Aptitude
Moderators: Roguelet, WaveMaster, madelyn
hi austique
Aptitude is in great hands...and will be given a fantastic opportunity...
...but he is out of a Northern Dancer daughter. What's wrong with that you may ask?
Believe it or not ND himself is extremely unsuccessful as a broodmare-sire of sires.
Take a look for yourself...look through the stallion register and see if you can find a highly successful stallion that is out of a Northern Dancer mare.
Regardless...maybe Aptitude will break the mold.
Respectfully
Aptitude is in great hands...and will be given a fantastic opportunity...
...but he is out of a Northern Dancer daughter. What's wrong with that you may ask?
Believe it or not ND himself is extremely unsuccessful as a broodmare-sire of sires.
Take a look for yourself...look through the stallion register and see if you can find a highly successful stallion that is out of a Northern Dancer mare.
Regardless...maybe Aptitude will break the mold.
Respectfully
hi Cathy D
After numerous crops...I suggest (among the many considerations) that one must evaluate not only the percentage of stakes winners (from named foals) but also the caliber...when determining a stallions success level.
Consider this...Not for Love...6 crops of racing age...335 named foals of racing age...29 stakes winners (including some G2's and G3's). Is he successful...YES.
But Not for Love...has sired ZERO G1 winners...
...therefore I suggest he is NOT worthy of addition to the HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL sires list (at least not yet).
Respectfully
After numerous crops...I suggest (among the many considerations) that one must evaluate not only the percentage of stakes winners (from named foals) but also the caliber...when determining a stallions success level.
Consider this...Not for Love...6 crops of racing age...335 named foals of racing age...29 stakes winners (including some G2's and G3's). Is he successful...YES.
But Not for Love...has sired ZERO G1 winners...
...therefore I suggest he is NOT worthy of addition to the HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL sires list (at least not yet).
Respectfully
Hi Fos,
I disagree with your conclusion about Not For Love. I don't think that he has had much opportunity to produce Grade 1 winners. He has been bred to Mid-atlantic mares. People in the this area do not push their 2 year olds early. So the off spring miss some "easier" Grade 1 opprotunities. And he has not been a pin hookers horse, at least not until the last year or so.
Going back to the mares, how many Grade 1 winners or producers do you think have been in his book. Or for that matter Grade 2 or 3 mares?
In my opinion, he is successful in spite of his dam sire being Northern Dancer. Perhaps, he is the exception to the rule.
I disagree with your conclusion about Not For Love. I don't think that he has had much opportunity to produce Grade 1 winners. He has been bred to Mid-atlantic mares. People in the this area do not push their 2 year olds early. So the off spring miss some "easier" Grade 1 opprotunities. And he has not been a pin hookers horse, at least not until the last year or so.
Going back to the mares, how many Grade 1 winners or producers do you think have been in his book. Or for that matter Grade 2 or 3 mares?
In my opinion, he is successful in spite of his dam sire being Northern Dancer. Perhaps, he is the exception to the rule.
I don't know FOS--maybe I'm too much of a plebe in this business, but I would think Juddmonte would be pretty darn happy if Aptitude mirrored Not For Love, who had a five million dollar year last year (beating a lot of fancy Kentucky stallions who arguably have "bigtime" credentials such as Gone West and Kingmambo) and is a legitimate $25,000 stallion siring some national quality horses out of mostly local Maryland mares.
http://breeding.bloodhorse.com/sirelist ... g_sire.asp
Where is Seeking the Gold on this list or Danzig or Deputy Minister? Yeah two of them are gone through retirement and death but then so is Pleasant Colony and Saint Ballado.
I'm not the biggest fan of Aptitude based on what I saw in Kentucky last year but it is certainly not because he's out of a Northern Dancer mare. I think he has a lot of wood to chop just to be Not for Love but being Not For Love isn't a bad thing given that 90 + % of his brethren completely flopped.
http://breeding.bloodhorse.com/sirelist ... g_sire.asp
Where is Seeking the Gold on this list or Danzig or Deputy Minister? Yeah two of them are gone through retirement and death but then so is Pleasant Colony and Saint Ballado.
I'm not the biggest fan of Aptitude based on what I saw in Kentucky last year but it is certainly not because he's out of a Northern Dancer mare. I think he has a lot of wood to chop just to be Not for Love but being Not For Love isn't a bad thing given that 90 + % of his brethren completely flopped.
hi Sysonby
I am confident that Prince Khaled Abdullah's Juddmonte is about breeding and racing at the highest level...which I suggest includes a share of G1 winners and champions (in North America and/or accross the pond) somewhat regularly.
Maybe Aptitude will sire that kind...but I submit that his broodmare-sire Northern Dancer has arguably been (at least so far) a stumbling block (for lack of a better description) as a broodmare sire of HIGHLY successful sires.
Consider this...Northern Dancer sired 635 foals (per Blood-Horse). Probably approx 50% (plus or minus) were female. With that in mind consider the HUGE volume of foals that were produced from those approx 315 (plus or minus) Northern Dancer daughters.
Now consider that approx 50% (plus or minus) of that huge volume of foals out of the ND mares were colts.
Now ask yourself...where are all of the highly successful sires out of those Northern Dancer daughters?
Examples: Other than Congaree...what happened to Blushing Groom's brilliant champion and Breeders' Cup Juvenile winning son Arazi (out of a Northern Dancer mare) as a sire...or champion 2-year-old Rhythm (also out of a ND mare) as a sire...etc etc etc.
All Things Considered...including the volume of opportunities...I suggest that ND himself was/is disappointing as a broodmare-sire of highly successful sires (at least so far)...
...although it is clear that ND was highly successful as a broodmare-sire of highly successful runners (including many G1 winners and champions).
Regarding NOT FOR LOVE...he is a NICE SIRE...but doesn't get the G1 winners...and/or the champions (at least not yet). And it's not for lack of chances. Including his sixth crop of two-year-olds that raced in 2004 he's had 335 chances already.
Not for Love's seventh crop of 2-year-olds races this year (2005)...and it would be nice if he could break through and get a G1 winning front page horse. But even if he does...at this point in his career I suggest that it will take more than one G1 winner to boost Not for Love to the highly successful level.
Back to Aptitude...I suggest that Juddmonte is looking for him to be a highly successful sire or better (not just a nice sire)...that gets his share of G1 winners and champions.
I am confident that Juddmonte has given Aptitude a very good opportunity...and will probably continue do so for at least the near future. Furthermore...I suggest that Juddmonte will probably race many of them...enhancing Aptitude's chances at becoming a HIGHLY successful sire. But if he doesn't get the highly successful star-quality runners...I suggest that Aptitude might ultimately be relegated to be considered another sire out of a Northern Dancer mare...that couldn't get to the top.
If Aptitude accomplishes a similar level success as Not for Love, that will be commendable...but I suggest that a nice-sire is not what the Juddmonte connections hope for or dream about.
I suggest that they play to win at the HIGHEST level.
Best to you.
Respectfully
I am confident that Prince Khaled Abdullah's Juddmonte is about breeding and racing at the highest level...which I suggest includes a share of G1 winners and champions (in North America and/or accross the pond) somewhat regularly.
Maybe Aptitude will sire that kind...but I submit that his broodmare-sire Northern Dancer has arguably been (at least so far) a stumbling block (for lack of a better description) as a broodmare sire of HIGHLY successful sires.
Consider this...Northern Dancer sired 635 foals (per Blood-Horse). Probably approx 50% (plus or minus) were female. With that in mind consider the HUGE volume of foals that were produced from those approx 315 (plus or minus) Northern Dancer daughters.
Now consider that approx 50% (plus or minus) of that huge volume of foals out of the ND mares were colts.
Now ask yourself...where are all of the highly successful sires out of those Northern Dancer daughters?
Examples: Other than Congaree...what happened to Blushing Groom's brilliant champion and Breeders' Cup Juvenile winning son Arazi (out of a Northern Dancer mare) as a sire...or champion 2-year-old Rhythm (also out of a ND mare) as a sire...etc etc etc.
All Things Considered...including the volume of opportunities...I suggest that ND himself was/is disappointing as a broodmare-sire of highly successful sires (at least so far)...
...although it is clear that ND was highly successful as a broodmare-sire of highly successful runners (including many G1 winners and champions).
Regarding NOT FOR LOVE...he is a NICE SIRE...but doesn't get the G1 winners...and/or the champions (at least not yet). And it's not for lack of chances. Including his sixth crop of two-year-olds that raced in 2004 he's had 335 chances already.
Not for Love's seventh crop of 2-year-olds races this year (2005)...and it would be nice if he could break through and get a G1 winning front page horse. But even if he does...at this point in his career I suggest that it will take more than one G1 winner to boost Not for Love to the highly successful level.
Back to Aptitude...I suggest that Juddmonte is looking for him to be a highly successful sire or better (not just a nice sire)...that gets his share of G1 winners and champions.
I am confident that Juddmonte has given Aptitude a very good opportunity...and will probably continue do so for at least the near future. Furthermore...I suggest that Juddmonte will probably race many of them...enhancing Aptitude's chances at becoming a HIGHLY successful sire. But if he doesn't get the highly successful star-quality runners...I suggest that Aptitude might ultimately be relegated to be considered another sire out of a Northern Dancer mare...that couldn't get to the top.
If Aptitude accomplishes a similar level success as Not for Love, that will be commendable...but I suggest that a nice-sire is not what the Juddmonte connections hope for or dream about.
I suggest that they play to win at the HIGHEST level.
Best to you.
Respectfully