Author

Andrew Caulfield

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.

Slade Power (Ire)

One thing’s for certain–that the Cheveley Park Stud team will never forget the 2014 Royal Ascot meeting.

Avenir Certain (Fr)

For me, mention of Le Havre still sends a shudder down my spine nearly 30 years after I attempted to drive the wrong way up one of the town=s one-way…

Australia (GB)

It’s nearly 30 years since the British group Queen stunned the music and video worlds with Bohemian Rhapsody, but its operatic section is still imprinted on my mind–especially the bit where they chanted…

The Grey Gatsby

The last couple of weeks have been fairly momentous for Coolmore=s stallion team. At the age of 16, the astonishing Galileo reached the extraordinary landmark…

Untapable

Punters who were considering a bet in this year’s GI Kentucky Oaks or the G1 1000 Guineas no doubt spent most of their time evaluating the runners’ past performances. They might have been better advised, though, to study the form of the contestants’ sires.

Night of Thunder (Ire)

The saying that Aa good big ‘un will always beat a good little ‘un’ may have some merit in the world of boxing, but how relevant is it to the Thoroughbred? The truth is that good horses come in all shapes and sizes, but it is possibly informative to take a look at some of...

Western Hymn (GB)

Sadly, it isn’t unusual for a winner of the Epsom Derby to end up covering jumping mares, and–for a short period about five years ago–it looked as though the 2002 winner, High Chaparral, was on the brink of becoming a full-time jumping sire.

Toormore (Ire)

Of course Nureyev wasn’t alone in setting such high standards. For example, the Blood-Horse Stallion Register for 1997 carried a table of leading sires by lifetime AEI, on which Nureyev ranked fourth with an AEI of 4.47. Ahead of him were Danzig, Seattle Slew and Mr. Prospector and fifth position was taken by Storm Cat.

Kingman (GB)

Part of my role as pedigree consultant to Juddmonte Farms since 1995 is making the initial mating suggestions for Prince Khalid Abdullah’s European mares. This is a fascinating task, but you will understand that not all the recommendations are made with thesame degree of confidence. Maybe a very attractive mating has been tried before without...

Wicked Strong

All racing fans on both sides of the Atlantic look forward to Derby time, but for the pedigree pundit this can be a tricky few weeks. Often it’s far from easy to tell which of today’s GI Kentucky Derby contenders have stout enough bloodlines for the all-important jump from nine to 10 furlongs. In England...

Constitution

These are exciting times for Tapit. Not only does the Gainesway star hold a substantial lead on the general sires’ list, but he also tops just about every category on the TDN’s table. With six individual graded winners already in the bag this year, he has at least two more than any other North American...

We Miss Artie

With American racing once again wringing its hands over welfare issues, including the excessive use of medications, perhaps now is the time for everyone to remember that the pursuit of soundness in their breeding stock is far more important than fashion. And perhaps now is also the time to reignite the debate about synthetic tracks,...