We’ve frequently mentioned, in this and other columns, varieties of what we call “Parallel Patterns.” There are variations, but a general description would be where a sire and a mare or broodmare sire are bred on a similar cross (we also have inversion of this, which we’ve christened “Reverse Parallel...

We had yet another example of the imporatance of considering opportunity when creating nick ratings with the August 1 victory of Luck Money in the Majestic Light Stakes at Saratoga. Irish-bred Luck Money was scoring his first stakes victory, although he’d been third to superstar Henrythenavigator in...

It is not often that we have a posting on this site with a history lesson included but it seems in order after the 2-year-old filly African Skies (TrueNicks A) impressively won the Princess Margaret Stakes (gr. III) at Ascot on the weekend. African Skies is a daughter of the Ashford Stud stallion Johannesburg...

In a strange instance of synchonicity a pair of stakes at Lone Star Park, Texas, on the same day were taken by horses whose pedigrees – and close inbreeding – are virtual reverses. The first of these was the Allen Bogan Memorial Stakes, won by Wrenice. By Uncle Abbie, a brother-in-blood to Lemon Drop...

The French Colonial Stakes, run over nine furlongs on turf at Belmont Park July 10, resulted in a first stakes win for Willsboro Point, a son of Point Given (TrueNicks, SRO) out of the Red Ransom mare Petrouchka. Rated A by TrueNicks, Willsboro Point is bred on the same Thunder Gulch/Roberto cross as...

The Man o’ War Stakes (gr. I) witnessed not only the defeated of Curlin on his turf debut, but also a return to form of the 2006 Breeders’ Cup Turf (gr. I) hero Red Rocks, who was taking his first stakes win since the spring of 2007. Red Rocks, a son of one of Europe’s dominant [...]

Take one part grandson of Danzig with one part daughter of Equalize and shake… what do you get? The A++ TrueNicks-rated and current sprinting superstar Lucky Island (Arg), that is what! Starting on the 4th of July in the time-honored Tom Fool Handicap (gr. II), Lucky Island burst out of the gates...

It’s no secret that Giant’s Cauesway is having another very good season. Currently sitting third on the 2008 sires’ ist, he has been represented by by 10 stakes winners this year, nine of them graded. He added a new grade I winner at the weekend when his son Frost Giant won the Suburban Handicap in ...

Throughout the history of the Thoroughbred there have been a number of occurrences where full brothers have performed very well at stud – the European foundation stallions Pharos and Fairway, the North American duo Bull Dog and Sir Gallahad, the Australian stallions Todman and Noholme. More recently...

On Saturday, improving 3-year-old Tiz West scored his first graded triumph when he prevailed by a nose in the Cinema Handicap (gr. III). A son of Gone West, Tiz West is out of the Cee’s Tizzy mare Tizso, a full sister to Tiznow (and is A++ rated by TrueNicks). What makes this particularly interesting...