October Newsletter
HARVEST TIME
Like all farmers, we Thoroughbred breeders have our seasons and they correlate with nature. We start the year in January, as in every Thoroughbred’s birthday is January 1st, and our foaling/birthing season runs to around June 1st. And then, February 15th is the beginning of the breeding season, remember to be a registered Thoroughbred it requires a live stallion cover rather than artificial insemination, and gestation for that foal is approximately 11 months. Thus, you do not want to foal before January 1st because you will be penalized as we race in age groups. We allow about a 15-day margin for error with nature and start our breeding season on the 15th of February and ends around June 15th as the year would be abbreviated for foal growth otherwise.
June is a quieter month, remember we do have families, and generally the preparation begins for our major yearling sale, Keeneland September the 1st of July. Preparation is about 60 days of exercise, and handling to bring them to the stage as polished as possible. The emphasis in the yearling sales has grown extensively since the early 70’s and buyers from all over the world, led by John Magnier and the Maktoum family, recognized the 50+/- year cycle from European bred to American bred yearlings, was about to occur. Change it did and just this past Keeneland September the highest grossing sale of $530 million occurred with just over 3000 yearlings selling for an average of $170k! With this, 56 yearlings sold for $1 million or more.
As farmers, we depend on the harvest of our yearling crop in September and the first six months of the year are very capital intensive. Yet, for Mill Ridge and our many clients our emphasis is raising the ‘racehorse’ rather than the ‘sales horse’ because we believe if you breed and raise a racehorse first, the sales horse will take care of itself. As in, the prospective buyers recognize Mill Ridge is known for raising racehorses and bottom line, that is what they pursue. It seems simple but this is a business of ‘inexactness’ and trends or ‘herd’ often lead the way with ‘commercial’ stallions and this can ‘shade’ the process.
With that, we have the slogan for Mill Ridge: “Raising and selling racehorses and since 2000, we have raised and/or sold 41 (G1) winners (37 raised)!” Included in this are (3) Horse of the Years, (1) Kentucky Derby, (2) Preakness, (1) Belmont and (9) Breeders Cup winners. This is a remarkable statistic for on average our yearling crop numbers approximately (80) head. And the statistic provided by the Blood-Horse, .18 % of foals to crop go on to win a Grade 1 race and our Mill Ridge bred are closer 2%!
Our role with Mill Ridge and our consulting company, Nicoma, is to fulfill the dreams for our friends/clients, and we chose 2000 to track for it is a natural ‘starting point’ with the turn of the century considering Mill Ridge was started in 1962 by my mother/grandmother, Alice Chandler.
This year we have added two G1 winners in TEST SCORE, bred/raced by Jerry and John Amerman and WORLD BEATER, bred by Dr. John Chandler and raced by Pin Oak Stud. And while neither of these 3-year-olds are pointing for our Championship Day of racing, Breeders’ Cup we do have (4) others: TIME TO DREAM- bred by Clover Hill Farm (Lynn Schiff family) and raced by Repole Stable; HEERE’S JOHNNY-bred by Dr. John Chandler and raced by Catherine Coyle & Magic Carpet Racing; STARK CONTRAST-bred/raced by Jerry and John Amerman and TUMBARUMBA-bred by Coteau Grove Farms and raced by Wathnan Racing. Adding to the layer of hope and joy with the anticipation, our sire, OSCAR PERFORMANCE has HEERE’S JOHNNY and TUMBARUMBA as his offspring participating.
The Breeders’ Cup and its Championship Day too adds to our ‘harvest’ for it is the end of a long year when the ‘plowed ground’ produces the crop that you and your clients have worked years to grow. Those in the business and with whom we associate, are passionate for the horse, the land and the athlete. We dream of getting on this stage and you have already won and beat the odds to get here. Yet, the highest of highs, that ‘high five’ moment can only be realized should you be so very, very fortunate with your horse winning the race. It is the thrill of a lifetime and rarely in life do you can experience such a feeling!!
Best wishes for all,
Headley and Price
