thoroughbred breeding

If you didn't know the sophisticated people behind the mating, you might imagine that Puca went to Good Magic on no better premise than to double down on the alchemy implicit in both names. Because a puca (or pooka) in folklore is a shape-changing sprite, capable of bringing good or bad fortune. Shakespeare named Puck accordingly in A Midsummer Night's Dream, but my favourite example is Elwood P. Dowd's invisible drinking buddy Harvey, a rabbit standing just under six feet four inches. Perhaps you've noticed his silhouette at Harvey's Bar...

Back on the hamster wheel, everybody. You know the drill. Usual freshman hype, please. Just remember to change the names--and not to dwell too unhelpfully on how things played out for those being talked up four or five years ago. But the legitimate, perennial challenge of the yearling circuit also abides, and likewise much of its color and character. Just not quite all. Not enough time has elapsed, certainly, to heal one aching void. For many of his compatriots, in particular, every barn we enter we still half-expect to hear...

Needless to say, all four tried to reject their billing. Between them, after all, they have spent the better part of three centuries dealing with that vehicle of humility, the Thoroughbred. To everyone else present, however, the opportunity to tap into the experience of four such sages as Bill Landes, Frank Penn, Tom Thornbury and John Williams fully justified the Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Managers Club in promoting their latest meeting in Lexington as "An Evening with Legends." Each, moreover, could be consoled that one of the first tasks addressed--an acknowledgement...

Fasig-Tipton has released the catalogue for its Midlantic June Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale, to be held on Tuesday, June 25, at 2 p.m. ET at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium, Maryland, the auction house said in a Friday release. The under-tack show will be conducted the day before on Monday, June 24, beginning at 8 a.m. ET. The sale was scheduled for Wednesday, June 26, but that date was adjusted. "This is the last opportunity to purchase a 2-year-old in training in 2024," said Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Director of Sales...

We've never had it so bad, apparently. That of course depends on whether you're a glass-half-full or half-empty kind of person. Mine has been mostly empty so far in 2024, of the good stuff at least, but the swapping of a decent claret for chai tea has not lowered the spirits as much as might have been imagined at the start of January. In fact, optimism levels are running high in this very small corner of Newmarket at present.  For a start we have made it through storms Isha and...

With backing from the Racing Foundation, the Thoroughbred Breeders' Association (TBA) has launched a digital Stud Farm Carbon Calculator in order to help its members reduce the carbon footprint of their operations.  Believed to be the first carbon emissions calculator developed specifically for use with horses, the tool has been devised to be an aid for stud farmers in considering changes to land management practices and energy usage which could both cut carbon emissions and save money. Developed in partnership with ADAS, it will calculates emissions originating from horses and...

by Kristen Manning/TTR AusNZ One of Australia's finest equine properties, Strawberry Hill Stud, is set to continue its role as an industry leader with the famed thoroughbred nursery purchased by Coolmore Australia for an undisclosed amount. And they are very pleased to have done so with Tom Magnier telling The Thoroughbred Report, "You just don't see places like that anywhere in the world go on the market." "The facilities are top class, everything has been done to the highest of standards," he said, adding that not much needs to be...

Have you ever wanted to breed a sales-topper? Or, better still, raise a stakes winner? Without promising to offer any secret formula to the aforementioned objectives, a recent study published by Dr Joe Pagan of Kentucky Equine Research in association with Saracen Horse Feeds takes a deep dive into the subject of how the size of thoroughbred foals ultimately affects their future sales price and racing performance. Using tens of thousands of data records from prominent breeding nations across the world, Dr Pagan not only looks at the relationship between...

The seventh annual sale of stallion breeding seasons--which ended Jan. 25 to benefit the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund--raised $112,050 compared to $72,500 in 2022. The sale marked revenue increases in both the Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse stallion seasons with increases more pronounced in the Quarter Horse breeding industry, accounting for $71,500 of the total proceeds. The seasons were donated by breeders in six states, including several leading farms in Central Kentucky. To date, the sale has raised over $600,000 for the PDJF. "The season donors as well as the buyers...

The New York Thoroughbred Breeders, Inc., and SUNY Cobleskill will team up to offer an accredited course for upper-class students in the Animal Science program to experience all aspects of the Thoroughbred breeding and racing industry. The pilot program will be offered to 15-20 junior undergraduate students that have met prerequisites. The course, which runs from late August to early December, falls in line with the NYTB's goals to make outreach with students interested in equine studies and finding the next generation of the industry's workforce and leaders in racing...

The International Thoroughbred Breeders' Federation bi-annual Conference, hosted by the ITBF and the British Thoroughbred Breeders' Association, will take place at Newmarket June 6-10. Last held in Lexington in 2018, the conference, which was slated to be held in Paris in 2020, was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Around 70 delegates from 23 countries across six continents are expected to attend. The programme of events takes place over a week and offers members an opportunity to network with other nations as well as raise breeding and wider Thoroughbred industry...

In Global Views, Godolphin Flying Start trainees provide insight into practices experienced and observations taken on their worldwide travels. Second-year trainee Donncha McCarthy discusses the challenges of the shorter Southern Hemisphere covering season. Godolphin Flying Start is an excellent way to learn and experience the Thoroughbred industry worldwide. As we are currently in the Australian phase, I have been looking into some differences between the Northern and Southern Hemisphere breeding schedules, and how the shorter Australian breeding season affects stud farms and stallions. I then offer solutions to the challenges...