Author
Andrew Caulfield writes a weekly column for the Thoroughbred Daily News on pedigree analysis, a fascination which crystallised during the 12 years he spent as one of the principal writers at Timeform, where he was responsible for researching the pedigrees of all the two-year-olds. A former editor of The Thoroughbred Breeder, Pacemaker and The European Racehorse, he was also The Sporting Life's bloodstock correspondent for 12 years, He also wrote a weekly racing column for Japan's Gallop magazine for 20 years. More recently his principal role has been as a bloodstock consultant, primarily for Juddmonte Farms. During his 20-year association with Juddmonte, the farm’s star performers have included Frankel and Kingman, winners between them of three Cartier Horse of the Year awards. There have also been two winners of the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, three of the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf, as well as winners of the 2,000 Guineas, 1,000 Guineas, Derby, St Leger, Belmont Stakes and several French and Irish classics.
The saying that fortune favors the bold (or the brave) apparently dates back to the second century B.C., but it could have been coined especially for veteran English trainer Clive Brittain. It was Brittain, you may recall, who sent the outstanding filly Pebbles to Aqueduct in 1985 to defeat Strawberry Road in the second running...
Years ago, when the 2-year-old programs in Britain and Ireland were largely geared to excellence over five and six furlongs, the phenomenon of the "short runner" wasn’t uncommon. These sprinters virtually needed a downhill track and a following wind to havea hope of lasting the minimum trip of five furlongs.
Last week’s action left plenty of people with reasons to be cheerful. Principal among them were Ashford Stud, whose young stallions Scat Daddy and Majestic Warrior, respectively, enjoyed top-level success with No Nay Never in the Prix Morny and with the admirably tough Princess of Sylmar in the Alabama S. Between them, these two have...
At the Anniversary Games in London last month, Mo Farah, the Olympic champion at 5,000 and 10,000 meters, challenged Usain Bolt, the world record holder at 100 and 200 meters, to a charity race over 600 or 800 meters. A possible clash between these titans of the track created plenty ofspeculation, with many predicting that...
To someone well past the first flush of youth, 1967 doesn’t seem all that long ago. The reality, of course, is that it was nearly a lifetime away–the era of the Vietnam War and the Middle East’s Six Day War. Apparently 1967 also saw the inception of the Super Bowl, the first heart transplant, the...
The Sire Lists on the TDN site are all the more useful because they can be sorted in so many different ways. For example, the General Sire List can be rearranged to show the year=s most prolific sires of Grade I winners, and the current list is dominated bystallions based outside North America.
Not for the first time, the Coolmore/Ashford axis was in splendid form in the weekend’s big events, with Majestic Warrior, Dylan Thomas and the much-missed Montjeu all being in Group 1-winning form. For a few horrifying moments a couple of months ago, it seemed highly unlikely that Montjeu’s daughter Chicquita would ever have the chance...
According to the old saying, Atall oaks from little acorns grow,@ and it is surely this hope that motivates the many breeders whose budgets aren’t big enough to buy the blue-blooded stakes winner everyone strives for.
It was another of those weeks when choosing a topic for this column was far from straightforward. Contenders from three different continents staked their claim by siring more than one notable performer.
During Fidel Castro’s long time in power, excellence in the field of sport was considered the perfect way to advertise the virtues of Cuba’s austere Communist…
For nearly 30 years Royal Ascot’s top events have played their part in kindling Europe’s love of Danzig and his descendants. His son Always Fair won the G2 Coventry S. back in 1987 and Danzig went on to enjoy further Royal Ascot success with the likes of Danehill (G3 Cork and Orrery S., now the...
When an unbeaten filly slices two seconds off the race record in winning a Classic, you have to think that she could develop into racing royalty. That, of course, is exactly what the unexposed Treve did in the Prix de Diane two days ago, and a glance at herfemale line quickly establishes that she has...