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The One Mare That I Want to Own
Original article written by The Steward posted 12 years 1 week agoI was sitting with Bryan Doolittle and his family while discussing life in general over crepes and gelato. As we wrapped up to go our separate ways, I said, "You know what the best name in the whole SIM is? Pantsoff Danceoff."
He seemed surprised that I'd taken notice of his five-year-old, who I genuinely believed to be a colt. When he said, "Would you like to buy her?" my answer was, "That's a filly?!" followed by, "Of course!"
Now, Pantsoff Danceoff wouldn't be my best purchase ever. SHe is the kind of horse I would buy solely because I wanted it, like a screaming seven-year-old pointing at a pink dress in the mall, or like an impulsive shopper grabbing a Twix bar at the checkout. But I would happily buy her because she is a two-time stakes winner out of a Seattle Slew mare, and darn it her name makes me laugh. She is by The Court Jester, who Doolittle pensioned himself three SIM years ago because of his subpar sire record, which is what makes her a suspicious purchase (and broodmare), but I would happily pay a few hundred thousand for her, breed her up to expensive sires, and sell the babies at a profit. No problem.
I make this kind of deal all the time. When you know you have a mare who is going to be suspicious in the shed, it's not a bad idea to sell to me if I make a decent enough offer. For instance, I would probably offer $600,000 for this mare, and Bryan could easily wheedle $800,000 out of me just because I want her. It is unlikely that he will make $800,000 with her foals unless he gets that one big runner (I don't say that because I think he can't, he totally could. It's just the risk you have to take!) and so selling her isn't a bad idea. I feel confident that by selling future foals I'll make back my $800,000, especially if *I* am able to breed that one big foal. Everyone wins.
All of that is just an intro to the fact that there is a mare out there that I want badly and would pay just about anything to get. You're probably thinking it's Amber or Whitney, two mares whose bloodlines lack in my barn and will continue to be absent for a generation or two until I can sweet-talk my way into a foal from a granddaughter or something. This is the kind of mare that I want not only because I WANT HER, but also because I think she'll be a great broodmare, and before writing this article, I probably could have gotten away with a cheap price.
The mare is named Strategist, and she is a homebred for Laura Smith, who will probably be stunned to find out that this article is about her, as I gave her no prior warning. The War Daddy filly is out of a "me-bred" named Repertoire, a mare by Braveheart out of the real-life Grade 1 winning Seattle Slew mare Flute. Now, Repertoire kind of stunk on the track - she brought $676,000 at the Select Yearling Sale way back when, and proceeded to win only twice, doing no better than fourth in a graded stakes try. To be fair, this mare never had a chance. Looking at her past performances, it is mind-boggling that she never even tried further than 1 1/8 miles, but she did come around at a time when 1 1/4 - 2 mile racing for older fillies was just getting starter. She retired at 3 and was sent to a pretty useless miler type sire, then on to End of the Line, Then, California, Derby Report, and Buckingham. She has been bounced around from one breeder to the next, trying to get something, anything out of her.
She is finally crossing with stallions that truly fit her, although the California was a good try. She went to War Daddy (wow), then Same (also a wow who should win next out), and finally to Laura's own stallion Echelon, who produced a hard to tell that should get better in a year or two. Ironically, Echelon is who Strategist reminds me of, a dark horse type, grinding it out away from the public eye. Echelon won $1.6 million while only winning a single Grade 1, and he's now one of those sneaky good looking sires that should make a splash in the next few weeks.
Back to Strategist, the mare I want. She debuted with a 5 1/2 length win going a mile, which she had no business doing. After missing to Are You Waking in the Temple Stakes, she won the Such Great Heights and finished 7th in Gamble in the Dark's Juvenile Fillies. Instead of follow the path to the Oaks, she went to Puerto Rico and started beating up on fillies there, running and 80 without really being pushed. After two stakes wins there, she tried the Puerto Rico Crown against colts and finished third, beaten two lengths. Not a bad first try, seeing as it was only 1 1/8 miles. She went back to run against girls and won again.
Laura doesn't trust this filly like I do, so she's continuing to bop along in grade 2 races and is slowly stretching her out. I am convinced that this filly could be a multiple grade 1 winner and could beat the boys down there in Puerto Rico if given enough room. Plus, I love her pedigree (Advance Guard line over Oak Park.... hot and 1 1/2 ish).
Laura should not sell this filly to me. If I wanted to be a ninja, I would have just offered her $2 million for the horse flat out, and she'd say Er that's crazy and probably would have sold. Then she would have kept racing her, won a couple grade 1's, and been like dang that sucks now she's off to the Steward. Instead, she should read this article like everyone else, realize her horse's potential, and GO FOR IT. She should run her for another year at least and then make nice babies from her. If she does what I think she's capable of doing, she should lease me a filly for maybe a million and a half and happily retain the mare.
What is the point of this article, other than to introduce you to a nice filly who would never have seen the light of day otherwise? I'm not sure - other than to say be wary of any offer I might make you. Although the offers are meant to be fair - give you enough money and still leave room for me to "profit" (aka take money from the SIM), you never know when that means I think your horse could be so much more!
It is also just a shout out to not underestimate yourself or your horses - sometimes the same old horses win the same old races because people were too scared to try, and preferred to snuggle in the warmth of grade 3 company instead.