Malibu Moon – Most Beautiful by More than Ready

Warstone Farm purchased hip 1870 at Keeneland September yearling sale. The very handsome colt, is extremely athletic and a fantastic mover.

http://apps.keeneland.com/sales/Sep12/pdfs/1870.pdf

The main reason we purchased him was because he is just a great physical. He just has that “look” about him, the look of a true athlete. Everything about him screams speed and early ability. He has a very good hip and strong shoulder; a long neck and a very intelligent head. His head is shaped very much like that of his broadmare sire, More than Ready.

The colt is by Malibu Moon out of Most Beautiful by More than Ready. Most Beautiful was a very useful filly at the racetrack. She was very fast, racing mostly is 5 and 6 furlong sprints at some of the nations top tracks including Belmont, Saratoga, Churchill Downs. She is stakes placed finishing third by half a length in a 5 furlong turf dash and managed to finish in the money in 12 out of 18 starts, all of them in allowance and stakes company.

Most Beautiful has produced two foals of racing age, the first of them Team Six was a fantastic two year old breaking his maiden easily and then finishing second in the prestigious Futurity [G2] at Belmont and then placing in the TYRO Stakes at Monmouth. Her second foal Dee Notional recently broke his maiden by 5 1/2 lengths and is a promising prospect. From a Physical standpoint we knew both of his half brothers and definitely our colt is a much better looking foal than the first two were at this stage and those two have shown superior racing ability. We are very exited about the future with this one.

UPDATE: The colt has now been named Malibu Bluff. Early reports from the training center are very good, he has a good temperament although he seems to be very ‘arrogant’ every now and then at the track. Definitely has a mind of his own and is looking better and better every day. He did not lose any muscle tone after the sale and in fact has improved a lot since we purchased him.

We invested in purchasing a part of Bella Stronza (Chi) a phenomenal sprinter in Chile. She has won 3 races out of four starts and one second. All her victories have been by 5 or more lengths. She is a half sister to Embush (Chi) a filly we own who won several stakes for us in Chile and was placed at the Group level.

She is being moved to Argentina to compete at the stakes level there. If she is successful we want to bring her to the US in the future.

You can see two of her victories below:

We purchased a part of Got Talent (Arg) a son of Easing Along. He is a terrific racing prospect. Although not very tall (15.3 hands) he is very strong and athletic. Her dam was Group 1 placed as a two year old and was a winner of several races. He has a great walk and a good temperament and we are very exited to have him.

Easing Along (Storm Cat) is one of the leading sires in Argentina. He is the sire of Suggestive Boy and Interaction both champions in their native Argentina and very successful in graded stakes races in California. Suggestive Boy will be competing in the Breeders Cup at Santa Anita later this month.

Video Below:

Embush (Chi)

Chilean 2yo filly Embush was acquired in part by Warstone Farm. The filly has 7 starts, 4 of them victories (2 of them in stakes), two seconds (one of them in a G3 where she was disqualified and placed fifth) and one third (also in a stakes race).

The filly was acquired prior to her victory in the stakes race Classico “50 Anos de Radio Portales.” The two length victory over stiff competition pushed her to the top of the Chilean 2yo rankings.

Embush is set to start next in a prestigious Group 1 race on the Turf. In that race she will meet the other two top ranked 2yo fillies of her generation – Showcase (Chi) and Vamo a Galupiar (Chi). A victory by Embush in that race should propel her to champion 2yo status.

Embush is by the well regarded stallion Saddad, a son of Gone West out of Light Lite by Majestic Light. Her dam Amboise is a stake placed winner by the Mr. Prospector stallion Denver County.

After a few months hiatus Real Merchant is back in training under Mark Shuman. Previously Real Merchant was in Kentucky under the care of Dr. Fernando Gacia Seeber and has been galloping for two months at the Lexington Training Center.

The horse looks as good as ever and is being pointed to a late summer and fall campaign. Last year Real Merchant finished second in a graded stake race in the Preakness undercard and subsequently ran poorly in the Suburban G1 and in a stake race at Monmouth in the Haskell undercard after which a soft tissue injury was discovered. The decision was then made to give Real Merchant a few months off.

Real Merchant is now fully recovered and looking spectacular (see picture) and we look forward to a great 2010 campaign. Mark Shuman is very exiting to have him in his barn and he says it is one of the best looking horses he has ever trained.

Today we will analyze Stallions standing betwen $15,000 and $30,000

Best Values:

Successful Appeal (Valid Appeal) ($17,500) is the king of value in this category. He has consistently produced a high percentage of stake winners (over 7%) and has one of the highest average earning index of sires in the price range (1.91). He has not traditionally been extraordinary in the sales ring. However, his numbers are solid enough that there is very little downside from breeding to him at these levels.

Exchange Rate (Danzig) ($25,000) gets an incredible 7% stake winners from foals and a very high Average Earning Index 1.78. His best foals are just starting to hit the track, as we begin to see the result from his move to Kentucky. The higher priced mares he has been bred to means that the best from Exchange Rate may still be to come.

Candy Ride (Ride the Rails) ($25,000) Has been explosive out of the gate showing right off the bat that he is able to sire top class runners with no less than five graded stakes winners last year. He is a high percentage producer that can boast a 2.25 AEI. He gets a much warranted price hike but we still say that he is worth every penny. Breeders must be mindful of not breeding mares that have small feet or that are prone to hoof problems.

Not for Love (Mr. Prospector) ($25,000) A giant in the regional market. Not for Love produces an astonishingly high percentage of stake winners (9%). He is as solid as they come and is able to produce top runners in any market as shown by his three graded stakes performers last year. If you are in the Mid Atlantic area, this is the horse to breed.

Worst Values:

Perfect Soul (Saddler’s Wells) ($15,000) Has not really been able to take off as a sire. The good looking son of Saddler’s Wells only produced 2 stake winners last year. Although we do expect his progeny to do better with age and on the grass, his numbers are too low to warrant the price tag, a deeper discount would be required for breeders to continue supporting him.

Today we will analyze the group of stallions that stand between $30,000 and $50,000.

Best Values

Lemon Drop Kid (Kingmambo) ($35,000): As consistent as they come, Lemon Drop Kid produces a very high percentage of stake winners from foals of racing age (11.4%). He is the classic type of undervalued sire that posts good numbers year after year yet remains well priced for the quality he offers. I will not be surprised to see his fee increase in the next few years.

Lemon Drop Kid reminds me a lot of horses like Dynaformer or Smart Strike who offered very good value to breeders until they were ‘discovered’ by the high end breeders and commercial buyers. I believe that Lemon Drop Kid is in the cusp of taking a similar jump. Especially for the breeder who breeds to race, there does not seem to be a better value than this horse.

Tapit (Pulpit) ($50,000): Tapit has gotten off to a flying start and has proven he can get both quality and precocity. He has been most successful with his fillies siring the likes of Careless Jewel, Stardom Bound and Tapitsfly. In fact, given that his five highest earners in North America are all fillies it is amazing that Tapit can boasts a 2.88 AEI especially because fillies usually have lower earnings potential than their male counterparts. However, this does not mean that he is purely a filly sire; he already sired Testa Matta in Japan who won the Japan Dirt Derby.

In addition, these numbers were achieved on a low stud fee and Tapit is able to give an incredible boost to his mares (1.51 CI). The best should be yet to come as the quality of mares bred to him increases. I believe that Tapit still has a lot of upside potential even at this price. All that he is missing is to sire a top class colt to break out of his “filly sire” reputation.

Henry the Navigator (Kingmambo) ($40,000): It is hard to remember every having a sire with as much class as Henry the Navigator standing for this low a price. Add to that extreme good looks and perfect balance and you have one of the best values in the market today.

A precocious 2 year-old, Henry the Navigator was a top class miller at age 3, winning both the English and Irish 2000 Guineas, the Sussex Stakes and the St James Place Stakes, all of them at a mile and all of them Group 1. He was named champion 3year old colt in Ireland and finished second to Raven’s Pass in the Breeder’s Cup Classic.

Standing only his second season at stud his yearlings should be attractive to both European and local horsemen. If you would like to take a shot on Henry the Navigator, now is the time to breed to him.

Worst Value:

Stormy Atlantic (Storm Cat) ($35,000): Another horse with a high price tag despite low AEI (1.58), he produces very good horses but it is difficult to get exited about his price tag. He is a better value in the $20,000 level and we expect to see him in that range in the near future.

Best and Worst Values in the Stallion Market for 2010

The year 2009 will go down as one of the worst years for thoroughbred breeders. We have seen major financial market indicators fall to levels not seen in a decade. Virtually every sale worldwide had substantial reductions in average, median and gross. In response to this drop in the market, stallion owners have been quick to reduce fees for their stallions.

The question that remains in most breeders minds is: Have stud fees been reduced enough?

This is not an easy question to answer with so much uncertainty in the bloodstock market. Breeders need to make decisions now about products that will be sold two years from now and there has never been more uncertainty as to where the market will be at that point in time. Therefore, it is more crucial than ever to find value among the sire offerings in order to best protect against potential future downturns.

Stallions Standing for Over $50,000

What does Storm Cat, Gone West, Seeking the Gold, El Prado, Cozzene, Theatrical, Rahy, Red Ransom and Silver Deputy have in common? They are all first rate sires that have been pensioned or lost in the past few years.

The American thoroughbred market is going through an interesting transition currently as some of the old and venerable ‘Book 1’ sires pass the torch to a new generation of sires that will try to step up to take their place. But are they up to the task? Can the new generation justify the high stud fees and maintain the high yearling prices or will the top of the market be reduced to more ‘affordable’ levels?

In the “Over $50,000” Category we will recommend breeding to the proven sires that have showed that they belong in the highest echelon of the thoroughbred world. We will try to avoid the new ‘hot’ of the moment sires that may not have the staying power to maintain the high stud fees.

Our Best Values are:

AP Indy ($150,000): with a 3.14 AEI and whopping 12% stake winners from foals, AP Indy ranks as the best value for breeders with the right mares. No other sire will dominate the thoroughbred market as much as he will in the years to come. Although age and fertility may be a concern, breeders with young quality mares are well advised to take a shot with AP Indy before it is too late. Also, Lane’s End is offering a 10% discount for breeders that pay on November 1 of year bred, a very tempting offer to further the appeal of this sire.

Distorted Humor ($100,000): Another proven horse able to get a very high number of stake winners from foals with 9%. He is a consistent and produces good looking foals able to shine on the racetrack and at the sales ring. Considering he stood for as much as $300,000 not too long ago, the $100,000 is certainly worth the money.

Pulpit ($60,000): Pulpit is already a proven sire of sires with Tapit out to a very strong start. He is an extraordinary looking individual capable of getting a top sale yearling and consistently strong runners. His sales median of $150,000 warrants an investment at this level for the commercial breeder and a strong 7% stake winners from foals is very attractive for those looking for racing performance. At $60,000 he is very well priced.

Worst Values:

Difficult to call any sire in the category a bad value since virtually all of them have showed that they are able to sire stock in the highest categories. However, there are a few that down the road may not prove to be very sound investments at these levels.

Medaglia D’Oro ($100,000) I have nothing against Medaglia D’Oro, in fact I think he is a very capable sire and he has already proven that he can sire top quality stock with three grade 1 winners last year including the great Rachel Alexandra. However, I think that Darley may have been too hasty to raise the fee so high. Perhaps they overpaid for him as a sire when they purchased him last year as the thoroughbred market was sinking but that is no reason to have breeders pay for it.

The fee raise (from $60,000) represents one of the largest fee increases recorded in the market, at a time when most fees were dropping. True Medaglia has been the ‘hot’ sire this year. But what will be of him in two years, long after Rachel Alexandra has been retired, if he fails to produce anything of consequence next year? With only 4% stake winners from foals (5.3% if you take out the current two year-old crop) it is hard to justify the hefty stud fee.

Mr. Greeley ($50,000) has had a good run at the sales ring and the race track as European owners and breeders flocked to purchase his progeny at the sales ring. Even with him producing the likes of Kensei, his 1.46 AEI and meager 4% stake winners from foals make his a very questionable deal even at this level.

Real Merchant (Chi), owned in part by Warstone Farm, will try to recover from an eighth place finish in the Suburban Handicap G2 this Sunday in the $100,000 Majestic Prince Stakes at Monmouth in the Haskell Undercard.

Real Merchant (Chi) will break from post 6 of 7 in a competitive field that includes Chirac, who has won three in a row; multiple stake winner Acting Zippy and G3 winner Acting Good among others. Johnny Velzquez will be up for the mount on the Seth Benzel trainee.

The horse has had two very solid half mile workouts since the Suburban and is looking “tremendous” according to trainer Seth Benzel. It is worth noting that Gold Trippi, a horse that Real Merchant beat by 2 length in an Allowance race at Belmont came back on Wednesday to take a stake at Saratoga.

Warstone Farm has purchased 50% of multiple stake winner and graded stake placed Chilian runner Real Merchant (Chi). Real Merchant (Chi) disappointed in his latest effort in the Suburban Handicap (G2) which was eventually won by Dry Martini and was purchased after that race.

Real Merchant (Chi) was a multiple stake winner in his native Chile. Since his arrival in the United States, Real Merchant (Chi) placed third in the Alysheba Stakes at the Meadowlands and second in the Stymie Handicap at Aqueduct before placing second in the Grade 3 William Donald Schaefer Stakes on the Preakness undercard. He also recorded a triple digit Beyer and a Rag # of 1 while finishing second in an Allowance race at Belmont.

Real Merchant (Chi) is by leading Chilean Sire Merchant of Venice a multiple graded stake producer and winning son of Storm Cat. His dam is the Seeking the Gold mare Really Seeking from the familly of Grade 1 winner Ballistic (Chi). However, the best feature of Real Merchant (Chi) is without a doubt his looks, he is one of the best looking horses we have ever owned and Real Merchant is one of the best physical individuals out there.

Real Merchant (Chi) is being trained by Seth Benzel at Saratoga and should be running again soon.