Hi, Does anyone know why his babies auction prices are so low? Seems quite a few babies don't even cover the stud fee? Maybe I just looked at the wrong data but....
Thanks a bunch!
Judith
Skip Away
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StealingKat
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Skip Away
Always bet on the grey!!
hi StealingKat
Skip Away's always been a tough sales horse...but that's probably not a surprise.
For starters...I suggest he was overpriced (especially at the outset of his career as a stallion)...which seemed to generate some negative comment...while at the same time raising the bar on expectations (based on an advertised stud fee of $50k).
Although an elite super-star race horse (champion and Horse of the Year)...$9.6 mil earner Skip Away lacks a "fancy" pedigree...and his sire (Skip Trial) was never the kind of horse that generated "buzz." The proof may be in the pudding (and possibly shed some light on the discussion) when you consider that Skip Away himself was hammered-down for $30k as a two-year-old in training.
Although arguably a good two-year-old himself...SA was not a brilliant-fast early stakes-winner; the kind that might have generated the enthusiasm (and possible "talk") that often seems to stoke the market.
As might have been expected Skip Away rarely gets the "early" kind that often seem to capture the imagination...and draw attention to their sire(s). His lack of two-year-old pizzazz seems to exclude him (probably to a very large degree) as a pinhookers' sire...which arguably affects his sales numbers.
All Things Considered...I suggest that he is turning out to be a genuine and consistent sire of some very nice race horses, including a relatively high-percentage of stakes-horses.
It would not surprise me to see SA sire some top handicap horses...and continue to sire many allowance...stakes and graded horses...and be stamped as that kind of sire.
I suggest that Skip Away is proving to be a very solid sire...and making believers out of many former naysayers.
Respectfully
Skip Away's always been a tough sales horse...but that's probably not a surprise.
For starters...I suggest he was overpriced (especially at the outset of his career as a stallion)...which seemed to generate some negative comment...while at the same time raising the bar on expectations (based on an advertised stud fee of $50k).
Although an elite super-star race horse (champion and Horse of the Year)...$9.6 mil earner Skip Away lacks a "fancy" pedigree...and his sire (Skip Trial) was never the kind of horse that generated "buzz." The proof may be in the pudding (and possibly shed some light on the discussion) when you consider that Skip Away himself was hammered-down for $30k as a two-year-old in training.
Although arguably a good two-year-old himself...SA was not a brilliant-fast early stakes-winner; the kind that might have generated the enthusiasm (and possible "talk") that often seems to stoke the market.
As might have been expected Skip Away rarely gets the "early" kind that often seem to capture the imagination...and draw attention to their sire(s). His lack of two-year-old pizzazz seems to exclude him (probably to a very large degree) as a pinhookers' sire...which arguably affects his sales numbers.
All Things Considered...I suggest that he is turning out to be a genuine and consistent sire of some very nice race horses, including a relatively high-percentage of stakes-horses.
It would not surprise me to see SA sire some top handicap horses...and continue to sire many allowance...stakes and graded horses...and be stamped as that kind of sire.
I suggest that Skip Away is proving to be a very solid sire...and making believers out of many former naysayers.
Respectfully
Hi FOS,
Good comments about Skippy.
I believe a mistake that many breeders make is their anticipation that a superior race horse necesarilly will be a fashionable sire.
Breeders should ask themselves whether the superior race horse will, as a stallion, have the neccessary components needed to begin their career with commercial appeal. For all the reasons that you pointed out, Skippy was at a disadvantage.
His initial stud fee of $50,000 was far too aggressive and without immediate success his fee could only go down. I consider this to be the first and most glaring error in marketing Skip Away. Without a marquee horse, he was not going to become fashionable.
Silver Charm was modestly priced at $25,000 when he entered stud and thus his book was over subscribed at first. His lack of success, despite a strong book sealed his fate with a trip to Japan. Had Preachinatthebar fared better in the classics and won one of these races it's probable that this success alone would have kept Silver Charm in the USA.
Regards,
Pete
Good comments about Skippy.
I believe a mistake that many breeders make is their anticipation that a superior race horse necesarilly will be a fashionable sire.
Breeders should ask themselves whether the superior race horse will, as a stallion, have the neccessary components needed to begin their career with commercial appeal. For all the reasons that you pointed out, Skippy was at a disadvantage.
His initial stud fee of $50,000 was far too aggressive and without immediate success his fee could only go down. I consider this to be the first and most glaring error in marketing Skip Away. Without a marquee horse, he was not going to become fashionable.
Silver Charm was modestly priced at $25,000 when he entered stud and thus his book was over subscribed at first. His lack of success, despite a strong book sealed his fate with a trip to Japan. Had Preachinatthebar fared better in the classics and won one of these races it's probable that this success alone would have kept Silver Charm in the USA.
Regards,
Pete
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Waternymph
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kimberley mine
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Re: Skip Away
StealingKat wrote:Hi, Does anyone know why his babies auction prices are so low? Seems quite a few babies don't even cover the stud fee? Maybe I just looked at the wrong data but....
Thanks a bunch!
Judith
His babies want time, and quite a few of his better horses seem to want turf. For a market that wants early dirt sprinters, this is not a good thing.
That said, his first few crops have been wonderful in terms of soundness and consistency. One of my favorite horses to follow is a Skip Away mare by name of Muir Beach...of her last 6 runs, all have been listed stakes and she has won most of them. She runs dirt or turf, from 6f to 8.5f and usually wins with style.
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StealingKat
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Well I've gone and done it anyways, I have a mare booked to him, Worse case I will have an absolutely gorgeous hunter prospect, best case I will light the BC racing scene on fire. We really needs some great horses out here but our track is just nasty.(there has been talk of building a new one for about a million years now...) A three year old can handle things but I feel bad for the two year olds. Only the strong survive... What is the most horse friendly track in California? Could always run the baby there.
Always bet on the grey!!
Hey Kat,
Go to stop on this one.Hastings is not that horrible of a track.It may be a 5/8 mile track but it aint any worse than Emerald and others.Since they have resurfaced the track with Equi-grid it has been much kinder.The problem with 2 year old here are not the tracks fault it is the fault of greedy owners and trainers that force them to do things they are not ready to do.As for our class of horses I think breeding to Skip Away may be a good idea for you but it isnt going to give you instant success due to that fact.We have some great horses here although we never get any love in the Sovereign Awards we have maybe the best filly in Canada in Regal Red who is an absolute freak as well as many other really nice horses.There has been truckloads of horses go on after success here and have gone on to do even better at Woodbine (Inish Glora among others) and in California.Our horses are a better class than Alberta and Washington horses as it had proven itself time and time again.As someone who has been at Hastings basically all my life i feel i have a valid opinion.We have our share of issues here but what track doesnt?We have new owners who are pointing things in the right direction and we can only hope that things get back to our glory days.About us building a new track that talk has been dead for a few years and there is not enough room at the current location to extend the racetrack itself.The only possible option is to extend the chutes but thats about all they could do.
Ryeno
Go to stop on this one.Hastings is not that horrible of a track.It may be a 5/8 mile track but it aint any worse than Emerald and others.Since they have resurfaced the track with Equi-grid it has been much kinder.The problem with 2 year old here are not the tracks fault it is the fault of greedy owners and trainers that force them to do things they are not ready to do.As for our class of horses I think breeding to Skip Away may be a good idea for you but it isnt going to give you instant success due to that fact.We have some great horses here although we never get any love in the Sovereign Awards we have maybe the best filly in Canada in Regal Red who is an absolute freak as well as many other really nice horses.There has been truckloads of horses go on after success here and have gone on to do even better at Woodbine (Inish Glora among others) and in California.Our horses are a better class than Alberta and Washington horses as it had proven itself time and time again.As someone who has been at Hastings basically all my life i feel i have a valid opinion.We have our share of issues here but what track doesnt?We have new owners who are pointing things in the right direction and we can only hope that things get back to our glory days.About us building a new track that talk has been dead for a few years and there is not enough room at the current location to extend the racetrack itself.The only possible option is to extend the chutes but thats about all they could do.
Ryeno
"The easiest way to end up with a million dollars in the horseracing business is to start with 3 million!"
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StealingKat
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Hey Ryeno,
(off topic) Whatever happened to Kit Katter? Is she still racing? Nice little mare.
When was the track redone? I heard it turned in cement last October? It seems to be good for the first part of the year and then after some use gets a bit nasty. On a more positive note Heard some new chatter about combining Fraser Downs with Hastings. A little bird told me
We shall see what happens.
Judith
(off topic) Whatever happened to Kit Katter? Is she still racing? Nice little mare.
When was the track redone? I heard it turned in cement last October? It seems to be good for the first part of the year and then after some use gets a bit nasty. On a more positive note Heard some new chatter about combining Fraser Downs with Hastings. A little bird told me
We shall see what happens.
Judith
Always bet on the grey!!
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StealingKat
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