Overlapping connections underlie Arc upset
The exacta in Sunday's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe was swept by the influence of international leading sire Galileo and the holdings of England's Newsells Park Stud.
Nicole RussoOct 06, 2019
The exacta in Sunday's Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe was swept by the influence of international leading sire Galileo and the holdings of England's Newsells Park Stud.
The Jockey Club released its annual statistics report on the foal crop of 2019 on Thursday, with figures following the trend of recent years of a slightly shrinking foal crop.
Frank Stronach's homebred Canadian Hall of Famer Awesome Again, the sire of multiple champions and classic winners, has been pensioned from stud duty, Adena Springs announced on Wednesday.
At first glance, it may appear that Mongolian Groom, upset winner of the Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes on Saturday at Santa Anita, and Ohio-bred Verissimo, who won the Catlaunch Stakes at Thistledown in his home state a few hours prior, have nothing in common. But they are linked through Calumet Farm's large and diverse stallion roster, which includes representation in various regional and international markets.
It was no surprise to see Uncle Mo atop the freshman sire list in 2015. After all, he was an unbeaten juvenile champion himself, with every right to start his stud career off fast. But he exceeded expectations, shattering records with his first crop. Now the juveniles conceived the following spring, as a result of that early success, are putting him among the leading juvenile sires again.
Palace Malice never set foot on turf during his own racing career – but, drawing ability from the stamina and versatility of his sire line, the freshman sire has found success with his first juveniles routing on the turf. This was in evidence over the weekend at Belmont Park.
The Retired Racehorse Project Thoroughbred Makeover, set to take place this week in Lexington, Ky., showcases former racehorses who have moved on to second careers in a variety of disciplines. But learning new things is old hat for Mr. Hot Stuff, who is on to his third career.
In the past week, new locations were announced for Grade 1-winning stallions Flat Out, Itsmyluckyday, and Verrazano.
The popular New Mexico-bred Peppers Pride, who won all 19 of her starts, was euthanized last week after a battle with laminitis, leaving behind a handful of runners who have yet to hint at her accomplishments on the racetrack - but also two youngsters by promising young sires.
The third annual Real Rider Cup, a charity jumping challenge bringing together Thoroughbred racing personalities with ex-racehorses in order to raise awareness of their capacity as sporthorses, features a new venue and a slightly new look this season.