Horse Racing Forum - USA Thoroughbred Races

Leaving Virginia and her hours-old foal go through F-T's Winter Mixed Sale in February w/o a bid. Then life got good, thanks to the Robinsons of Brandywine and their client, Ressa Harris.

“My husband was sitting beside me, and we already have 100 mares at our farm,” she said, remembering the moment that Leaving Virginia and her baby left the ring. “He looked at me and said, ‘Don’t you dare.’”

She didn’t have to, because five hips later, the out-of-town client called.

http://www.brooklynbackstretch.com/2014 ... wine-farm/

Awww, that's a very heart-warming story. So glad there are still good people out there in the business.

Jenn

That WAS heartwarming. I hope the new owner races the colt and have fun with him.

Why didn't the sales outfit take better care of the foal? Or the sales agent? Like putting a blanket on the baby before going into the ring ? Take it off for a little bit so buyers could see him and then put it on him again? It is troublesome that no one helped until someone in MN called to buy the pair? Are the sales people that callous? Buyers on site? No one helped until the new owner called.

Another question, if the pair had no bid at $1000, why did the agent charge the buyer $2,000?

And last ) on the Pedigree site the sire of the 14 colts is listed as "Sir Cat". According to the story the sire is Star Cat. Anyone know why he wasn't raced?

Interesting that a mare who has a 2010 son racing (out of how many off-spring the story didn't say) who has earned $400,000 so far, is not considered valuable enough to breed to a top sire (invest). Have there been instances where an owner has sent a modest mare to an extraordinary sire? Does it work? Are the off-spring significantly improved over the dam? Probably some are and some aren't like anything. Or is the risk to the reputation of the sire is too high on the sire's marketability should the off-spring be less than average? Though the sire may dramatically improve the quality of a mediocre mare's off-spring, they are still likely to be less than the off-spring of others?

All that said, her pedigree and her colt's are pretty on paper. The baby looks good in his pictures at their new home, and the mare is booked to Hold Me Back and that looks nice on paper, too. Like the story ended, both are winners for having a kind and thoughtful new owner.

Thanks for posting that, s_g. Wonderful story. To quote Laurence Sterne, "Sometimes the wind is tempered to the
shorn Lamb...


WarBiscuit

BornToWin wrote:Why didn't the sales outfit take better care of the foal? Or the sales agent? Like putting a blanket on the baby before going into the ring ? Take it off for a little bit so buyers could see him and then put it on him again? It is troublesome that no one helped until someone in MN called to buy the pair? Are the sales people that callous? Buyers on site? No one helped until the new owner called.

Another question, if the pair had no bid at $1000, why did the agent charge the buyer $2,000?

And last ) on the Pedigree site the sire of the 14 colts is listed as "Sir Cat". According to the story the sire is Star Cat. Anyone know why he wasn't raced?

Interesting that a mare who has a 2010 son racing (out of how many off-spring the story didn't say) who has earned $400,000 so far, is not considered valuable enough to breed to a top sire (invest). Have there been instances where an owner has sent a modest mare to an extraordinary sire? Does it work? Are the off-spring significantly improved over the dam? Probably some are and some aren't like anything. Or is the risk to the reputation of the sire is too high on the sire's marketability should the off-spring be less than average? Though the sire may dramatically improve the quality of a mediocre mare's off-spring, they are still likely to be less than the off-spring of others?

All that said, her pedigree and her colt's are pretty on paper. The baby looks good in his pictures at their new home, and the mare is booked to Hold Me Back and that looks nice on paper, too. Like the story ended, both are winners for having a kind and thoughtful new owner.

The story--as written--was obviously intended to gloss over enough true details so as to sound heartwarming.

To answer your questions: before the foal went through the ring it was with a reputable consignor and in good hands. (Whether a mare that close to foaling should have been sent through the sales ring in the first place is a whole other issue!) The foal was being kept as warm as was possible on a blustery cold day. As you can see if you look that the picture with the article it did go through the ring wearing a warm blanket.

Despite what the story implies, nobody rescued this foal from an horrible fate. The mare went through the ring. She was bought back. Her original owner still had custody of her (and her foal) and would have taken them home, or to the place where they had lived pre-sale. It's not like the foal was going to be abandoned or turned loose on the highway if it didn't sell.

Re the mare's produce record: the sentence in the article is written wrong (or purposely misleading). The mare's 2010 colt did not earn 400,000. He was sired by a horse that earned that amount. The 2010 colt is currently unraced.

As for why the new owner paid $2,000 for a mare and foal whose last bid (in the ring) was $0, it's a mystery. If she had asked, the previous owners probably would have given her the mare and foal for free.

Nobody at the sale--buyers, sellers, agents, etc--is "that callous". The foal was being well taken care of before it changed hands. No outside interference was needed. The foal did not need help. It did not need someone from MN to call and "rescue" it.

The fact that someone chose to sensationalize a story doesn't make it true. Anyone who's ever been to a Thoroughbred sale in Kentucky could tell you how over-the-top wrong that story is.

However sensationalized the story is, it's still sad to see horses go through a sale with no bids, esp. a mare with a foal at her side. Just because it happens every sale doesn't make it any less sad. Now, I don't know if that mare should remain in the gene pool or not, if she couldn't garner a $1000 bid. And I can't imagine paying a $7,500 stud fee for a $2,000 mare (who should probably have been free). Her page isn't bad, but I obviously have no idea whether she's decent looking or not. Perhaps it would be better for the new owner to rehome or retrain the mare after she raises the foal, then race the foal if he can get to the track, but no one can force her to make that decision. Fortunately, they weren't with the type of consignor who just abandons an unsold horse on the sales grounds, even though that has been known to happen with less reputable "consignors."

mariasmon wrote:However sensationalized the story is, it's still sad to see horses go through a sale with no bids, esp. a mare with a foal at her side. Just because it happens every sale doesn't make it any less sad. Now, I don't know if that mare should remain in the gene pool or not, if she couldn't garner a $1000 bid. And I can't imagine paying a $7,500 stud fee for a $2,000 mare (who should probably have been free). Her page isn't bad, but I obviously have no idea whether she's decent looking or not. Perhaps it would be better for the new owner to rehome or retrain the mare after she raises the foal, then race the foal if he can get to the track, but no one can force her to make that decision. Fortunately, they weren't with the type of consignor who just abandons an unsold horse on the sales grounds, even though that has been known to happen with less reputable "consignors."

I agree with you that it's sad to see a mare go through the ring and bring no bid. I especially hate it when it happens to the older mares, and I wonder what becomes of them.

However, considering that it costs several thousand dollars to take a mare to that sale--whether she sells or not--I doubt that anyone starts the process thinking that their mare is going to be the one that comes back home having brought no bids at all.

Unless someone saw them go through the ring and can say for certain, from the story it doesn't sound like he wore a blanket during that time, though the story mentions "one of the consignors" put a shirt and blanket on him at some point. The picture seems to be from later at the farm where he and his dam are living now. The story also describes how Ressa Harris' agents warmed blankets in the truck for him after they took possession.

Maybe the $2K were fees? Paid the agents and sales people?

As to her value as a broodmare, I misunderstood the story. Her 2010 foal is unraced and gelded. It was his sire who earned the $400,000.

"Her breeding career hasn’t been much better; she has one listed foal, an unraced 2010 gelding by Aeneas (Capote), who placed in multiple stakes, including the 2003 Gulfstream Park Handicap, Washington Park Handicap, Hawthorne Gold Cup, and Clark, and earned more than $400,000."

I think there was a picture of her and her foal in the Breeding section but I couldn't find it again. Their story reminds me a little of Tiger-Eyed's unexpected foaling at the track. Who knows what happened to that filly... no one ever said more about her.

Good for Virginia and her foal. I hope the writer of this story follows up in a year.

isn't this him and his dam in the ring? he had a blanket on in the ring if so, suggesting the jacket/sweat and blanket were out on shortly after he was born, or maybe shortly before going into the ring. particulars aside i'm glad they have a home.

BornToWin wrote:
As to her value as a broodmare, I misunderstood the story. Her 2010 foal is unraced and gelded. .

"Her breeding career hasn’t been much better; she has one listed foal, an unraced 2010 gelding by Aeneas

This comes directly from the catalog page


2010 Leavin Early, g. by Aeneas. Winner at 3, 2013, $5,887

http://www.equibase.com/profiles/Result ... registry=T

Leavin Early (NM)
CH , G, foaled January 3, 2010
( Aeneas - Leaving Virginia, by Crafty Prospector)

Career Statistics:
Starts: 11
Firsts: 1
Seconds: 0
Thirds: 0
Earnings: $5,887

second_glance wrote:Leaving Virginia and her hours-old foal go through F-T's Winter Mixed Sale in February w/o a bid. Then life got good, thanks to the Robinsons of Brandywine and their client, Ressa Harris.

“My husband was sitting beside me, and we already have 100 mares at our farm,” she said, remembering the moment that Leaving Virginia and her baby left the ring. “He looked at me and said, ‘Don’t you dare.’”

She didn’t have to, because five hips later, the out-of-town client called.

http://www.brooklynbackstretch.com/2014 ... wine-farm/

Now THAT is a wonderful story! Bless their hearts.

Admin wrote:The photo of the baby in the ring shows it wearing a blanket. The new owner's agent was bringing a blanket because they didn't own the one that the foal was currently wearing.

ohh, gotcha. at least he wasn't uncovered the whole time, though. that was nice of the guy who gave up his coat.

Kelly Kip wrote:

BornToWin wrote:
As to her value as a broodmare, I misunderstood the story. Her 2010 foal is unraced and gelded. .

"Her breeding career hasn’t been much better; she has one listed foal, an unraced 2010 gelding by Aeneas

This comes directly from the catalog page


2010 Leavin Early, g. by Aeneas. Winner at 3, 2013, $5,887

http://www.equibase.com/profiles/Result ... registry=T

Leavin Early (NM)
CH , G, foaled January 3, 2010
( Aeneas - Leaving Virginia, by Crafty Prospector)

Career Statistics:
Starts: 11
Firsts: 1
Seconds: 0
Thirds: 0
Earnings: $5,887

I'm wondering how the writer missed a whole year of racing?

Leaving Virginia and her foal at Brandywine: