I was “successful” in several of my imaginary bids on the first day.
Most importantly the price for #303 was only $47,000. I expected to pay more. The price might very well indicate the horse has some problems. The real buyer was a Chicago car dealer named Frank Mancari that has been a successful owner in the past. He wins at 15%, and has won graded stakes races. That still leave $103, 000 is my Derby Partnership.
Even better was my “successful’ bid of $65,000 for the Point of Entry filly #162. The buyer was Doug O’Neil’s brother for I assume Paul Reddam. In was fun to see a serious owner buy my top filly pick. I did not always cheer for Doug O’Neil, but now I will.
My other semi-successful bid was for #222 the Flinshire colt. The winning bid was $42,000, but 30 minutes later i learned the reserve was not attained. It is difficult to decide how to play this. I will assume I did not get the horse, but in the real world i might have been able to buy it privately for $45,000 to $50,000. I will keep tracking this horse, but I will mythically assume my Bargain Basement partners were losers today.
My estimates for most horses were reasonable. Some of the good horses sold for less and several were RNAed. There were quite a few horses I thought were worth $50,000 that sold for $100,000 and not that many bargains.
It is time to come with a strategy for tomorrow. I bet lots of horse people to not sleep well during this week.
Buying A Race Horse 