Inspiration

It always good to find an inspiring story.

As I studied hip #834, I found this story about Gunpowder Farms and the discovery of Divisidero:

https://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/219049/success-coming-in-bunches-for-gunpowder-farms.

There are several interesting elements to this story:

1. Keithley first invested in a few partnerships before setting out to buy his first yearling.
2. Keithley set out to buy an “unusual horse, not a son of Tapit or Medaglia d’Oro” in his words
3. Keithley trusted a young bloodstock agent with little track record
4. Keithley “paid up” for hip #1398 at Keeneland (Divisidero cost $250,000), but he did have a full brother that was 2nd in a G3
5. Divisidero is a son of Lemon Drop Kid, a late developing stamina oriented broodmare sire
6. Divisidero has plenty of “Euro” pedigree under the 2nd and 3rd dam
7. Divisidero was a May 7th foal and was described as “immature”
8. Divisidero was bought from the relatively small consignment of Hinkle Farms
9. Divisidero was trained by the ultra-patient William Bradley

Tom Keithley, Gunpowder Farms, and Divisidero are my new model.