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Buy, Buy, Buy in November

 

If you haven't said bye, bye, bye to your money during the recent financial turmoil sweeping the nation and spreading around the world, then November should be a good time to buy, buy, buy broodmares.

 

There will be a huge quantity of horses on the market during the November breeding stock sales in Kentucky, and there also will be a lot of quality mares up for grabs.

 

Geoffrey Russell, Keeneland's director of sales, doesn't like to discuss an upcoming auction before the company has issued its official press release, but the talk during the Keeneland September yearling sale was that the number of lots for the November breeding stock sale would exceed 6,000. Many mares will be in there because their owners consider them to be failures, but savvy horsemen can find producers that haven't been bred properly based on their bloodlines or mares with reproductive problems that a smart veterinarian can correct or find ways to overcome. Keeneland traditionally doesn't promote individual horses in its sale press releases, but there is no doubt that there will be some very well-bred, top-producing mares in the opening sessions of the auction.

 

The Fasig-Tipton Kentucky November select sale usually is much smaller in size than its Keeneland counterpart, but quality won't be a problem.  The mares that will be offered Better Than Honour, the 2007 Kentucky Broodmare of the Year and the dam of two Belmont Stakes (gr. I) winners. Also in the catalog are numerous grade I-winning racing and/or broodmare prospects such as Backseat Rhythm, Panty Raid, Unbridled Belle, and Intangaroo.

 

When the yearling market is down, horsemen often are reluctant to buy mares, which are the factories. The prices for top yearlings remained solid this year, but tended to more reasonable in the past, and the same thing should happen with the best broodmares. It is also less likely that someone will rush into this year's November sales with the idea buying a lot of mares to build up a new breeding operation, so maybe the competition won't be so stiff.

 

If you can avoid a bidding battle with Sheikh Mohammed's bloodstock manager or Coolmore Stud's Demi O'Byrne, you just might get a bargain. Well, maybe not a true bargain, but the price could be less than it was a for a comparable mare in years past.

Take a look at the story about the Fasig-Tipton sale on our Web site and let us know which one of the top winning females or producers you would most like to buy and why. If you pick a racing or broodmare prospect, tell us which stallion you would breed her to and why.

    

6 Comments:

I would love to have Honey Ryder. I fell in love with her during the 2007 racing season. Unfortunely, I don't have 7 figures in my bank account. Well wishes to the lucky high bidder

MRO 22 Sep 2008 7:58 PM

If I could buy any broodmare, I would buy Better Than Honour!!  She is in a class all by herself!!  Not only has she produced Jazil and Rags to Riches as Belmont winners, but she has also produced Casino Drive, who I am positive would have won the Belmont Stakes as well, with or without Big Brown!!  Unfortunately he got hurt a couple of days before the Belmont.  If I could buy her, I would breed her back to A.P. Indy, my favorite stallion, again!!  My second choice is a toss up between Mineshaft and Pulpit.  The Seattle Slew bloodline is the greatest!!

Pamela R. Kafton 23 Sep 2008 12:34 AM

I disagree with the premise of this article. If the buyers aren't there, the sellers will merely shrink the supply by withdrawing horses from the sale. This is what happened after 9/11 and what happened after the MRLS catastrophe. This will not be a fire sale.

Tom Coulter 23 Sep 2008 4:21 PM

I'd just love to get to the sales from New Zealand and attend for the 16th successive year  

Robt Dawe 23 Sep 2008 5:48 PM

The other thing is when people are buying these horses they are buying them at there top value say ten years down the road they bought a broodmare prospect for $2,700,000(that is a lot of money to most people)and she hasn't produced anything her value is now very low the best way to buy usually is buy low sell hi and that is true sometimes but i just think that sometimes they are just looking at the prize and forgetting there pocket books

Michelle Palmer 24 Sep 2008 11:53 AM

Those who want quality broodmares need to start reading the farm & garden section on Craigslist and other local sales ads to find the bargains.  Friends of mine purchased six-figure-earners Aly's Question (Alysheba daughter) and Bold Engagement (Bold Ruckus) recently - for $200 a piece.  

Check out ads, e-mail to ask the mare's registered name. You'd be shocked at what gets "lost" and if you have enough of an eye to see quality regardless of current condition, you'll really find the deals.  

Cathy Atkinson 20 Dec 2008 12:07 AM

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