Unheralded Influences In American Pedigrees

Northern Dancer, Mr. Prospector, and Nasrullah. Three of the most recognized and sought after influences in the history of the American bloodstock market. Revered for generations, these three stallions represent the upper echelon of genetic material found in the United States. It is through the study of these influences that most industry newcomers begin their […]

Speed, Stamina, And Genomic Research

The following was written and sent to us by Joseph Appelbaum, a successful NY-based pinhooker and bloodstock consultant. It seems clear that the next frontier in thoroughbred breeding will be based on genomic research. However, I don¹t think this advance will be of great significance. Why not? The crux of the discovery is the ability […]

Stamina And The Maternal Influence

Is Stamina Crucial to Future Success? As long as there is horse racing, the debate will go on: What traits are most important in successful broodmares? There are those who are adamant about a mare’s female family, refusing to consider those without significant black-type on their catalog pages. Others rely on the mare’s race record, […]

The Language Of Numbers

(From the March 3, 2007 issue of Thoroughbred Times) Like most disciplines, the science of breeding thoroughbred racehorses has its own language of descriptive statistics aimed at analyzing and predicting performance and subsequent value. Though a full understanding of this language may seem daunting, there is a core group of statistics that if understood fully, […]

Nicking Distributions And Comparative Usefulness

True Nicks edges E-Nicks in Keeneland September analysis. Most descriptive statistics aimed at categorizing a population will form a bell-shaped curve of distribution, meaning most values gravitate towards the center (or average), while fringe values that deviate from the average will migrate in both directions from the more populous center. Seldom are there perfectly bell-shaped […]