And another 3-yr old walks off the track.
Coolmore buys, retires Lookin At Lucky
Seems stupid to me. I like racing for racing … not racing to the breeding shed.
I definitely agree with you here…way too many are being retired too young…
Did he come out of the Breeders Cup with an injury???
Ya think? I’m so over that also.
Damn.
And they wonder why racing continues to dwindle in popularity. You need to be able to follow a horse for more than a handful of races…sigh…
That is pretty tame. He had two wins of note, the Preakness and Haskell, and while he could claim some genuine bad luck in the SA and KY Derbies, he still had a lot to prove. And it’s not like he has one of those screaming hot son of a sire of sires pedigrees either, a la Fu Peg or Hard Spun.
Wonder if there was a physical issue. Maybe they didn’t think he would train on as a 4yo, and got out while the going was good? Either way, doesn’t inspire confidence.
I’m scratching my head trying to think of who’s left in the handicap division.
This was one that might have been a superb 4 YO. Dang! I really liked his gutsy running style. Another one bites the dust :(.
Personal rant over. I do understand this is big bucks and business, I just sometimes wish it were different.
For some reason, I had myself convinced he’d be back next year. I suppose I thought they’d like to prove just how good he was after his somewhat cruddy luck in 2010. What a shame. I can’t imagine there will be a line out of the breeding shed for a precocious Smart Strike son when both Smart Strike and Curlin (with a longer, more solid record) are around the corner- unless they put him up at under 10K.
I hope Drosselmeyer will be back next year; Fly Down? First Dude? Anyone else?
With Smart Strike standing at 75K and Curlin at 40K (third year) I think Coolmore will be able to find plenty of people interested in LAL at a reasonable price (which is going to be more than 10K.)
Just an FYI, if Lookin at Lucky is valued at 10M as a stallion prospect which is not an unreasonable sum, the cost to insure him for another year of racing is $500,000.
That’s half a million dollars out of pocket before he even sets foot on the track. And that’s only one of many expenses he’d incur. Lots of horses are retired not because their connections don’t want to race them anymore but because it becomes cost prohibitive to keep them on the track.
Just an FYI, if Lookin at Lucky is valued at 10M as a stallion prospect which is not an unreasonable sum, the cost to insure him for another year of racing is $500,000.
Although $500,000 is a huge sum, horses with Lucky’s talent are able to earn enough to pay their own way. A gamble for sure, but that sum doesn’t mean the same thing to these people as it would to someone like me (i.e. less than filthy rich people).
It was reported that Lucky was sick again the week before the BCC. The recurring illnesses may have played a part in the decision.
I have a hard time imagining owners that can afford to race a horse like this wanting to cash out asap without a compelling reason beyond money.
Of course, I’m just speculating. The truth is, I know nothing about life at this level :eek:.
I’ll get the internet rumor ball rollin’. I was in another room, but TVG had one of the Coolmore guys on the phone and I think I heard him say 25k (for a stud fee).
I know you’re right about all of that, Laurie. I do find it frustrating as a fan.
If I had 20-30K to drop on a stud fee, I don’t think LAL would be my first choice, but of course I don’t and cannot speculate as to the whims of those who do!
I suppose even if the breeding market crashed anew and stayed that way even at the upper levels, those insurance rates will never come down, huh?
I guess we need more filthy rich owners who are breeding to race rather than to breed. Quick, everyone in this forum win the lottery 13 or 14 times.
Is there ever a point where there are to many stallions… With more and more going to the breeding shed early it seems there are just so many and not all have good pedigrees or great records. I am not in the breeding or racing business I am only a fan but it is a question I wanted to throw out there…
The problem of too many stallion is pretty much self-correcting. Those that aren’t worthy of being bred won’t get any mares.
In Kentucky, there are fewer stallions currently standing than there were several years ago. Some have left the state and many–even some very good ones–have left the country.
As for those stallion prospects lacking “good pedigree or great records” while those two criteria (when present) can get a horse a chance at stud they are, unfortunately, no indicator of potential success. Seattle Slew was thought to have a poor pedigree until he himself made it fashionable. And neither Danzig nor current top stallion Malibu Moon have race records of any note.
