmoud family of Northern Dancer, Eskendereya established himself as a legitimate Triple Crown contender with his Fountain of Youth win.

Caracortado Puts New Indiana Stallion on Map

PORTER ON PEDIGREES, by Alan Porter
In a breakout race that put Caracortado on Derby watchers' radar, the Cal-bred also focuses attention on newly-transferred Cat Dreams, who stands in Indiana for the 2010 season.

Peppi Knows Two-Turn Racing

MAHUBAH'S CORNER, by Avalyn Hunter
Stephen Got Even's rising star Peppi Knows scores his first 2-turn stakes victory in the Whirlaway Stakes. Is it a sign of Triple Crown potential?

Winstar's TC Hopes at 4 with Drosselmeyer

PORTER ON PEDIGREES, by Alan Porter
Although he hasn't yet won a stakes event, Distorted Humor's son Drosselmeyer showed plenty of potential and jumped into Triple Crown discussions with a nine-furlong allowance win.

Ron the Greek Seeks Triple Crown Mandate

The second stakes winner for Full Mandate scores in an early Kentucky Derby prep.

International Pedigree That's Pretty Unusual

It's unusual for a runner to cross the finish line before a champion, unusual for any horse to have ancestors from 6 nations in her 3rd generation, and definitely Pretty Unusual to fit both of these descriptions.

Neko Bay Tallies Stallion Credentials

Many breeders anticipate that Giant's Causeway will become a powerful sire of sires. Paired with the sire-producing Missy Baba family genes, recent graded winner Neko Bay is likely to attract interest as a sire prospect.

Fly By Phil Scores Big Win for 2nd-Year Sire

Multi-million dollar yearling Act of Duty apparently saved his talent for his progeny, as Fly By Phil's New Years Day win made him the first second-crop sire with a graded stakes winner.

Breeding Pattern Hits Mark: M One Rifle

MAHUBAH'S CORNER, by Avalyn Hunter
Fred Hooper's unique Florida bloodlines pair with distinctly California stock in an equine East-meets-West story.

Blind Luck is One of the Year's Top Juveniles

Blind Luck's grade I Hollywood Starlet win helps Pollard's Vision jump to the Leading Freshman Sires top-three, and makes him one of three Carson City sons on the Juvenile Sires top-six list.

Great Runner, Grand Bloodlines, Good Ba Ba

MAHUBAH'S CORNER, by Avalyn Hunter

Three times is impressive in any race; Good Ba Ba's three-peat in the group I Hong Kong Mile was an even greater feat because it came against some of the world's best racehorses.

Roman Ruler: Rewriting the Inbreeding Rule

Alan Porter addresses the emerging acceptance of Mr. Prospector inbreeding--while discussing the emergence of juvenile standout Rule, whose sire Roman Ruler is a Mr. Prospector double carrier.

The Usual Q. T. Hot in California

MAHUBAH'S CORNER, by Avalyn Hunter

Winner of both the Oak Tree Derby (gr. IIT) and Hollywood Derby (gr. IT) in November, this Unusual Heat gelding typifies the best of California breeding.

American Lion: Tiznow/Storm Cat Cross Roars

PORTER ON PEDIGREES, by Alan Porter
Most discussion of Tiznow as a sire of stakes winners focuses on how well his foals do when they've had some time to mature. When crossed with Storm Cat's precocious line, though, his juveniles are unbeatable.

Medaglia d'Oro has a Passion for Gold

MAHUBAH'S CORNER, by Avalyn Hunter

A win in the group I Criterium de Saint-Cloud sets up Passion for Gold as an early favorite for the French classics next year-and also validates Medaglia d'Oro as a sire who can produce top colts along with his abundance of black type fillies.

Sire and Pedigree Notes - Breeders' Cup 2009

PORTER ON PEDIGREES, by Alan Porter

Alan Porter recaps the 2009 Breeders' Cup with pedigree observations about the sire lines, dominant female families, and inbreeding of the 14 winners.

Claiborne Happy to Accept Blame

MAHUBAH'S CORNER, by Avalyn Hunter

With Claiborne bloodlines on the top and bottom, Fayette Stakes (gr. II) winner Blame has a pedigree many generations in the making.

April Pride Illustrates Parallel Pattern

PORTER ON PEDIGREES, by Alan Porter

A globetrotting sire and an all-American dam have strikingly similar pedigrees that combined to produce recent graded winner April Pride. Breeding analyst Alan Porter discusses how his "parallel pattern" theory is evident in the filly's pedigree.

Jackson Bend Takes Florida

MAHUBAH'S CORNER, by Avalyn Hunter

Inspiring hope for small breeders is juvenile standout Jackson Bend, whose durability and precocity combined are traits this Florida homebred inherited from both sides of his pedigree.

Points and Promise: Second-Crop Sires On Top

PORTER ON PEDIGREES, by Alan Porter

That this is an exceptional crop of second-year sires is not exactly news any more. Still, the point was hammered home again October 10 when two second-season horses were represented by grade I winners.

Luck Tends to Strike

MAHUBAH'S CORNER, by Avalyn Hunter

A multi-generation affinity of his female family with Mr. Prospector-line sires might have championship repercussions as Lookin At Lucky prepares for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile this fall.

Toccet Racks Up Big Wins

PORTER ON PEDIGREES, by Alan Porter

With dual scores in the British Columbia classics, Toccet's progeny have made the stallion a hot second-crop sire.

Storm Cat Leaves a Market in Transition

MAHUBAH'S CORNER, by Avalyn Hunter

It seems appropriate that the once-perennial leading commercial sire, Storm Cat, bow out while the Thoroughbred market redefines itself.

Byerly, Back in Business

The first race on a Sunday card at Ontario's Fort Erie Race Track is an unlikely source of inspiration for a pedigree review. But the two horse, best by a length in that race Sept. 13, was a local gelding making a small mark in history.

Dublin Elicits High Hopes for Young Sire

MAHUBAH'S CORNER, by Avalyn Hunter

By first-crop sire Afleet Alex and from the successful family of Sunday Evening comes Dublin, winner of the historic Three Chimneys Hopeful Stakes (gr. I).

Icon Project: Yet Another Filly Standout

PORTER ON PEDIGREES, by Alan Porter

It seems 2009 would be a year for filly phenoms, and they're all the result of young, distance-loving sires.

D'wildcat, Smarty Jones 2YOs Take Saratoga

Strong pedigrees link Saratoga's first two juvenile stakes winners of 2009 - but will genes be enough to keep Backtalk and D'Funnybone in stakes contention after their 2-year-old campaigns?

Monitor Closely Adds to Dream Year for Sire

PORTER ON PEDIGREES, by Alan Porter

Oasis Dream (GB) was considered a mildly-successful sire after his first two crops reached the track. An explosive year including the emergence of recent group II victor Monitor Closely (IRE) guarantees Oasis Dream more respect in Europe and internationally.

Bullsbay Confirms Tiznow/Turkoman Affinity

MAHUBAH'S CORNER, by Avalyn Hunter

Stamina influence Tiznow again matches with a speed-oriented Turkoman-line mare. Whitney Handicap (gr. I) winner Bullsbay joins Colonel John as elite runners bred on the cross.

Second-Crop Standouts

PORTER ON PEDIGREES, by Alan Porter

The weekend brought a couple of new players to the 3-year-old scene and also underlined just how strong the second-crop sires are.

Funny Moon Bred on Miler-Over-Stamina Model

MAHUBAH'S CORNER, by Avalyn Hunter

Funny Moon's big win in the grade I CCA Oaks exemplifies an American breeding pattern of miler speed over stoutness.

Misremembered Scores for Breeder Bob Baffert

PORTER ON PEDIGREES, by Alan Porter

Already in the news for his move to Lane's End, Candy Ride also figures in to the first progeny black type for an 18-year-old mare and the first stakes win as a breeder for Bob Baffert.

Sariska's Pedigree Combines Speed, Stamina

MAHUBAH'S CORNER, by Avalyn Hunter

A female-line descendent of the top sire-producing mare Selene, Sariska adds the group I Irish Oaks to her impressive record. Here is an example of a stamina-oriented damline infused with raw speed.

Sophomore Standouts Best Elder Rivals

PORTER ON PEDIGREES, by Alan Porter Holiday weekend racing featured 3-year-old sprinters Munnings and Zensational, who both captured prestigious graded wins over older horses.

Fame and Glory Across the Pond

MAHUBAH'S CORNER, by Avalyn Hunter

Montjeu has enjoyed considerable success as a sire of Classic horses. Irish Derby winner Fame and Glory adds to his sire's tally-while also tying in this year's theme of German bloodline influences.

Grazen Is New Benchmark for Alydar Line

PORTER ON PEDIGREES, by Alan Porter

California homebred Grazen's first graded win is more proof that Benchmark is the true heir to Alydar's male-line legacy.

Emergent German Thoroughbred Bloodlines

MAHUBAH'S CORNER, by Avalyn Hunter

The German Thoroughbred is a stouter, more stamina-oriented version of the breed in England, France, or the U.S. The possibilities for outcross - and just plain high quality - make German bloodlines sought after in the West.