I am going to change my sire ranking going forward.
Horses are getting more expensive and it seems to be the right time to react to that reality. For the foreseeable future I am limiting my choices to sires of $20,000 and below. As I face the reality of paying real money for a real horse, I am getting cheaper.
Several yearling consigners have suggested that 3x the stud fee is a reasonable measure of the price they would like to get. I have a feeling that trying to buy a $30,000 stud fee at 2x might get you a horse with some physical issues. Maybe this will change if the economy weakens, but for now cheaper is better.
My new rankings:
- Oscar Performance – $12,500/ Mill Ridge – I hope new runner Andthewinneris does not go crazy
- Cairo Prince – $15,000/Airdrie – still a sneaky turf sire
- Accelerate – $15,000/Lane’s End – I loved the guy I saw at Timonium
- The Factor – $17,500/Lane’s End – maybe I am trying too hard to find a turf sire
- Funtastic – $5,000/Three Chimney’s – deserves special mention
- Tapwrit – $10,000/Gainsway – I have been surprised by what I have seen
- Honor Code – $20,000/Lane’s End – really just a placeholder for Honor AP next year
- Blame – $20,000/Claiborne – son of Arch declining in popularity
- Girvin – $6,000/Ocala Stud – let’s try a Florida sire with some speed, I have liked their looks at the 2 year old sales
- Creative Cause – $7,500/Airdrie – and all the other under $10,000 sires, I really would rather pay up for a cheaper sire, than try to find a $30,000 sire at a bargain price
This list now excludes the likes of Connect, Union Rags, Mendelssohn, and several other more expensive sires. It also excludes the more speed oriented farms Spendthrift/WinStar and Ashford/Darley
Buying A Race Horse 