#44 was on my list (page 2 of this thread) too. Sold for 260K.
No. It just meant that there weren’t two people who wanted him so badly that they would keep on bidding.
Honestly, what they are worth to buyers has to be more than they are worth to the seller. I am often perplexed by the vagueries of the auction buying public. I suppose everyone just has their preferences…
As for the private sale of an RNA horse, it’s easy to understand how that can take place at an auction. Just one hypothetical; You want the horse and are bidding. The person(s) bidding against you stop at 75k. You bid 80K and the hammer falls. Horse is RNA because reserve is 85K. You would have given 85K but would obviously not bid against yourself. So you offer seller the reserve price because you want the horse. Granted, the reserve on many horses can be known if you ask around, but not always.
Some of the large commercial breeders have RNA sections on their websites however, breeders like LaurieB who breed a small broodmare band of their own just for the pleasure breeding and racing (and most often don’t stand stallions) don’t operate in the same manner.
In the past I knew them as “Public” vs “Private” breeders. I think the terminology has changed since then.
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Skydy, I’m with you on some of the head scratching on the sales price of some horses along with the RNAs with low prices…
Was looking at Hip 594, a filly by Bodemeister out of Past Twilight (by Pulpit). Bodemeister’s 2017 fee is listed at ‘Private’ and yet this filly sold for $50k.
Or Hip 740, filly by Elusive Quality out of Sikara (IRE) or 747, colt by Bernardini (2017 fee $100,000) out of Simply Spectacular (no graded stakes but did win twice at 4 for $100K; this is her first foal). Both sold for $15K.
That does leave me scratching my head unless there was something that was seen in person but not on the internet.
Where are you finding photos/videos of horses not in book 1?
What I can’t get over is some of the high reserves set on some of these horses. So many RNA’ed for $500K+. What are the chances that so many of these yearlings will make that money back on the track or in the breeding shed? I’d take the money and run. But hey - I guess that’s why I’m not in the breeding game.
@Where’sMyWhite On the head scratching prices of some of the horses - could be the buyers just don’t like how that particular individual is developing or maybe there is something on the x-rays in the repository they don’t like.
Some RNA horses will be kept for racing by the owners for (these horses are race bred after all) and others may be offered in a sale Two Year Olds in Training.
Of course there are no guarantees in racing but beginning with a well bred well conformed individual makes perfect sense. Horse racing is not known for being profit making exercise. It is (for most people) an expensive hobby.
I can see asking for a really high price because if you don’t get it you can afford to race. Plus the excitement of having a horse that is winning must be out of this world.
Another lovely yearling Laurie!
This reply popped into my head today after reading that Hip 1041, by Scat Daddy out of Beloveda, one of two $1M sales today was walked 220 times :eek: Sounds like she handled it well all 200 times 
LaurieB… mostly nosey. Think you’ll keep Hip 416 and race him or see if you can sell him? Happy with how 1114 turned out? I like that you have a very small band of mares but breed to quality stallions. I know it doesn’t always pan out but then there is something like Paid Up Subscriber who does you proud
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Skydy, thank you for all the nice comments!
Where’sMyWhite, we were happy with the filly we took to the sale. Less happy with the price she brought. But we had already bought back the colt and we can’t keep them all. As for the colt, I hope we end up racing him. There’s a chance we may offer him again next month. It depends on how the rest of the sale goes.
As for comments on some of the prices that don’t seem to make sense, it’s a crazy market and has only gotten crazier over the last several years. It has a very strong top, a decent bottom, and no middle (the 100-200k horse). There are too many horses and not enough buyers. So unless you catch lightning in a bottle and jump up, buyers–even lookers–are hard to come by. Lots of nice horses are selling for less than they “should” because there just aren’t enough shoppers looking for a good, solid, racehorse.
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LaurieB, thanks for the comments
I can imagine you weren’t happy with her price but wasn’t sure. Keep us posted on the colt.
Must be hard then for breeders like you that are aiming to breed for potentially higher than bottom end but not the top end so yes, aiming for the middle. I know there were RNAs that left me scratching my head just based on pedigree (but true, didn’t see the horse itself).
I do love your breeding strategy… nice, small band of mares choosing nice stallions and then doing what all breeders must do… cross your fingers
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That was obviously an “all the way” reserve . Keeneland keeps bidding on behalf of the seller, until they get to the RNA price. We have no idea when the live money stopped bidding. The Keeneland auctioneers are masters at this – FT auctioneers are not as good; you can often tell with the live money has dropped out and the “reserve” bids are all coming from the ‘house’. If there had been one bidder willing to go to $2m, the colt would have sold.
Often you can tell because the auctioneers start "acknowledging bids from “in back” (although, just as often, live bidders are actually standing in back, so as to be more circumspect with their bidding.)
I have been a BIG fan of the sire Perfect Soul for awhile now. I am surprised more don’t breed to him and I’d be willing to bet he is pensioned soon due to his age. Just saw one of his fillies sell in Session 11 for $1000.00!! Dam is a Smart Strike x Danzig x Affirmed mare.
What a steal. wish there were photos on these end of sale lots that are going so cheap. I might have considered bidding
That is a lot of commission to pay for a RNA. The % decreases as the price goes higher, but the sellers could be looking at $30,000 - $50,000 with no income to show for it.
I once posed a question to a COTH member regarding yearlings well bred and decently conformed that were sold quite cheaply. Why, when I could see no glaring fault in them? I was told that sometimes the vet report and x-rays put people off.
That’s not always the case though, and I think it could be worthwhile to look at Keeneland if you were wanting a TB. You’d want to be present I would think, so you could watch the horse move, see about temperament and look at the repository for x-rays and vet report.
It’s difficult to get a really good view of legs and feet, as well as movement, when watching horses in the auction ring only, especially online.
They always look good in the ring, while sitting in the seats or especially watching on the internet. The sales companies make this happen by design. The way the pavilion/ring is constructed and they get a lighting engineer to “tweak” things. No different then high end bathrooms, museums, art galleries, restaurants etc.
Yes you really can’t see them move at all and it’s difficult to have a clear view. I notice that some auction handlers are better than others at standing them up square as well. Perhaps by design?
Perfect Soul has not bred many mares in recent years which is why only 2 offspring of his sold at Keeneland this year. He will be 20 years old next year.The first one was the filly at $1000 and the second was a colt for $6000. He’s a turf sire so no surprise that his offspring did not bring much at the tail end of the sale and I’d be willing to bet that neither the filly or the colt had much in the way of issues on xrays; just not much interest in them from a buying standpoint; which I find sad.
Perfect Soul’s owner/breeder, Charles Fipke, has had some decent success with his own stallion on his own mares. His highest grossing offspring is a mare named Perfect Shirl with 1,390,000 in winnings. Bred by Fipke, she made 16 starts in her career.
Second highest grossing offspring was Golden Soul, also bred by Fipke, he won 657,000 in his career of 31 starts and was 2nd in the KY DERBY! His dam was a Mr Prospector x Silver Hawk (Roberto).He made one start in 2017at fairgrounds back in February. Had a recorded workout at woodbine in September.
Third Highest grossing offspring was also a fipke bred/owned horse named Perfect Shower. $446,000 in earnings. States he currently stands at IPC Farms Bismarck, Arkansas ($500 LFG) His dam was by Miswaki out of a mare by Bold Forbes
If I were bidding; I would be buying for sport horse careers and the Perfect Souls would be high on my list to look at. His sire is Sadlers Wells by Northern Dancer and his dam was a daughter of Secretariat himself out of an Exclusive Native mare. Talk about bloodlines you just cant find anymore. I would expect his offspring to be very athletic, good movers, and great jumpers with good bone. Heck, even if you wanted a fun horse to have in jump races; they’d probably be great prospects!
The November sales are on the horizon. The weaners can be expensive, though you never know you might get a good one for a bargain … The catalog isn’t online yet but when it becomes available you can search for the bloodlines you like.
I like the thought of someone going to the sales and buying for sport but I know it’s not really practical.
Me? November, I’m waiting for the broodmare prospects that, so far, have been targeted for the sale Just to drool, mind you. I’m more a mare person anyway (my favorite horses have all been mares).
Will be interesting to see if the November sale is as “fickle” as the September one was with what sold and what RNAd.
I would definitely consider it; I know there is someone on this board who has gone and taken a few home for sport. There are plenty of bargains to be had it seems; so long as the vet report checks out. The weanling sales that are coming are going to be exciting. The first American pharaohs to sell! Will have to keep my eye out for the catalog. Just wish you could see them jog and not just walk
