Hunt Ball to join Henderson

[Miss Woodford]

Your Sum Man, Pierrot Lunaire, Percussionist (good back class, but by the time he was brought here he had been floudering in C3 handicaps for a few years).

I’m a big fan of the US jumpers obviously (Flatterer is my avatar photo) but I’d be kidding myself if I believed they’re exactly up to par with their European counterparts.

Of the horses you mention, I would only put Percussionist in the that category, but even that could be a bit of a stretch. It is true that while he was in the UK, he was a C3 horse. But, he made quite an improvement once he was moved to Hanne Bechmann’s barn in Norway and by the time he came to the US he was much better than when he ran in the UK. Once he left the care of Bechmann, his form soon tailed off an never won another race.

Impossible to put Pierrot Lunaire in that category. He was a G2 winner in the UK. As such, he has done very well in the US winning 3 G1’s.

Difficult to assess Your Sum Man as I don’t think he had enough runs in Ireland when fit. He obviously had injury issues and when Tom Voss did get him right, everything fell into place for him at Far Hills for his 1 and only US win (G1). A confirmed mudlark, the track came up very soft that day, which played to his strength.

Though the premise of your first post that any old C3 can come to the US and plunder all of their G1’s is ridiculous.

I think when one does, that is the exception, not Hunt Ball’s failure.

Reading comprehension please.

In the past few years any old nag from the UK

could fly in and take a piece of the big purses here

, this year not so much.

I said nothing about G1 races nor multiple races nor even winning (my earlier statement was directed at the ex-European Grand National Hurdle winners). What I mean is just that the racing in general was easy

money

for fairly ordinary racehorses. Your typical handicap hurdle or novice chase is worth a few thousand dollars for the winner, while even placing in a single stakes race (or heck, an allowance race) here gets more than many of these horses can expect to earn the entire season in the UK. General Ledger, Chivite, Organisateur, Charminster, Dalucci, Four Schools, Chess Board, all made much more money just placing in American graded stakes races than they ever did in more modest competition back home.

It is easy to see then why they tried this experiment with Hunt Ball. American races pay out to the 6th place – just for his two 6th place finishes Hunt Ball earned $7,500. If only he could consistently finish "in the money", it would’ve been worth the trip.

[pengamon]

Hunt Ball’s dismal failure in the US does not come as a surprise. Don’t know what Atlantic Equine paid for him, but if it was anything over $30K, he was greatly overpriced. His last UK win at Taunton was what amounted to a generous Class 3 event, whereby he didn’t really beat anything. Supposedly he got his ground in the US, but not once did he pick up his feet. Thought maybe he didn’t like the inner turf courses, but not getting a result at a proper chasing course (Far Hills) tells me he is quite ordinary. A lateral move from Sheppard to Henderson won’t help. There was no issue with his jumping the US obstacles, he’s just not a very fast horse.

It would have been interesting to see at what level he would have been competitive. Perhaps, he would have been better suited as a Timber horse. Moving back to the UK won’t change the fact that he is ordinary and I would not expect him to win a significant race. I applaud Atlantic Equine for taking a shot at trying to bring a quality chaser/hurdler to the US. Unfortunately, Hunt Ball wasn’t that horse.

There wont be much change out of $300K after the purchase price, 2 plane rides and training fees…

[MarkTT]

You’re talking rubbish. He gave a 130 horse two stone and beat it. Woolcombe Folly might not be a world beater but he’s a solid yardstick.

As for British horses in the US, you’ve moved the goalposts on Miss Woodford as regards them having to be G1 winners.

The Grey Express was rated 109 over here and yet recently won a $45,000 race over there.
Decoy Daddy was mid 120’s in Ireland yet won the Grade 3 National Hunt Cup at Malvern.

Hunt Ball is a good horse and has joined the best trainer in the game.

Perhaps your reading comprehension is not up to scratch.

That’s rich considering your reply to Miss Woodford’s post about prize money

And countless top class horses have endured indifferent or disappointing periods during their training careers. You don’t simply say " He was a top class horse in 2010, he was an ordinary horse in 2011 but now he’s a top class horse again "
Well you don’t if you have a genuine interest in horses anyway

[Scanman]

I said nothing about G1 races

nor multiple races nor even winning (my earlier statement was directed at the ex-European Grand National Hurdle winners).

Sure you did.

Even relatively ordinary jumpers in the UK/Ireland have turned into G1 winners in the US.

Hunt Ball is just the odd exception.

You noted a few who did win the US Grand National (G1). I think I gave a fair analysis of the ones you mentioned. I kind of agreed with one, disagreed with another, and was "on the fence" about another.

Sure the purses are better in the US verses C3, C2, C1 in the UK and I can see why someone might want to take a shot bringing a horse over. But for you to say that the racing in general was easy money for fairly ordinary racehorses is a bit short-sighted.

Even Hunt Ball who did at one time show some promise as a winner of a Listed race at the Festival comes over and was a complete flop. I’d really be curious to know what the net loss was on him.

You mention the easy money ($7,500) for the two 6th place finishes. Well consider this, training alone would have been in the $12,000 range; throw in the vet, farrier, shipping, meds, trainer/rider 10%, and other miscellaneous expenses, that’s another $7,000 (est.). So just while he was here, I would estimate the loss to be in the $12-13K range. Add to that the purchase price and the airfare from and to the UK, Atlantic Equine has taken quite a hit on him. Then they take him back to the UK where he will be running for crap purses again.

You mention a few exceptions that came over and did well. There will always be exceptions. However, what you don’t mention is the countless others who came over that were abject failures both on the track and in the accounting ledger.

I know you support US steeplechasing, but the fact is the money isn’t so easy. We have some pretty nice horse here and some fantastic trainers. Considering the economics of the game, if you bring a horse over and want to be successful, he better be a cut above "just ordinary".

[Author]

Posts