Nine stallions who look on their way to international stardom

Of all four categories for which Thoroughbred Racing Commentary provides rankings, that for Sires is the most volatile. We are forced to make projections for stallions at all different stages of their careers, taking into account the quality of a stallion’s results but also the uncertainty that they will be reproduced.

Here are nine sires whose performance intrigues us, and who we will be tracking closely into 2019 Read more

Purton and Moreira: this is the best way to judge their effectiveness

James Willoughby picks out the jockey, trainer, owner and sire who made the biggest impact on the TRC Global Rankings in the week that ended on Sunday.

‘Heavily oversubscribed’ Expert Eye has every chance of making a mark at stud

You only need to look at how the Juddmonte Farms roster has evolved over the years to see that the decision to add a new horse to it is never taken lightly.

A great racing photographer and a mission to engage the public in the sport

There isn’t much Edward Whitaker won’t do to get the picture he’s after. While most other racing photographers are grouped at the finish line, or clustered near the final fence, Whitaker could be overlooking the racecourse from the summit of a nearby hill, or perched precariously on top of the grandstand, or simply lying in wait in isolation in some relatively obscure corner of the premises, experimenting with an angle Read more

Pletcher is out to put his recent ‘slump’ firmly behind him

There are a precious few things in life that are certain. There’s death. And taxes. And maybe post time not being post time at Gulfstream Park.

Why this man is suddenly the talk of racing

Until today, second-season trainer Frankie Lor had never saddled a winner of any Group or Graded race. Then came the four Hong Kong International Races (HKIR) at Sha Tin, and he won half of them. Little known internationally before, Lor, who trained his first winner of any race just 15 months ago, is suddenly one of the hottest trainers on the planet, and surely a Hong Kong champion in waiting.

Tony Morris’s 100 Shapers of the Breed: the outstanding sire of the 18th century

Renowned bloodstock writer Tony Morris with the 11th article in his series celebrating 100 horses instrumental in shaping the modern Thoroughbred.