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.
Much as I admire More Than Ready as a racehorse and a sire, I pointed out towards the end of 2010 that his record lacked a Grade I winner in the Northern Hemisphere. I’m pleased to say that he didn’t take long to correct that omission. Buster’s Ready took the Mother Goose S. in June...
So extraordinary were Northern Dancer’s achievements as a stallion that it is easy to forget that he wasn’t the only distinguished stallion son of Nearctic. E.P. Taylor’s son Nearco was also responsible for the top European miler Nonoalco, who sired the European Guineas winners Melyno (Ire) and Katies (Ire), and Explodent, who numbered Exbourne and...
It was after its 2003 running that the Fountain of Youth S. lost its Grade I status, following a period when most of its winners failed to enjoy further highest-level glory. Since then, though, the roll of honor has featured colts of the quality of High Fly, First Samurai, Scat Daddy, Quality Road, Eskendereya and...
Did Saturday’s GII Mac Diarmida S. mark the start of something big? The breeders who made Galileo’s son Cape Blanco (Ire) the busiest stallion in the U.S. in 2012 will be fervently hoping so, as the victory by Amira’s Prince provided Galileo’s stallion sonswith their first American graded stakes victory.
One hundred stakes winners remains a notable landmark in any stallion’s career, with Unbridled’s Song being the latest to reach this demanding milestone. Thanks to Graydar’s victory in the GI Donn H., Unbridled’s Song became a member of this elite club at an appropriate time, just nine days before his actual 20th birthday.
Next Sunday sees the Chinese New Year, which will be the Year of the Snake, but in America=s breeding industry 2013 has, so far, been the year of the A.P. Indy male line. Two sons of the two-time champion sire–Malibu Moon and Pulpit–already have a pair ofgraded stakes winners to their credit.
Two of the races saw Breeders’ Cup winners find the task of carrying top weight a little too much, with Juvenile Fillies heroine Beholder (Henny Hughes) going down to Bernstein’s daughter Renee’s Titan in the GII Santa Ynez S. Next came the Juvenile winner Shanghai Bobby (Harlan’s Holiday), who was far from disgraced in losing...
Nearly three years ago, following Ice Box’s victory in the GI Florida Derby, I mentioned that the race for the title of A.P. Indy’s most accomplished living stallion son was beginning to heat up. At that time, the two main contenders were Ice Box’s sire Pulpit, who entered stud in 1998, and Malibu Moon, who...
While television commercials are a necessary evil, occasionally an advertisement comes along which makes an impact either with its camera work or music or–more likely–its humor and wit. The problem with these popular commercials is that the very qualitieswhich make them stand out can sometimes draw attention away from the central message. I don=t think...
The story goes that B. Wayne Hughes was looking for a nice little place in Kentucky where his grandchildren could visit and he could keep his broodmares. "We’ve been looking for a couple of years, trying to find something that matched up with what we wanted," Hughes revealed in the summer of 2004. "We fell...
Although I don’t consider myself unduly superstitious, I will admit to feeling uneasy as the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve. In my defense, I grew up in an area where it was considered essential, for some unfathomable reason, that the first person through the door after midnight should be a tall, dark-haired man...