Subscribers Only: October Issue Released

(By Scot T. Gillies)

With North America's largest bloodstock sale mere days away, The Blood-Horse MarketWatch previews the Keeneland November event. While my cover story focuses on the challenge for young sires--those with first covered mares and first weanlings--in a market that favors proven studs, you'll also find a full statistical review of all stallions with mares offered at the sale.

Rachel Pagones wraps up the highs and lows of 2010 in her yearling sales review (second cover story). Her analysis makes clear that commercial breeders had much to lament this year, with poor returns based on high 2008 stud fees. She points out a silver lining to the dark clouds, however, by comparing theoretical rate of return on (significantly reduced) 2010 fees. Who were the stallion leaders--and the laggards? MarketWatch lets you know who's on top and who's disappointing.

Our annual analysis of stallions represented by their first through fourth crops is always a popular feature in the newsletter. The first few crops set trends for how well the young sires' progeny is received by racing and pinhooking buyers. Each group of stallions saw some leadership shifting this year. Tom Hall, Eric Mitchell, and I present a review (pages 20-23) of each group along with lists of leading and trailing sires by commercial sales categories.

What do Relaunch and Tapit and Summer Bird have in common? Avalyn Hunter reviews the success of Foggy Note's family in producing top stallions in this month's Sire-Producing Families feature (pg. 10).

As always, more exclusive content is available--to subscribers only!--at the MarketWatch web site--http://marketwatch.bloodhorse.com--including special reports, an archive of past issues, and prospective pinhook reports for upcoming sales. (The MarketWatch home page has subscription details if you haven't already signed up.)