Names for 2011

One of the small perks of my job as news editor of Thoroughbred Times is access to a database that makes it very easy to find the names of horses who have not raced or even been on a racetrack yet.

From a handicapping perspective this is beneficial because when I come across a dam that produces progeny who excel under certain types of conditions (e.g., career debut, stretching out, surface change), I can look up her family with ease and add names of horses to my Virtual Stable to monitor for conditions that could prove profitable.

From a fan perspective this is beneficial because I can follow horses from the families of my favorite horses. Real Quiet retired long ago, but his family is still very active, and it's fun to follow the exploits of the Really Blue clan.

I know I'm not alone in liking to follow the babies related to my favorites. As I poked around today looking to see if some newly minted two-year-olds had been named I got lost in a maze of pedigrees. Here are some names I think a lot of people would be interested in:

• The first foal out of Balance is named Mr. Besilu. The son of A.P. Indy cost $4.2-million at the Keeneland September yearling sale. Balance is out of Broodmare of the Year Vertigineux, dam of Horse of the Year Zenyatta.
• Speaking of that family, Zenyatta's two-year-old half sister is by Bernardini (a son of A.P. Indy) and named Eblouissante. Breeder Eric Kronfeld has kept this lass with plans to race her himself with trainer John Shirreffs, who also trained Zenyatta.
• In other female Horse of the Year news, Rachel Alexandra's dam, Lotta Kim, by Roar, only produced one other foal, a deceased Empire Maker colt named Empire Ruler, but the family is active on the racetrack as her half sister by Lasting Approval, ironically (in light of Zenyatta and Rachel Alexandra's rivalry) named She's The Queen, has a two-year-old Cuvee colt named Forever Dobil.
• The other female Horse of the Year from this century, Azeri, has the four-year-old Take Control, the three-year-old Arienza, and an unnamed two-year-old filly by Ghostzapper. Her yearling filly is by Distorted Humor and was born in Japan.
• The FOBs (Friends of Barbaro) will want to begin to keep a close watch on Margano, a two-year-old full brother to the classic winner out of La Ville Rouge.
• Champion older male and Horse of the Year finalist Blame has a three-year-old full sister named Might who has not raced yet. Their half sister by A.P. Indy, Apt, has a two-year-old First Samurai filly named Apropos.
• Juddmonte Farms' production dynamo extraordinaire Hasili has an unraced three-year-old Empire Maker filly named Very Good News.
• Speaking of amazing families, Rags to Riches is out of Better Than Honour, and her first foal, a Giant's Causeway filly, has yet to be named, though there are reports that she is already in training with the Todd Pletcher operation.
• Better Than Honour's first foal, Teeming, has a two-year-old Distorted Humor filly named Distracting, and her second foal, Magnificent Honour, has a two-year-old Ghostzapper colt named Ghost Honour.
• Supercharger could be the next Set Them Free in that her son, Brethren, is attempting to emulate his brother Super Saver by winning the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands. Supercharger has an unnamed two-year-old filly by Awesome Again and her yearling colt by Medaglia d'Oro has already been named Superfection. As for Set Them Free, the dam of Giacomo and Tiago has an unnamed two-year-old Empire Maker filly.
• One of my favorite fillies of all time, Dreaming of Anna, only has a yearling filly by Street Cry to report, but she has already been named All Her Class.

One of the best ways to follow these horses and all your favorites is through Equibase's Virtual Stable. Daily Racing Form and BRIS each offer a similar service.

Also, if you're curious about the offspring of any of your favorites, don't hesitate to leave a question in the comments.