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Cross of the Week: English Channel x Horse Chestnut

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It was another Grade I victory on Saturday for Channel Maker, who won his third career Grade I in the Sword Dancer, his first victory since =the 2019 Grade I Man O’ War Stakes. The 6-year-old gelding is one of nine Grade I winners for Calumet Farm’s underrated sire English Channel , who has sired 52 stakes winners from 603 runners for a 8.62% strike rate. The mostly turf sire also has 13.93% stakes horses from runners rate with 84 stakes horses coming in 10 different countries. Among those English Channel has proven to nick well with when siring stakes horses is South Africa-based Horse Chestnut, who is the damsire of both Channel Maker and his Grade I winning full brother Johnny Bear. Out of stakes winning In Return, both are also Canadian champions with that mare earning 2018 Canadian Broodmare of the Year honors thanks to their on-track exploits. English Channel’s success with Horse Chestnut admittedly looks better thanks to a truly good broodmare in In Return but
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Six Stallions Not to Overlook in the First-Crop Sire Ranks

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Brody's Cause at Spendthrift Farm in 2018. Though first crop stallions (in this case, those whose first runners are two) have been at a disadvantage this year with 2-year-old races starting later than normal, many have come out firing. In Europe, they have Mehmas (Acclamation) leading the charge while in the United States, Not This Time (Giant's Causeway) is doing the same. It’s proving to be another bumper group of freshmen and as always, there are some hidden gems among them. For today's blog I’ve picked out six freshmen worth watching … and in some cases, the common trend that plays a part in their success. All stats from Arion and the Weatherby’s Stallion Book as of August 19, 2020.   Europeans Coulsty (Rathasker Stud, Ireland – 2020 Fee: €4,000) Stats: Five winners from 14 starters include a G3 winner, three additional placed runners Standing for €5,000 in his first year at stud, Group III winning Coulsty (Kodiac) has seen 14 of his 43 2-year-olds make a
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Digging Into the Data: Road To the Kentucky Derby

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First season sire Constitution leads his generation with two runners in the Top 20. The first Saturday in May has come and gone without a 3-year-old wearing a blanket of roses in the Churchill Downs winner circle but that didn’t keep runners from qualifying for the September 5 Kentucky Derby over the weekend. Oaklawn Park’s Grade 1 Arkansas Derby was split on Saturday with eight different horses taking home points toward the Kentucky Derby. While there are still multiple 100 point races left to be run – and the potential addition of new points races before the September Kentucky Derby – I decided to take a look at the leaderboard and see where things sit after what is traditionally the final major Kentucky Derby prep. By The Numbers – Right now it takes 25 points to qualify for the 2020 Kentucky Derby with four horses having 100 or more points. While comparing apples to oranges right now, in 2019 Bodexpress ( Bodemeister) was able to get into the Kentucky Derby with 40 p
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