BloodHorse.com

Several weeks ago, I started a poll asking whether it's a good time to be buying bloodstock.  Over 61% of you said that you would at least consider purchasing a broodmare if you could find a good deal -- and only 16% said that you're trying to sell off some of your current herd.  See the full poll results here. Sounds to me like there ...

Whether you use ''damsire'' or ''broodmare sire'' or ''maternal grandsire'' or ''family sire'' -- and each term holds shades of meaning -- the goal of bloodstock buyers is to find mares by stallions that shine in this role.  We all can name stallions whose names we love to see in that spot on a five-cross pedigree.  Secretariat, Deputy ...

Much has been said about the prospects for 2007 Kentucky Broodmare of the Year Better Than Honour, who will be sold at this year's Fasig-Tipton November sale.  (News story, Hammer Time blog post) What I haven't heard too much about, though, is the mare's reproductive soundness.  Hip #188 (catalog page, ...

Here's the scenario:  you have the opportunity to purchase a mare carrying a foal that is guaranteed to be a winner.  In fact, the foal is even guaranteed to earn more than its training, feed, and veterinary costs.  Profit!  Here's the catch: the foal's dam shouldn't be bred again and will need to be retired.  You've ...

A 4-year-old campaign in which she captured four grade I stakes and three grade II contests to go 7-for-7 overall -- with earnings of over $2.1 million -- should wrap up a Horse of the Year title for Zenyatta (pedigree).  The filly by Street Cry (IRE) (SRO) out of Vertigineux (more on her later!) put in a stunning performance to capture the ...

Hip #1 (catalog page, pedigree), a 4-year-old colt named GREAT HUNTER, sells Sun., Nov. 2, 2008  at the Fasig-Tipton November mixed sale Thoroughbred female family:  1-n Race record:  3 wins, 4 places, 1 show from 15 starts, for earnings of $970,500.  Won 2006 Lane's ...

Hip #1323 (catalog page, pedigree), a 12-year-old mare named WOODTHRUSH, sells Thurs., Nov. 6, 2008  at the Keeneland November mixed sale Thoroughbred female family:  19-c Race record:  unplaced in two starts at age 4. Produce record: dam of two foals, both runners of 2008, one ...

The familiar brown cardboard boxes arrived at the Blood-Horse building today and vultures descended immediately.  On delivery day of the most popular sale catalogs, you can tell who's friends with our shipping department director -- they're the ones who don't have to flock to the mail room to pick up their copies.  They get ...

The breeding stock sales in late 2008 and early 2009 are the end of an era for one of North America's top sires.  This marks the final sales season when Storm Cat (SRO) will be represented as a covering sire. Following a breeding season in which he displayed declining fertility, Overbrook Farm announced that Storm Cat would be pensioned ...

We're less than three weeks away from Kentucky's big November breeding stock sales. I've narrowed my own list down to eight mares that I'll bid on -- and if the bloodstock market tanks as much as the yearling sales did, I might have a chance at one or two of them! Today, I've chosen a couple of broodmare offerings with connections to ...