Conventional and Starlight

Let’s try to build a $3 million dollar portfolio of conventionally bred expensive horses with these general rules:

1. avoid the most popular sires (Into Mischief, Constitution, Uncle Mo)
2. avoid sires with little speed, or are late developers
3. dam is a runner and/or producer
4. dam contributes to precocity

Conventional Portfolio

1. Candy Ride – Dixie City by Dixie Union, $575,000, Repole
2. Quality Road – House Rules by Distorted Humor, $470,000, Glen Hill Farm
3. American Pharoah by Slow Sand by Dixieland Band, $400,000, My Meadowview
4. Practical Joke – Evita’s Sister by Candy Ride, $400,000, Klaravich
5. Mastery – Bendable by Horse Greeley, $370,000, Winchell
6. Classic Empire – Victory Party by Yankee Victor, $350,000, Winchell
7. Not This Time – Silent Candy by Candy Ride, $260,000, Winchell
8. Hard Spun – Secret File by Smart Strike, $240,000, Radley
9. Liam’s Map – Pastel Gal by Lemon Drop Kid, $160,000, Repole
10. Munnings – Awesome Fire by Strong Contender, $100,000, Cromwell

This is a very normal group of horses. I think most folks would call them balanced. The sires are a mix of proven and new. The dams are all runners, and contribute some precocity.

Starlight

Starlight bought about 30 horses over $100,000. About half were conventional, and the other half were “empty mares”. These were expensive horse where the mare had little running ability, and had not produced significant winners. The idea is to get great physical specimens, and not pay up for the racing accomplishments of the mare.

This is my $3 million Starlight “empty mare” portfolio:

1. Uncle Mo – Mezinka, $585,000, unraced, first foal
2. Gun Runner – Magical Weekend, $625,000, 1 win, 1 winner
3. Quality Road – Chapel, $620,000, unplaced, 1 winner
4. Union Rags – Ms. Short Fuse, $560,000, 1 win, no winners
5. Twirling Candy – Giant Win, $385,000, unraced, 2 winners
6. Empire Maker – Charlatana, $330,000, 1 win, first foal

Which do you like?

1. Arrogant Bastard 2, plodders/plodders
2. Donegal
3. Centennial
4. MyRacehorse.com
5. Conventional
6. Starlight