Elite Squadron

[madelyn]

I've received a season to Elite Squadron, and have three mares in my band to choose from. I am open to opinions on the crosses (please give reasons) - THANKS!!!

Express to Boston 17.1h massive mare, a bit flat kneed but otherwise gorgeous - she is half sis to HIGHLAND GOLD, Fountain Square (dam of Timber Reserve) and Livermore Leslie
Militant Maid 16.2h round Seattle Slew looking mare, throws heavy boned foals - she is the dam of G1SP SUNDAY HOLIDAY
Oro Caliente 15.3h nicely put together mare, throws big babies with lots of bone - she is out of FEROUZ

I might want to send the resulting foal through a sale

[springboro]

all three great choices for Elite Squadron, but I give the nod to Oro Caliente. I do really like the first two though too.... hard decision.

[madelyn]

I'm thinking along the same lines.. looking at Boys at Tosconova, etc. Only size worries me here - 16h stallion, 15.3h mare vs 17.1 or 16.2.. Oro Caliente, though, has a big bruiser of a filly from 2010 by my 16.1h stallion. She is open so I could get quite an early cover.

[vallygirl927]

My mare must of gotten her size from El Corredor. She's definetly NOT 16.2 as her dam is, more like 15.3. Hmm....bummer.

[ASB]

The Officers tend to be on the small side of average and light of bone. I'd send whatever mare throws the most bone and probably wouldn't send the smallest mare to him.

We sent a balanced 16h mare to Officer and got a very small, light-boned filly. This mare tends to throw a touch smaller than herself, but this filly took it to extremes.

Maybe Elite Squadron will throw differently than his sire, but I doubt it.

[madelyn]

Hm. Well that is moving me toward my Boston Harbor mare...

[bfinellc]

An Elite Squadron season sold through the ITBOA Stallion Season Auction so your foal can remain eligible for the ITBOA Futurity and the ITBOA Stallion Stakes regardless of where you foal! Keep an eye on the ITBOA program at Prairie Meadows! Both races had purses in excess of $90,000 last year making it a very easy black type opportunity for those Elite Squadron babies!

[madelyn]

Right, thanks for that info.

Still mixed emotions on this one. Maybe have to run over to Wintergreen and see this horse in person.

[ct2346]

I (may have a personal predilection towards but) love Boston Harbor mares. If I'm going through a catalog, he's one of the ones I try to keep an eye out for. But it sounds as if she's the best physical too.

By the way, Livermore Leslie crossed my conscience recently. Is she in KEEJAN? Just saw her show up somewhere the other day.

[madelyn]

Not KEEJAN.

Her latest runner, I believe, is Lady MacQueen. It's really a very nice family.

I may also have seasons to Notional and Bellamy Road.. decisions decisions.

[madelyn]

Hmm. I spoke with the folks at Wintergreen on this, and expanded my list to include more open mares. Here's what THEY liked, in order of preference:

(1) Ground Queen (very high on the inbreeding of Best Turn)
(2) Smoldering (ditto) - I like this mare a whole lot, throws amazing foals
(3) Express to Boston (double Seattle Slew, but "back there")

Time to head over to see the stallion and get the "physical" done.

I also want to see Hold Me Back, Temple City, and Plan...

Anyone got opinions on the Best Turn inbreeding?

[hpkingjr]

The database lists 44 horses inbred to Best Turn, none after 2000. Two stakes horses, nothing graded. Your thoughts?

http://www.pedigreequery.com/index.php? ... d=&x=0&y=0

[madelyn]

That's sort of what I was wondering about. As in, why would the Wintergreen folks be so "high" on inbreeding Best Turn? Frankly, I was leaning toward the Gold Fever mare because of the similarity of the resulting pedigree to that of Boys at Tosconova.