Morning at Hill 'n' Dale

LSB · Postby **LSB** » Mon May 30, 2005 6:07 am

One of our mares was being bred this morning (7:30 a.m.!) at Hill 'n' Dale which has to be one of the most beautiful farms in the world. This is the first time I've had the chance to watch their breeding shed crew in action and they made a great team. Stallion manager, Aiden, does a great job and everything was handled efficiently and professionally.

We arrived a little early and got to watch Candy Ride, Mutakdimm, Medaglio D'Oro, Marquetry, and Vindication all breed mares. I was surprised to see that they were still so busy at this time of year, I guess my mare isn't that late after all.

Here's hoping we get good news in fifteen days.

yukidragon · Postby **yukidragon** » Mon May 30, 2005 6:10 am

Makes me feel better also, we are breeding one this week hopefully.

Paris Hill · Postby **Paris Hill** » Mon May 30, 2005 6:23 am

Just curious if you had a chance to see Saarland?

LSB · Postby **LSB** » Mon May 30, 2005 8:58 am

Paris Hill, I didn't see Saarland on this trip, though I have seen him on two previous occasions. He was a very popular new addition for Hill 'n' Dale this year.

Paris Hill · Postby **Paris Hill** » Mon May 30, 2005 10:34 am

What were your thoughts on Saarland when you did get a chance to see him? I bred a mare to him this year (booked real early). I'm in NY and didnt get a chance to get down to KY. I really liked him especially for a particular mare I have who's 3rd dam is Exclusive. Being a G2 placed 2yo by Unbridled out of a mare who earned over a million dollars with a deep deep family for 10k I thought he was a steal. I did hear he is very well put together and well over 16 hands.

FOS · Postby **FOS** » Mon May 30, 2005 10:51 am

hi LSB

You wrote "I was surprised to see that they were still so busy at this time of year, I guess my mare isn't that late after all."

For what it's worth...Birthdates...

Afleet Alex...May 6

Bandini...May 3

Birdstone...May 16

Best to you.

Respectfully

LSB · Postby **LSB** » Mon May 30, 2005 11:03 am

Paris Hill, I agree that Saarland was a great deal at 10K. I love his dam and her family and I think his offspring are going to be a big hit at the sales.

According to my notes, he's 16.2 with a beautiful shoulder and slightly short neck. He has a nice hip, his pasterns could be shorter. He's narrow and toes in coming at you. He's back at the knee on the right. I remember him as a very nice looking horse, and I hope you have a wonderful foal.

LSB · Postby **LSB** » Mon May 30, 2005 11:07 am

I know, FOS, but right now there are an unusual number of 2 and 3YOs with late birthdates--the residual effect of MRLS. Lots of those mares who were bred late have since had their timing readjusted.

Since I bred mostly to sell (and this foal was planned with the sales in mind) I need to be aware that I'm aiming for a fairly late date, which might limit the number of interested buyers.

Pete · Postby **Pete** » Mon May 30, 2005 11:53 am

Hi LSB,

Later foaling dates aren't as big a liability as they have been in the past. Pinhookers are looking at May foals with less prejudice than in the past.

If you have a late foal and it's not special, you will get hurt some. If it's a weak foal, you'll get hurt more.

Did I miss something - who did you breed and to which stallion?

Best of luck.

Pete

LSB · Postby **LSB** » Mon May 30, 2005 1:28 pm

Pete, speaking of pinhookers...I was amazed to see that out of the 265 entries in the Keeneland April sale, more than 50 had foaling dates of mid-May or later. Nearly 20%. I always think of the 2YO sales as being pinhooker driven and I was surprised that they would have gambled on that many late foals. On the other hand, it wasn't a very successful sale, so that might not have worked out too well for them.

We bred Tricky Bird (Storm Bird x Tricky Squaw by Clever Trick) to Vindication. She's the dam of MGSW Stanley Park and her '05 filly by Carson City is my avatar.

henthorn · Postby **henthorn** » Tue May 31, 2005 6:56 am

Hi, LSB. I was wondering who the little cutie in your avatar was. She sure looks like an athlete, good stride and energy.

LSB · Postby **LSB** » Tue May 31, 2005 8:00 am

Thanks, henthorn! I've never had so many good pictures as I do of this filly. Not only is she the nicest filly we've ever bred, she's also very photogenic. It's hard to catch her at a bad moment, though I do have one shot where she looks like Jar Jar Blinks...

henthorn · Postby **henthorn** » Tue May 31, 2005 9:38 am

My avatar was my only photogenic horse. He loved to get his picture taken, always posed when he saw the camera. (Catch and Release-1991 horse).