Donegal Revisited

I guess I should look at Donegal’s 2021 yearling group, so I can see if I am missing another Belmont winner.

Here is the Donegal group from Keeneland 2021:

1. Donegal Danny – Maclean’s Music by a Gio Ponti mare. $290,000 – Just to taunt me Donegal went with a sprint oriented sire for their most expensive horse. The photo makes him look fairly long and “stretchy”, but can no long accept Maclean’s Music as a sire.
2. Donegal Magic – Good Magic by a Street Sense mare. $200,000 – In all honesty the Good Magic’s have been visually very unimpressive. The mare is solid, but I am not excited with this second choice.
3. Donegal Forever – Pioneerof the Nile by a Flatter mare – $170,000 – I am little scared this is a TGTBT price for the last son’s on PON.
4. Lord Donegal – Noble Mission by a Smart Strike mare, 2nd dam won the Black Eyed Susan – $155,000 for hip #3084 – A fantastic horse, maybe my new favorite from the Keeneland sale. A great example of “paying up” for a horse late in the sale. My pick to win the 2024 Belmont.
5. Donegal Surges – Candy Ride by a Bernardini mare – $150,000 – I am not a Candy Ride fan, but everything is better with a Bernardini mare. A very nice horse.
6. Donegal Factor – The Factor by a Blame mare – $105,000 – A very interesting horse and a great value from a sire I am beginning to appreciate.
7. Donegal Mischief – Into Mischief by a Distorted Humor mare – $90,000 – A risky TGTBT price for a sire I detest.
8. Donegal Arrow – Arrogate by a Vindication mare, Vindication is the last on of Seattle Slew – $130,000 at Fasig Tipton – I am not really an Arrogate fan, but I love Vindication as a broodmare sire.
9. Tiz Donegal – Tiznow by a Mineshaft mare – $130,000 at Saratoga, a NY bred – $130,000 – Reasonable horse, but not thrilling.

This is a solid group, but I really do not like the top two, which is exactly what I said about the partnership that produced Mo Donegal.

Mr. Crawford spent $1,420,000 on nine horse for his partners.

Let me try to build my Extremely Arrogant Bastard portfolio to compete with Donegal:

1. Supernova – Mendelssohn by a Galileo mare – $150,000 – trusting the Oracle guys
2. Billy’s Got Issues – Cairo Prince by a Tiznow mare – $110,000 – again trusting Oracle
3. We Will Conquer – Accelerate by a Seeking the Gold mare – $200,000 – 2nd dam a half to AP Indy
4. Professor Higgins – Oscar Performance by a More Than Ready mare – $125,000
5. LeBeau – Mendelssohn by a Chester House mare – $320,000
6. xxxxxxx – City of Light by a Street Sense mare – $180,000
7. Fridaynightslodier – Connect by a The Factor mare – $150,000 –
8. I’mherefortheparty – Blame by a Medaglia d’Oro mare – $100,000 – great family
9. Best Performer – Oscar Performance by a Pulpit mare – $65,000
10. Crypto Man – Funtastic by a Elusive Quality mare – $62,000 – my favorite

It is pretty arrogant to think I can do better than the guy who picked the Belmont winner, but that my approach.

By the way, the Donegal website has a great set of yearling photos of the Donegal selections.