All Equine All The Time

Four years after his sire Storm Cat was pensioned, Giant's Causeway is keeping his legacy alive by once again leading the Thoroughbred Times General Sires List in the middle of the racing season. The 1997 son of Storm Cat out of the Rahy daughter Mariah's Storm was the Champion Sire in the United States in 2010 and 2011. In addition, the stallion earned the Champion Freshman Sire title in Europe in 2004 and Champion 2yo Sire in the U.S. title in 2005.  While his success is no mystery, his ability to stay at the top of the list over sires such as Street Cry (IRE), Distorted Humor and others is impressive. Giant's Causeway's career was mostly spent in Europe, as the horse only ran on this side of the pond once. In his final start before retirement, Giant's Causeway came to Kentucky to race in the 2000 edition of the G1 Breeders' Cup Classic.  The stallion's only start on dirt would prove to be successful as he would finish second by only a neck to Tiz...

In a sport that should be known for the majestic animals that step onto the track every day, it's better known for the small group of people that bring more attention to the track due to drugs and other newsworthy infractions. From the last two almost- Triple Crown winning trainers shady pasts to a prominent racing family in Texas recently sending a group of broodmares to an auction known for its attraction to kill buyers, it's little surprise that the general public does not have a good image of the sport. However, unlike previous attacks on the sport that went pretty much ignored, the sport is finally starting to realize that action is needed to combat the growing black eye. Last week, the New York Times posted yet another article attacking racing. Earlier this year, the newspaper had a series based around breakdowns of racehorses and they were again on the attack with an article questioning I'll Have Another's soundness between the Preakness and Belmont....

In a 2011 freshman crop that included many of the superstars of 2007, multiple names were put in the hat for top freshman sire. From Street Sense to Any Given Saturday, all the horses came with dreams of monumental success in the shed. However, in the discussions, few people remembered one of the original superstars of that year, G1 Florida Derby winner Scat Daddy. The son of Johannesburg never returned to the track after his disappointing 18th place finish in the G1 Kentucky Derby and was overshadowed by thoughts of other horses in that crop.  Scat Daddy retired with a record of 9-5-1-1 and earnings of $1,334,300, but in a year that included Curlin, Rags to Riches and others, he was shoved to the back of many minds. But last year, Scat Daddy returned to the forefront when his foals burst onto the scene and earned him the Leading Freshman Sire title. The stallion ended the year with 29 winners from 63 starters, five stakes wins and three graded stakes wins for a win pe...

After two eye-opening performances at Royal Ascot a few weeks ago, the word "Great" was thrown around more than ever when it came to Frankel and Black Caviar, but for two very different reasons. Frankel's performance in the first race of the Royal Ascot meet caught everyone's attention when he romped home 11 lengths in front to keep his unbeaten streak alive. The race once again started up the "greatest horse in the world" chant that accompanies almost all of his victories. Black Caviar's performance on the last day of the meet also caught the attention of the world but in a very different way. Unlike Frankel, who had it his own way the entire race, Australia's Superwoman not only had to overcome a ship from Australia and a total change in seasons, she also had to overcome her jockey's bad ride. After this, both horses were called "great", which in my estimation is a good title for them. But in this age of calling everythin...

Last week it was announced that Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner I'll Have Another is going to Japan for his stud career . While the news was predictably followed with dismay, there were also many hateful comments such as "He'll just suffer the same fate Ferdinand did" among others (to learn about Ferdinand's story, click here ) so I did a little research on some of the top stallions in Japan and how many are directly connected to the United States. (Thanks to Tachyon from Thoroughbred Champions for the list) 9. Victoire Pisa(USA) (Neo Universe) (Shadai) 3,500,000 (43,750)- raced outside the US 11. Empire Maker(USA) (Unbridled) (JBBA) 3,000,000 (37,500)- Won Belmont, Wood, Florida Derby 12. Kurofune(USA) (French Deputy) (Shadai) 3,000,000 (37,500)- not raced in US 13. Conduit(IRE) (Dalakhani) (Big Red Farm) 3,000,000 (37,500)- Won BC Turf twice 16. Johannesburg(USA) (Hennessy) (JBBA) 3...

In a sport dominated by two and three-year-olds, it's hard to believe that older horses have any place in this fast paced world. But while many popular three-year-olds retire with just a few starts in their career, a horse running at the upper levels for multiple years gains a massive following. One only needs to look at Zenyatta to understand that a horse that spends multiple years in the spotlight can attract a massive following. Another example would be the European supermare Goldikova, who had American fans clamoring to see her at her yearly appearances in the Breeders' Cup races she ran in during her career. While both example cite successful mares that defied the odds by either taking on males or keeping a winning steak alive, it also proves that fans can be attracted to the track. In the past few years, we have seen healthy, or slightly injured, horses leave the track at three-years-old because they "have nothing else to prove" or they are offered lucr...

If you've been in racing long enough, you know things can change quickly in this industry. In only a month, the hero can fall into the trap of being forgotten about and an unknown horse can turn into the next hot thing. In January, Hansen and Union Rags were the big three-year-olds to watch and over the last five weeks, very few words have been uttered about either until yesterday's Belmont. I'll Have Another seemed to burst on the national scene in the G1 Santa Anita Derby when he beat Creative Cause by a nose (however, the colt won the Robert B. Lewis Stakes in February before that win) and captured even more attention when winning the first two legs of the Triple Crown.  The racing gods determined that another Triple Crown winner was not to be this year when the Flower Alley son was scratched from the Belmont and retired due to a tendon issue, sending a sober atmosphere over the running of the last leg of racing's biggest challenge. However, in the ...