The blog at Werk Thoroughbred Consultants
By Sid Fernando This post is a follow up to a column I wrote on Jan. 15 in the TDN, “The Widener Influence in Capo Kane,” and I suggest that you read that, if you haven’t already, before continuing below to better follow along. The last 100-year history and relevance of the ownership of historic Elmendorf Farm … Continue reading Elmendorf, Tinkham Veale ll, and Haras du Mesnil
By Frances J. Karon In April, I wrote about how the pandemic might affect first-crop sires, and now that 2020 is behind us, I’m revisiting the topic to see how they did. I originally focused only on North American-based sires and am doing the same in this follow-up. The references used below are the TDN’s … Continue reading How 2020’s leading freshman sires performed during the pandemic
By Frances J. Karon Uncle Mo is on the precipice of a singular and unprecedented accomplishment as a trio of his sons — Nyquist, Laoban, and Outwork — are poised to finish the year in three of the top four slots on the first-crop sires’ list. Not This Time, a son of Giant’s Causeway — … Continue reading Add “sire of sires” to Uncle Mo’s growing list of accomplishments
By Frances J. Karon When Campanelle cantered to victory under Frankie Dettori in Sunday’s Prix Morny, she gave her sire Kodiac (Danehill) his fifth career Group 1 winner. Five Group 1 winners might not sound like a big number for a 19yo stallion who stands for €65,000, but it is remarkable for several reasons. Kodiac … Continue reading Kodiac is ringing all the bells
By Frances J. Karon WinStar’s Speightstown gained his 112th SW — for the second time — on Saturday when 3yo Shirl’s Speight won the G3 Marine on the all-weather at Woodbine, not long after Charlatan, his sire’s first 112th SW (9% SWs to foals), was disqualified from his only stakes win in a division of the … Continue reading Surely another notable for Speightstown
By Frances J. Karon When Paris Lights won the G1 Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga on Saturday, she became the 10th G1SW for her sire Curlin (Smart Strike). The lightly raced 3yo filly, trained by Bill Mott for WinStar Stablemates Racing, has accomplished a lot in a short period of time, having only made … Continue reading Paris Lights is Curlin’s newest star
By Frances J. Karon Shadai Stallion Station’s now-deceased Deep Impact has been represented by at least one winner of a Japanese classic race in every crop of 3yos, from Marcellina in the 2011 Oka Sho (1000 Guineas) to Contrail with a double in this year’s Satsuki Sho (2000 Guineas) and Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby). He … Continue reading The impact felt around the world
By Frances J. Karon On Sunday, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, and Mrs. John Magnier’s Love became the second consecutive 1000 Guineas winner sired by Coolmore’s big gun Galileo (Sadler’s Wells) — sire of at least one Classic winner from each crop of racing age through 3yos of 2020 — out of a daughter of Pivotal (Polar … Continue reading Classic combination: Galileo and Pivotal