CHARLES SIMON BLOODSTOCK

Outperforming the market year after year

BEC Bloodstock at Saratoga

BEC bloodstock will be on the sales grounds of Fasig Tipton later this week when the yearlings arrive for inspection. We will be available for all manners of business at Saratoga during sales week. The catalog looks like a typically strong Spa Select sale and BEC feels that the market will not dip too much at any of the Saratoga sales including the Preferred (NY bred) sale. We do not participate at the open sale as the quality of horse there is usually poor. The OBS August sale is a place that we have not shopped before and we are going over the catalog to see if it is worth going down. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to contact us at 502 489-7492.

Fasig Tipton July thoughts

BEC Bloodstock wound up sellers as opposed to our usual role as buyers at the recently concluded July yearling sale at Fasig Tipton in Lexington, Kentucky. We bred hip number #130, a filly by Medallist out of Traipse and consigned her through Highclere sales. She made a great appearance and brought a high bid of $90000 from Matthew Budden. Considering she was out of a mare we bought for $4000 and was bred on a $8000 stud fee, we were pleased with the final result.

I was not that thrilled with the pedigrees available in this book and even though we rarely buy much at this sale, I was not that excited by the prospects that I saw. The first year stallions that get so much attention were in my opinion not that exciting. I was surprised to see horses by Eurosilver sell so well. I saw lots of his weanlings at the winter sales and wasn't really impressed nor was most of the others I spoke too. Maybe they are later developers but I remain skeptical about the prospect of him becoming a good sire. What was really interesting was that most of the higher priced Eurosilvers weren't purchased by pinhookers but by racing operations.

Brian Graves hit another weanling to yearling pinooking homerun with hip #145 a yearling colt by Unforgettable Max. Graves seemingly does it every year and it is not like he is doing it with bulk purchases.

I think that way too much is made of market trends after one session or sale. Obviously the rough economy is going to affect the market in some way, shape or form. The next sale at Saratoga is not really a great indicator either because it is really the type of sale where most of the buyers are insulated from economic trends for the most part. Or in other words, the main buyers at this sale are too rich to worry much about the economy at least when it comes to their horse purchases. The real test, and for buyers opportunity, will be in the middle books of the Keeneland September sale. While the buyers may still have a lot of disposable income, many of the sellers are feeling the affects of the economy and as a result may be more reluctant to put high reserves or be willing to try the two year old sales or race if they don't get their price. Buyers will still have to fight for the AP Indy's and Distorted Humor's but the so-called "middle market" may be weaker than usual as sellers simply cut their losses in many cases. Though there will still be plenty of people looking to buy horses especially foreigners, the incidence of bidding against the reserve as opposed to actual "live" bidders may be lessened which makes for a much better buying atmosphere.

I am looking forward to the Saratoga sales and really interested in what Keeneland is going to look like as the rumors are that the sale is expanding once again. The more books, the more horses, the better in my view.

This is from the Racing post (UK) about the july sale. The last paragraph tells of the buyer who bought my filly.
"Also making a visit to the sale was Matthew Budden of Elite Racing. He paid $90,000 for a filly by Medallist and $22,000 for a colt by Bernstein"

BEC Bloodstock purchase Genuine Devotion now a Grade 3 winner

In early September 2005, BEC Bloodstock President Charles Simon spotted a pretty filly selling as hip number 92 of the Keeneland September yearling sale. By first crop sire and European star miler, Rock of Gibraltar, the filly was light on her feet and agile though a bit underdeveloped. Simon wound up bidding on the filly and purchasing her for owner Jim Barry for $90000, well below the days average of $471000. Sunday at Churchill Downs she became the 2nd graded stakes winner out of the four purchased for Barry by Simon at that sale. Taking command of the Grade 3 Locust Grove Handicap right from the start, Genuine Devotion repulsed bids by multiple contenders, opened up at the head of the lane and held Brownie Points safe to the wire. She ran the mile in 135.3 in winning her third straight stakes. Her record now stands at 5 wins in 8 starts with earning in excess of $280000. She earned a 103 Beyer figure for her efforts.

Simon on behalf of BEC Bloodstock will be available for consultation at the upcoming yearling sales at Fasig-Tipton in July, all the Saratoga sales, Keeneland September, Fasig-Tipton Fall Maryland and Kentucky. Let us find you a great horse at a good price.