Jonathan Sheppard’s habit of feeding Guinness to Forever Together drew plenty of comment when she romped home in the Breeders’ Cup filly race on turf. Seasoned Cup watchers remembered a similar dietary tactic employed by Clive Brittain in winning the Breeders’ Cup Turf with the glorious runner Pebbles.
Irish jockey Pat Eddery exuded confidence about Pebbles defeating colts all week long.
“Never mind the Guinness,” he told me one chilly morning at Aqueduct. “If you’re a betting man, empty your pockets on her.”
Eddery certainly rode as if his pockets were empty, squeezing through a miniscule gap to pip a startled Strawberry Road and Steve Cauthen. Guinness by a head, you might say.
Not a very ladylike drink, that, but one that can get you safely past the winning post without worrying the authorities.
A few years later, I was in England on a tour with former Daily Racing Form columnist Wally Wood who hosted a tour to the Prix de la Arc d’Triomphe in Paris. He let me tag along, gratis, as long as I could pick a winner or two for the busload of pilgrims.
I say “pilgrims” because we decamped in Canterbury to enjoy some sport in Wally’s home country. We went off to Lingfield which offered racing on a newfangled surface called Polytrack. On a raw day we spent most of the afternoon in the bar, braving the elements just long enough to engage in a punt with the bookies.
I was off my game until the last race, a two-mile handicap. Who was in the field but a Clive Brittain runner by Jupiter Island. Brittain had trained that horse to win a Japan Cup.
Obviously, this fellow knew a little bit about training for stamina. The Brittain runner went off l8-to-1 and came home a galloping winner. I wish I could remember whether the race was on dirt or Poly but, never mind, we got the money and caroused our way through every country pub we could find.
Chaucer would have approved.
We sailed on the Dover-Calais ferry on a sunny autumn day—a Canadian World War II veteran sang “There’ll be blue birds over the white cliffs of Dover”-- as we sailed towards the Normandy coast.
We hit Paris with a replenished bankroll. Cash Asmussen let us know that he would not be beaten aboard Suave Dancer; every Englishman at Longchamp that day laid it in on Generous who looked clearly over the top.
Our gang filled their saddlebags at 6-to-l on Suave Dancer while Cash conducting a press interview in French and English, one of the coolest things I’ve seen a jockey do after a big race.
Nov 25, 2008
Oct 29, 2008
FROM WEANLINGS TO "WINLINGS"
Autumn weanling sales take the stage in a few days. Buying young horses for resale a year later is a specialized skill. Now and then I give it a go and have a pretty good track record from small numbers.
In each of the years l998-2000 I bought only one weanling. Two of them were bought with a racing career in mind. The third was earmarked for a pinhook. The results were wildly successful, to say the least.
In l999 I purchased a filly by Cat’s Career for $38,000 at Keeneland. She was out of a mare by leading sire Storm Cat. She earned $280,000 at the races as Galatea Cat..
The next year I spent a measly $3500 to acquire Fourth Floor. I knew the family intimately, having for a brief period owned his half-sister, eventual Gr. 1 winner Lazy Slusan. Fourth Floor was a running machine who earned over $340,000 before being claimed.
Class of 2000 found us procuring a son of Langfuhr named Paradise Dancer for $l0,000.
He failed to grow and we took it on the chin when we sold for only $7,000. He has made almost $600,000 and is still campaigning in stakes company.
Still, you can hardly do better than buy three horses for $5l,500 and see them go on to earn $l.2 million.
Self interest forces me to persuade you to have me try to do the same for you. There is a huge supply to choose from and all expectations point to a buyer’s market. The climate for resale next September seems likely to be more optimistic than the current chaos in the financial markets.
In each of the years l998-2000 I bought only one weanling. Two of them were bought with a racing career in mind. The third was earmarked for a pinhook. The results were wildly successful, to say the least.
In l999 I purchased a filly by Cat’s Career for $38,000 at Keeneland. She was out of a mare by leading sire Storm Cat. She earned $280,000 at the races as Galatea Cat..
The next year I spent a measly $3500 to acquire Fourth Floor. I knew the family intimately, having for a brief period owned his half-sister, eventual Gr. 1 winner Lazy Slusan. Fourth Floor was a running machine who earned over $340,000 before being claimed.
Class of 2000 found us procuring a son of Langfuhr named Paradise Dancer for $l0,000.
He failed to grow and we took it on the chin when we sold for only $7,000. He has made almost $600,000 and is still campaigning in stakes company.
Still, you can hardly do better than buy three horses for $5l,500 and see them go on to earn $l.2 million.
Self interest forces me to persuade you to have me try to do the same for you. There is a huge supply to choose from and all expectations point to a buyer’s market. The climate for resale next September seems likely to be more optimistic than the current chaos in the financial markets.
Oct 28, 2008
CUPS RUNNETH OVER
Four Star Sales had a number of Breeders’ Cup contestants run well at Santa Anita before shipping back to Kentucky for sale at the upcoming auctions at Fasig-Tipton and Keeneland.
Curlin was the featured performer and it pained us (and millions of others) to see him falter in the final yards.
It’s unlikely that defeat did any harm to his half-sister Deputy who is selling under our banner at Fasig-Tipton on November 2 in foal to Curlin’s sire, the mighty Smart Strike.
Deputy’s 2008 colt by Fusaichi Pegasus precedes his dam into the ring.
Munnings did not reproduce his stellar early form in the Juvenile but should bounce back and become a 3-year-old to reckon with.. Another Fasig-Tipton offering is his dam, La Comete in foal to his sire, Speightstown.
City Style garnered fourth money in the Juvenile Turf. His dam Brattothecore sells at Keeneland as Hip 2970, in foal to the young Sunday Silence stallion Hat Trick.. I had the pleasure of purchasing both Brattothecore and her damsire Katahaula County. We privately purchased the pair for under $50,000.
Brattothecore was bred by Bill and Susan Stewart in the Cariboo region of British Columbia. They are among the very few breeders still active in that area and their stress on quality has produced a number of fine horses who thrived outside the province. The interior of BC is cowboy country and it takes true grit to spend the winter foaling mares.
We recall visiting the Stewarts some years back when the mercury dipped to about 30 below zero (Celsius or Fahrenheit, take your pick at that level) and the couple spent the night in the foaling barn. It snowed that night belt buckle deep to a tall cowpoke I was somewhat more comfortable in the farmhouse.
Good sense prevailed a few years later and they relocated to the charming border town of White Rock, BC.
Getting back to the matter at hand, Four Star proudly presents Honey Ryder, the leading money winner at Fasig-Tipton with some $2.8 million in earnings. She sells in foal to Giant’s Causeway.
Stablemate and fellow Grade I millionaire Panty Raid further grace our consignment. The American Oaks victress sells as a broodmare prospect.
Stakes mares Final Fling, Graeme Six, Truly Blushed, Wild Chick, Bold Passage, and Devil House round out our stellar collection.
High Fly is a 2008 half-sister to She’s All Eltish from the second crop of Florida Derby (G I) winner.
Curlin was the featured performer and it pained us (and millions of others) to see him falter in the final yards.
It’s unlikely that defeat did any harm to his half-sister Deputy who is selling under our banner at Fasig-Tipton on November 2 in foal to Curlin’s sire, the mighty Smart Strike.
Deputy’s 2008 colt by Fusaichi Pegasus precedes his dam into the ring.
Munnings did not reproduce his stellar early form in the Juvenile but should bounce back and become a 3-year-old to reckon with.. Another Fasig-Tipton offering is his dam, La Comete in foal to his sire, Speightstown.
City Style garnered fourth money in the Juvenile Turf. His dam Brattothecore sells at Keeneland as Hip 2970, in foal to the young Sunday Silence stallion Hat Trick.. I had the pleasure of purchasing both Brattothecore and her damsire Katahaula County. We privately purchased the pair for under $50,000.
Brattothecore was bred by Bill and Susan Stewart in the Cariboo region of British Columbia. They are among the very few breeders still active in that area and their stress on quality has produced a number of fine horses who thrived outside the province. The interior of BC is cowboy country and it takes true grit to spend the winter foaling mares.
We recall visiting the Stewarts some years back when the mercury dipped to about 30 below zero (Celsius or Fahrenheit, take your pick at that level) and the couple spent the night in the foaling barn. It snowed that night belt buckle deep to a tall cowpoke I was somewhat more comfortable in the farmhouse.
Good sense prevailed a few years later and they relocated to the charming border town of White Rock, BC.
Getting back to the matter at hand, Four Star proudly presents Honey Ryder, the leading money winner at Fasig-Tipton with some $2.8 million in earnings. She sells in foal to Giant’s Causeway.
Stablemate and fellow Grade I millionaire Panty Raid further grace our consignment. The American Oaks victress sells as a broodmare prospect.
Stakes mares Final Fling, Graeme Six, Truly Blushed, Wild Chick, Bold Passage, and Devil House round out our stellar collection.
High Fly is a 2008 half-sister to She’s All Eltish from the second crop of Florida Derby (G I) winner.
Oct 27, 2008
COLLECTUS INTERRUPTUS
One would think by now that I could remember to check my ticket each time I make a bet. An alert mutual clerk once helped me locate an errant winning ducat during the Keeneland spring meet. It seems that I had neglected to pick it up from the machine and the next player had it included in his stack of new bets. It would have cost me $700 had we not recovered it.
Last week I was on the chase of the $3 million Belmont Pick-6. I put in a $500 ticket using three horses in the first leg. As is my habit, I then boxed those same three horses, winning I thought, about the same $500. It’s a good way to hedge and I happily set off to collect. But it seems that the clerk had not punched the trifecta for Belmont, but rather for Keeneland. I failed to notice it because I did not check my ticket.
I offer this as a cautionary tale that might save you a bundle one day. Certain habits you just have to create like flossing, seat belt usage, checking your pari-mutuel tickets.
Last week I was on the chase of the $3 million Belmont Pick-6. I put in a $500 ticket using three horses in the first leg. As is my habit, I then boxed those same three horses, winning I thought, about the same $500. It’s a good way to hedge and I happily set off to collect. But it seems that the clerk had not punched the trifecta for Belmont, but rather for Keeneland. I failed to notice it because I did not check my ticket.
I offer this as a cautionary tale that might save you a bundle one day. Certain habits you just have to create like flossing, seat belt usage, checking your pari-mutuel tickets.
Oct 9, 2008
MAKING THE GRADE
Our fingerprints were evident last weekend when some major Breeders Cup preps were contested. We supplied strategy for breeding two of them, Frizette (G 1) third place finisher Gemswick Park and the Gr 3 third Carnacks Choice.
Gemswick Park is out of Queen’s Park (Relaunch), a filly of modest talent but good enough to win black-type in Winnipeg at my recommendation. She is from one of the foremost families in the stud book and is worth a small fortune.
Carnacks Choice is a son of Ellesmere (Tabasco Cat), another average racer who was shipped off to Fort Erie to become stakes-placed. I had bought Ellesmere when she was the first yearling into the ring at Saratoga.
Gemswick Park and Carnacks Choice demonstrate the importance in assessing residual value. Not everyone is good at it. We thrive on it and have the record to prove it.
Four Star Sales marketed two-year-old star Munnings who finished second in the Champagne (G 1). His dam is included in Four Star’s stellar Fasig-Tipton consignment November 2.
Grade 1 winners Honey Ryder and Panty Raid head the parade of high class mares which also includes graded performers Final Fling and Graeme Six.
Gemswick Park is out of Queen’s Park (Relaunch), a filly of modest talent but good enough to win black-type in Winnipeg at my recommendation. She is from one of the foremost families in the stud book and is worth a small fortune.
Carnacks Choice is a son of Ellesmere (Tabasco Cat), another average racer who was shipped off to Fort Erie to become stakes-placed. I had bought Ellesmere when she was the first yearling into the ring at Saratoga.
Gemswick Park and Carnacks Choice demonstrate the importance in assessing residual value. Not everyone is good at it. We thrive on it and have the record to prove it.
Four Star Sales marketed two-year-old star Munnings who finished second in the Champagne (G 1). His dam is included in Four Star’s stellar Fasig-Tipton consignment November 2.
Grade 1 winners Honey Ryder and Panty Raid head the parade of high class mares which also includes graded performers Final Fling and Graeme Six.
WORDS OF WISDOM
At the racetrack, believe nothing that you hear and half of what you see if you want to succeed. That goes double for business big shots and blowhards who think the game looks easy.
Oct 2, 2008
MORE MAMA MIAS
You might want to know about some other great broodmare purchases. Dams of recent stakes winners like City Style (headed to the Breeders Cup), Shilla, Ronaldino, Schooner Bay, Cherry Mix (Gr. 1) 2nd in the Arc,) Black Jack Road, Chathain (Gr. 2), Archer’s Gal,
All were bought for prices between $l2,000 and $85,000.
Less recent scores include dams of Sharp Cat, Royal Anthem, (Champion) Chillukki, Comeonmom, Sunny Blossom, Highfalutin, Ryson, Riviera Colleen, Muhib, Catahoula Parish, Native Regent, Western Trader, Slyly Gifted, Zippersup, Remember The Roar, Gold For My Gal, Sophisticated Sam, Austin’s Mom, Mountain Fling, Bright Sunny Day, Sunny Forecast, Sandia Slew, Angelica Slew, Chantilly Princess,
All were bought for prices from $7,000 to $200,000. There’s lots more. You get the picture.
All were bought for prices between $l2,000 and $85,000.
Less recent scores include dams of Sharp Cat, Royal Anthem, (Champion) Chillukki, Comeonmom, Sunny Blossom, Highfalutin, Ryson, Riviera Colleen, Muhib, Catahoula Parish, Native Regent, Western Trader, Slyly Gifted, Zippersup, Remember The Roar, Gold For My Gal, Sophisticated Sam, Austin’s Mom, Mountain Fling, Bright Sunny Day, Sunny Forecast, Sandia Slew, Angelica Slew, Chantilly Princess,
All were bought for prices from $7,000 to $200,000. There’s lots more. You get the picture.
THINK ABOUT IT
John Franks was the only man to win four Eclipse Awards as leading owner. Dan Kenny
was his primary adviser during that entire period. Their collaboration was the stuff of legend. What we did for him we can do for you. It is not our usual temper to boast so much but it’s a crowded, noisy universe out there. While shameless commerce prevails where sportsmanship once reigned we march on in search of plausible investment in bloodstock. At the minimum, we can save you from the clutches of various nincompoops, petty gangsters, and people with tape measures in their pocket.
was his primary adviser during that entire period. Their collaboration was the stuff of legend. What we did for him we can do for you. It is not our usual temper to boast so much but it’s a crowded, noisy universe out there. While shameless commerce prevails where sportsmanship once reigned we march on in search of plausible investment in bloodstock. At the minimum, we can save you from the clutches of various nincompoops, petty gangsters, and people with tape measures in their pocket.
Sep 29, 2008
MAMA MIA!
No sooner did I shut my mouth from bragging about Hyperbaric than he up and wins the Grade II Oak Tree Mile in 1:33.3. His earnings now surpass $400,000. You’ll recall that we bought the mare for a mere $19,000.
Another horse living it up is Arden Belle who won a Woodbine stakes recently, moving her earnings over $500,000. We bought her dam, Bow Bell’s Reef, as a March OBS juvenile. She demonstrated ability but lacked soundness. It’s athletic ability that we are looking for and she had already shown it. Bow Bell’s Reef was by Virginia Rapids and her SW daughter was by Dance Brightly. An unexpected place to find a half-million dollar earner.
Shopton Lane just won the Formal Gold S. at Monmouth to move her earnings to nearly $300,000. We bought her dam for Eugene Melnyk ( same for Bow Bell’s Reef) with similar results. She showed some ability on the track and came up with a good one in Shopton Lane. Incidentally, Shopton Lane was recently bought privately and flew the colors of Malih Al Basti for his Jersey score. Mr. Al Basti is our genial host and benefactor during recent visits to Dubai for the World Cup.
McKilts is a mare whose son PV Lightening was in the news for victory in a $100,000 stakes at Delaware. We actually bought and sold the mare twice. The first came at Keeneland November some years back when I landed her for $40,000 on behalf of Canadian client Norman McAllister. He sat inside to watch the bidding and gave me carte blanche to assemble a broodmare band. McKilts was our first purchase and I had no sooner signed the ticket than a fellow offered a $10,000 profit. I searched out Norman and told him of the offer.
While he declined, the incident helped cement the necessary trust in the agent/owner relationship.
“I didn’t know about the offer and I realize that you could have put a fast $10,000 into your pocket, and no one is the wiser,” he said. “I really appreciate what you did.”
Norman had the perfect temperament for the game and we did very well in our time together. He cut his involvement way back for business and personal reasons. I fervently hope he will be back one day.
McKilts, meanwhile, was sold to a Maryland breeder of my acquaintance after a couple of foals in the McAllister camp. I suggested Sultry Song for the mating which produced PV Lightening ($154,364).
We do this sort of thing all the time. November Sales are around the corner. It might be a good idea for you to take advantage of our four decades experience finding the right mare for the right price.
Another horse living it up is Arden Belle who won a Woodbine stakes recently, moving her earnings over $500,000. We bought her dam, Bow Bell’s Reef, as a March OBS juvenile. She demonstrated ability but lacked soundness. It’s athletic ability that we are looking for and she had already shown it. Bow Bell’s Reef was by Virginia Rapids and her SW daughter was by Dance Brightly. An unexpected place to find a half-million dollar earner.
Shopton Lane just won the Formal Gold S. at Monmouth to move her earnings to nearly $300,000. We bought her dam for Eugene Melnyk ( same for Bow Bell’s Reef) with similar results. She showed some ability on the track and came up with a good one in Shopton Lane. Incidentally, Shopton Lane was recently bought privately and flew the colors of Malih Al Basti for his Jersey score. Mr. Al Basti is our genial host and benefactor during recent visits to Dubai for the World Cup.
McKilts is a mare whose son PV Lightening was in the news for victory in a $100,000 stakes at Delaware. We actually bought and sold the mare twice. The first came at Keeneland November some years back when I landed her for $40,000 on behalf of Canadian client Norman McAllister. He sat inside to watch the bidding and gave me carte blanche to assemble a broodmare band. McKilts was our first purchase and I had no sooner signed the ticket than a fellow offered a $10,000 profit. I searched out Norman and told him of the offer.
While he declined, the incident helped cement the necessary trust in the agent/owner relationship.
“I didn’t know about the offer and I realize that you could have put a fast $10,000 into your pocket, and no one is the wiser,” he said. “I really appreciate what you did.”
Norman had the perfect temperament for the game and we did very well in our time together. He cut his involvement way back for business and personal reasons. I fervently hope he will be back one day.
McKilts, meanwhile, was sold to a Maryland breeder of my acquaintance after a couple of foals in the McAllister camp. I suggested Sultry Song for the mating which produced PV Lightening ($154,364).
We do this sort of thing all the time. November Sales are around the corner. It might be a good idea for you to take advantage of our four decades experience finding the right mare for the right price.
Sep 27, 2008
MORE STUDLY DO-RIGHTS
While we were slugging it out at the Keeneland Sale a number of our previous success stories were on display.
Hyperbaric became a stakes winner –having already placed in a Grade I-during the Del Mar meeting. We bought her dam for a measly $l9,000 while in foal to the solid sire Diesis. Owner Jack Chamblin took my suggestion and bred the mare back to Sky Classic, one of the best values in town, especially for a racing stable. “Hyperbaric is the best horse I have ever bred”, said the former University of Illinois footballer.
Again, common sense, a good memory and connections made up the winning formula.
Teasing Charm was a solid stakes-winner from the John Franks Farm family of Grade I winner Heatherten. The latter was in fact Franks’ first Grade I winner and she liked it enough to win four of them.
Heatherten’s half-brother Bull In The Heather (Ferdinand) also won the Grade I Florida Derby. With folks like that it took little courage to pony up a few grand to acquire a Halo stakes-winner who was herself out of a half-sister to Heatherten and Bull In The Heather.
Another astute acquisition on Franks’ behalf was Barkerville Belle, third dam of Garden City Stakes (Grade I) heroine Backseat Rhythm. Barkerville Belle was bought off the backstretch of Hastings Park (nee Exhibition Park) in Vancouver. She was by Ruthie’s Native, hardly a household word, but Franks gave us the green light to buy her and it was a fortuitous move. Barkerville Belle-named for a gold rush town in the Canadian hinterland-won numerous stakes for Franks and she also produced four stakes-winners.
We were engaged by Stonerside Stable a few years ago to purchase some hard-hitting stakes mares for eventual matings with Congaree. Brattothecore fit the description to a T, earning $322,000 on the Ontario circuit. Her first foal, City Style, recently won the Sunday Silence at Louisiana Downs over 1 1/16 miles of turf and is reportedly pointed to the Breeders’ Cup.
Brattothecore is by Katahaula County and therein lies a story. The phone rang one day some years ago from the late trainer Dave McLean in Toronto. Dave had trained Katahaula County for Bruce Duchossois and the horse was going to be tried as a jumper after a Grade III career on the track. But the horse could be bought right then for $20,000. He was due to leave Keeneland on a van within the hour. Ten minutes later I was handing Dave a check. I rang up my good friend Dr. Bryan Anderson and sold him the horse. I wasn’t smart enough to keep any equity in the horse, save some breeding rights, but was truly happy to see them reap the rewards of owning a top regional sire..
Katahaula County was an instant success. He benefited greatly from the deep pool of Vice Regent blood throughout Canada and the Bold Ruckus/Nearctic nick has prospered for nearly two decades. Daughters of Katahaula County are carrying the banner, too.
Golden Ratio, out of a Katahaula County mare, won a Canadian stakes over the weekend.
A stallion named Katowice is another piece of our handiwork. You see his name from time to time as the sire of some pretty decent horses. We got involved when Canadian breeders Rick and Lois Clough asked me to check out a son of Danzig as a stallion prospect for British Columbia. Owner Arthur Appleton was seeking a lease for the colt who was bred in the purple. His agent was also bred in purple…Californian Albert Yank who was notorious for his colorful garb which nearly always included a hue that reminded me of Welch’s grape jelly.
The horse was an unraced 4-year-old but Yank laid a good enough story on me that I agreed to go to Kentucky to evaluate the situation. It was a cold, snowy November afternoon when I first saw Katowice leave the barn at Summerhill Farm on Old Frankfort Pike near Lexington. It was love at first sight.
So I called trainer Bill Badgett who had the horse for Appleton. “He was cut out to be a real runner, the best 2-year-old I had that year. He worked in :59 at Saratoga but he had knee spurs that kept him sore all the time. We gave him time and he came back to work in 1:12. We got excited again but finally had to give up. But there’s no doubt he had ability, “ he said.
Physically he was gorgeous except for a toed in left foot, a common Danzig trait. Pedigree could not be better…out of a half-sister to Mr. Prospector. We took out a four year lease with some options and sent him off to Vancouver. Katowice sired a top horse in his first crop, Kid Katabatic. A product of a mating with a $2500 mare, Kid Katabatic won the Longacres Mile in track record time.We knew we were on to something then.
Things went smoothly until the lease was up for renewal. There had been three management changes in three years at that time and Katowice got caught in some legal skirmishing. A judge ruled that he be allowed to go to Florida.
Katowice cooled off after all that turmoil and he was returned to the Pacific Northwest, this time in Seattle.
It was no picnic selling four-year breedings rights when Katowice came to BC. Friends were skeptical. “Didn’t you preach never to breed to an unraced stud,” he said.
“Guilty as charged,” I answered. “But it’s like the final scene in the great poker movie, The Cincinnati Kid. Edward G. Robinson takes the pot and busts out Steve McQueen.
The Kid cannot believe how Robinson drew against the odds and beat him.”
“Sometimes,” said Robinson,” You have to be right for the wrong reason.”
Hyperbaric became a stakes winner –having already placed in a Grade I-during the Del Mar meeting. We bought her dam for a measly $l9,000 while in foal to the solid sire Diesis. Owner Jack Chamblin took my suggestion and bred the mare back to Sky Classic, one of the best values in town, especially for a racing stable. “Hyperbaric is the best horse I have ever bred”, said the former University of Illinois footballer.
Again, common sense, a good memory and connections made up the winning formula.
Teasing Charm was a solid stakes-winner from the John Franks Farm family of Grade I winner Heatherten. The latter was in fact Franks’ first Grade I winner and she liked it enough to win four of them.
Heatherten’s half-brother Bull In The Heather (Ferdinand) also won the Grade I Florida Derby. With folks like that it took little courage to pony up a few grand to acquire a Halo stakes-winner who was herself out of a half-sister to Heatherten and Bull In The Heather.
Another astute acquisition on Franks’ behalf was Barkerville Belle, third dam of Garden City Stakes (Grade I) heroine Backseat Rhythm. Barkerville Belle was bought off the backstretch of Hastings Park (nee Exhibition Park) in Vancouver. She was by Ruthie’s Native, hardly a household word, but Franks gave us the green light to buy her and it was a fortuitous move. Barkerville Belle-named for a gold rush town in the Canadian hinterland-won numerous stakes for Franks and she also produced four stakes-winners.
We were engaged by Stonerside Stable a few years ago to purchase some hard-hitting stakes mares for eventual matings with Congaree. Brattothecore fit the description to a T, earning $322,000 on the Ontario circuit. Her first foal, City Style, recently won the Sunday Silence at Louisiana Downs over 1 1/16 miles of turf and is reportedly pointed to the Breeders’ Cup.
Brattothecore is by Katahaula County and therein lies a story. The phone rang one day some years ago from the late trainer Dave McLean in Toronto. Dave had trained Katahaula County for Bruce Duchossois and the horse was going to be tried as a jumper after a Grade III career on the track. But the horse could be bought right then for $20,000. He was due to leave Keeneland on a van within the hour. Ten minutes later I was handing Dave a check. I rang up my good friend Dr. Bryan Anderson and sold him the horse. I wasn’t smart enough to keep any equity in the horse, save some breeding rights, but was truly happy to see them reap the rewards of owning a top regional sire..
Katahaula County was an instant success. He benefited greatly from the deep pool of Vice Regent blood throughout Canada and the Bold Ruckus/Nearctic nick has prospered for nearly two decades. Daughters of Katahaula County are carrying the banner, too.
Golden Ratio, out of a Katahaula County mare, won a Canadian stakes over the weekend.
A stallion named Katowice is another piece of our handiwork. You see his name from time to time as the sire of some pretty decent horses. We got involved when Canadian breeders Rick and Lois Clough asked me to check out a son of Danzig as a stallion prospect for British Columbia. Owner Arthur Appleton was seeking a lease for the colt who was bred in the purple. His agent was also bred in purple…Californian Albert Yank who was notorious for his colorful garb which nearly always included a hue that reminded me of Welch’s grape jelly.
The horse was an unraced 4-year-old but Yank laid a good enough story on me that I agreed to go to Kentucky to evaluate the situation. It was a cold, snowy November afternoon when I first saw Katowice leave the barn at Summerhill Farm on Old Frankfort Pike near Lexington. It was love at first sight.
So I called trainer Bill Badgett who had the horse for Appleton. “He was cut out to be a real runner, the best 2-year-old I had that year. He worked in :59 at Saratoga but he had knee spurs that kept him sore all the time. We gave him time and he came back to work in 1:12. We got excited again but finally had to give up. But there’s no doubt he had ability, “ he said.
Physically he was gorgeous except for a toed in left foot, a common Danzig trait. Pedigree could not be better…out of a half-sister to Mr. Prospector. We took out a four year lease with some options and sent him off to Vancouver. Katowice sired a top horse in his first crop, Kid Katabatic. A product of a mating with a $2500 mare, Kid Katabatic won the Longacres Mile in track record time.We knew we were on to something then.
Things went smoothly until the lease was up for renewal. There had been three management changes in three years at that time and Katowice got caught in some legal skirmishing. A judge ruled that he be allowed to go to Florida.
Katowice cooled off after all that turmoil and he was returned to the Pacific Northwest, this time in Seattle.
It was no picnic selling four-year breedings rights when Katowice came to BC. Friends were skeptical. “Didn’t you preach never to breed to an unraced stud,” he said.
“Guilty as charged,” I answered. “But it’s like the final scene in the great poker movie, The Cincinnati Kid. Edward G. Robinson takes the pot and busts out Steve McQueen.
The Kid cannot believe how Robinson drew against the odds and beat him.”
“Sometimes,” said Robinson,” You have to be right for the wrong reason.”
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
