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Showing posts from February, 2020

Newcomers Series: New Sires In Europe

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A G2 winner from the family of Giant's Causeway (pictured) starts his career in France. Across Europe, a top group of freshman stallions are putting the track behind them as they start their breeding career this month.  Group I performers such as Blue Point (Shamardal), Phoenix Of Spain (Lope de Vega), and Ten Sovereigns (No Nay Never) lead the freshman charge this year but much like I did with North American freshmen , today I’m sitting down to look at some of those who may not be getting all the headlines but look to be exciting stallions for the future. BEST SOLUTION  Starting his career in Germany at Gestut Auenquelle, Best Solution’s (Kodiac) inclusion in the country ranks is exciting news with two German Group I victories on his resume. A winner of nine of his 25 starts with seven other top three placings, he was a world traveler with wins in four different countries from England to Australia with Group Is in two of them. The stallion’s last victory came...

Newcomers Series: New Sires In North America

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Catholic Boy is one of the dual-surface G1 winning freshman sires. Across North America, breeding season is ramping up this week with sheds opening their doors to mares throughout the continent. That also means an exciting group of new stallion recruits will enter into their next careers with hopes high that they’ll be able to reproduce the talent they showed on the track. It's a very competitive market in 2020 with a number of new stallions grabbing the imagination. Today I look at seven North American stallions (outside of Breeders' Cup winners and Champions) both in Kentucky and regionally who look to be exciting types in coming years. Catholic Boy (More Than Ready) is one of those rare racehorses who succeeded at the top level on both dirt and turf. He was a stakes winner each of his three years on the track with graded stakes victories on both surfaces at two in the Grade II Remsen on dirt and the Grade III With Anticipation on turf. His best year came the fol...

Digging Into the Data: January 2020 Graded Stakes Update

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Tapit had the most graded stakes winners at four. The first month of 2020 was a busy one for tracks across the country with graded stakes taking place from California to Florida and Texas to New York. What was once considered a quieter time of year now proves to be a big warm up for later goals with 22 graded stakes taking place across North America in January. In a new monthly series, I’ll be looking at each month’s stakes and analyzing the information both for that month and the overall year. So let’s get digging! By The Numbers: The first graded stakes of the year was the Grade 2 Joe Hernandez Stakes at Santa Anita on New Year’s Day over 5 ½ furlongs on the turf. Running for the second year as a graded stakes and upgraded from a Grade III in 2019 to a Grade II this year, the race was won by Pete Miller-trained Texas Wedge (Colonel John), his second winner in the race behind Stormy Liberal (Stormy Atlantic) in 2017. Stakes have come fast and furious since the first ...