Now I understand how some of these yearlings sell for $1,000,000 or more. Two prospective buyers “fall in love” with a particular horse and just keep bidding.
I have fallen in love with hip #10 at the Fasig-Tipton sale. The filly is by Gormley out of a stakes winning Lord at War mare. I will not be outbid in my mythical world. It seems silly to jump at the 10th horse with another 4990 yet to be sold, but if I were “playing with live ammo” that might be exactly what I would do.
Let’s review:
Gormley was a nice horse for John Sheriffs. He was bred by Castletaon Lyons and then RNAed out of the September Keeneland sale for $150,000 (hip#500). He ended up with Jerry Moss in what was called a private sale. Mr. Moss bred and won the Derby with Giacomo. He was a record executive that was responsible for discovering trumpet player Herb Alpert. I grew listening to my parent’s Herb Alpert records on the phonograph.
Gormley broke his maiden in September, and then won the G1 Frontrunner Stakes at 1 1/16 miles a month later. He was 3rd choice in the BC Juvenile, but blew the break rushed up and faded to 7th. He won the Santa Anita Derby the next spring. He got to 4th at the top of stretch in the Derby, but had some traffic issues and finished 9th. Gormley was bumped at the break in the Belmont and finished a well beaten 4th.
Gormley is an interesting mix of precocity and stamina, and the stud fee is only $7,500 at Spendthrift Farms. He is out of a Bernstien mare and the second dam was by Kingmambo, so there are some real hints of turf ability here. I still like the Midnight Storm story a little better, buy Gormley is a close second.
The dam of hip #10 is Lady Dora. She was a nice yearling in 1998, selling for $150,000. She was trained by Mike Matz and won the G3 Peebles and ran a 106 Equibase fig in the Long Island Handicap at 1 1/2 miles on turf. Her sire was turf champion Lord at War. The sire of the 2nd dam was Runaway Groom (a Travers winner).
When I came up with a dam rating system for the two year old sales, the best dams got 55-60 points out of 100. Lady Dora checks in at 83 on my system. My model does favor stamina over precocity.
Pedigree guru Alan Porter’s first two suggestions for Gormley are Mr. Prospector and Storm Cat mares, but is third choice is mares by Blushing Groom. Lady Dora mother’s grandfather was Blushing Groom. The nick is rated as B by TrueNicks.
She is a also a New York bred. She does not look very mature in her walking video, but it is difficult for me to make that judgement.
I would love to get her for $20,000, but I will pay $200,000, I say bravely playing right now with imaginary dollars. We will find out soon the sale is only 30 minutes away.
No Santa, I don’t want a nice Into Mischief or American Pharoah colt for Christmas, all I really want is a daughter of Gormley.
My second choice among the NY-breds is hip #157. This is a May 8th foal. This Air Force Blue colt is out of a small stakes winning Sadler’s Wells mare. There is plenty of distance pedigree here. I worry the AFB are too sprint oriented so this is an ideal pedigree. The nick is rated A, and Coolmore’s website mentions Sadler’s Wells mares as a good match. This could be an expensive horse, but it is my favorite AFB. I would pay up here
Later in the day my favorite Midnight Storm comes up at hip #185, but I do not like that dam as much. I hope this one will be cheap becasue it is a May 31th foal, but I will still pay up if needed
Hip #192 is another nice Gormley, and #202 a nice Tonalist, I would maybe pay to $60,000 here
Hip #200 is my favorite Practical Joke for “what is I am wrong” portfolio because it is a Lemon Drop Kid mare, but also like #106 a Unified with some Euro pedigree.
If West Point, Eclipse, or any other partnership buys any of these 7 horses, I would have to buy a piece. That is 7 out of 330, but you never know.
Buying A Race Horse 