Meaningful Ratings:
With the entire database of The Jockey Club at its disposal during development, the TrueNicks rating was calibrated on a test group of over 100,000 horses of racing age. Converting the raw TrueNicks score to a letter rating – A to D and F, as in the academic system – reveals some intriguing results that verify the existence of nicks across a whole population.
For example:
1. While only 13% of the entire Thoroughbred population earn “A” rankings (A to A++), 37% of the stakes winners rate as “A’s.”
2. Horses rated “B” or better (B to A++) represent just 30% of the entire population, yet 3 out of 4 (77%) stakes winners rank “B” or better.
3. Almost half of Thoroughbreds in general–44%–are on the low end of the scale (rated “C” through “F”), yet only two in 25 stakes winners (8%) have these lower rankings
Interpreting the Ratings:
TrueNicks is a powerful mating tool but like all pedigree analysis programs they are one part of the picture and should be weighted as such.
The developers of TrueNicks strongly recommend that you consider all factors when planning your matings including the desired physical outcome of the resultant foal and seek, where appropriate, advice on the mating.
TrueNicks is an expression of one specific aspect of the pedigree, that of the sire line/broodmare sire line cross. From our studies in developing TrueNicks, looking at over 100,000 horses, it is clear that there is a strong correlation between the sire line affinities and success, as expressed by wins in
stakes events.
That said, there are a number of reasons not to blindly follow a rating without due consideration of class, conformation, and aptitude.
While the rating is a wonderful tool to apply when trying to determine primus inter pares – first among equals – common sense must be used when considering the class of the pedigree.
After all, we must never forget that at the end of the day, we are attempting to breed racehorses and not ratings.
