Catalog Updates at Thoroughbred Sales

re: Catalog Updates at Thoroughbred Sales

BIGHORSEFAN — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 23:27:12 GMT

Sounds great. I usually look at the Foal patrol in the magazine when I get it, first place I look. Love the little guys and girls.

I don't know if it's my new computer but the video last year had bigger pics. Probably doing something wrong but Brad is having the same issue and he's a computer dude.

re: Catalog Updates at Thoroughbred Sales

BIGHORSEFAN — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:22:48 GMT

Scot,

My handicapping buddy Brad and I were talking about your colt, good luck with that.

Question for you. Did you get to see the Azeri colt? What was your take on him? Also I wondered about the Storm Cat/Spain colt that went to Legends. I've been watching the video but missed the HRTV of the first 2 days. The pictures on the computer are too small to really see the detail.

We've been to a bunch of these sales. In some way they remind me of the Arabian nationals with their signs and such. Of course the QH World show is cool but the Arabian show we went to in NM once had furniture rented, landscaping that was unbelievable. The sale at Saratoga was kind of neat this summer and the All American sale too.

Scot's reply: I missed Spain's colt, but did get over to see Vallenzeri, the A.P. Indy - Azeri colt. (It's pretty nice that my office is 2.2 miles away from the gate at Keeneland....) If the $7.7 million was live money, I would've had a hard time turning it down myself! Fantastic colt, though, and both the sire and dam are among the best Thoroughbreds alive today.

I asked our Web team about displaying some of our photos of these well-connected yearlings and will let you know what I hear back.

re: Catalog Updates at Thoroughbred Sales

Bradgm — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 03:20:23 GMT

Wow, I expected to come on here and read an update on your yearling. Glad I did see that. It just seems to be getting harder to read some of the blogs on the BH. People are being negative with no constructive criticism or viable solutions. There's 3 or 4 on every blog comment section. I know some of them are Animal Rights Activists and have that same negativity. Once in a while it would be nice to read a blog and not have it trashed by sheer negativity that is out of place. Sad people, more shock tactics like on another of your blogs, thought those could draw this type.

How are you feeling about your colt? Butterflies yet?

Scot's reply: Thanks for the question about the colt. No butterflies yet -- I do get them starting about 10 minutes before one of my horses goes through the ring, though! In the meantime, I'm really enjoying getting out to see the offerings from some of my favorite mares. I'm not in the market for a yearling, of course, but it sure is fun to look!

re: Catalog Updates at Thoroughbred Sales

Whatever — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 22:48:44 GMT

What happens to the thoroughbreds that do not make it to the sale ring, or the well bred yearling that can not run a lick. That's right, I forgot, they end up at the New Holland feedlot awaiting their turn to become dinner for somebody in Europe.

Scot's reply: I realize you're just trying to stir up the muck and perhaps I should've deleted your comment or let it pass without a response. In this case, though, I wonder why you bothered coming here to snipe when you didn't have any suggestions for how the industry can improve or how Thoroughbred racing participants can clean up our breeding practices.

The fact is, a whole lot of Thoroughbred breeders are doing it right. They're finding alternate careers for their horses when they retire from racing, or when they prove unsuitable for a breeding career -- or when they prove too slow or injury-prone to race at all.

More than half of the horses I have are not even potentially money-makers for me. An old gelding I got off the track after a long claiming career... a filly that wasn't race-quality who now has six months of dressage training invested in her... a mare that didn't succeed in the breeding shed who's now being pointed towards a hunter-jumper career... an orphaned filly that wasn't commercially viable for race training, so she's now going to be trained as my lead pony.

Please don't stop pointing out what's wrong within the Thoroughbred community. Yell, kick, and scream -- these are issues that need to be raised! But please don't shoot off some kind of morally-superior trolling comment and feel self-righteous that you've reprimanded the evil-doers. My bet is that most of the people reading these blogs and taking part in the Blood-Horse community are in it for the love of the horses and are actually doing good things for Thoroughbred racing. Comments like yours just waste their time and discourage them from the good they're doing.