There are two drivers which keep our industry going: money and optimism. Of the two, the latter is the more important because, without it, we’re never going to spend our hard-earned on the production and upkeep of animals capable of giving us the highest of highs (as well as the lowest of lows – must keep that journalistic balance).
Perhaps it’s appropriate that at this time of the year we celebrate the joys of breeding and racing. The yearling sales are coming closer and I’m sure that many of us are hard at work searching through catalogues to find THE HORSE, the animal which is going to change our lives. (Editor’s note: I’m about half-way through my annual process of analysing the pedigree of every catalogued yearling; it’s a procedure which sounds oh so boring to an industry outsider but absolutely fascinating to those who share our addiction).
Anyway, a story surfaced on Friday which gives us all a shot of hope. Highly Recommended, the Fastnet Rock stallion which has made such a strong start to his breeding career, has been relocated to Cambridge Stud. Berkley Stud will be retaining an interest in him and why wouldn’t they? It’s great to see a comparatively small operation based in the South Island make the big time and position itself to continue that success. This year Highly Recommended has covered around 140 mares: breeders and buyers of his progeny both have a chance to make a decent profit before his fee takes him out of the reach of most of us. As I’ve written before on this site, the really exciting thing about Highly Recommended’s stock is that when you look at the pedigrees of the best of his offspring, it’s not difficult to understand why they are as good as they are.
So, to quote “The Shawshank Redemption”, hope is indeed “the best of things”. You can’t achieve anything if there’s no reason to get out of bed every morning.
Best wishes to everyone for the Festive Season and the yearling sales.
