Back With A Brand New Wrap (Rap)

Thanks to Murray Brown and the influx of other emails regarding the lack of words being written here has finally got my juices flowing ... so here goes...

Thought #1: 
After a relatively disappointing breeding season wore off, this summer has been pretty good. A brief hiccup happened about three weeks ago when our only Swan For All (a colt out of Shops For Dresses) was kicked in the leg and an X-ray revealed a fractured radius and dislocated elbow. Unfortunately for him, the severeness of the injury and cost of surgery with no good outcome ended in him being euthanized. If one colt gives any indication of the type of horses a sire will produce, then Swan For All should produce great looking horses

Thought #2:
Can't wait for the yearling sales. Lexington yearlings have been in the barn for two weeks now and are rounding into shape quite well. (Actually some are bulking up and others like the extra food and now need to be cut down). It is the culmination of almost three years of work, sweat, tears, and blood. Its the few surprises that pay for the ones who slip through the cracks. Its the $200,000 pacing filly that pays for the trotting colt with a $15,000 stud fee who sells for $10,000 or less. Gotta think big picture or sales gross versus individual horses if you want to stay sane. However, there are some horses who carry residual value that should be protected. Unfortunately, most of the industry does not like it when farms protect their investments.

Thought #3:
Gotta love Jeff Gural and all he has done for the Meadowlands and the industry, both short-term and long-term. One thing I must disagree with is in the details of his stand on stallions going to stud at age 5 versus 4. It isn't the general idea of going to stud at 5 instead of 4 because I think it is very noble and the right thing but he gives horses that were injured the ability to get a free pass to enter the breeding business at 4. Big Jim is the perfect example and I think others will take the same approach. Horses should enter stud at age 5 regardless of circumstances. Otherwise you will get weird, strange, vague, and made-up "injuries" to star horses. You think if this rule was implemented a few years ago that Donato Hanover, Deweycheatumnhowe, and Muscle Hill wouldn't have come up with tendon issues, bone degeneration problems, or some other creative "injury" so they could have side-stepped the rules. The rules should be strict and concise. If you get injured at 2 or 3 or 4 then you will have to wait until you turn 5 to breed. That way you avoid the vagueness of an injury when a good horse underperforms and starts to loose value.

Thought #4:
Buyers market at the mixed sale in Harrisburg. It's a sad day when Perretti unloads 160 mares and ends their breeding business. Unfortunately for them, I cannot see how the market can absorb that many mares. Who is going to buy all those mares? They won't have a problem selling their blue blood mares like Graceful Touch but who is going to buy the pacing mare who is 0 for 4 and in foal to an unfavorable stallion.

Thought #5:
Donato Hanover has quickly shown his prowess in siring both fillies and colts. I am eager to see if Deweycheatumnhowe next year and Muscle Hill the following year can follow in their excellence on the track and sire great horses as well. Im liking the fact we have 8 shares in Donato Hanover. So far I have bet on the right horse.

Thought #6:
Hip #111 at Harrisburg is a filly that stands out among the best we have ever had. I know we have had a couple of fillies bring $250,000+ but this filly is head and shoulders above them. She is an Andover Hall out of Decimal Hanover, making her a sister in blood to Donato Hanover. She looks the part, acts the part, trots the part. If she was in anyone else's consignment, I would be drooling to have her. They don't come along very often and its fun when they do.