Broodmarathon -- Better Than Honour: Broodmare at Risk?

Better Than a Money Machine

The Five-Cross Files — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:12:01 GMT

A fine mare produces yet another high-class winner. As a small tribute to Better Than Honour, here are some of her headlines from the past.

re: Broodmarathon -- Better Than Honour: Broodmare at Risk?

sgillies — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 19:19:10 GMT

Update - Concerns over her reproductive soundness weren't a factor at the Fasig-Tipton November sale. Better Than Honour's $14 million price tag was a world record. (Story on BloodHorse.com)

As many predicted, Better Than Honour was purchased by Southern Equine Stables, which already owned a 70% share of the mare, and therefore the actual exchange of money was considerably less than the purchase price.

Can't wait to see if there's another Rags to Riches, Jazil, or Casino Drive in this broodmare's future!

re: Broodmarathon -- Better Than Honour: Broodmare at Risk?

Wanda — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 19:19:23 GMT

Whatever: Are you for real? Don't bother commenting if your going to put trash like that on these blogs.I for one found your comments disgusting.

re: Broodmarathon -- Better Than Honour: Broodmare at Risk?

Whatever — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 21:26:50 GMT

Whoever owns this mare obviously is going to breed her every year until shes dead, and even then they'll probably try to scoop out some eggs and place them in some other mare, or heaven forbid, perhaps clone her. It certainly can be done, shadier things have gone on in the racing industry like; killing horses for insurance money, illegal doping, and using cobra venom on a horse as a pain killer is twisted enough so cloning or tansferring eggs is nothing.

re: Broodmarathon -- Better Than Honour: Broodmare at Risk?

NEVERKICKYOURDOG — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 20:48:00 GMT

I'LL TAKE HER ON CONSIGNMENT AT ANY PRICE.

IF I HAD TO BET, I WILL, AS TO WHO THE WINNING BID WILL BE SUBMITTED BY, IT WILL BE THE CASINO DRIVE CONNECTIONS. PUTTING THE BEST HORSE ON THE PLANET ON THE ENGINE IN THE CLASSIC HAD TO BE TO DRIVE THE SALE PRICE DOWN--WAY DOWN.

re: Broodmarathon -- Better Than Honour: Broodmare at Risk?

BTJake — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 18:00:26 GMT

With absolutely zero scientific data to back this up...often (it seems at our place) mares which abort can have trouble getting in foal the following year. She's a once in a lifetime offering...she's young and I think any buyer should have a significant level of confidence that she will produce them many more foals if she stays healthy otherwise.

My bet is that one of the existing partners buys her for "half dollars".

re: Broodmarathon -- Better Than Honour: Broodmare at Risk?

Janesville Liz — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 14:04:11 GMT

If I had the money I would definitely take a chance on her. She is young. I think it just an unfortunate coincidence that she came up barren and had an aborted foal two years in a row. I think you will see a bidding war for her between the Darley connections and Coolmore, and I am betting she goes for 8-10 million. She is a magnificent mare and I am sure whoever gets her will spend a lot of effort to get her in foal to a top sire.

re: Broodmarathon -- Better Than Honour: Broodmare at Risk?

catnip lane — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 12:37:42 GMT

Personally, the fact that this mare is barren for the past 2 years is significsnt. She is a top notch broodmare and I'd expect that she has had high level management and veterinary care. With her history, I'd be suspicious of a difficult foaling with her last live foal and possible damage resulting from that. I'm NOT saying that she'll never have another foal. I am saying that when you are buying a mare with the sole purpose of producing foals, you HAVE to consider the fact that she's not had a foal in 2 years into your risk assessment and price range. I DO think she'll still bring a lot of money.

re: Broodmarathon -- Better Than Honour: Broodmare at Risk?

Kate — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 04:39:34 GMT

Actually she's being put up by co-owners right? So the one that wants to keep her can pay less than other folks (since he's partly buying himself out) and get the other half for an insane price except it's really not gonna cost him that. I wouldn't count on her going far from home. Am I right? Is it Sikura? He's in love with that mare, I bet he tries to get her back unless something's truly wrong with her.

re: Broodmarathon -- Better Than Honour: Broodmare at Risk?

Kent D. Hersman — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 03:54:06 GMT

Go for it with all you are worth.

I have a 20 year old mare that is I/F to Hard Spun after 3 years of bad luck. Many thanks to an expert in the reproduction field and a natural diet that included Body Builder.

If I owned Better Than Honour, I would get the best team on it and try every year between now and the time she was twenty.

Kent D. Hersman

re: Broodmarathon -- Better Than Honour: Broodmare at Risk?

pg303 — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 01:51:47 GMT

AP Indy is pensioned? When did that happen? I'm pretty sure that's not correct.....

Scot's reply: Nope -- you're right -- A.P. Indy remains in service and Lane's End has one of the most in-demand sires around with this fellow. He's starting to get on in age, but certainly isn't yet "old" -- with a little luck, we should be seeing the 19-year-old stallion at stud for another eight or 10 years.

re: Broodmarathon -- Better Than Honour: Broodmare at Risk?

Gulchfan — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 01:34:56 GMT

If she never has another baby, she's still etched her name into the history books, and she could become a 'grandma' like Princess Rooney was (after selling for an astronomical price as a broodmare). I hope she goes to a good home, where she'll be properly cared for, no matter her reproductive ability.

It is interesting, though, that she's produced winners for the Coolmore people, the sheiks, and the Japanese, so I'm guessing these will be the top bidders for her. My guess, don't bother raising your paddle if you don't have at least 8 figures to spend, recent record notwithstanding.

re: Broodmarathon -- Better Than Honour: Broodmare at Risk?

hardlyhatful — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 00:08:33 GMT

I don't think it will affect her sale price, she is such a high profile mare that most bidders will probably overlook this fact. She could have always been hard to get in foal and their are a number of reasons she could have aborted that don't involve reproductive soundness (vaccination,stress, etc.)

re: Broodmarathon -- Better Than Honour: Broodmare at Risk?

Oz — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 23:28:58 GMT

The difficulty getting in foal to Indy, doesn't really bother me as just maybe it had a lot to do with him...... just sayin'. She's fine, spend the money.

re: Broodmarathon -- Better Than Honour: Broodmare at Risk?

Ruffian82 — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 21:38:55 GMT

I would most certainly take a chance on her. She may be a difficult mare to get in foal, but difficult mares get in foal every year. It just takes a bit more effort and planning. I totally discount the 2007 breedings considering she went to 2 senior stallions (both of whom are now retired from duty) with low fertility rates. She was bred again to AP Indy in 2008, so the only shot she had was with Distorted Humor. Maybe he was an end of the season crunch time stallion change and they just didn't have the time to properly get her bred. If you could breed her right on top of ovulation, within a couple hours, and to a young FERTILE stallion, you should have a pretty good shot at getting a baby for next year.

re: Broodmarathon -- Better Than Honour: Broodmare at Risk?

da3hoss — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 18:09:07 GMT

You'd have to find out how easy she was to get in foal her first 7 babies...just because she got in foal doesn't mean it didn't take effort...was it increasingly difficult to get her in foal? It's a little odd that an easy to get in foal mare aborts and then not conceive unless she has, say, a tumor or cysts on her ovaries, for example. Unless they deliberately chose not to get her in foal this year.

re: Broodmarathon -- Better Than Honour: Broodmare at Risk?

Kyri — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 17:15:51 GMT

It is odd that she wouldn't get in foal for two years. She's only 12, after all.

If I had the money, I would take the risk, knowing that if she was actually barren and no veterinary care could help, she would have a good home for life.

re: Broodmarathon -- Better Than Honour: Broodmare at Risk?

Nancyb — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 14:50:33 GMT

If she can be had for a reasonable price she is well worth the risk. Many mares take "time off"

re: Broodmarathon -- Better Than Honour: Broodmare at Risk?

Elaine — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 14:47:36 GMT

You have to take a chance on her. And pray for a filly! But, two barren years will definitely make a dent in her value. If she were in foal, easily $10 million. Not in foal, maybe $7 (not counting this economic climate). But, if I had the money, I would definitely take the risk because she is still young enough and has been productive enough to hope to get a couple more foals out of her.