West Point e-mailed an interesting offer yesterday at noon. They were offering 25% of a Wicked Strong filly that trainer Dale Romans had bought as a yearling. Romans was keeping 50% and offering the other 50% to West Point.
Wicked Strong was a sire I was interested in during the training sales, but I never really saw one that I liked. This filly is out of an Awesome Again mare, so I would have been interested from a pedigree standpoint. The horse is already working, so the risks are lower.
The problem is I had very little time to evaluate this offer because by the next morning the offer was already sold out.
The offer had been 5% for $15,000, with all expenses paid through year end. $300,000 is a high price for a Wicked Strong. Romans had paid $80,000 last year, which was the highest yearling price for any Wicked Strong.
Why would Roman’s make this offer to West Point? I would guess he has other owners that he buys horses for. Maybe he is trying to get more training business from West Point. It really is a poker game. Does Roman’s have the cards, or is he bluffing?
This will be an interesting horse to watch.
I am not sure this is the best way to do business. I do not check my e-mails that frequently so it would have been difficult for me to respond quickly. It is also mildly concerning that half the deal was gone before the e-mail was sent (only 25% of the horse was offered in the e-mail, not the full 50%).
On the other hand any reasonable offer is better than no offer at all. Let’s call this another learning experience.
Buying A Race Horse 