Paul Reddam Guest Blog

re: Paul Reddam Guest Blog

Bellwether — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 17:43:55 GMT

After reading this I have a ton of respect for Paul Reddam when it comes to IHA...Period...

re: Paul Reddam Guest Blog

GayleReddam — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 01:33:55 GMT

Your cousin Gayle in Windsor says you did everything right...we've become horse racing fans and attend Gulf Stream while we're in Florida. We hear you are bringing I've Had Enough this Sat. For the Stakes race..Hope to see you there..Gayle is going to call your dad back in Windsor in hopes we can connect with you..Good Luck

re: Paul Reddam Guest Blog

Uncle Smiley — Sun, 22 Jul 2012 00:33:25 GMT

Steve,

Thanks for this opportunity to read Mr. Reddam's comments and reflections. It is obvious that he and Doug O'Neill were selfless in scratching IHA.

Shipping the horse to Japan is a business decission. I would think IHA's welfare there is as good as here, if not better.

re: Paul Reddam Guest Blog

Dark Horse — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 10:48:52 GMT

I love I'll Have Another, but am not really buying Reddam's story. Of course he's going to say all the right things if he choses to come on here. What else would you expect? Read between the lines. Ten million is a nice round number. What are the odds that wasn't an offer from Japan, but a number he gave them? And how long did he shop the horse in the US? If you want 10 million, maybe it would take a little longer than what? Two weeks? If he had cared about the horse, or racing fans for that matter, he would have told the trainer to nurse him back to health, rather than worry that this might undermine his future value, because he had no absolute certainty that IHA would come back as strong. Horse racing doesn't need owners like this. This horse had a lot of heart. Unfortunately, his owner had none.

re: Paul Reddam Guest Blog

Slew — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 11:25:26 GMT

ole railbird: I love your comments, and enjoy reading them. I do agree that conformation of the horse itself, can contribute to damage, though I didn't want to get into technicalities with my response to new fan because IHA's problem seems to arise more from the strenuous workouts he put in.

According to veterinarians,

"Damage to flexor tendons occurs commonly during exercise. Moderately strenuous exercise can result in tearing of fibers in horses that are not fit. Even in fit horses, over stretching of tendons can occur during fast work, work on unleveled ground, work involving jumping at speed, racing, or training. The degree of damage can range from minor, with little fiber damage to very severe with total tendon rupture occurring."

"Developmental tendon problems are classified as either congenital or acquired. Congenital deformities are present at birth, whereas acquired deformities generally develop during periods of growth."

IHA's previous success leads me to believe his tendon problem was acquired rather than congenital. Acquired traits are not passed on in breeding.

re: Paul Reddam Guest Blog

an ole railbird — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 22:26:53 GMT

hello mr slew, i would like to comment on your opinion about tendonitis. what you said was partically true.

a bowed tendon is more common in a horse with long cannon bones & long pastens. if his ankle & knee set extra high & that foot is not at the right angle, it is a bow waiting to happen.

upon impact, that length will give more, than if short. this creates more pressure on the tendon.

1 of my old guuruus, always said ,more length, more limber.

have a nice day.

"an ole rail bird"

re: Paul Reddam Guest Blog

Slew — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 17:04:04 GMT

New Racing Fan: Tendonitis, or the more serious lesion in a tendon is the result of a strain of that tendon, and not a conformation flaw. It is therefore not a transferable genetic trait.

Sceptre and railbird: While I find the information in pedigree research fascinating, it gives me a picture only of possibilities based on the performance of previous generations. I think I gain the most in actually watching the performance of the horse itself. I think Bodemeister can run all day, but he seems to do best on the lead, even though he will fight back when headed. I find it to be a bit of a drawback for him. I'll Have Another, on the other hand, can also run all day, BUT he has the tactical speed to start from anywhere on the track, and still find the wire first. It's the heart and intelligence of the individual horse that sets him apart. His pedigree itself can't give me that, although it can act as a guide to possible limitations.

For some vague reason, I so often refer back to Slew as to individuality. He had excellent breeding that goes back to Nasrullah on top, and Princequillo in his dam. Wow! But nothing in his pedigree ever indicated his fierceness, his uncanny ability to intimidate other horses and even their jockeys, or the fact that he would be such a clumsy 2 year old. We know he like to run in front, but he had the ability to rate. However, if he wanted to be in front, he ran over anything that got in his way to get to the lead. He became a legend not just because of his breeding, but because of his individuality, his heart, and his uncanny intelligence that dictated which mares he would breed to. For all his progeny, I've yet to see another Slew (though Vindication came close). Some things cannot be duplicated, even with the best breeding.

Secretariat had a similar Nasrullah x Princequillo breeding. And there is no explanation for him except maybe he came from another planet. As much as we try in breeding, there is no duplicate.

So pedigree is only part of the equation in an individual. Horses are as different as you and I. My children were all given the same genetic and environmental opportunities, and yet they differ from one another dramatically.

Which means breeding itself is a very big gamble. And breeders in the USA were simply more willing to gamble on Bodemeister than IHA.

I might have chosen the tactical horse with speed over the green horse showing raw speed...but it's not my field, and not my place to say which will be the better bet in the future.

re: Paul Reddam Guest Blog

an ole railbird — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 14:39:52 GMT

sceptre,

i do apprecate your opinion. it is well researched, & well stated.

my formular is 1, that i have devolped, over the years out of nessesity. as i have never had a expert to show me the proper way to do it. however our conclusions, are very close to being the same.

having said that, i still understand that slecting individuals for mating purposes is some sort of a crap shoot. however i have been successiful in breeding several species( &selecting animals for purchase). by looking on their female line, for outstanding females. if the top side(the male line ) is of average quality. and i can find, 2 outstanding females in 5 generations, of the female line. then this is the animal, i select. it has worked in the majority of cases, in horses, cattle, sheep,goats,& working & hunting dogs.

imo. i would rather have an outstanding bred mare& a average stallion. than an outstanding stallion & a average mare. ( case in point dullahan. the best of him has not showed up yet). i believe his momma will produce runners out of anything.

i offer all of this as my opinion. & would welcome intelligent debate.

when in pursuit of the perfect horse, i will gladly stand corrected,on any of my opinions. thank you sceptre for your participation.

wish happy days to all,

i remain ," an ole railbird".

re: Paul Reddam Guest Blog

JayJay — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 06:29:41 GMT

I don't know if you can ask anymore from an owner who didn't need to explain his decision but did so publicly. Providing the details of what transpired from IHA scratching to the sale makes it even more admirable.

I appreciate your honesty Mr. Reddam and I think you did the right thing without any doubt. Fans tends to forget this is business, as much as I hate losing our good horses overseas, I would rather lose them than see them fail to pass on their genes.

I hope you get another horse that takes you back on the TC trail next year. Just don't forget to take me with you, I'll carry your luggage, make your coffee and will even do your laundry. Thanks for the candid blog Mr Reddam!

re: Paul Reddam Guest Blog

sceptre — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 04:39:30 GMT

an ole railbird,

Hope you're still breathing (only with reference to your "baited breath" remark). Sorry I took a while to get back to you, but learned today of the passing of my old good friend, Tony Leonard, so I wasn't up to replying until now. Tony was a horse photographer without peer, a true perfectionist who would refuse to click the shutter until the pose was just right. He also had the artistic "eye" to see the ideal pose. He was a kind, good, and giving friend. His ideal conformation shots of the many stallions will serve as a superb reference for students of the breed in the years to come. If you want to know what they truly looked like, seek out Tony's shots. Munnings (in years past) painted them to look their best; Tony photographed them to look their best.

Now, to respond to your two questions-

A P Indy appears as one of eight influences in the 3rd generation of Bodemeister (one of four in his female line 3rd generation). So, on average, that's the extent of his degree of impact on Bodemeister. Also, I don't see A P Indy as a one-dimensional pure stamina influence. As said before, Bodemeister's Storm Cat dam displayed precocious speed, and due to her proximity (in the pedigree) she should exert far more influence than A P Indy. The speed influence, Storm Cat, itself is in closer proximity than A P Indy. Looking back further in Bodemeister's tail-female you will find Bitty Girl. She is a speed influence and was essentially bred for speed. Even Nijit, her Nijinsky II daughter (closer up in Bodemeister's pedigree) exhibited more speed than your typical Nijinsky II. So, yes, I would say that much of Bodemeister's female line tends toward speed-it's not out and out speed (won't find that very often), but there's plenty there...On Flower Alley- no, I don't consider him to be a "router" (your term, not mine). To most, a router connotes a rather one-dimensional stayer, and if you study his racing charts you'll see that he demonstrated a reasonable amount of speed, and was certainly a good miler. To my mind, a good miler isn't what I would call a "router", even though the horse was very capable of excelling at 10 f. Just like I wouldn't label a Buckpasser to be a "router". Also, Flower Alley's pedigree is very much of middle distance-type (ex. both his sire and dam sire were probably best at about a mile). But, no more back and forths on all this, as I don't have the patience for nit picking. Certainly there's a broader explanation to my conclusion, but I hope this should suffice. If you want to learn more about pedigrees-the ins and outs-read about it, and/or start frequenting the TrueNicks blog on this BloodHorse site. It's often very informative.

re: Paul Reddam Guest Blog

sceptre — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 20:49:46 GMT

JereyBoy,

Now you've found a way to put both feet in your mouth. Are you sure you're even able to grasp the point you were trying to convey?...You may have need to consult Wikipedia on this matter, but I don't-and, for that matter, the Wiki text neither supported your ?position, nor refuted mine-but, I suppose that's also beyond your grasp...The breeding "qualities" and aptitudes of Lady Josephine and her daughter, Mumtaz Mahal were apparent by the time of conception for Abernant and Tudor Minstrel. Neither horses' performance was a genetic (or pedigree) surprise. When I had previously cited Graustark it was to acknowledge that pedigree, while often fairly predictive re-aptitude-, can sometimes prove otherwise-reason: only a portion of the genes are inherited from each parent, etc. So, it was already said here on this blog-before your post-, but I suppose you missed it, it was beyond your comprehension, or whatever. My point (to you) was that you chose the wrong examples to emphasize your position...The reason I didn't mention The Tetrarch-another speed influence, and sire of Mumtaz Mahal-is because I was able to demonstrate my point without need of him. Let's face it, you chose Owen Tudor and specifically his sons Abernant and Tudor Minstrel as a means to refute the predictive ability of pedigree analysis. Problem is, you neglected to factor in the bottom half pedigrees of both your examples-Abernant and Tudor Minstrel. Hmm-what does that tell you about your understanding of the "mechanics" of pedigree, genetics, or, for that matter, ability to reason? So, please don't waste my time, or the time of others, with your foolish rantings.

re: Paul Reddam Guest Blog

an ole railbird — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 20:09:44 GMT

ok mr sceptre, ill try 1 more time, tocompare notes with you on our discusson of pedigrees. this my third attempt. either the submit button on my computer is not working properly or there is someone in the screening process, that doesnt agree with me.

i do not completely disagree, with you. but before i agree with you , i want to clairify some things.

1st, how do you justify calling ap indys blood lines as speed?

2nd. what is your opinion of flower alley? due to the fact that flower alley, won going 11/4, do you consider him a router?

in a previous articule i illustrated my opinion of iha, in what i thought was a nice way. but it never made the post. so let put it another way.

iwasnt familiar with iha until the running of the lewis stakes. i had only a glimpes of oneil & company. i was faintly familiar with mr reddam. but after seeing iha in the lewis, i knew that he was 1 of the best 3 yr. olds out there.

mostly due to him, i have had the best year ,gambling, that i have had since big brown got beat in the belmont. i feel like he has the best turn of foot, seen in american racing for several years.

i also feel like bodemiester, paynter or hansen would make him spit the bit, in 7/8 of a mile if he was sent to the front to duel with them.

last but not least but not least. if iha had belonged to me. there would not have been all this ordeal a bout him going to japan, because i would have GELDED him when he was a 2 year old. & he would have been another kelso.

im sorry but i see nothing that impresses me to think he will be another mr prospector, or even another candy ride

no doubt, he will get a lot of classey mares, put under him, by the japanese& will produce a few runners. the law of averages are on his side. as long as iha has as many of his male ancestors as he has,still in the breeders market he would not have gotten a big price for a stud fee, in the states.

sceptre, i await your answer with, baited breath.

i wish a nice day for all.

" an ole railbird"

re: Paul Reddam Guest Blog

Ranagulzion — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 20:00:08 GMT

Sceptre,

My comment regarding the Raise A Native line speaks to precosity i.e. the propensity for early development as 2YO stars and early spring 3YO Triple Crown contenders (not exclusively about speed). Both Bodemeister and I'll Have Another possess pedigrees that are likely to produce precocious offsprings as sires. Empire Maker was a precocious colt whose debut (a winning one) was delayed (October 2002) by the late Bobby Frankel due to soundness issues. Also I wouldn't say that the genetic effect of an influential sire like Raise A Native, appearing in the 5th generation is extremely limited (thats a matter of opinion).

I do like to read your comments on pedigree matters but your posts would make for more pleasant reading if you would resist the temptation to be insulting/condescending to those with whom you are contending, especially when the argument is about differing points of view rather than a misrepresentation of what you wrote. Peace.

re: Paul Reddam Guest Blog

JerseyBoy — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 19:10:03 GMT

sceptre:

You could simply have gone to Wikipedia and read before putting both feet in.

Here is a quote about Owen Tudor:

“Although he had shown his best form in long distance races he sired outstanding performers with a range of aptitudes including the sprinter Abernant, the miler Tudor Minstrel and the middle distance performers Tudor Era and Right Royal.”

How could one have predicted which ones would be sprinters or routers BEFOREHAND? That is the issue. Anyone can predict an outcome the way you did years after the event.

If you had checked you would also have noticed:

“Tudor Minstrel started at odds of 4/7 at Epsom on a cold, wet day in front of an estimated 400,000 spectators including the King and Queen. Doubts about his stamina were countered by those who pointed out that his pedigree contained many good stayers, with one observer stating that Tudor Minstrel could win the race even if he were hitched to a cart”.

He failed to stay. But the connections tried. That is how we know he could not stay.

Whoever you are, there is little you can tell me about the pedigree of horses. I can read.

Where have I ever said “pedigree has no bearing on performance”?

If I have the performance, I rely on the performance not the pedigree.

Do not attribute ideas to me.

By the way, I remember you questioning the idea that horses should qualify for greatness even if they did not win distance races.

Nice to see you remember The Tetrarch.

re: Paul Reddam Guest Blog

an ole railbird — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 17:15:24 GMT

about tudor minster & horses that throw strange traits.

there once was tb stallion, a double bred grand son of tudor minstrel,( equal amount of blood coming from each parent). that had as much cow sense as most of the native texascow horses. it became a desired line to be crossed on quarter horses ,used for cow work. its still alive & well to this day.

there have been a few tb to have these traits. but they are few & for between. but it has always puzzled me as to where that gene comes from ,in a pure tb line.

my guess is that is probaly something that we will never know for sure >

have a nice day. "an ole railbird".

re: Paul Reddam Guest Blog

sceptre — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 17:10:44 GMT

JerseyBoy,

Your lack of perspective on the history of the breed and thoroughbred pedigrees is well illustrated in your recent post. In your effort to put forth the notion that pedigree has no bearing on performance you have chosen rather poor examples to demonstrate your point. Both Abernant and Tudor Minstrel are rather closely related. Yes, both are sired by Owen Tudor, but they also share one of the most SPEED oriented female families in the stud book-that of Lady Josephine. Abernant, for that matter, has as his 2nd dam, Mumtaz Mahal (known as the "Flying Filly", and for good reason, as she was considered in her day the fleetest of female sprinters), whose dam was Lady Josephine. Incidentally, while Abernant was a champion sprinter, Tudor Minstrel was also brilliantly fast. So, before you consider putting your foot in you mouth again, READ AND LEARN instead.

re: Paul Reddam Guest Blog

an ole railbird — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 15:39:43 GMT

you dont have to waste you time worrying that hansen, might go to the slaughter. slaughter houses shy away from white horses & any horse with no pigment in his skin. because the biggest percentage of them have skin cancer. the carcass will not meet grade & will be used for pet food.

and no im not a buyer for slaughter houses & have never been. but i realize that the slaughter market is essential, for a healthy horse market. therefore i am broad minded enough to keep track of their likes & dislikes.

have a nice day,

" an ole railbird".

re: Paul Reddam Guest Blog

JerseyBoy — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 15:23:10 GMT

Discussions about pedigree are always fascinating.

Even when one goes back more than half a century, one can find interesting results.

Take the sire Owen Tudor.

Owen Tudor produced 2 of the all-time greats.

His son Abernant, born 1946, was ranked 142 by Timeform.

His son Tudor Minstrel, born 1944, was ranked 144 by Timeform.

Owen Tudor, born 1938, won the Derby and the Gold Cup. He was a son of Hyperion.

What did Abernant and Tudor Minstrel have in common with Owen Tudor and Hyperion?

Not much.

Abernant was a sprinter. Tudor Minstrel was a miler.

Tudor Minstrel produced the speedball Tudor Melody, a prolific sire of precocious runners.

This is the reason I judge horses by their performance, not their pedigree.

I use pedigree mainly to assess the potential of untested horses.

Good luck to those who think they can predict the outcome of a mating.

Remember Discreetly Mine?

Breeders have a difficult job.

re: Paul Reddam Guest Blog

an ole railbird — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 15:13:13 GMT

good morning world, its a lovely day in arkansas. i hope it is a pretty day where ever you are.

mr sceptre, ( i am going to assume you are male ).

i appreciate your offer to dicuss pedigrees with me. i dont nessesaryly disagree with you. but before i agree with you ,i need to know how you arrived at some of your conculisions.

1st. how do you justify classing AP INDYS blood lines as speed.

2nd. i havent heard your opinion of FLOWER ALLEY. he won @ 11/4 , does this classify him as a router.? how do you count his in flunce?

i want to state my poisition, of ill have another.

i wasnt formuliar with him ,until the lewis stakes. ihad a faint knowledge of oneal & com.

after watching the lewis stakes, i classified iha as a race horse in the 1st degree. i have used him to key several winning tickets. this year has been the best year for me since betting against big brown in the belmont. & largely because of iha.

haveing said that, let me explain that my retirement was based on a HEALTHY horse market. so needless to say i am at a financial disadvantage. each & every horse that i accrue, must offer me some chance @ roi.

now lets venture over in fanticy land . (yes its the same so many of our beloved fans live in).

lets say i have a mare thats a full sister to bodemiester, & she has a like racing record to his .

in our fantisy ,iam offered a free stallion service to ill have another with a free van ride to & from stud farm. i am also offered to a free service from arch, but it does not come with free van service. i would walk & lead this mare down the side of the hiway to breed to arch!!!

oh i am sure that iha will make some sort of a sire now. the japanese will put enough class mares under him, he will have to get some colts that will run. the law of averages will take care of that. but he would neverget that class of mares to him, had he stood in the states. if it came to me having to make a living with him, (iha). i had rather have him as a partically bowed gelding, to race. than depend on his stud fees for a living.

if he proves me wrong ,ill eat my words. when in the pursuit of perfection ,for a horse, i do not mind standing corrected , not 1 bit.

mr sceptre, i will await your opinion, with baited breath.

thanks to all. have a nice day, i remain "an ole railbird".

re: Paul Reddam Guest Blog

ksweatman9 — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 11:55:29 GMT

Oh my gosh, how did I miss Dr. Hansen's comment? Brutally honest. You know doc, that white pony of yours would've saddled up to run the Belmont for the crown come hell or high water unless a dozen vets told you, "can't do it". That's okay, it would've taken two dozen vets for me, and it wouldn't have been because I didn't love my horse. If you were to sell your pony to Japan, would you forget to draw up a buy back clause to keep Hansen out of the slaughter house? I doubt it, and I also doubt that Reddham ever "loved" a horse in his life, but that's a mute point. Keep your gorgeous colt safe and sound. One of my very favorite thoroughbreds, Caleb's Posse, is now out of the picture too, so sad. I will miss his closing kick. They seem to fall like dominoes. I hope Hansen will do what most can't, stay healthy. That's a great accomplishment within itself. I wish you many races and many trips to the winner's circle, and I hope Japan doesn't like white horses.

re: Paul Reddam Guest Blog

Alex'sBigFan — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 05:12:50 GMT

Slew,

Beautifully stated. You are right too, they do own us! Seattle Slew was one of the amazing ones alright. He's legendary.

Linda in Texas,

Thanks a bunch! Betsy is cute, I taught her years ago how to give a "high five paw." She still remembers it.

I was just reading Dr. Bramlage's commemts and like what he had to say. He seems like a great doctor, I see him sometimes up on a high platform at the Belmont intensely watching. Anyway, I was thinking I wonder if IHA injured himself freaking in the stakes barn? Remember in an article it said IHA reacted or was agitated settling in there and then recently in another article O'Neill said "he could have banged himself." I wonder if the stakes barn really did the Belmont in this year, just a thought. Happy weekend all. I'll be driving by Monmouth Park tomorrow going to relax a little at the shore points. Two weeks to the Haskell and I'll be in the same area! Look forward to Steve's Haskell stuff next week!

re: Paul Reddam Guest Blog

robinm — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 03:17:02 GMT

I love Candy; There is a vast difference between the management of a retired broodmare and a retired stud. However, both mare owners and stallion owners expect to gain financially, either from the offspring of a mare, or the sale or stud fees of a stallion. There is a risk to a mare every time she is shipped across country to be bred in KY and then shipped back home. There is a risk to every mare when foaling. There is a risk when a stallion is sold, whether to a breeder in KY or in Japan, but if you don't have a breeding facility, that is exactly what must happen, in all fairness to the stallion, to give him the best opportunity to succeed at stud. Mr Reddam will have the same opportunity to visit IHA in Japan as he would if he were sold to a farm in KY. Who are you to say that he won't?

re: Paul Reddam Guest Blog

New Racing Fan — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 02:17:19 GMT

As a New Racing Fan I find it interesting that no one links reduced interest in IHA as a Sire to the fact of the injury itself. If a Sire transfers characteristics such as speed or endurance wouldn't it be considered that he would also transfer a tendency toward his own specific injury.

re: Paul Reddam Guest Blog

robinm — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 02:02:06 GMT

Boycott CashCall; my comments were not directed to you but rather to "long-time racing fans" on this blog. Your comments lead me to believe that you do not qualify as such and frankly, like Steve, I don't see that bashing Mr. Reddams's business practises have any place on this blog.

re: Paul Reddam Guest Blog

sceptre — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 01:16:02 GMT

an ole railbird,

Actually, I'd welcome hearing more of your take on the IHA vs Bodemeister comparative, and am also curious re- in what "part" you and I may disagree about what their pedigrees, etc. tell us about their relative chances, and why Bodemeister was apparently more favored by KY breeders than IHA. There's nothing absolute in any of this, as many of the answers continue to elude us. If it were otherwise, far more would be in the black in the breeding/racing game. I will disagree with one of your contentions-I doubt very much that Arch's continuing career at stud had any impact on IHA's valuation. On the other hand, I do feel that Empire Maker's exit from the US scene may very well have increased Bodemeister's value. But, as I had mentioned earlier, Bodemeister's connections (his ownership, not including WinStar)-the fact that they'll support him heavily with quality mares-likely also added somewhat to his valuation. How I may regard their relative chances for stallion success or, to a lesser degree, how I view their siring aptitudes, is not necessarily how other breeders may view them. That said, I'm fairly confident that had IHA been sired by Empire Maker, and Bodemeister been sired instead by Flower Alley-with all else the same-, IHA would not be going to Japan.