Download PDF
Edward Seltzer was only a year out of college and was partaking in his usual game of gin rummy with a bunch of buddies when one of them made him an unusual offer. He told Seltzer he had just bought an eighth-interest in a Thoroughbred claimer for $500 and asked him if he wanted to go in for half.
Seltzer knew nothing about Thoroughbreds, had never been to the track, and had never even placed a bet. But he decided for $250 to have some fun and took his friend up on his offer. The venture turned out to be “a disaster,” but here he is five decades later one of the most successful small-time breeders in the country, having bred among his dozens of stakes horses three classic winners (Preakness, gr. I, victor Tank’s Prospect; English Oaks and Two Thousand Guineas, both Eng-I, winner Midway Lady; and Irish St. Leger, Ire-I, winner Protection Racket) and last year’s world-record holder Red Giant. He also sold a yearling in 1983 for a then-record $4.1 million, and alone or in partnership has bred seven Breeders’ Cup starters, one of whom he owned in his own name and one under his ex-wife Marilyn’s name. Another, whom he didn’t breed, was owned by his daughter, Krista.
To continue reading, please download the complete PDF.
