Storm Cat Bargains?

When Storm Cat lost some of his luster at last year's yearling auctions, it wasn't good news for breeders based on the stallion's $500,000 stud fee in 2006 when those horses were conceived. But the situation did open a window of opportunity for yearling-to-juvenile pinhookers.

Four Storm Cat offspring were sold during this year's select sales of 2-year-oldsd in training and three had been sold previously as weanlings.

Mr Mistoffelees, out of Country Romance, was purchased by Ricky Leppala, agent, for $300,000 as a weanling and was resold for $1.5 million as a 2-year-old and has since broken his maiden.

A filly out of Trail Robbery was purchased by Don Mattox and Hoby and Layna Kight as a yearling for $450,000 and was resold as a 2-year-old for $875,000.

And Thunderous Mood, a colt of Warm Mood, was purchased by Bradley Thoroughbreds and McMahon Bloodstock for $400,000 as a yearling and was resold for $575,000 as a 2-year-old.

Storm Cat was the leading sire for the five major select sales of 2-year-olds in training, with four offspring selling for an average price of $837,500. The non-pinhooked horse in that group was Don Gato (a colt out of Here I Go), who brought $800,000.

During the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. spring sale of 2-year-olds in training, an open auction, a Storm Cat colt out of Nany's Sweep brought $400,000 after being purchased as a yearling for $200,000.

These bargains probably won't last long. With Storm Cat suffering fertility problems, people will soon realize the future supply of his offspring will be limited and that should, eventually, raise the prices for his yearlings again.