Quixote Racing Stable’s imaginary horse stable is going to the Kentucky Derby with Brooklyn Strong.
One reason to write this blog almost daily is that very few would believe this story if it were not written down in real time.
Last year I wrote down 20 horses from the June Ocala sale, and gave each a fictional name (they did not yet have an actual name). This is what I wrote last June 14th:
Quixote’s Bargain (now Brooklyn Strong)
Wicked Strong was a $5,000 value sire that I had some interest in before the sale. He was not a great at 2, but but then won the Wood Memorial and the Jim Dandy. Then at 4 he got 2nd in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, a length behind Tonalist. A stamina sire too be sure.
Hip #359 was one my top 12 coming into the sale. The Wicked Strong colt is by a Meadaglia de Oro mare named Riviera Chic who ran solid 96 in a small stake at Kentucky Downs. The second dams sire is stamina source Thunder Gulch. He was consigned by a small pinhooker, Coastal Equine, that also consigned my favorite colt #762.
No one expected this colt to work fast, and he did not at 10.2. That was disappointing, but not below expectations. It met expectations. I thought 2x the stud fee was a fair value. But when his # was called, the bidding stopped at $5,000. I was sure he would be RNAed, but I got him for 1x the stud fee. It was not the sale “bottomer”, but it was close (a few horses sold for $4,000).
In the real world this horse was bought by Mark Schwartz. Mr. Schwartz’s horses have yet to win a race in 24 tries mainly at Penn National. I wish him luck with this one.
Yes Virginia there is a Santa Claus. You could come to this sale, sit next to Bob Baffert and the Prince of Wherever, watch guys bid over $1,000,000 for a horse, but then walk away with a decent horse for $5,000. This is what make horse racing great, it requires the big shots, but it always requires thousands of Marl Schwartz’s to make the sport function.
When this horse walks to the gate for his first race, Mark will have all the excitement of any Triple Crown race.
I will call this horse
Quixote’s Bargain
until he gets a real name.
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If you had asked me the odds on any of my 20 selections getting to the Kentucky Derby I might have optimistically said 20-1, but I certainly would not have expected it to be my $5,000 horse for a winless owner. The odds of that might be 1000-1.
Some might claim there was a lot of luck in this selection. I would counter that by arguing that this is exactly the type of “plodder/plodder” horse I have been advocating since I started writing this blog. The sire (Wicked Strong) is a stamina influence that nobody was interested in. The mare was by the great Medaglia d’ Oro, and won a 1 3/8 allowance race at Gulfstream. The mare had produced two $70,000+ winners in three tries, and the nick was rated A. The second dam was by the great stamina influence Thunder Gulch. This is exactly the type of horse I was looking for. I found him, and wrote it down.
It is quite possible this horse will cost me thousands of dollars. I will certainly have to bet him in the Derby (at least underneath in a superfecta). Does he have a chance of winning? He has a better chance of winning than he did to get to the Derby from his humble beginning. His Remsen was a strong race. BS beat real contender Known Agenda by several lengths. BS is third off the layoff, and Rispoli is the perfect patient jockey. If the leaders go 46.00, you never who picks up the pieces. Crazier things have happened before. The late ship to Churchill is not ideal. If BS beats half the field it will be a victory.
More importantly, this horse could cost me more money than any other horse.
Brooklyn Strong is the perfect example that you do not need to be a bloodstock expert to pick a horse out of a sale. You do have to have the “courage of your convictions”.
Will I be tempted to buy my own $5,000 horse out of a sale some day? Stay tuned to this channel.
As Al Michael’s said “Do you believe in miracles?”
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I also have the 2nd choice in the Pat Day mile with Dream Shake. I selected him after the Timonium sale where I learned about sire Twirling Candy for the first time. Could Quixote Racing Stable get an improbable double?
Buying A Race Horse 