English Channel stood at Lanes End for several years before ending up at Calumet. I took some of my boss’s clients on farm tours (big time $$$$$ breeders) and one of our stops was Lanes End when Curlin, English Channel, and their sire Smart Strike was there. They could not have been more different! Curlin was HUGE, 16.3+ and very big framed. English Channel was 15.1, petite and compact.
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Someone here once explained to me the flashy commercials are merely industry support. Pay for advertising to keep racing on TV. Makes sense to me.
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So do they actually own these stallions or are acting as agents when they are standing them and or selling them?tia
I believe all the stallions going through the sale are owned by Calumet. I am not 100% certain, but fairly sure.
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I am sad about Mr Z. He is truly a stunner
also worthy to note that Buck Pond Farm is selling Wildcat Red who ran in the derby in 2014.
Wildcat Red - Horse Profile - BloodHorse
I don’t see Big Blue Kitten in the Keeneland catalog.
Oh, now I see why I couldn’t find him. I was searching Horses and he is a Ridgling.
Hip# 1596. He’ll be last to go on Thursday.
Well, Calumet appears to have changed the business model somewhat, as they put high reserves on all the stallions, and most were RNA. I wonder if buyers will bid privately? At least they did not sell as cheaply as in the last few years.
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Optimizer is the only one who sold, for $35k. I don’t know where the buyer is located; it’s shown as YMT Farm.
As you pointed out, the other 5 RNA’d
Hence - $42,000
Mr. Z - $90,000
Big Blue Kitten - $90,000
Producer - $22,000
Real Solution - $190,000
Real Solution’s bids blow my mind. He bred 8 mares in 2022.
YMT is Youssef Mohammed Alturaif of Saudi Arabia.
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I wonder if any previous connections were trying to get him back.
I also wonder if there was any running-up of bids by someone representing the owner trying to get them to a certain cut off
I really like Hence and he has always been in my favorite list since he was running in 2017. No interest in owning a stallion but as a sport horse prospect if they didn’t want to breed him anymore; I’d gladly welcome him into my barn. But not for $42,000. He has always been a well-made horse who, in every work, really loved his job. He is balanced, strong, and has a beautiful way of moving.
Hence 2017 Kentucky Derby Hopeful 4.23 - YouTube
Hence 2017 Kentucky Derby Hopeful 5.01 - YouTube
Hence 2017 Kentucky Derby Hopeful 4.29 - YouTube
This is what Calumet does though, isn’t this the third or so year they’ve tried unloading a bunch of stallions at the mixed sale? I remember, maybe two years ago, they were all taken out of the sale shortly before. I think last year a few sold for pennies to some horse dealers.
I understand the history and tradition that is Calumet. But why stand 17+ stallions; 3/4 of them being not that desirable, and hardly getting any interest in them. Invest in some knockout mares and start supporting what’s in your stallion shed and start making an effort to make some quality.
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Perhaps you’re unaware of it, but that’s how auctions work. Nearly every horse that goes through the ring has a pre-set “reserve” price. Until that price is reached, the bidders are essentially bidding against the owner/seller.
There’s no need to wonder whether someone was “running up bids to get them to a certain cut off.” Yes, the auctioneer was doing that. It’s his job.
There’s nothing underhanded about the practice and its use is covered each day in the sale’s morning announcements so everyone knows about it. Horses that are selling with no reserve are a rarity, not the norm. They are often (but not always) announced as such.
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I am well aware of what an RNA is and that it is the auctioneer’s job to bid up until it reaches the reserve.
OK, but you understand how having the reserve meant there was no need for anything “underhanded” to artificially inflate the bids. Once live money reaches/exceeds the reserve price, the horse sells.
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I’ve never purchased a horse at FT or Keeneland. However, I have purchased a few from quality catalogued sales, where there were reserves. In my breed, the trainers and a few owners will be “in the know”, and bid the horse up. The idea is to create excitement about that particular entry, and show that the BNTs are seriously interested.
As an example, I watched a well-known World Champion go through the ring, and there was live money until a point, and then the trainers stepped in to try and get the horse over the reserve. It didn’t happen, and the horse went home with his owner, who didn’t want to sell him anyway- her husband did.
His name was Mr. Snuffleuphagus. Such a cutie!
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