I just saw this on twitter but don’t see it anywhere else?
Yes, it’s true. He’ll be standing at Arrow Stud.
Oh boy, that “Bring Chrome Home” bunch of whackadoos is going to lose its mind. I would not want to be fielding phone calls at Taylor Made today!
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I should have known if it was on Twitter (even from an unofficial source) it HAD to be true! Thanks, Laurie.
You have more faith in Twitter than I do. :lol:
You’re welcome.
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They’ll probably want to retell the story of Ferdinand (for the thousandth time.) :rolleyes:
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Honestly some people need to let it go.
This story kind of dovetails with the Green Gatto thing. How much input is it reasonable for the general public to have because they are fans of a particular horse?
Why does a person who has never owned or supported the horse financially or any other way get a say or think they do?
Personally I think this trend is dangerous for every horse owner and every equestrian sport. It’s mob rule and it’s not even good for the horse. Ben’s Cat anyone?
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I’ve never understood the fascination with this particular horse. Is it because he has a lot of white on him?
Last time the public got behind a Derby winner in a big way, it was Funny Cide. But he had a very appealing group of owners who came to the race in a school bus and were tailor made for media coverage. And his following didn’t approach this level of hysteria.
Can anyone explain to me what I’m missing?
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I always think of poor old Golden Tent.
They certainly are all free to support him by booking their mares or bidding up his yearlings and eagerly await the two year olds in training sales next spring.
Otherwise just waiting to see what outrage and total shock shows up on here later today and in the next few days.
Otherwise wish him health and potency on the available mare group over there, which he likely will complement. Judging by the condition of the pensioned studs they have returned back here, he’ll do just fine.
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I’m not a Chromie but I’m curious about why. Does it seem a little premature? I think his oldest foals are yearlings so is it because they’re not selling well or they don’t look that impressive? I could understand it if he had 2 year olds running and they weren’t doing that well.
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My guess would be initially the white on red (chestnut). He is, IMO, fancy looking which I know doesn’t translate to performance on the track. Perhaps that Chrome’s pedigree was considered pedestrian that also contributed to the attraction of the masses
It was probably compounded by the drama surrounding Perry Martin and Art Sherman (IIRC).
I dunno, but my thoughts.
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I have to say, the minute I saw this on Twitter this morning I thought, “Oh boy, the crazy Chromies are gonna lose their minds!”
My advice: do not go to Facebook and read the comments on the news items about this sale. The majority of them will give you a massive headache.
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anyone want to take a bet on how many death threats they receive?
cashing in before they could end up with less in the investment if his offspring prove sub par.
I am surprised, to say the least, that he is leaving American soil this early. His books were relatively good and he was moderately affordable. I always thought he was a good looking, well built horse who always tried very hard. I quite like his pedigree hes a bit different; but perhaps he wasn’t rich enough for the Kentuckians. I think his pedigree is better suited for turf and he ran well on turf; perhaps he will have more opportunities in Japan. He gets to start a fresh stud career on the other side of the world despite if his foals are failures here. Taylor Made took the money and ran. But if you were a stakeholder in this horse and part of the ownership but didn’t want him sold overseas; you likely got out-voted by those who wanted to cash in. The investors in this horse were in it for the return on investment in a high profile, extremely large earning stallion prospect. At the end of the day; he’s not a living breathing animal but a business deal. That part of the ownership had greater control over the decisions
@LaurieB I think you saw such a craze with this horse because he was good looking, because he was a rag to riches story, and because his story came about in the era of social media frenzy. Funny Cide didn’t. Taylor Made marketed him hard to that crowd to get the interest buzzing. When you garnish a massive following, they bet at the track and everyone wins, or they participate in naming contests, etc involved with the horse and he quickly becomes a household name.
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I think it’s pretty unfair to the ownership group to jump to this conclusion. Do you know a significant number of the 50 shareholders?
If you take the statement made by Taylor Made at face value (which I have no reason not to), they got an offer for the horse, decided as a group to sell him, and negotiated a contract that protects the horse both in the event that he is resold (with a first right of refusal) and when he is retired (when he will be returned to Taylor Made to live out his days), and keeps his two principal owners (the Martins) in the mix for the totality of his career in Japan. Any attempt to vilify the shareholders or try to make them appear uncaring and greedy by saying that many of them did not consider him a “living breathing animal” is way over the top, in my opinion.
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Some of the comments on the FB articles are just :eek::lol:
I knew I shouldn’t have started reading them, but it is almost like a bad car wreck… you just can’t look away.
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CC had a lot of racing talent and he’s a pretty color. But there was little else to commend him as a potential sire. He is average looking, incorrect, and hails from a family that’s modest at best. That’s not me being a snob. Studies have shown pretty conclusively that when it comes to good traits being passed down, family matters.
Then his foals arrived. The ones I’ve seen (probably 50 or so) are not horses I would want to spend 30-40k in training bills on before I even had a chance to find out if they could run. His first crop of yearlings sold this year. At KeeSep, 48 were offered, 30 sold. The median price was 50K (from a stud fee of 40K). Based on the number, 74% of breeders who sold a yearling by CC at KeeSep lost money on the transaction.
Simply put, CC’s yearlings didn’t look like athletes. Maybe they’ll come out next year and prove everyone wrong. But right now, the costs to own a racehorse are so high, no one wants to take a chance on one that doesn’t have every chance of success. Hopefully he’ll do better in Japan.
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Waiting for the meltdown on California Chromes Home FB page - where many of the most over the top Chromies hang out. No mention of anything yet… but the reactions there will be epic…
ETA - and now it is posted and the comments are pathetic, maddening and sad. “Chromie” is “America’s Horse” and will now be eaten in Japan just like Sunday Silence (as many have said)… eyeroll
