I remember back when the Secretariat Center was the expensive one to go to … 
This! In the sub-10k horses, Maruf and Laughton Lane are my picks. Laughton Lane’s canter is outrageously good, and I’d be shocked if he didn’t jump knees to eyeballs once he actually learns how to jump properly.
I’ve been paying high four figures for nice, big, good-moving TBs like this from a broker since I started buying them around ~2004. The only way you will pay less for that quality is if you pluck them directly off the track off a jog video.
I’m actually surprised she still has both of them, but I’m wondering if the market at that price point is starting to soften a little given the outrageous costs of, well, everything right now.
1 Like
I got a really lovely gelding through Amy Lynn Paulus a few years ago. She gets a lot of horses and most are $5,000 and under. They are straight off the track, and she is very honest about them. She is located in KY, and I bought mine off of pictures and a video of him being jogged. She is on facebook and is about to have a baby, so may not be super responsive right now. But she normally is great about responding to people. Highly recommend her.
2 Likes
I had the same experience with Amy- my only complaint was that he was not quite as tall as advertised, but the vet I had take look at him also thought he was the close to the advertised height so I guess everyone thinks they are taller than they actually are.
Otherwise not only was he exactly what she said he was, but he was even nicer than described.
Would 100% buy another from her.
1 Like
I would agree with that. My gelding was described as a bit bigger than he was, but he was still big enough. My thought was that they don’t worry so much about stuff like that at the track, so every slightly larger horse seems “big” to track people lol. Mine was even sweeter and quieter than advertised, he made me look like a genius at restarting OTTBs haha. I HAVE started a bunch of horses though, so he was not my first rodeo.
2 Likes
You just need someone to sign you in… usually someone who would like to sell a horse they have that needs to not be a racehorse any more. Since the potential buyer has been going to the races, and following interesting horses, they know who the trainer is, and can usually contact them by phone or internet, set up a meeting at the backstretch back gate, and gain access being signed in. How much leeway you have to move around the backstretch depends on the track. But as soon as a “shopper” shows up, someone ELSE wants to show another horse that also needs to not be a racehorse any more. Shoppers are passed around between barns, news travels like wildfire on the backstretch, that a shopper is on the grounds. “You looking for a riding horse prospect??? I’ve got one you need to see in Barn A, come see me when you are finished here”. It is necessary for shoppers to have good manners, NOT touch horses, or even LOOK at horses who are not being shown to them, stay on the safe side (handler’s side) when a horse is being led by, not ask stupid questions or make stupid comments, or walk through barns without an invite. With many of the “placement services”, the race owner must PAY the “rescue” to take the horse, and the “rescue” “places” the horse for a fee. If an owner can sell the horse direct, this is a huge advantage to the owner who needs to sell a slow racehorse. The price is far lower to buy like this… less ability to “try” the horse, but if the buyer has been watching the horse for some time, following it as it has raced recently, seen it in the paddock and on post parade, they have seen something. Sound ones can be ridden by an exercise rider while the track is open, for the buyer to watch them go. Prices you have to pay for a purchase like this is somewhere between FREE to a couple thousand, depending on the condition of the horse.
4 Likes
Try Southern Belle Thoroughbreds on Facebook
We bought a VERY nice horse at the track that my late husband was so mad about he wouldn’t buy him. I loved him so I did. He was mad because the trainer said the horse was so big he couldn’t see over his back. My husband (6’4”) could see over his back. Trainer was much shorter😀. The horse was 16.1 and MARVELOUS!
3 Likes
Even now, backstretch TBs go for $4k. The days of $1500 diamonds in the rough are now a bit more expensive as trainers need to recoup their expenses at meets.
True OTTBs are still inexpensive compared to those found at retraining sites or even CANTER. BUT…BUT…that means you as a buyer must be willing to take a huge risk and to trust/rely on your ability so see horses developed from one form to another. At the same time, if you buy on the backstretch you better have the cash on hand (cash is king) and be ready to buy with no PPE etc. Especially if you are at the smaller tracks. The last time I tried buying one off the track I had to run to the ATM and in the space of 1 hour, the trainer sold the horse to another person who had $500 more cash on hand.
Many folks think that they can just get a nice cheap horse but that has never been the case. The moment a person adds on the necessity of retraining automatically ups the price. The folks on the track know who the h/j folks are and automatically add several hundred or even $1000 to the price because they see them as already having money. And, sadly, we pay that. To that end, I use my jockey friends as contacts and “selectors.” I have one who races and rides eventers so she knows what it takes to create performance horses from OTTBs. Even her fresh off the track prospects with true potential are now $5k minimum.
5 Likes
Seconded on the Southern Belles recommendation. I have one from them and then hunted down a dam-sibling because his temperament is so good. Keep an eye open for Milwaukee Brew in the pedigree. He tends to throw wonderful, uphill canters. My gelding’s is exceptional, and his trot is nothing to sneeze at either.
2 Likes
I personally am glad OTTBs are commanding more money.
19 Likes
I got all three of my most recent OTTBs right off the track for free (minus the cost of a halter and paying for shipping) back in the early 2000s, and I would suggest that for anyone looking to purchase there, the track vet is the single best contact you can make.
My name was out on the track grapevine from having inquired about another horse that went to someone else. About a week later I got a call out of the blue from the track vet, who asked if I was still looking, because one of her clients had a 4-y-o mare with a minor ankle injury that the client didn’t want to rehab himself. She was mine if I wanted her. The vet answered all my questions, emailed a photo, and I picked the mare up a few days later. That same mare (in my profile pic) is still with me, fat and happy, at age 20.
Same story with the other two. That original track vet clearly passed my name along to a vet at another nearby track about a year later, who contacted me when helping their client find a good home for another horse. And so on. These folks know the trainers and the horses, who’s looking to move a horse along, and they have excellent insight into whether injuries will leave lasting damage, or just need a few months out in the field.
5 Likes
How does one develop that relationship with the track vet?
That’s a good question, that someone else here with track experience may be able to answer better than I can.
But perhaps finding out the name/names of the vets at the track, and leaving them a voicemail about your interest might work. I’m sure they’re incredibly busy and you may have to reach out several times to let them know you’re serious. If you can find the name of the vet’s practice, that might yield a website with an email address that you could use.
If you have any other contacts at the track, that might be a way to get an introduction, as well.
It was a lot harder to give away TBs back then than it is now, and the vets that I worked with were anxious to see their charges safely settled into new homes if the owners were done with them. I’m sure they are still a great resource, even if people are lining up for a chance to buy the horses.
One way to get an inside to the track is to volunteer for the organizations that go to the track to list horses – CANTER, FLF, Second Chance, etc.
You do that a handful of times and the trainers/grooms will start to recognize you and quite literally run out and grab you when they see you going from barn to barn.
3 Likes
I am in upstate New York! Trying to stay around the area if possible
thanks a lot for your insight. I am a little traumatized after just getting hock and feet/ankle x rays on my last prospect and ending up having to retire her for kissing spine. So I really am hoping to have an extensive PPE done on anything I buy. I guess that’s been the hard part- I know there will always be a risk but I won’t purchase anything unless it vets clean (vetting budget is separate from purchase budget). So even though I see a few nice ones under 10k its so hard to get a vet out in time before they’re scooped up! I am honestly losing hope I can find what I need, I don’t think I can budge on the ppe thing. But again thanks for you advice!
I am minutes away from rerun and message within an hour after they post every horse but am always ignored! I am already approved, I’m sure they’re crazy busy but its frustrating
this seems promising! maybe ill plan a trip down there in the fall. thanks a lot!!
Keep an eye on Finger Lakes Finest (FLF) and also Finger Lakes Thoroughbred Adoption Program (FLTAP). FLF is going to start seeing more listings soon - usually picks up around the end of August to October, right before the meet ends.
http://fingerlakesfinesttbs.com/
I would buy anything from the Conways, Mike LaCesse, or Adrienne D’Alessandro sight unseen. Not because I’m buddy-buddy with them but because they have a reputation for being great connections and when I was going to FL regularly, I consistently saw great horses out of their program.
FLTAP always has available horses, sometimes with more backstory available to you than what you’d get finding a horse through a listing on FLF.
Second Chance Thoroughbreds might have some horses too, they are great to deal with and pick up horses from Finger Lakes regularly:
I do have to warn you about the realism of your situation, though. If you are going to thoroughly vet everything, you’re going to eat a lot of porridge before you find your “just right”… which means you’ll be spending a chunk of you limited budget on PPEs for horses you’ll pass on. I’m not saying forego the PPE, but if you’re going to do extensive PPEs on a horse you better not be barn-blind going in, because an extensive PPE runs anywhere from $600-1500 and if your budget is under $10k, you’ll have those funds eaten quickly.
Kissing spine isn’t a non-issue, but the reality of the riding world is most horses have radiographic findings and if that is your dealbreaker you might find you are x-raying a lot of spines. KS is all about the management. There are therapies and surgeries out there now that can help manage KS. It can never be cured, but it’s not untreatable.
Now, you say you are in upstate NY. Have you gone to the Unadilla auction yet?
6 Likes
