Upcoming TCA Stallion Auction

[Davec]

Has anyone had experience purchasing a NG season at the Stallion Auctions such as the upcoming one of Thoroughbred Charities of America? Pretty nice list of stallions available. I have always purchased a live foal guarantee.... with NG I understand most of the conditions - only question was do you get to take the mare to the stallion multiple times if she does not get pregnant the first time?

Are there good values to be found? What % should I look for as a discount for a NG season versus LF?

Appreciate any thoughts/input as stallion auction is coming up next Monday.

Thanks.

[Tesio]

Hi Davec,

I have experience with NG seasons. Yes, you can get multiple covers. I have not purchased from the auctions, though, I would think it would be the same. I have bought some NG seasons for about 60% of the LF seasons. These were usually purchased from shareholders who wanted the cash up front. If you get them cheap enough, you can insure the foal as well as the cover. Not a bad deal.

Hope I helped.

[merse]

I have purchased two seasons from the TCA auction. The TCA folks are very easy to deal with. In regards to how to proceed, if you have always been a LF breeder, keep in mind that your stud fee is at risk!

I would first advise that you contact your insurance company to see what their conditions are for offering you live foal coverage on a season you buy. The first season I purchased was for Devil's Bag and I called the insurance company after I purchased the season only to find out that they would not insure the season due to the stallion's age, so check first.

You are allowed as many visits as it takes to get your mare in foal but what I am always suspicious of (although I can truthfully say it has not happened to me) is that, when two mares NEED to get to the stallion today, the paying (to the farm anyway) customer's mare gets first shot and your mare gets bumped.

[madelyn]

I have only had one experience with an NG season and I personally would not do that again.

I got a mailing piece on the TCA auction, but I am a bit mystified as to how you run a telephone auction for three days. And then there is the price to attend the auction ($175?). Oh well. They won't miss me a bit. I guess I am too much a techno-geek baby -- if it is not an internet auction I just don't know how it could be accomplished.

[Blue feather]

I purchased 3 NG seasons last year at the TCA. Real Quiet $2700, Lite the Fuse, $1800 and Coastal Storm $600. Two of my mares were in foal on 1 cover, the 3rd on 2. Pin Oak was great to deal with. I plan to partcipate again this year.

[aurora]

I purchased a NG through TCA a few years ago. The season went through the live bid auction that thay have after the phone auction is completed. It was extremely noisy in the auction room, I had NO way to find out what the BID was and repeatedly asked the 'spotter' on the phone with me for the bid price. He refused to divulge it. He would just give me the ASK price. Not again.

I did win the bid for my top price, get this. I hung up on the spotter when the price went beyond what I was willing to pay. The phone rings back and behold it is F-T wanting me to agree to purchase the season for my last bid.

The farm bred on the mare all summer with the horse and she never got in foal, no reproduction reason why she wouldn't catch. I gave up in late May and bought a LF to another stallion and the mare got in foal on one cover.

[madelyn]

aurora said it much better than I did. Both counts. The NG season and the telephone auction. As I said, they won't miss me at all.

[Davec]

Appreciate the feedback. Sounds like it may make sense if part of the telephone only auction, but not worth pursuing the ones part of the live bids in KY.... Thanks.