All Equine All The Time

Twenty seven starts, 10 wins, and nine other placings for £7,513,355 (€8,544,938.64/$10,066,918.96 on Dec. 12, 2017) in earnings. In very short terms that sums up the career of Highland Reel, Coolmore Ireland’s newest stallion, but misses many details. Highland Reel The son of Galileo has been a literal world traveler, traveling over 110,000 miles and visiting four continents (Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia) to race in seven different countries during his 3 ½ year career. In that time, Highland Reel won nine group stakes races (seven Group 1s) and finished second or third in eight others, including a French classic and the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, to become the highest earning Thoroughbred racehorse in European history. Highland Reel’s first success at stakes level came just three starts into his career when he ran in the Group 2 Veuve Clicquot Vintage Stakes, making easy work of the field when winning by 2 ¼ lengths. After a 284 day break, Highland Reel ...

Every year hopes and expectations are high in breeding sheds around the world with the biggest weight placed on stallions whose first foals are arriving. While there are 11 months until breeders can first see how the foals are received by buyers at the winter breeding stock sales, how first foals look in the early months of breeding season can affect a sire’s second book. With multiple classic winners and champions retiring in Europe last year, it was a busy season for breeders. Here are six whose first foals arriving this year should garner attention from breeders and fans. Golden Horn has his first foals on the ground this year. An Australian champion, Brazen Beau (I Am Invincible) nearly got a Group 1 win in Europe in his second-to-last start when finishing second to Undrafted (Purim) in the Group 1 Diamond Jubilee at Royal Ascot. The stallion won four group stakes in his career including two Australian Group 1s, all at sprint distance to show he has the speed t...

Pride of Dubai (Coolmore Photo) In an increasingly global market, finding a stallion that appeals to the worldwide breeding industry is always a coup. That is currently where Coolmore sits with new recruit Pride of Dubai, whose record and pedigree tick boxes for breeders around the world. A son of the late Street Cry, Pride of Dubai was bred, raised and raced in Australia. He finished third in his first start before earning blacktype when second in the Group 3 Sportingbet Blue Diamond Prelude next out. Two weeks after the Prelude, he pulled off the challenging feat of breaking his maiden in a Group 1 when winning the William Hill Blue Diamond Stakes to stamp himself as a serious 2-year-old. He doubled up on Group 1s in April when winning the Inglis Sires Produce Stakes. Injury sidelined the colt for exactly 10 months, and when he finished 10 th in the Group 3 Eskimo Prince Stakes in early 2016 it was discovered he’d reinjured himself. He was retired soon after the race to...

Every year hopes and expectations are high in breeding sheds around the world with the biggest weight placed on stallions with first foals are arriving. While there are 11 months until breeders can first see how the foals are received by buyers at the winter breeding stock sales, how first foals look in the first few months of the year can affect a sire’s book in his second breeding season. Over 145 stallions in North America are listed on Blood-Horse as entering stud in 2016 in a strong year of new recruits. Here are 11 stallions whose foals breeders and fans should look out for this year. The star of the new sires this year is obviously American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile), the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years. Named Champion 3-Year-Old and Horse of the Year in 2015, American Pharoah stood his first season for $200,000 and covered a book of 208 mares that included some of the best broodmares in the sport with the foals from that first covering season starting...

Note: This New Sires blog is an updated blog first run after California Chrome’s Dubai World Cup victory in 2016. California Chrome at Taylor Made in 2015. One of only three Kentucky Derby winners this century to race past his 4-year-old season, California Chrome (Lucky Pulpit) continues to make history years after most high profile horses have been retired. In March of 2016, the horse became the all-time highest earner outside of Japan when he won the $6-million winner’s share of the Dubai World Cup purse and boosted his earnings to $12,532,650. Later that year, he became the first horse to win two Horse of the Year titles in non-consecutive years since John Henry pulled off the feat in 1981 and 1984. The winner of 16 of 27 races, the California-bred son of Lucky Pulpit was under the radar as a 2-year-old, winning only three of his seven starts but has quickly risen to be one of the most popular racehorses in the world in recent years after dominating the Kentucky Derby t...

Only months after his son Golden Horn topped off a stellar career with a Cartier Horse of the Year award in 2015, Cape Cross was back with another big horse with Awtaad. Awtaad started his career on Oct. 11, 2015, a week after Golden Horn won the Group 1 Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. While it wasn’t a victory, with Awtaad getting nosed out for second close to home, it was the final time he’d lose for over six months. From his debut, Awtaad went on a four race win streak, winning those four starts by a combined 11 ½ lengths. While he looked the real deal early on in Ireland, it was the Group 1 Irish 2,000 Guineas that confirmed that fact when he faced Group 1 QIPCO 2,000 Guineas winner Galileo Gold (Paco Boy), who was looking to win back-to-back classics. Awtaad took the lead with less than two furlongs to go and won by 2 ½ lengths over Galileo Gold. The win made him his sire’s second classic winner in as many years after Golden Horn’s win in England’s Group 1 Investec D...