Firstly, many thanks to subscribers for reminding me that an update is indeed due, if not overdue. I’d hoped that Tinseltown would win the Brisbane Cup and hence provide a headline but a meritorious third after not the best of runs doesn’t quite cut it in terms of snappy headlines. I’d also hoped that Sunshine One would win his fourteenth race in Macau, but with advancing age he appears to have turned into a consisent placegetter and although you’d have to be pleased with his steady advance towards NZ$500,000 in stakemoney, “consistent progress” is hardly likely to grab too much attention out there.
Anyway, the recession does offer an opportunity for comment, largely because it doesn’t seem to have had as much impact on the thoroughbred industry as one might have supposed – at least insofar as New Zealand is concerned. The demand for nice colts at the Festival Sale has to be compelling evidence of this. However, stud fees have come down and that can’t be bad news for breeders who aren’t stallion owners.
In this article, I’d like to focus on four first-season stallions which seem to offer outstanding value: Sir Percy, Librettist, Danfive and Mettre En Jeu. I’m not arguing that these are the best value stallions on the market but it seems difficult to argue that they aren’t worth very serious consideration.
Sir Percy didn’t just win the Derby; he was also a top-class 2YO and in his career beat several horses currently standing at significantly more than NZ$15,000. He’s also got a good pedigree and, most importantly, a pedigree which should suit many of our leading bloodlines. He may well perform better than those shuttle horses which have not had this advantage.
Librettist has a superb pedigree, especially for mares with a strong Mr Prospector influence. It’s rare that a stallion comes back to form after missing his 3YO season and this speaks volumes for his enthusiasm for racing, in my opinion. I’ll be extremely surprized if this horse doesn’t make it; at $13,500 he’s huge value.
Danfive was very, very fast and very fast sons of Danehill out of strong families tend to succeed. Danehill x Sadler’s Wells is doing very nicely and the Lalun duplication in Danfive’s dam should reinforce this bloodline which is present in so many of our mares. Incidentally, linebreeding to Riverman has been successful – especially in France, where racing conditions are similar to ours.
Finally, Mettre En Jeu. If you think he was a one-paced stayer, forget it! He was happy racing on the pace but he was certainly capable of settling back and unleashing a powerful finish. Montjeu is one of the best stallions on the planet and this horse has been successful in New Zealand and Australian conditions. He’s also from a brilliant female family.
I’d be happy to develop my ideas on the above stallions; just drop me an email or give me a call (after 14 May).
