Starlight

I guess in order to be complete we need to look at Starlight.

What horses would you buy if you had an almost unlimited budget?

Here they are:

1. Spielberg – Union Rags – $1,000,000
2. Hopkins – Quality Road – $900,000
3. Classier – Empire Maker – $775,000
4. Tenor – Curlin – $800,000
5. Fenway – Into Mischief – $650,000
6. Hozier – Pioneerof the Nile – $625,000
7. Tarantino – Pioneerof the Nile – $610,000
8. Money Mike – Into Mischief – $600,000
9. Showpower – More Than Ready – $500,000
10. Carrobio – Pioneerof the Nile – $410,000
11. Bezos – Empire Maker – $400,000
12. Savile Road – Quality Road – $385,000
13. Jouster – Noble Mission – $360,000
14. Miacomet – Flatter – $350,000
15. Recidivist – Into Mischief – $350,000
16. Splashtown – Speightstown – $300,000
17. Honest Money – Honor Code – $265,000
18. Knopfler – Looking at Lucky -$240,000
19. Freedom Fighter – Violence – $120,000
20. Mr. Briggs – Super Saver – $85,000

I am not sure how to evaluate this portfolio. I guess you could call it the opposite of “value”. Only one of these horses had run as of August 5th, Freedom Fighter won a MSW for Baffert last weekend.

Let’s look at the most expensive purchases.

The million dollar horse is by a nice $65,000 sire Union Rags, but the mare was very average with just $100,000 in earning and the biggest win was an allowance at Indiana Grand. The Smart Strike dam has one to race from two foals. He earned $28,000. The 2nd dam was very average. The mare never ran an Equibase number over 88.

This had to be one very nice looking yearling. You could look at this purchase and conclude pedigree means nothing, and looks means everything. So much for Donegal’s algorithms.

Let’s try one more

Same thing!!!!!!

Hopkins is a $900,000 son of Quality Road. The dam is by Salt Lake and won two sprints at Golden Gate with nice speed figs of 105. The 3rd dam won a stake in France, that is the only interesting relative on the page. Pedigree means very little to Starlight.

Let’s be sure.

Tenor is a $800,000 purchase by Curlin. The dam (by Unbridled Song) won one race with a speed fig of 85. The 2nd dam won two races. No stakes races in sight.

Classier is a $775,000 Empire Maker. The dam took 12 tries to break her maiden and never ran better than 79.

I think I have enough evidence to make a conclusion. Starlight tries to buy expensive horses that have almost no pedigree. What could be a better test of how good a horse looks if someone else bids $750,000 for a horse with no pedigree, and you get to bid $775,000.

I am completely and totally confused.

They only bought one horse by a sire I am interested in. Starlight paid $360,000 for a Noble Mission. The dam could not win a maiden race at Penn National.