Patchen Beauty has bay colt by Skip Away . . . HUH???????

[Tairaterces]

Posted: Friday, March 23, 2007 6:17 PM - Thoroughbred Times

White mare Patchen Beauty produces first non-white foal

by Jenny Blandford

Patchen Beauty, the white mare who has produced three white, non-albino Thoroughbreds, ended that trend on March 16 when she produced a bay Skip Away colt at Patchen Wilkes Farm in Lexington.

The colt was the fourth foal out of the winning 12-year-old Hatchet Man mare.

“He is very correct and a very leggy colt,” said Barry Ezrine, farm manager at Patchen Wilkes Farm. “He runs around a lot and drives the mare crazy.”

Patchen Beauty’s white foals include five-year-old horse The White Fox, by Pioneering; three-year-old filly Spot of Beauty, by Skip Away; and two-year-old colt Patchen Prince, by Pioneering.

Spot of Beauty scored her first victory in a maiden special weight race at Beulah Park on March 12. The race was her fifth career start.

A 14-year-old Skip Trial horse, Skip Away was named Horse of the Year in 1998 and champion older male in ’97 and ’98. Skip Away won 18 of 38 career starts, including the ’97 Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) and the ’96 and ’97 Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1).

Skip Away stands at Hopewell Farm in Midway, Kentucky, for $15,000.

Ezrine said Patchen Beauty will be bred to Devil His Due this year, who stands for a stud fee of $10,000 at Margaux Farm in Midway, Kentucky.

[geowarrior]

Ok so what color is the foal by Devil His Due going to be?

[Tairaterces]

Ok so what color is the foal by Devil His Due going to be?

I guess only God knows . . . . . . . . .

[Jorge]

When Patchen Beauty was bred to Skip Away the first time, I was not so sure the outcome would be a white foal, but luckily, it happened and Spot of Beauty was foaled. I was a little riddle by the result because, years before, when similar white-and-solid-color crossess were performed with Clarence Steward (wh. H 1977) and solid color mares, a white foal only occurred once (White Flight) in 8 tries. I was satisfied that Spot of Beauty was achieved but anyway thought the odds were running against the foaling of a white foal. This new bay colt from Patchen Beauty and Skip Away is more in accordance with what I would expect. So, in my view, there is no mystery here. Perhaps the fact that Skip Away is a gray may have helped (??) the odds somehow vis-a-vis Clarence's solid color mates; who knows! Remember that Patchen Beauty herself was born from a gray sire (Hatchet Man). Anyway since this pattern (sabino) is a great fooler, anything could happen!

As per employing now D. His Due, I think the odds are running a little more in favor of Patchen Beauty's color, mostly because D. His Due is considerable more friendly toward the sabino pattern than Skip Away. But since this sabino pattern is a great fooler, I wouldn't be surprised if a very flamboyant chestnut will be the result, or, of course, another white.

Anyway, I think that Pioneering has the white-producing advantage over Skip Away and D. His Due.

Only time will tell.


(p.s, Would better prefer to see Patchen Beauty visiting the court of Storm Cat at least once. )

[Sam]

(p.s, Would better prefer to see Patchen Beauty visiting the court of Storm Cat at least once. )

That's almost offensive, Jorge. That would be SERIOUSLY overbreeding her. She doesn't really even have enough page to justify a $25k stallion, let alone a half million dollar one.

[Winnie]

I'm surprised this mare was used to breeding race horse...sport horses would have been a wiser choice.

[summerhorse]

Was it Patchen Beauty or her dam that was bred to Marquetry? Anyway a cute but solid chestnut colt was the result 9well he had some white markings I think). Breeding to Devil His Due (isn't he homozygous for E, are there any chestnut foals by DHD?) might have less chance for a white (black is a suppressor) but its a crapshoot anyway. Without knowing the sire and dam's color profile all we can do is guess. And getting white or white markings is not guaranteed.

[Classic Fool]

That is very interesting to hear. I was wondering just a couple of weeks ago about when her new foal was going to be born and whether or not she was going to continue her white ways.

What are the precentages, or chances, of producing a white foal with a gray stallion like Skip Away? Or a white foal with a chestnut stallion? I take it the odds are better in the latter case...?

[Diane]

Jorge,
I agree with you about the visit to Storm Cat. It strikes me it could be done in the spirit of philanthropy with the potential to even further dramatize the legacy of Storm Cat. "Overbreeding" for the sake of artistry? Would it still be considered overbreeding if the stud fee was 0?
The Devil His Due foal next year will have quite a fan club waiting for it,

[StayOutFront]

I'm surprised this mare was used to breeding race horse...sport horses would have been a wiser choice.

That would be nice, too. But she's got more going for her than a lot of broodmares I know.

Patchen Beauty was a winning racehorse, and she's an attractive specimen by the very solid sire, Hatchet Man. She earned $54,268, certainly higher than the national average. She's also produced two (?) winners so far - The White Fox, and her 3yo Skip Away filly.

The Devil His Due will be interesting to see.

[Winnie]

I put my answer to the above post on this thread last post I made.

I would hate to think this is the goal for a broodmare....one who produces below average runners. From a below average female family

Patchen Beauty 4 23 2 2 2 54,268 ( 87) SSI 1.10
did not run above the national average she was pretty much just average.


http://www.pedigreequery.com/forum/view ... 227#107227

[StayOutFront]

Patchen Beauty 4 23 2 2 2 54,268 ( 87) SSI 1.10
did not run above the national average she was pretty much just average.

Is an SSI of 1.10 above the national average? SSI seems to do with earnings per start, rather than over all earnings. According to a BRISnet note I just read, 1 is the average so, if BRISnet is accurate, she is above average.

According to a recent article in The Times Union, using 2006 statistics:

"During its racing career, the average thoroughbred earns $20,225." Patchen Beauty earned more than $50,000 years earlier.

"Of the estimated 34,200 thoroughbreds born this year in the United States, 34 percent will never make it to the races.... Fewer than half - 44 percent - will win one race." She won two.

Her SSI is above average, it's odds-on her career earnings were above the national average, and she won more races than more than half of all TBs. She has two foals of racing age, and they're both winners (one of which is just three this year).

There are plenty of white TBs who are more fitted to a sporthorse broodmare career than she is.

[Winnie]

Yes she is "above average" but not by much. It took her 4 years to earn that much. Not exactly $20,000 a year. I don't know about where she is from, but in most states taking 4 years to earn $50,000 isn't paying her way.

As my study shows her chances of producing a quality runner is VERY slim. She is already proving she is producing below average runners. The sale prices in the family indicate no one thinks much of it for race horses.

Like Sam said she is being way over bred especially for $15,000. $5,000 is still being generous. She should be bred for sport horses not race horses. Looks and prettiness do not make a race horse run...genetics do.

Here is another example of focusing on and exception, rather than the rule.

[kimberley mine]

Here's a thought. Don't know if it's true but it makes sense.

Her owners aren't really in this for the money and are in this for the fun. They have a unique mare whose family has been in their family for generations. She has now had three white foals and the owners are enjoying watching them run. If that is all they are trying to get out of breeding Patchen Beauty and racing her foals, why the hell not? The Shieks are doing much the same, only with a considerably larger budget. (Why else buy geldings of racing age, aka Trademark?)

That fits with where they're running--they can run in MSW and allowance company and not risk getting claimed (Beulah). It fits to send her to good-value racehorse sires--Pioneering, Skip Away, Devil His Due--who are within driving distance of the family farm so they don't pay a lot in board. (Something tells me they didn't pay full list price for Skip Away.) Both of her runners were winners, which is better than a lot of mares out there. They made arrangements for The White Fox's future when he was done racing. Not too shabby, all told.

Frankly, if I had her, I'd send her to the court of Black Tie Affair.

[Toccet02]

Yes, TWF is at Hopewell, a lovely place with very nice staff. Only been there once, but the impression was really excellent. Very clean, new paint, all the little signs were good too, although they obviously don't have a Three Chimneys type budget.