By Frances J. Karon Sires of winners of last weekend’s 18 Graded stakes races in N.A. include horses whose names we’re accustomed to seeing in this type of race…Curlin and his sire Smart Strike, Uncle Mo, More Than Ready, Empire Maker and his son Pioneerof the Nile, Giant’s Causeway, Harlan’s Holiday, and Union Rags. Not … Continue reading Big winners for unheralded branches of the A.P. Indy line
By Frances J. Karon It was a blow to the industry when the “Iron Horse” Giant’s Causeway passed away at Ashford Stud in April of 2018, and I was reminded of that when scrolling through the black-type stakes results from the past week, when Giant’s Causeway’s sire- and broodmare sire-lines were represented by stakes horses in … Continue reading Giant in stature
By Frances J. Karon In June, I used this space to write about Stormy Atlantic, of whom I’ve long been an admirer. I’ve become an admirer of his son Get Stormy, too, with more to like all the time, it seems. Get Stormy is a $6,500 Crestwood Farm stallion whose 4yo daughter Got Stormy (dam by Malabar … Continue reading Got Stormy?
By Sid Fernando Prince Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte Farms has a racing and breeding presence on both sides of the Atlantic and an embarrassment of riches in its barns at the moment. Scratching the surface, Abdullah is represented in North America this year by the Gll winner Tacitus (Tapit), a leading 3-year-old colt and a potentially … Continue reading Kingman versus Frankel
By Frances J. Karon It’s early days in the freshman sire race, but here are the black-type facts so far, in black and white: As of July 22nd, seven North American-based first-crop sires are represented by stakes winners: American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile), sire of G3SW Maven; Constitution (Tapit), G3SW By Your Side; Competitive Edge … Continue reading Sons of Tapit gaining momentum
By Frances J. Karon Coolmore Stud’s Kentucky-based Triple Crown winner American Pharoah (by Pioneerof the Nile) was not an early 2yo, despite being champion 2yo (as well as Horse of the Year at three). He didn’t debut until August 9th (when he was fifth over 6 1/2 furlongs on the all-weather at Del Mar), and … Continue reading American Pharoah excelling early…and on turf
By Frances J. Karon It is true that Galileo, Frankel, Dubawi, and co. take up most of the headlines in European racing, but Cheveley Park Stud’s 26-year-old Pivotal still knows how to grab a few headlines of his own. In some direct capacity, Pivotal featured prominently — either as sire, broodmare sire, or sire of … Continue reading Pivotal by name, pivotal by nature
By Frances J. Karon For three years, Seeking the Soul has been a persistent, consistent reminder of what an excellent servant Perfect Soul has been to WTC client Charles “Chuck” Fipke, a man of faith in his stallions, including — or perhaps, especially — Perfect Soul. Perfect Soul, by Sadler’s Wells out of Ball Chairman … Continue reading Seeking Perfection