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The Thoroughbred
business is always a challenge, but
in a tough economy, it’s even more important to make sound decisions
that protect your investments. This is not the time to be cutting
costs by eliminating the
experts who provide advice to keep you from making stupid mistakes.
Use your advisors: trainers,
bloodstock agents, pedigree consultants, farm managers, veterinarians,
blacksmiths, nutritionists and whoever else has expertise in their
respective fields
that you do not.
In pedigree
consultancy, don't confuse expertise with
the ability to look up a "nick rating" on the internet.
In my opinion, the recent war of the nick ratings has done more
to damage the field of pedigree study than anything in recent
memory. A good advisor knows
that nicks are just a part of the equation, and not the answer.
A good advisor knows that pedigree and conformation are inextricably
linked, and has a solid understanding of both as it applies to
the horse standing in front of them. A good advisor doesn't baffle
you with pedigree mythologies that have no basis in reality. A
good advisor considers your goals, your budget, and your preferences,
and will work within your parameters or recommend when they need
to be realistically revised. A good advisor of any kind is honest
and objective.
It's important
to realize that breeding Thoroughbreds is an exercise in genetics
- knowledge of the gene pool and how the traits are passed on.
We are breeding racehorses, which means we are breeding for performance,
inspecting the best runners and sires will quickly show you that
perfect conformation is not a requirement for excellence. With
all the factors that need to be weighed and balanced, Thoroughbred
breeding is as much an art as a science; an intellectual exercise
at its best and a crap shoot at its worst.
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MORE
CONGRATULATIONS TO
KENTUCKY DERBY/PPREAKNESS WINNER I'LL HAVE ANOTHER BY FLOWER
ALLEY |
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I
couldn't be happier or more proud watching Flower Alley's
son I'll Have Another run down the game Bodemeister to win
the Preakness just like he won the Kentucky Derby two weeks
before. This is a fantastic, gorgeous colt, and now he's
hopefully headed to Belmont to finish his Triple Crown bid
in the Belmont Stakes. Have I mentioned lately that I'm
a sucker for a chestnut horse with a star?
At
my "going away party" at Three Chimneys Farm in
the fall of 2010, Robert Clay asked what I was most proud
of during my time there as Stallion Seasons and Matings
Advisor. I didn't hesitate to answer "It's important
to me that Flower Alley do well as a stallion," since
I was the one pushing for the farm to get him as a stallion
when others gave him the thumbs down.
Flower Alley was generally praised as the best-looking
horse entering stud in Kentucky in 2007, but it took three
long years of waiting to see what would come of that talent
and those good looks. His first crop included the Graded
stakes-winning fillies Lilacs And Lace and Bouquet Booth.
His second crop includes Kentucky Derby/Preakness winner
I'll Have Another. In retrospect, it seems kind of a no-brainer
that one of the best sons of the classic sire Distorted
Humor (sire of Funny Cide and Drosselmeyer) should follow
in his daddy's footsteps as a classic sire. I'm so proud
of my boy Flower Alley!
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| My
2012 Freshman Sire Picks - featured in Thoroughbred Times
March 10, 2012 |
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War
Pass
Majestic Warrior
Ready's Image
Horse Greeley
First Defence
Other
first crop 2yos by: Curlin, Big Brown, Henrythenavigator,
Midnight Lute, Street Boss, Tiz Wonderful, Divine Park,
Brother Derek, Harlington, Into Mischief, Notional, Spring
At Last, Student Council, Zanjero, Red Giant, Elite Squadron,
Magna Graduate, Street Hero, Lewis Michael, Niagara Causeway.
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| Rising
broodmare sires (North American-based, foaled since 1991)
(stakes winners in parentheses) |
| Dehere
(52), Unbridled's Song (44), French Deputy (38), Thunder Gulch
(37), Hennessy (31), Holy Bull (29), Tabasco Cat (29), Smart
Strike (26), Forest Wildcat (22), Maria's Mon (22), Honour
and Glory (21), Spinning World (19), Awesome Again (18), Distorted
Humor (15), Distant View (14), Boston Harbor (13), Grindstone
(13), Langfuhr (13), Mr. Greeley (13), Coronado's Quest (12),
Tale of the Cat (12), Roar (12), Atticus (11), Indian Charlie
(11), Arch (10), Brocco (10), Pulpit (10), Twining (10), Giant's
Causeway (9), Lord Carson (8),
Peaks and Valleys (8), Smoke Glacken (8), Storm Creek (8),
Touch Gold (8), You and I (8), Lite The Fuse (7), Sir Cat
(7), Wekiva Springs (7), Alphabet Soup (6), Captain Bodgit
(6), De Niro (6), King of Kings (IRE) (6), Old Trieste (6),
Mazel Trick (6), Numerous (6), Cat Thief (5), Forestry (5),
Go For Gin (5), Golden Gear (5), Horse Chestnut (5), Petionville
(5), Stormy Atlantic (5), Unaccounted For (5), Valid Expectations
(5), Valid Wager (5), Victory Gallop (5), Cape Town (4), End
Sweep (4), Evansville Slew (4), Fusaichi Pegasus (4), Gold
Fever (4), Grand Slam (4), Lemon Drop Kid (4), Louis Quatorze
(4), Prenup (4), Sea of Secrets (4), Sewickley (4), Siphon
(4), Wild Rush (4) |
| I'll
Have Another wins Robert B. Lewis Stakes -G2 for Flower Alley
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| I
dealt with a lot of good stallions at Three Chimneys Farm,
but I helped pick out Flower Alley for them and it's important
to me that he do well. He already sired the Graded stakes
winning fillies Lilacs and Lace (Ashland Stakes -G1) and Bouquet
Booth (Delta Downs Princess Stakes-G3), so when his good 3-year-old
colt I'll Have Another ran away with the recent Robert B.
Lewis Stakes-G2 at Santa Anita, I was walking on air. Because
Flower Alley is inbred 3x3 to Mr. Prospector, I've discouraged
breeders from adding more Mr. Prospector in his mates and
that's proven good advice. His 3 Graded stakes winners are
out of mares free of additional Mr. Prospector. Yes, he has
2 other stakes winners who do have additional Mr. Prospector
in their dams, but they are not in the same class as runners.
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| Top
10 Leading Sires of 2011 |
Distorted
Humor, Smart Strike, Tapit, Giant's Causeway, Malibu Moon,
More Than Ready, Speightstown, Empire Maker, Medaglia d'Oro,
and Kitten's Joy.
Compare their stud fees...More Than Ready, Speightstown and
Kitten's Joy are over-achievers. Empire Maker is a loss for
us, a gain for Japan. |
| Top
10 Leading Freshman Sires of 2011 |
| Scat
Daddy, Hard Spun, Lawyer Ron, Corinthian, Hat Trick, Flashy
Bull, Sunriver, High Cotton, Master Command, Street Sense.
(Lawyer Ron, Sunriver and Master Command are all unfortunately
deceased.) |
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My
pick for the 2011 Thoroughbred
Times Freshman Sire Contest was Scat Daddy! I was the
only one of the four experts on the panel who selected him.
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| Best
Sire Combacks in 2011 |
| Forestry,
Include, Mineshaft, Northern Afleet, Roman Ruler |
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