Ironhorse

Ironhosre Racing Stable has 10% left in the Connect filly the bought at Keeneland. They are offering 5% for $4,000. Those with sharp pencils can see this is a “no markup” offer. They estimate for a 5% share monthly cost will be $225-$250, that comes to $2,700 – $3,000 annually. I assume they take x% of the winnings and maybe any final sale, but right now I do not know that percentage.

Is this a less expensive approach than West Point or Eclipse? The answer is it most likely is less expensive, but I don’t not have all the details right now.

Ironhorse will have Bill Mott as the trainer. Ironhorse has been racing since 2007 and has roughly a 15% win percentage. Their big horse was Bucchero, a $900,000+ winner of two G2 turf sprints. He ran in the Breeders Cup and at Ascot. Ironhorse is managed by a guy that runs a successful financial planning business full time.

Let’s think about the filly.

Connect was my third favorite freshman sire. He got a late start, but then won the Pennsylvania Derby and Cigar Mile. As a son of Curlin by a Holy Bull mare, Connect has enough stamina influence for my taste.

The filly is out of a Jump Start mare. Jump Start was a precocious son of AP Indy, he won the Saratoga Special, was 5th in the Hopeful, and 2nd in the Champagne, and then was vanned of in the Breeder’s Cup Juvenile. He never ran again. Jump Start has been solid as a Mid-Atlantic sire that produced many good two turn horses.

The dam, Aye d’Eclaire was a claiming sprinter at Laurel that never ran a fig faster than 75. This is her second foal, her first foal has not yet been named. The second dam was by Awesome Again, she was a $35,000 claiming sprinter. She did produce a $500,000 winning router.

TrueNicks give this mating a B. I think this is an ok, but not great, pedigree.

If I were spending money on yearlings this year, this would be an offer to consider very seriously, but for right now I am waiting until next year. I also want to learn more about Ironhorse’s financial model. I give them credit for choosing a second tier sire, and respect what they did buying Bucchero for less than $50,000.