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Ready Dancer

Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2018 3:20 pm
by Shawklit Won
This is an old and sad story that could be about many horses.

Ready Dancer was a colt born in April of 2013. He was a real good prospect and was sold for $325,000. in a yearling sale. As a 2 year old, he started out running with the big boys at Belmont Park and Saratoga. After placing in his first 2 MSW races at Belmont and Saratoga, Ready Dancer won a MSW race at Saratoga with a time of 1:10:02 for 6 furlongs. Not a bad start.

Ready Dancer then moved on to graded stakes races in 3 of his next 4 races, but his best finishes were 4th in the Breeders Futurity at Belmont and 5th in the Swale Stakes at Gulfstream Park. He then ran in allowance races and was competitive for a few races and won at Belmont with a time of 1:48:74 for 1 1/8 miles.

For some reason (maybe an injury or something) he fell off form and was put in claiming races, mostly at Belmont and Aqueduct in the range of 25K to 50K for the claiming price. He did get claimed eventually and after a few good races, his form fell off again. In his 7th race as a claimer, his price was down to $12,500.

After that 12.5K claiming race, Ready Dancer must have suffered some kind of major injury and did not race for more than a year. He did turn up in a $5,000. claiming race at Finger Lakes on 6/5/18. He did finish 2nd and barring another injury, should stay competitive at that level for awhile.

My question is what are his chances of becoming a stallion at some small farm someplace? I would not expect him to get to one of the big farms in Kentucky, but maybe some small remote farm where he can service a few mares a year.

He does have a good pedigree and must have shown some promise at the yearling sale getting a price of 325K for him. His sire is More Than Ready, who is considered a very good sire. His BM sire is Green Dancer, 2nd dam sire is Phone Trick, his 3rd dam sire is Sham (remember him?), and his 4th dam sire is Raise A Native. He is also inbred to Northern Dancer 4 X 4. That seems like a pretty good pedigree. The dam of Ready Dancer won stakes races.

Any thoughts?

Re: Ready Dancer

Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2018 6:48 pm
by Cree
I remember him.
I think you will find horses like him everywhere, his circumstance is not that rare.
You could probably find a place for him at a backyard breeders farm, but in all likelihood he’s not going to meet the highest quality of mares that way.
He could certainly run at one point, but he lost form/got injured, and dropped down the ranks. Not very commercial in all honesty.
I’d like to think he’s nice enough of a horse to be someone’s riding horse.

Re: Ready Dancer

Posted: Mon Jun 11, 2018 7:18 pm
by Shawklit Won
Cree wrote:I remember him.
I think you will find horses like him everywhere, his circumstance is not that rare.
You could probably find a place for him at a backyard breeders farm, but in all likelihood he’s not going to meet the highest quality of mares that way.
He could certainly run at one point, but he lost form/got injured, and dropped down the ranks. Not very commercial in all honesty.
I’d like to think he’s nice enough of a horse to be someone’s riding horse.



Thanks for the response.

That would be nice, being someone's riding horse. As a stallion, I would not expect him to sire any Justify's. I just don't want him to end up in a slaughterhouse.

Re: Ready Dancer

Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2018 5:50 am
by madelyn
A lot of yearlings that sell in that six figure kind of range don't get to keep their promise. And there are a lot of two year old winners that cannot go on. This particular horse seems to have had a career where he bounced to the next spot he could be successful in. He just ran a few days ago and got 2nd at Finger Lakes. He got a year layoff when he apparently needed it. The only question now is why has he not been gelded? Perhaps he is just Such a Good Citizen that he doesn't need it. If that is the case, he might make a fine farm stallion eventually. I don't see breeders lining up Anywhere to send him any kind of quality mares for any kind of fee.

Re: Ready Dancer

Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2018 7:26 am
by springboro
Female side doesn't scream stallion prospect, either. Dam is a minor stakes winner who produced a nice graded runner in Middie, who also happened to set a new track record. There's a stakes placed horse in France in the 3rd dam.

Re: Ready Dancer

Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2018 11:49 am
by Shawklit Won
Thanks for the good responses.

If Ready Dancer does make it to a stud farm someplace, I am sure that he would not get to breed with any top broodmares, but that is not my concern. I am just hoping for a happy retirement for Ready Dancer.

I am glad that he has not been gelded, so far. Being gelded would obviously take the stallion option off the table. I think that his pedigree and his early promise has saved him from being gelded.

There are stallions out there with less qualifications. Non winners and non racers are at some stud farms. I know of one horseman who used his own low priced claimers to sire more horses for him to race in more low priced claiming races, and made a living doing this for years.

Hoping for a happy future for Ready Dancer and others.

Re: Ready Dancer

Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2018 5:56 pm
by Shawklit Won
Ready Dancer is entered in the 2nd race at Finger Lakes on Tuesday, 6/19. The race conditions are similar to the one he just raced in at Finger Lakes. It is a $5,000. claiming race with a purse of $9,000. at one mile and 70 yards for horses that haven't won a race since June of 2017. Ready Dancer is the early favorite, and as usual, the only non gelding in the race. If I can make it to the OTB, I may put a couple of bucks on him.

Re: Ready Dancer

Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2018 8:16 pm
by Joltman
He may well be a nice looking horse as well. And like Lucky Pulpit, could hit the jackpot with enough spins. But Odds are way against because he would never get mares. The better 'sleeper' option might be the high hype type that runs a big number then goes south due to injury or something, but had brilliance and great potential. (Malibu Moon, Mr. P) Every once in a while, those guys get lost in the shuffle. JPs Gusto won stakes and was on the Derby Trail. Eventually went back to the races - reason unknown to me.

jm

Re: Ready Dancer

Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2018 11:30 am
by Shawklit Won
Ready Dancer finished 2nd again in another 5K claiming race at Finger Lakes even though he was a 3 to 5 favorite. He was beaten by a neck.

Ready Dancer also was claimed. As long as he stays competitive at that level, I won't be surprised if he keeps getting claimed.

Re: Ready Dancer

Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2018 10:14 pm
by Shawklit Won
Shawklit Won wrote:Ready Dancer finished 2nd again in another 5K claiming race at Finger Lakes even though he was a 3 to 5 favorite. He was beaten by a neck.

Ready Dancer also was claimed. As long as he stays competitive at that level, I won't be surprised if he keeps getting claimed.




Actually, Ready Dancer was beaten by a head in his latest race at Finger Lakes.

I wonder why Ready Dancer was never tried in a grass race? He seems to have a pedigree that indicates grass, being inbred to Northern Dancer 4 X 4 and More Than Ready has sired many turf racers.

Re: Ready Dancer

Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2018 7:14 pm
by Shawklit Won
The latest owner of Ready Dancer found a way to race him without getting claimed, at least for now.

Ready Dancer is entered in a starter race at Finger Lakes on 7/11 for horses that have ran for a claiming price of $5000. Might be a good plan if RD is competitive in that race.

Re: Ready Dancer

Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2018 5:12 pm
by Shawklit Won
Ready Dancer is doing pretty well lately at Finger Lakes. He has won his last two races which were starter races and he is the early favorite to win another one tomorrow. That was a good claim by his owner.

Re: Ready Dancer

Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2018 12:17 pm
by Shawklit Won
Ready Dancer made it three in a row today at Finger Lakes. RD should get some champagne with his oats tonight.

Re: Ready Dancer

Posted: Wed Nov 14, 2018 2:38 pm
by Shawklit Won
Ready Dancer made it four in a row today at Finger Lakes, all starter races. I guess that he is in the right place at Finger Lakes.

Re: Ready Dancer

Posted: Mon Jul 01, 2019 7:34 pm
by Shawklit Won
Ready Dancer won his first two races this year at Finger Lakes, which were starter races at 1 mile and 70 yards. That gives him six wins in a row, all starter races at Finger Lakes at about that distance. I guess that you could say that he has found his spot.