"She was an ugly duckling, but we saw something special," said Charles McGinnes about a filly he and his wife bred named Foolish Kisses.
Charles and Cynthia McGinnes, named Maryland's breeders of the year last year, have spent many years evaluating horses. When they offered their friend Dr. Philip Torsney, an allergist and longtime breeder from Red Bank, N.J., the opportunity to purchase Foolish Kisses as a yearling in 1992, he gladly accepted.
"It was a very reasonable price," noted Torsney.
Monday's opening-day session of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's five-day yearling auction, which ran through Friday, confirmed what many predicted: The market for young racehorses is two-tiered. At the upscale end, there is no shortage of money in pursuit of a well-made, athletic horse. At the tail end, the bidding dollars can be scarce.
The results of the annual New York-bred yearling sale in Saratoga Springs, conducted by Fasig-Tipton Company on Aug. 14-15, were similar to those of the 2004 version. The average price per yearling declined a bit, from $49,969 to $47,386, while the median increased from $40,500 to $45,000.
Gross receipts for 105 sold were $4,975,500, compared to 112 sold for $5,596,500 in 2004.
Grade 1 winner Colonial Colony has retired from the racetrack and will enter stud at Doug Arnold's Buck Pond Farm near Versailles, Ky.
His stud fee will be announced at a later date.
A 7-year-old Pleasant Colony horse, Colonial Colony won last year's Grade 1 Stephen Foster Handicap, beating Southern Image and Perfect Drift. He also finished second in the Grade 3 National Jockey Club Handicap in 2003 and 2004. He retires from the Lakeside Farms stable, trained by Dallas Stewart, with a 4-9-6 record from 40 starts and $921,345 in earnings.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Multiple Grade 1 winner and millionaire Southern Image will stand in Kentucky starting in 2006, but it's not clear yet whether he'll be at Taylor Made Farm near Nicholasville or at WinStar Farm near Versailles.
The farms, which have teamed up to purchase several stallions in recent years, have jointly bought the 5-year-old son of Halo's Image. The horse retired last month after developing sore cannon bones.
LAS VEGAS - The best 2-year-old fillies will be on display in Saratoga's Spinaway Stakes, which gets the big Travers Stakes weekend off to a bang on Friday.
First run in 1881, the Spinaway has a roster of winners that is a Who's Who of female stars.
Results from the inaugural Saratoga premier yearling sale last week were encouraging to the organization's founders.
The New York Breeders Sales Company Inc. conducted the sale on Aug. 11-12 at the Yaddo Show Grounds in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., located across Union Avenue from Saratoga Race Course.
The company reported total sales of $1,251,400, for an average price per yearling of $11,587 for the 108 that were sold, and a median price of $5,000.
The Florida yearling market gets tested this coming week. The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company has cataloged 1,498 yearlings for its annual August sale, 284 more than last year. The added volume has extended the sale from the customary four days to five, August 22-26. Starting time for all sessions is 11 a.m.
A total of 281 will sell Monday, which is the selected session. The tail end of this opening session offers 41 selected yearlings from the dispersal of Farnsworth Farms. The remainder of the Farnsworth Farms yearling crop will be sold in the following four sessions.
Finding a formula of success is the goal of every breeder. Gerald and Carolyn Sleeter are obviously searching in the right places.
The Sleeters have been breeding and racing Thoroughbreds in New Jersey since switching from Quarter Horses in the mid-1960's and have ranked among New Jersey's leading breeders for decades. Just two years ago, Carolyn Sleeter was New Jersey's Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association award winner as breeder of the year.