Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Admiralofthefleet, with reference to your comment it is interesting that Nephrite was entered in the Birdcatcher Nursery at Naas recently. There is a big pot but the entry fee is correspondingly big so they must have seriously considered the race for him. Makes you wonder if he is proving better than they thought although he was very well backed today.
A lightish type with a bit of scope and as good a walker as you will see Nephrite was well bought and looks a good prospect. Born to Sea is a typical Invincible Spirit,strong and close coupled. He is an attractive sort and looks as if a mile would be his trip. Probably short of group one class though.
Robert,
I saw Norse Dancer over here (for the Leop champion stakes I think). He is a cracker of a horse physically, pure quality and a lovely walker.
Hollygate,
Breeding generally is a money losing exercise. There are just too many people in it who don’t need to make a profit. Consequently there is still an oversupply of foals for the market thats there. More people seem to want to breed horses than to race them.
If you don’t want to spend too much money try and buy a non winning or unraced filly who is a half sister to a black type winner in Ireland or England. It is essential that you maximise your chances of getting an attractive foal. The filly must therefore be good bodied and correct, no bigger than medium sized and most importantly a good walker. You need to aim to produce a foal that correct, a together type (not in ‘sections’), neither too much nor too little bone and most essentially not a big boat of a foal. If he is not a good walker he will be ignored at the sales. If both sire and dam tick all the physical boxes you have some chance. If you breed a filly it will almost certainly be a loser.
Be prepared to take losses on the chin at the sales and too move on. Generally sell as a foal than at yearling stage. There are more foal buyers and they generally will have more contacts than you to get a foal sold at yearling time. Also yearling sales prep is a specialist job whereas a foal can be sold with fairly minimal sales prep.
Be warned you will get sucked in and end up racing one or more foals. It is very hard to breed what the market wants and luck plays a huge part.Sorry I meant High Chap. Auto took over after I typed the H. HC probably needs a boost more than HR.
So You Think is an astonishing physical specimen. It is rare to see a horse so powerful without being a bit plain as well but this fellow is pure quality. Everyone was gobsmacked by him in and around the parade ring at the Curragh. He will do his sire Hurricane Run a power of good.
A full brother to a group one winner and a half brother to Racinger (who was by the much inferior sire Spectrum)he was a foal share so he wasn’t too dear at €375K plus the cover. An attractive sort whose shortcomings as regards his front legs are there for all to see.
However given that Coolmore bought and raced very successfully the notoriously (and much worse) offset Giants Causeway their tolerance of this defect is understandable. It should be said however that Giants Causeway had more bone and was therefore more likey to get away with the defect (from the point of view of racing durability).
It became the norm to forgive poor front leg conformation in Storm Cats and a huge amount of money was spent (and wasted)on the progeny of this sire almost regardless of their conformation.
It is quite possible that Recital will hurl himself up hill and down dale with no regard to personal safety but it is extraordinary how horses with poor front leg conformation seem to be aware of the stresses and strains being brought to bear on their legs going downhill or on firm going. They are therefore carefull and wont ‘let themselves down’ especially if they have already suffered and learned the lesson as Recital has done as evidenced by his off fore medial aspect splint.Memphis Tennessee is interesting. A straightforward type and a good mover he ran a fine race on his seasonal reappearance in the Derrinstown. He wouldn’t have to improve too much to be a serious contender. He may lack ‘gears’ however.
Interesting that Aiden advised holding bets today as decisions have to be made as to what runs where. I wouldn’t be too surprised if Recital missed Epsom if the there isn’t some cut. He is offset (not badly, but enough to matter) on both his knees with a splint on the inner just below the off knee. This horse will not relish racing down a hill on the turn especially on good or firmer.
Also given the these conformation shortcoming he will be hard enough to market as a stallion so they might prefer to win it with something else if they could. A flat track would suit him a lot better so he might be the one for France.It shouldn’t be difficult to keep this horse progressing. Halford is gentle and gradual with his horses. Casamento’s fitness was gradually built up on a very large circular sand (what we in Ireland call Wexford sand)gallop at a gentle canter. The morning routine finished with a swinging gallop up a woodchip gallop that rises about 4.25 furlongs then turns right and levels off for about .75 of a furlong.
The horse was taken away a few times to work up Walsh’s hill on the Curragh starting with a swinging gallop then winding up to finish off at near full pace. It was a simple routine and the horse was never stressed. All Godolphin have to do is keep it simple and don’t ask the horse to prove anything to them at home. There is a concern that the transort to and from Dubai, change of climate and routine will have a detrimental effect however.Robert Sangster is reported to have said ‘this is getting a bit silly’ as the bidding escalated for the horse that would turn out to be Seattle Dancer. How right he was, it ultimately cost him his share in Coolmore. <br>The lure of buying the top lot and making the headlines is very strong, even (or perhaps especially) for these people.<br>Anyone who has ever bought horses at a ‘buzzing’ sale will tell you how easy it is to lose the run of yourself. The Coolmore boys love the drama as much as anyone. <br>Talking of sale toppers here is an interesting and true story. A good few years ago when Vincent O Brien was coming to the end of his training days (there were only a few horses left in the yard, Classic thoroughbreds had collapsed, Vincent was already old) a colt was consigned to Goffs by Pat O’ Kelly. It was out of that famous mare Flame of Tara whose early foals included Salsibal and Marju. The horse was a well made good sized, correct type and widely tipped to top the sale.<br>Lots of people couldn’t warm to him however, he had no great use of himself while walking and he wasn’t the raciest most athletic type. To look at him standing however he couldn’t be faulted on conformation.<br>Rumour had it that Vincent was going to buy him and that Pat O Kelly would retain a share (opinion was divided on whether Coolmore already owned half of him through a foal share arrangement, he was by Sadlers Wells).<br>Billy McDonald had been found somewhere and was brought up to do the bidding for luck and old times sake.<br>Anyway the horse was knocked down to Billy at 1.4 million pounds after a typically dramatic piece of bidding theatre.<br>The horse was brought to the lunging ring to be wind tested and Vincent went down to have a look. After two circuits of the ring Vincent stormed off the viewing stairs with a face like thunder. He knew he had trained his last decent horse. The colt lunged (as he subsequently ran) with an exaggerated scratchy action and no noticable shoulder action. The writing was on the wall ten minutes after the hammer fell.
The dam won a maiden from 11 starts. This horse is the second produce, the previous foal a colt and unraced as yet. Total waste of money.
Letsgetracing,<br>Certainly the desire to outbid Sheikh Mohammad was a factor. However the idea that their own opinion of the colt would be bolstered by the fact that SM showed an interest would be far off the mark. SM’s record of buying unproven young horses is so bad as too almost defy belief.
There is no chance of this horse staying the Kentucky Derby distance. <br>The last time Coolmore lost the run of themselves they were almost ruined. Certainly Robert Sangster never recovered. They then went to the public via Classic Thoroughbreds to raise money to keep playing. The capital raised (including their own stakes in it) lasted no time. <br>Sadlers Wells came good as a sire just in time to save the whole show. Like JP McManus, Magnier has used the glamour of horses and gambling to develop business relationships with very wealthy and capable people. He himself is very capable. However to believe that the $16 million is small change to them is totally wrong. This was a rush of blood to the head and they will regret it. Anyone who has ever bought young horses at the sales will recognise the symptoms.
I fully agree Venusian. The price was crazy. Making a two year old run at that pace at this time of the year is more likely to ruin it than anything else.<br>Only real two year old types are suitable for breezing, and they rarely continue to improve. <br>Total waste of money, ego and sales ring adrenaline gane mad.
