Alan Porter recaps the 2009 Breeders' Cup with pedigree observations about the sire lines, dominant female families, and inbreeding of the 14 winners. Tuesday, November 10, 2009
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. Wednesday, October 28, 2009
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. Thursday, October 15, 2009
With dual scores in the British Columbia classics, Toccet's progeny have made the stallion a hot second-crop sire. Thursday, October 01, 2009
It seems 2009 would be a year for filly phenoms, and they're all the result of young, distance-loving sires. Wednesday, September 02, 2009
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. Wednesday, August 19, 2009
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. Thursday, August 06, 2009
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. Tuesday, July 21, 2009
California homebred Grazen's first graded win is more proof that Benchmark is the true heir to Alydar's male-line legacy. Thursday, June 25, 2009
Similarities in the pedigrees of Summer Bird (by Birdstone) and Gabby's Golden Gal (by Medaglia d'Oro) provide some insights into the bloodlines of their young sires. Wednesday, June 10, 2009
It would have been hard to predict that Bribon would achieve his most prestigious victory at age 6 on American dirt when he made his juvenile debut in a seven-furlong event at Saint-Cloud in France. Thursday, May 28, 2009
If one was inclined to follow the form book literally, there had to be few better bets in a stakes race May 9 than Mythical Power in the Lone Star Derby (gr. III). Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Foals from the first Elusive Quality crop conceived after Smarty Jones's heroics have come to hand earlier. Even though they've only just turned 3, five of their number are stakes winners. Prominent among them is Fountain of Youth winner Quality Road. Thursday, March 05, 2009
Pioneerof the Nile, winner of the CashCall Futurity (gr. I), is one of three Empire Maker sons whose recent performances have helped grow their sire's reputation among breeders. The others are Daiwa Prevail (JPN) and Summer's Empire. Friday, December 26, 2008
Peppers Pride extended the modern day American record for consecutive wins to 19 when she won at Zia Park on Dec. 14. It may have been the amazing New Mexico-bred filly's final performance and was certainly one of her best. Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Brilliant speed isn't the trait you'd expect from the offspring of Briecat's sire and dam. Her sire Adcat won his best race at nine furlongs. Briecat's broodmare sire Marlin won a grade I race at 1 3/4 miles, the 1997 San Juan Capistrano Invitational Handicap. And yet, here is Briecat, who won the Bayakoa H. (gr. II) in near track-record time. Friday, December 12, 2008
The sires Performing Magic, Hook and Ladder, Freud, American Chance and Regal Classic were represented by winners in the New York Stallion Stakes series. Friday, November 14, 2008
The sires with their first 3-year-olds racing in 2008 have seen some reshuffling among the leaders by progeny earnings, particularly compared with the rankings of this sire class as freshmen. Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Mr. Prospector line stallions were represented by eight of the 14 Breeders' Cup World Championship winners. Ten of the 14 winners are inbred within five generations, while four were outcrosses. Thursday, October 30, 2008
Grade III winner Strait of Mewsina is one of several stakes winners inbred to Danzig. The son of Spartacus gets one influence of Danzig through his grandsire Danehill, and the other the influence through Chief's Crown, his broodmare grandsire. While male line/male line inbreeding generally has a lower-than-opportunity success rate, the inbreeding of Danzig has produced 20 stakes winners. Friday, October 17, 2008
Sky Diva is at the crossroads of an improving sire and an improving family. Sky Mesa started slowly but now runners from his first crop have become graded stakes winners and his second crop of juveniles running this year already includes five stakes winners. At the top is grade I winner Sky Diva. The filly's family has also been improving over the past four years. Friday, October 10, 2008
Speightstown is one of seven freshmen sires that have already been represented by a group/graded stakes winner so far this year. Lord Shanakill, winner of the Dubai Duty Free Mill Reef Stakes (Eng-I) is one of Speightstown's top runners and the second group winner sired by a son of Gone West out of a Theatrical mare. Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Doremefasollatido is delivering on the great breeding and tremendous unfulfilled promise her sire, Bernstein, showed on the racetrack. Though a group stakes winner, Bernstein never became the promising racehorse he appeared to be at 2. He has made it up as a sire, quickly. Bernstein's first crop had 38 foals, 38 starters, and 31 winners (19 2-year-old winners). Friday, September 19, 2008
Medaglia d'Oro only started once at 2 but his offspring are displaying plenty of early talent. Out of 10 winners through Sept. 16, he has four stakes horses and two stakes winners, including the graded stakes winner C.S. Silk. Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Generally speaking, crossing the sire by a certain male line with a mare from the same male line produces below average results. But here is Vineyard Haven, the results of such a cross, who beat some rising stars in the Three Chimneys Hopeful Stakes (gr. I). Friday, September 12, 2008
Newly minted graded stakes winner Mani Bhavan continues the legacy of her sire Storm Boot, the first son of Storm Cat to be represented by a stakes winner. Thursday, August 28, 2008
Spirit One's dam, Lavayssiere, retired from racing with scant credentials to be a top mare. She did not have one black type winner in her family as far back as six generations. And yet, here she is today the dam of three stakes winners including Spirit One, who recently took the Arlington Million (gr. I). You have to dig deep to find the source of Spirit One's genetic potential. Friday, August 22, 2008
Black Mamba has grown from a promising young filly in New Zealand into a grade I winner in the U.S. who now may be headed to the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships in October. The daughter of Black Minnaloushe is the first black type winner out her dam Sneetch. Thursday, August 14, 2008
Monzante, who has been showing the promise of taking a major victory for some time, got it done July 20 in the Eddie Read Handicap (gr. I). Saturday, July 26, 2008
Prior to the weekend, Mistical Plan had tried for grade one glory on five occasions. On four of those she had failed to hit the board, and in the fifth, she had gained a third, but had been beaten nearly nine lengths. On Saturday, at the Summit of Speed, Mistical Plan cut back to six furlongs and produced the performance of her life to take the Princess Rooney Handicap. Thursday, July 17, 2008
Lion Heart, currently the freshman sire leader, and Friends Lake, who is ranked eighth, got big boosts from their recent graded stakes winners Azul Leon and Screen Your Friends, respectively. The talent both of these sires showed as juveniles appears to be passing along to their offspring. Sunday, July 13, 2008
Dismissed at odds of 40-1 for the Suburban Handicap (gr. I), Giant's Causeway's son Frost Giant prevailed with a determined effort that recalled the battling style of his sire. Thursday, July 03, 2008
The achievements of such Australian standouts as Choisir (AUS) and Takeover Target (AUS) have taught Royal Ascot regulars to have a healthy respect for the form down under. That lesson was underlined when Haradasun (AUS) captured the first race of the 2008 Royal Ascot carnival, the Queen Anne Stakes (Eng-IT). Thursday, June 26, 2008
Okay, so no Triple Crown, again. But the Belmont Stakes (gr. I) still made racing history. Da' Tara became the first male-line descendant of Man o' War to win an American classic since War Admiral took the Triple Crown in 1937. Tiznow, the sire of Da' Tara, is an extension of the Man o' War line through Cee's Tizzy, a son of Relaunch. Thursday, June 12, 2008
Divine Park, recent winner of the Met Mile, continues to prove the great potential possessed by her sire Chester House. When the Juddmonte Farms stallion died of cancer, his oldest foals were yearlings. Each subsequent crop to race has improved with his third and final crop, now 4, including 11 stakes winners to date. One of them is Divine Park. Saturday, May 31, 2008
Danzig within the third generation and inbreeding to an influential dam is a pedigree pattern shared by Triple Crown hopeful Big Brown and international group I winner Jay Peg, a son of Camden Park. Jay Peg has won eight of 13 starts as a freshman and sophomore, including group I victories in his native Singapore, South Africa, and in Dubai. Thursday, May 22, 2008
Big Brown's victory in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands and Hard Spun's second in the Derby last year are the latest indicators that the Danzig line is asserting some authority in America's premier dirt races. Want more proof? How about last year's older male champion Lawyer Ron (a son of Danzig's son Langfuhr)and the emerging sire Exchange Rate, who got two grade I winners in his first crop. Friday, May 16, 2008
Two years ago, Big Booster was a $35,000-$39,000 claimer running at Belmont Park. Today, he has the honor of being a grade II winner, having just taken the San Juan Capistrano Invitational Handicap at Santa Anita Park. The move west and several goes over the synthetic turf reinvigorated Big Booster's racing career. Friday, April 25, 2008
Monba's success could be tied to an intensifying of the influences of La Troienne. The Derby contender's pedigree is rich in the blood of Raise a Native and Buckpasser. Friday, April 25, 2008
Unlike his sire and champion sprinter Cherokee Run, Recapturetheglory seems to improve with distance. There is not a lot to predict stamina on either side of the Illinois Derby's winners pedigree, but on the dam's side there is a source of stamina that may manifest itself on Kentucky Derby day. Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Where have we seen this before? A modestly-bred Danzig-line horse, after leading throughout to score a devastating win in a grade I classic trial on his second start of the year, becomes a favorite for the Kentucky Derby (gr. I). Friday, April 04, 2008
The travails of War Emblem's stud career in Japan have been fairly well documented. Less realized, however, is that the results from his few representative runners have been extremely good, and that in 2008 he is already sire of three 3-year-old black type winners. Friday, March 28, 2008
Even though he had Tale of Ekati in his barn, trainer Barclay Tagg suggested Big Truck might be his most promising juvenile. The potential Big Truck possessed finally turned into performance in the Tampa Bay Derby, which he won with a gutsy drive against Atoned. Tagg believes Big Truck can handle the Kentucky Derby distance of a 1 1/4 miles. His pedigree raises some doubt. Friday, March 21, 2008
Silver Charm has not been as dazzling a sire as he was a racehorse. Still, the son of Silver Buck is proving he can produce top-notch runners, such as Rampart Handicap (gr. II) winner Spring Waltz. The 4-year-old filly is apparently drawing her racing prowess from the same genetic well as her sire -- inbreeding to the great mare La Troienne. Monday, March 17, 2008
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