We are looking for dirt sprinters in the $15,000 to $35,000 range to go to an overseas racing jurisdiction. Geldings are fine and the horse will have to have a fairly good health record. Contact Chuck at 502 489-7492 or simonracing1@aol.com if you have or know of a horse that fits.
We are also looking for young broodmares, preferably open, also to go overseas for a breeding operation in a developing market. An 'in foal' mare with an early foaling date would be considered.
Fasig Tipton KY Fall Yearling Sale
This late October sale released its catalog today. This sale always has an interesting group of horses who are generally there to sell with small or no reserves. Click here for a link.
Finally Over
The 2008 version of the Keeneland September yearling sale has come to an end after 15 mostly down sessions. Overall the numbers were bad but maybe not as bad as they could have been considering the malaise on Wall Street. 196 fewer horses were sold for $57 million dollars less than last year's sale. The average slipped from $101,000 in 2007 to $90,000 this year and the median also dipped from $42,000 to $37,000.
BEC fared very well in the depressed market, purchasing 7 yearlings all of which we had rated A- or better on our scale which takes into consideration breeding, conformation, athleticism, and price. The first horse that we bought was hip number 568 , a Mizzen Mast filly out of a stakes winning Petionville mare named Slewsville. She was our number one target in book two due to her tremendous balance and athleticism, her mix of classic bloodlines with Caro, Graustark, Seeking the Gold and Seattle Slew and our fondness for her sire, Mizzen Mast. We had her valued far in excess of the $45,000 that it took to secure her for Bob Gary.
Not long after that we went to $45,000 for a son of Theatrical, hip 595 , a very nice son of a stakes placed Peteski mare named Sweet and Firm. The colt is an Ontario bred and was a very good physical for his sire and had a tremendous stride. Both his second and third dams are consistent stakes producers and Theatrical has been a top sire for years. Bob Gary is the main owner of this horse.
Later in the day we spotted a sharp looking Smarty Jones colt that looked exactly like his father walking in the back ring. While we haven't been the worlds biggest SJ supporter (more because of his stud fee than anything) this horse looked promising. Jason Litt of Three Chimneys told me that the colt had not had much action and they weren't sure why. He also told me the owners were there to sell horses and the reserve would reflect that. We wound up securing the colt (Hip number 634) for $25000 which was surprising especially considering that our vet check revealed nothing negative. John Ball wound up winning a small bidding war to own the colt and has since brought Dr. and Mrs. Vince Verdile in on the colt. He is a half brother to million dollar earner West Virginia and looks like he will be more effective as a three year old and older horse and we aren't expecting him to run much next year as a two year old.
We has a good weekend in book three buying hip number 1566 , an Eddington filly, hip number 1899 , a Johar colt and hip number 1998 , a Mizzen Mast filly. The Eddington filly was a fast looking filly who had a great walk despite being a touch undersized. Her size doesn't bother us considering she is by a son of Unbridled and out of a daughter of Broad Brush and a growth spurt will come and if she retains her athletic stride she will be a steal for $30,000. BEC owns her with Paul Harte and there are still shares of her available.
The Johar was a tremendous physical with a great stride and looked like a bigger version of Albin, a Johar colt that we bought last year that has shown a lot of potential. He really was my favorite of the whole weekend and getting him for $40,000 was about 2/3rds of what I had him valued at. He is a half sister to a stakes winning filly who has set three track records on the turf at Monmouth and his second dam has produced grade one winners Auntie Mame and Star de Lady Ann. Bob Gary owns him.
The Mizzen Mast filly that we bought Sunday is a sharp looking filly who is big and strong. She didn't have a deep commercial female family but a little research shows that much of the family showed potential but was unlucky for one reason or another. Her dam, Far Afield, was a promising filly who won two of her first three starts including an allowance at Keeneland and was third in a listed stakes race in her 4th start before an unfortunate injury ended her racing career. This filly was an outstanding horse who is perfectly balanced and and has great size. Bob Gary also owns her.
On Thursday in book five we spotted a Powerscourt colt who was athletic and flashy. He is out of a really young Pleasant Tap mare and also happens to be a California bred. He was hip number 3412 but didn't sell as the reserve price was not met. We contacted the consignor, Mill Ridge Farm and made an offer for the colt which they accepted the next day. He does not look like a big two year old runner but has all the right pieces to be a good racehorse. BEC owns this horse 100% and is looking for partners to race him but would consider selling 100% also.
Overall we bought less horses numbers wise than last year but felt we got a lot of quality for reasonable prices. Most of the horses that we picked up may have brought a lot more in a freer spending environment. We will skip the Fasig Tipton Mid Atlantic sale but will be looking at their fall sale in Lexington where the market will still be in the buyers favor. Today Keeneland released the numbers for the upcoming breeding stock sale in November and they have almost 300 horses more than the massive catalog they had last year. A total of 5709 horses are listed which is an unbelievable number, and the buyers market may really be in effect here as Broodmares and weanlings are a longer term investment than yearlings and that market is thought to be especially hard hit in light of the weakening of the yearling market. I suspect that mares not in foal or in foal to less desirable stallions, especially the older ones, will almost be given away as breeders cull their herds aggressively. We may dip into the market if the right mare comes across our path though we will certainly be looking at many of the 524 horses of racing age cataloged.
BEC fared very well in the depressed market, purchasing 7 yearlings all of which we had rated A- or better on our scale which takes into consideration breeding, conformation, athleticism, and price. The first horse that we bought was hip number 568 , a Mizzen Mast filly out of a stakes winning Petionville mare named Slewsville. She was our number one target in book two due to her tremendous balance and athleticism, her mix of classic bloodlines with Caro, Graustark, Seeking the Gold and Seattle Slew and our fondness for her sire, Mizzen Mast. We had her valued far in excess of the $45,000 that it took to secure her for Bob Gary.
Not long after that we went to $45,000 for a son of Theatrical, hip 595 , a very nice son of a stakes placed Peteski mare named Sweet and Firm. The colt is an Ontario bred and was a very good physical for his sire and had a tremendous stride. Both his second and third dams are consistent stakes producers and Theatrical has been a top sire for years. Bob Gary is the main owner of this horse.
Later in the day we spotted a sharp looking Smarty Jones colt that looked exactly like his father walking in the back ring. While we haven't been the worlds biggest SJ supporter (more because of his stud fee than anything) this horse looked promising. Jason Litt of Three Chimneys told me that the colt had not had much action and they weren't sure why. He also told me the owners were there to sell horses and the reserve would reflect that. We wound up securing the colt (Hip number 634) for $25000 which was surprising especially considering that our vet check revealed nothing negative. John Ball wound up winning a small bidding war to own the colt and has since brought Dr. and Mrs. Vince Verdile in on the colt. He is a half brother to million dollar earner West Virginia and looks like he will be more effective as a three year old and older horse and we aren't expecting him to run much next year as a two year old.
We has a good weekend in book three buying hip number 1566 , an Eddington filly, hip number 1899 , a Johar colt and hip number 1998 , a Mizzen Mast filly. The Eddington filly was a fast looking filly who had a great walk despite being a touch undersized. Her size doesn't bother us considering she is by a son of Unbridled and out of a daughter of Broad Brush and a growth spurt will come and if she retains her athletic stride she will be a steal for $30,000. BEC owns her with Paul Harte and there are still shares of her available.
The Johar was a tremendous physical with a great stride and looked like a bigger version of Albin, a Johar colt that we bought last year that has shown a lot of potential. He really was my favorite of the whole weekend and getting him for $40,000 was about 2/3rds of what I had him valued at. He is a half sister to a stakes winning filly who has set three track records on the turf at Monmouth and his second dam has produced grade one winners Auntie Mame and Star de Lady Ann. Bob Gary owns him.
The Mizzen Mast filly that we bought Sunday is a sharp looking filly who is big and strong. She didn't have a deep commercial female family but a little research shows that much of the family showed potential but was unlucky for one reason or another. Her dam, Far Afield, was a promising filly who won two of her first three starts including an allowance at Keeneland and was third in a listed stakes race in her 4th start before an unfortunate injury ended her racing career. This filly was an outstanding horse who is perfectly balanced and and has great size. Bob Gary also owns her.
On Thursday in book five we spotted a Powerscourt colt who was athletic and flashy. He is out of a really young Pleasant Tap mare and also happens to be a California bred. He was hip number 3412 but didn't sell as the reserve price was not met. We contacted the consignor, Mill Ridge Farm and made an offer for the colt which they accepted the next day. He does not look like a big two year old runner but has all the right pieces to be a good racehorse. BEC owns this horse 100% and is looking for partners to race him but would consider selling 100% also.
Overall we bought less horses numbers wise than last year but felt we got a lot of quality for reasonable prices. Most of the horses that we picked up may have brought a lot more in a freer spending environment. We will skip the Fasig Tipton Mid Atlantic sale but will be looking at their fall sale in Lexington where the market will still be in the buyers favor. Today Keeneland released the numbers for the upcoming breeding stock sale in November and they have almost 300 horses more than the massive catalog they had last year. A total of 5709 horses are listed which is an unbelievable number, and the buyers market may really be in effect here as Broodmares and weanlings are a longer term investment than yearlings and that market is thought to be especially hard hit in light of the weakening of the yearling market. I suspect that mares not in foal or in foal to less desirable stallions, especially the older ones, will almost be given away as breeders cull their herds aggressively. We may dip into the market if the right mare comes across our path though we will certainly be looking at many of the 524 horses of racing age cataloged.
This sale still has three more days...
The fact that there are three more days to go in this sale is almost painful to admit. Today's results were saved by a late flurry of mid-priced horses that left the gross ONLY off 35% from last years record breaking session. The average was off 26% and the median was down 25%. Friday's book six was also way down from last year. At this point there are several things that are obvious coming out of the sale. Number one is that there are simply too many people producing too many inferior horses. Books 7 and 8 are full of horses that simply have no demand in the market. If you are breeding these type to race yourself, fine. But to produce horses like this for the commercial market is simply throwing away money. Naturally there will be some good horses to emerge from these final days but the vast majority wont make the races or will wish they hadn't after a few drubbings. Another point is stud fees simply have to comedown as the market flattens out as the vast majority of horses in the last 4 books are not bringing what the listed stud fee is. I also believe that this is a great time to own race horses with more slot money coming into play over the next few years, yearling prices coming down and the market for established racehorses booming. You can pick through a sale like this, get a nice horse for a good price and have the ability to make a big score if your horse runs well early in his career.
BEC did wind up purchasing one more horse in a deal that was finished yesterday. We wound up buying hip number 4212 , a Powerscourt colt who was an RNA on Thursday. The colt, who is a beautiful horse, was not shown on Wednesday because he popped an abscess out one of his front feet and was sore on it. That most likely led to him being passed over by a number of buyers who simply move on at this point of the sale. We loved him and played it as though he wasn't going to reach his reserve, which he didn't. We offered what we thought was a fair price and after some hand wringing by the colts owner, they accepted our offer. The colt who is a California bred is owned 100% by BEC and any and all portions of him are for sale.
BEC did wind up purchasing one more horse in a deal that was finished yesterday. We wound up buying hip number 4212 , a Powerscourt colt who was an RNA on Thursday. The colt, who is a beautiful horse, was not shown on Wednesday because he popped an abscess out one of his front feet and was sore on it. That most likely led to him being passed over by a number of buyers who simply move on at this point of the sale. We loved him and played it as though he wasn't going to reach his reserve, which he didn't. We offered what we thought was a fair price and after some hand wringing by the colts owner, they accepted our offer. The colt who is a California bred is owned 100% by BEC and any and all portions of him are for sale.
Thursday's results in line
Thursday's session was not far off last years numbers though the number of RNA's rose from 20% to 30%. There are still some good horses though the number is decreasing day by day. We liked a North Light filly but she was RNA'ed at $100k which makes it hard to believe she was there to sell. I had her pegged at a $25000 horse. There is a Powerscourt colt that was bought back that we may pursue depending on the willingness of the owner to come down to a reasonable price. Today has a few statebreds that we are looking at taking a shot at if they look like they will be sold at reasonable prices. This weekend is also similar though there are a few Johar and Medallists we need to look at. The sale is really getting to be a grind now as so many poor horses are coming through the ring.
Book 5 starts slow
The bottom may finally be falling out of the Keeneland September sale. Yesterday' s numbers were very spotty and in some cases may be the start of the trend that many were assuming would happen. Though the top of the market was down, some of the other indicators such as the percentage of RNA's and median price remained steady. Yesterdays results showed steep declines in all categories with gross being off 30%, the average being down 25%, and the median slipping 28% with 20 fewer horses being sold. Look for that trend to continue today and it may be worse this weekend.
BEC hasn't bought anything the past few days as our Dixie Union deal fell through as the owners decided to just keep the horse and race him. We are looking for horses that we consider B+ individuals and there just aren't that many left and the really nice ones are still bringing top dollar.
BEC hasn't bought anything the past few days as our Dixie Union deal fell through as the owners decided to just keep the horse and race him. We are looking for horses that we consider B+ individuals and there just aren't that many left and the really nice ones are still bringing top dollar.
Book Four holds it's own
Today's second session of book four of the Keeneland yearling sale was the closest to last years results yet. Tuesday's gross was off by $1.8 million but that was mainly due to 16 fewer horses being sold this year. The average of $52000 was close to the $55000 of last year and the median of $50000 was the same.
BEC was shutout for the second consecutive day as one of our potentials had a horrible vet report, one went for about double what we we willing to go to and on the last one we used sound financial principles by not bidding more than 10% over our valuation of the filly.(Though we felt remorseful watching her walk out of the ring despite being so close. A little spoiled after the weekend's fortunate events)
We are negotiating to buy hip number 2516, a Dixie Union colt from Three Chimneys and will get that deal done tomorrow for a very small number. Any interested parties should contact us at (502) 489-7492.
Hip number 2912 was a filly by Street Cry that brought a winning bid of $100000 from Al and Sandee Kirkwood. The filly was out of the stakes winning dam, Mujado, whom BEC Bloodstock purchased on its own behalf in January for $8700. She had a terrific Johar colt who may be entered in the January sale or kept and raced and we are looking for partners on him. The mare is back in foal to Thunder Gulch and is scheduled to be sent to Pennsylvania to drop the foal and take advantage of the lucrative PA breeding incentive program.
BEC was shutout for the second consecutive day as one of our potentials had a horrible vet report, one went for about double what we we willing to go to and on the last one we used sound financial principles by not bidding more than 10% over our valuation of the filly.(Though we felt remorseful watching her walk out of the ring despite being so close. A little spoiled after the weekend's fortunate events)
We are negotiating to buy hip number 2516, a Dixie Union colt from Three Chimneys and will get that deal done tomorrow for a very small number. Any interested parties should contact us at (502) 489-7492.
Hip number 2912 was a filly by Street Cry that brought a winning bid of $100000 from Al and Sandee Kirkwood. The filly was out of the stakes winning dam, Mujado, whom BEC Bloodstock purchased on its own behalf in January for $8700. She had a terrific Johar colt who may be entered in the January sale or kept and raced and we are looking for partners on him. The mare is back in foal to Thunder Gulch and is scheduled to be sent to Pennsylvania to drop the foal and take advantage of the lucrative PA breeding incentive program.
Keeneland has respectable weekend
The Keeneland sale was fairly level this weekend for book 3 of the September sale. Despite being off in gross sales, average and median prices, the numbers as compared to last year were not bad in light of the fears of some. Obviously the economy is effecting things but there also be a market correction in play as the price of yearlings, breeding stock and stud fees may have risen beyond what the market can bear. An encouraging sign is that the number of horses sold has increased as the sellers have come to terms with the market and are putting reasonable reserves in on their horses which in turn leads to more sales and less RNA's. Personally I want to buy horses for what the market says they can bring as opposed to an artificial number set by the owner.
BEC had a great weekend, buying four horses that we had rated as A prospects and paid close to exactly what we had expected. During Saturday's session we were outbid on a couple of lots that we were hoping to steal and simply weren't that close but we did come away with an Eddington filly that was one of my favorite's. Hip number 1566 is out of a Broad Brush mare named Erase who was a winner on both the turf and dirt. She is a bit light on commercial pedigree but is very athletic, she moves like a cat, and I thought she was a nice racing prospect for $30000. During the bidding I actually was the underbidder on her as she sold for $35000 but the winning bidder was bidding on the wrong horse and after Keeneland and Claiborne officials consulted, they agreed to sell her to me for my last bid of $30000.
Sunday was a very good day as the three horses that we had targeted all fell within our price range and we got them all. The first was hip number 1851, a Thunder Gulch colt out of a stakes winning Royal Academy mare named Very Very that we claimed and trained for breeder Ron McKee. He turned out slightly in the right front but had a great walk and was very balanced. He looks like a nice prospect and Mr. McKee is going to stay in and partner with us on the colt.
The second horse that we really wanted was hip number 1899, a Johar colt out of a Shadeed mare named Bartered Bride. The colt is a half brother to a stakes winning filly named In Return who has set three track records on the turf at Monmouth Park. He has a great walk and looks like a larger version of another nice Johar colt named Albin that we have. His dam was bred to Smart Strike this year and she is owned by Jayeff B stables who are obviously supporting her by breeding her to top stallions. I was thrilled to get him for for Bob Gary for $40000.
Bob Gary also bought the third horse that we had targeted, hip number 1998, a Mizzen Mast filly out of the stakes placed Distant View mare, Far Afield. The filly is big and strong and absolutely looks like a runner. Consigned by Mill Ridge for breeder Dr. John Chandler, her mother was a promising prospect who won 2 races in four starts including a Keeneland allowance win and a third place finish in a listed turf stakes at Calder before an untimely injury ended her career just as it was taking off. We went to $37000 for her which is simply a steal.
Today is the first day of book 4 and there is a considerable drop off in the overall quality of horses from what I saw while looking at the barns yesterday. I have very little that I am interested in today though there are some interesting prospects on Tuesday. The better horses will still sell well though the ones with issues will really have a hard time today. The RNA's may rise because I saw a lot of bad horses that have expensive stud fees attached to them and some owners simply wont be able to stomach letting their horse with the $50000 stud fee go for $4000.
The most interesting news out of Keeneland this weekend was the saga of the top selling horse of Thursdays session, a Medaglia d'Oro filly who was purchased for $1.1 million dollars by English trainer Paul D'Arcy for a woman in England who didn't have the proper credit with Keeneland and later was found to have a checkered financial past. Keeneland took possession of the horses and they were later resold but they are taking legal action against the original buyers.
BEC had a great weekend, buying four horses that we had rated as A prospects and paid close to exactly what we had expected. During Saturday's session we were outbid on a couple of lots that we were hoping to steal and simply weren't that close but we did come away with an Eddington filly that was one of my favorite's. Hip number 1566 is out of a Broad Brush mare named Erase who was a winner on both the turf and dirt. She is a bit light on commercial pedigree but is very athletic, she moves like a cat, and I thought she was a nice racing prospect for $30000. During the bidding I actually was the underbidder on her as she sold for $35000 but the winning bidder was bidding on the wrong horse and after Keeneland and Claiborne officials consulted, they agreed to sell her to me for my last bid of $30000.
Sunday was a very good day as the three horses that we had targeted all fell within our price range and we got them all. The first was hip number 1851, a Thunder Gulch colt out of a stakes winning Royal Academy mare named Very Very that we claimed and trained for breeder Ron McKee. He turned out slightly in the right front but had a great walk and was very balanced. He looks like a nice prospect and Mr. McKee is going to stay in and partner with us on the colt.
The second horse that we really wanted was hip number 1899, a Johar colt out of a Shadeed mare named Bartered Bride. The colt is a half brother to a stakes winning filly named In Return who has set three track records on the turf at Monmouth Park. He has a great walk and looks like a larger version of another nice Johar colt named Albin that we have. His dam was bred to Smart Strike this year and she is owned by Jayeff B stables who are obviously supporting her by breeding her to top stallions. I was thrilled to get him for for Bob Gary for $40000.
Bob Gary also bought the third horse that we had targeted, hip number 1998, a Mizzen Mast filly out of the stakes placed Distant View mare, Far Afield. The filly is big and strong and absolutely looks like a runner. Consigned by Mill Ridge for breeder Dr. John Chandler, her mother was a promising prospect who won 2 races in four starts including a Keeneland allowance win and a third place finish in a listed turf stakes at Calder before an untimely injury ended her career just as it was taking off. We went to $37000 for her which is simply a steal.
Today is the first day of book 4 and there is a considerable drop off in the overall quality of horses from what I saw while looking at the barns yesterday. I have very little that I am interested in today though there are some interesting prospects on Tuesday. The better horses will still sell well though the ones with issues will really have a hard time today. The RNA's may rise because I saw a lot of bad horses that have expensive stud fees attached to them and some owners simply wont be able to stomach letting their horse with the $50000 stud fee go for $4000.
The most interesting news out of Keeneland this weekend was the saga of the top selling horse of Thursdays session, a Medaglia d'Oro filly who was purchased for $1.1 million dollars by English trainer Paul D'Arcy for a woman in England who didn't have the proper credit with Keeneland and later was found to have a checkered financial past. Keeneland took possession of the horses and they were later resold but they are taking legal action against the original buyers.
Sale still sluggish on Day 4
The Keeneland September yearling sale remained far behind last years pace on day four, the last day before Friday's one day break in the action. Though there was a million dollar lot sold, the day's results were fairly mundane. We had very few horses shortlisted for Thursday and of the ones we liked, one had a spotty scope report and the others all landed far beyond out price range. Hip number 1215 is the second foal out of Honorable Cat, a mare that BEC purchased for breeder Ron McKee. The daughter of Gone West lacked great size but sold for $100,000 to Anthony Stroud. Honorable Cat's first foal by Vindication, a colt named Vindicat, sold last year for $170,000 at the same sale.
The session topper was a filly by Medaglia d'Oro who was a very nice horse but seemingly well sold for $1.1 million dollars. My personal favorite was hip number was 990, an outstanding Johannesburg colt consigned by Lanes End who was purchased for $260,000 for European connections. I liked hip number 1271 a filly by Street Cry but not enough to top the $125,000 they got for her. All in all, I thought that yesterdays cheaper horses weren't worth taking a flyer with and the nice ones were just too expensive. This weekend has a lot of nice horses and there were lots of lookers this afternoon despite the stifling heat. I have a long list of potentials for both Saturday and Sunday and I still have about six barns for Sunday to look at.
The Smarty Jones colt we bought Wednesday has been sold. The Aldebaran filly, Aldebutante, who BEC purchased for Dee Tee Stable at last year's September sale has been entered for her debut at Belmont Park in Sunday's 5th race.
The session topper was a filly by Medaglia d'Oro who was a very nice horse but seemingly well sold for $1.1 million dollars. My personal favorite was hip number was 990, an outstanding Johannesburg colt consigned by Lanes End who was purchased for $260,000 for European connections. I liked hip number 1271 a filly by Street Cry but not enough to top the $125,000 they got for her. All in all, I thought that yesterdays cheaper horses weren't worth taking a flyer with and the nice ones were just too expensive. This weekend has a lot of nice horses and there were lots of lookers this afternoon despite the stifling heat. I have a long list of potentials for both Saturday and Sunday and I still have about six barns for Sunday to look at.
The Smarty Jones colt we bought Wednesday has been sold. The Aldebaran filly, Aldebutante, who BEC purchased for Dee Tee Stable at last year's September sale has been entered for her debut at Belmont Park in Sunday's 5th race.
Solid Day Three
Day three of the Keeneland September sale was much stronger in relation to last years results than the first two days. There were 10 more horses sold than the corresponding day last year and the gross was off $2 million from the 2007 results which is an improvement from the opening book which wound up off $30 million dollars from last year. The average slipped and the median was about the same but there were no seven figure horses sold.
We sprung into action buying hip number 568, a Mizzen Mast filly out of a multiple stakes winning Petionville mare named Slewville. The filly, who was consigned by Pope McLean's Crestwood Farm, got extremely high grades from us on her conformation and athleticism. We were thrilled to get her for $45000 which was about 50% of what we thought she would bring. The filly is owned by a partnership of Bob Gary Racing and Bluegrass Equine Center.
We also went to $45000 to purchase hip number 595, a Theatrical colt out of the multiple stakes placed Peteski mare, Sweet and Firm. The colt, who was consigned by Hill n Dale farm, was a very good individual for the sire, had a big athletic walk and had perfect xrays and scope reports. He is an Ontario bred who looks like he will relish a distance of ground over the grass. The colt is owned by the Gary/Bluegrass partnership.
Hip number 634 wasn't on our original list but we were alerted to his potential availability a short while before he was to go through the ring. After looking at him and really liking what we saw we wound up bidding and buying him for $25000. The son of Kentucky Derby winner Smarty Jones is a half brother to million dollar earner West Virginia and is a rangy type that not only looks fast but like he will be able to cover a distance of ground. He was bought on BEC's account and is available to interested parties.
Quite a few of our other potentials went for prices above what we were willing to spend and tomorrow's list is fairly light. We will start examining this weekends horses in the morning.
We sprung into action buying hip number 568, a Mizzen Mast filly out of a multiple stakes winning Petionville mare named Slewville. The filly, who was consigned by Pope McLean's Crestwood Farm, got extremely high grades from us on her conformation and athleticism. We were thrilled to get her for $45000 which was about 50% of what we thought she would bring. The filly is owned by a partnership of Bob Gary Racing and Bluegrass Equine Center.
We also went to $45000 to purchase hip number 595, a Theatrical colt out of the multiple stakes placed Peteski mare, Sweet and Firm. The colt, who was consigned by Hill n Dale farm, was a very good individual for the sire, had a big athletic walk and had perfect xrays and scope reports. He is an Ontario bred who looks like he will relish a distance of ground over the grass. The colt is owned by the Gary/Bluegrass partnership.
Hip number 634 wasn't on our original list but we were alerted to his potential availability a short while before he was to go through the ring. After looking at him and really liking what we saw we wound up bidding and buying him for $25000. The son of Kentucky Derby winner Smarty Jones is a half brother to million dollar earner West Virginia and is a rangy type that not only looks fast but like he will be able to cover a distance of ground. He was bought on BEC's account and is available to interested parties.
Quite a few of our other potentials went for prices above what we were willing to spend and tomorrow's list is fairly light. We will start examining this weekends horses in the morning.
Mixed results for Day 2
The Keeneland sale was eerily similar today to yesterday with a number of good horses selling for seven figures but high number of lots going unsold and the overall numbers trending downward. The 2008 sale is $30 million dollars behind after two days and that probably wont get better as the sale progresses into the non-select books. There are of course lots of theories bouncing around about missing buyers who are waiting on the middle books to smoke out the bargins that are expected to be there. But that seems like a stretch especially since those 'middle market' buyers are rarely the types that are spending $400000 a horse. Honestly, the sale lacks any buzz, there are no "showstopper" type horses, no new upper level buyers, and the mood is generally subdued. As a matter of fact if it weren't for the newly formed Legends Racing(which is really Gentry, Lukas, Zito, and Baffert, none of who are new), upper level domestic buying would be almost dormant.
We have some possibilities for tomorrows sale with one filly going through the ring relatively early. There are lots of solid horses that may not quite have book one pedigrees but are really nice individuals. The barn traffic looking at these horses has been fairly light and I am hoping that the sellers are going to be realistic with reserves. We will have more tomorrow.
We have some possibilities for tomorrows sale with one filly going through the ring relatively early. There are lots of solid horses that may not quite have book one pedigrees but are really nice individuals. The barn traffic looking at these horses has been fairly light and I am hoping that the sellers are going to be realistic with reserves. We will have more tomorrow.
Keeneland Day One shaky
Keenelands select session got off to a shaky start yesterday as proceeds were off $11 million dollars, the average price was down 14% and the number of RNA's was higher than last years session. The big story was the buyback of the AP Indy-Azeri colt by Micheal Paulson for a record $7.7 million dollars. I think too much is made of this as they seemingly had no intention of selling this horse and the whole thing is pretty immaterial except for wondering why they would pay Keeneland to 'appraise' their horse. There was no real money bid on this horse, the whole thing was a sham. Moving on, I was approached by several big consignors about horses that they may want to deal with later on in the sale. These guys are really nervous. (When I say deals I don't mean in an illegal way. They just want to reduce inventory and are worried already that the sale will be so weak at that point that some of the owners may wind up staying in for a piece of the horse if they can get a bit of cash to offset some of the expenses)
I spent most of the day looking at horses for Wednesday and Thursday and came out with a list of really good horses that hopefully will fall into our price range. I was surprised that hip #41, an Elusive Quality colt, was an RNA for $285,000 as I thought he was a star and had a lot of European appeal though we didnt vet him and there may be an issue there. #40, a Pulpit filly bought by Starlight Partners for $210,000 was a really nice filly. #59, a Dynaformer, was a nice horse though the $550,000 that he brought was full retail for him. We will have more thorough reports as the sale progresses and we look at more horses. If you have any questions on individual horses write them in the comments link.
I spent most of the day looking at horses for Wednesday and Thursday and came out with a list of really good horses that hopefully will fall into our price range. I was surprised that hip #41, an Elusive Quality colt, was an RNA for $285,000 as I thought he was a star and had a lot of European appeal though we didnt vet him and there may be an issue there. #40, a Pulpit filly bought by Starlight Partners for $210,000 was a really nice filly. #59, a Dynaformer, was a nice horse though the $550,000 that he brought was full retail for him. We will have more thorough reports as the sale progresses and we look at more horses. If you have any questions on individual horses write them in the comments link.
September is close when the "outs" are out
Keeneland has released the first list of "outs" which means we are close to game time at the September sale. We have dissected the pedigrees enough and look forward to getting out tomorrow to look at the individuals. BEC has stands behind it theory that this is perhaps the best moment in recent times to be a yearling buyer, especially in the middle of the market. There have been numerous articles written recently in the trade journals that portray the uneasiness of both consignors and the sales companies and we believe that they should be worried. Cash is short and stud fees have stayed high which means that many breeders are going to be more willing to "cut bait" so to speak and accept a loss on a horse in order to cash out. Training fees aren't getting any cheaper and the high cost of racing or pinhooking into the two year old sales will in our opinion put more horses in the ring with either no or realistic reserves. We plan on capitalizing on this market and will be looking to buy from day one through day 17. Regardless of where you race there will be racehorses there for you. Call (502) 489-7492 if we can help you.
Click here for the outs
Click here for the outs
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