Did you hear the good news? Dan will shortly be on his way to Old Friends! Apparently it was announced in their newsletter today:
http://foolishpleasure-valerie.blogspot ... ssman.html
DANTHEBLUEGRASSMAN
Moderators: Roguelet, hpkingjr, WaveMaster
I was personally very glad to see that. I saw him come to Northern California, I think, to run in the ECR Derby when it was at GGF. He was absolutely stunning that day, like "We're going to need a bigger boat" stunning, but he didn't win. His coat was just iridescent. I've always thought of him since then, and I was worried when he started slipping down the ranks. So glad that I'll be able to see him at Old Friends one day!
"When I am on my deathbed, I imagine I will say, 'Thank God I did that'" - Arthur Hancock, on buying back Gato del Sol from Europe after Exceller was killed in a slaughterhouse in Sweden.
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nferro9925
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soundfast wrote:I am wondering why he did not get to breed mares like his half brother Now Voyager who only won once. The article did not say he had fertility problems. It said that he is a stallion.
Because he has been in training, fairly steady for most of his life.
He had a break of about a year from 4/04 to 4/05, and around 7 months from 10/02 to 6/03. He's had a couple of 3 month breaks, but other than that he's been a racehorse.
soundfast wrote:What I meant to ask is why he is not going to be a sire and stand at a stud farm instead of going to a horse rescue. A stakes winner like him usually gets to breed mares unless he is sterile.
He was a stakes winner, but not for long. His sire Pioneering has produced some hard knocking horses, but I don't think a lot of folks would want to take their mares to Dan.
I respect him and followed him for most of his career, but wouldn't think he'd bring much as a sire. I know someone who wanted him as an eventing horse and possible sire, but not for race horses. OF has the funding to get such a horse. They have not kept every horse that they have rescued, either. Sometimes they find a more suitable home.
He should bring some fans to OF, and in turn fans will bring donations to continue their work.
I like his pedigree and if he had retired at 3 like many other horses he would not have been in the claiming ranks. His sire Pioneering sires sounder runners than his half brother Storm Cat. Storm Cats only average 11 starts and Pioneerings average 19. Dan had 47 starts and the breed needs sound siring horses and I think he could be one of them. It seems these days there are many many horses racing only a small number of times before suffering injuries. For the sake of the horses and the breed I favor putting those hard knocking horses to stud instead of those fragile injury prone ones. If I could breed my mare to Storm Cat free I would say "no she deserves to be bred to a sound siring stallon" and that goes for Giants Causeway (8 starts) and Forestry(9 starts)A P Indy(12),etc. If I did not already own a SW stallion I would want him.
soundfast wrote: For the sake of the horses and the breed I favor putting those hard knocking horses to stud instead of those fragile injury prone ones.
I agree with you, but this sport/game/business/industry is focused on speed rather than longevity.
Very few that recognize the name Danthebluegrassman will know anything of Gravano or Texas Pioneer even though they have each raced more than twice as much as Dan.
Put Dan out to stud and you wouldn't make as much in a year as you can with a single service of Storm Cat.
It's a business, and that's why nobody claimed Dan from the track to breed him.
Chiselling was sent to South Africa to stand at stud. He belonged to Juddmonte farms who have his half brother Empire Maker. You could email them at [email protected] or try [email protected] which is a South African horse web site.
soundfast wrote:Chiselling was sent to South Africa to stand at stud. He belonged to Juddmonte farms who have his half brother Empire Maker. You could email them at [email protected] or try [email protected] which is a South African horse web site.
I don't think he ever got there. He was diagnosed with EPM or something that the South Africans couldn't accept, and he was "delayed" from going until he had treatment, but then he seems to have dropped out of sight.
"When I am on my deathbed, I imagine I will say, 'Thank God I did that'" - Arthur Hancock, on buying back Gato del Sol from Europe after Exceller was killed in a slaughterhouse in Sweden.
majxmom wrote:soundfast wrote:Chiselling was sent to South Africa to stand at stud. He belonged to Juddmonte farms who have his half brother Empire Maker. You could email them at [email protected] or try [email protected] which is a South African horse web site.
I don't think he ever got there. He was diagnosed with EPM or something that the South Africans couldn't accept, and he was "delayed" from going until he had treatment, but then he seems to have dropped out of sight.
He never made it to Maine Chance Farm in SA. He was at Juddmonte for a while in 2005, but was then sent to another farm near Lexington. His muscle had detioriated to a point where they feared he may not be strong enough to mount and cover mares. I have contacted both Juddmonte and sahorseracing.com, and have been unsuccessful. Thanks for the input. I should probably take down my avatar and sig line. It's been 3 years.