Trial By Summer Non Select Yearling Sale

[Des Walker]

Clearly not!

[Rachel Sadler]

Des, i have only ever bought one steward bred, which cost me 40k and a lot of headaches, so I sold him on, and have never even considered buying another one due to the over inflated prices that a lot of them go for.

Take this horse for example. Drayton, the owner paid 350k for this horse and to be honest, it couldn't get out of its own way to save itself and was 350k waisted.

I believe if you put the time and effort into breeding, learning the nicks that work, constantly improving your broodmare band, and yes sometimes taking chances with stallions, you don't need to buy steward breds to be successful in the game. My home breds, Battlehorse, Class Above, Cattle Baron and Fractured is evidence of that.

Rachel

EDIT: Forgot to mention that i get far more satisfaction out of seeing horses i have bred run then what i ever did with the steward bred I bought.

[Brenden Marcotte]

I think we can all agree there is evidence on each side, like Highly Regarded for instance who was purchased for only $126,000. Or Battlestar who was purchased for $123,000.

I know for me, taking the chance much outweighs the cost. The lower priced horses in the Steward auctions have greatly inflated since I started three short sim years ago (which has been very annoying), but I still hope to find both value and get a bit lucky with my purchases. This coming from a guy who hasn't had any breakout success with any of these horses yet btw.

[Tammy Stawicki]

My steward breds

Stop Flirting - sale
Purchase: $450,000
Earnings: $1,112,000

Such Trickery - sale
Purchase: $150,000
Earnings: $1,597,500

Won't Run and Hide - auction
Purchase: $416,000
Earnings: $14,500

The Steward has some of the best blood lines in the sim, and has been doing this for a long time so knows how to breed 'em. The problem is everyone knows that. What I have found is that sale horses where The Steward sets the prices are usually pretty fairly priced, however, in auctions you are competing with the Nalbones and Fergusons whom money is not an issue when they want a horse and as a whole a lot of horses go for more than they're worth.

My philosophy was never spend more money than I can afford to lose. I built my stable on cheaper horses making sure I always had enough money on the bank to pay for everyone. Then I got lucky with a couple of reasonably priced big horses. Once you do that they make you the sort of money where you can pay exhorbant prices on horses and no there are others in the barn who will make the money back if the horse turns out to be a dud. In other words Steward Breds are great but when you're starting out your best best is shopping on the sales page and player auction for the many horses going way under their worth.

[Brenden Marcotte]

Very good point Tammy...and oh my goodness do you keep track of your stud's progeny...

WOW

[Des Walker]

Thank you Rachel, I do agree, your example was a case in point. Its difficult to see how, even at the time, the horse could have been seen as worth that kind of money but with hindsight it looks even worse.

I'm not saying that Stewie breds are not worth buying, that would fly in the face of all evidence, but some of them are going for figures far in excess of what anyone would pay if they were coming from anyone else. The problem with sales like this one for someone who doesn't have excess cash, like me, is you're forced to take the plunge when it pops up without having time to think twice about whether its worth it.

My sole stewie, btw, was won on underbid and I am willing to bid up to the price that I think the horse is worth. But until I have millions to roll in I won't be getting involved in splashing cash I don't have. Then writing unread articles or whatever to make up the deficit...

[Friedrich Barbarossa]

Interesting idea....current stew breds in my barn that were purchased by me:

Apache
3yo colt
Price: 900k
Earnings to date: $572,500

Dark Stare
5yo horse
Price: $606,606
Earnings to date: $847,400

Dynoem
8yo mare
price: 180k
earnings: $54,090
progeny earnings: ~30k

Full of Pranks
5yo mare
price: 225k
earnings: 165k
no progeny earnings yet

Innocence
4yo mare
price: 688k
earnings: 577k

No Place For Magic
6yo mare
price: 200k
earnings: 73k
progeny earnings (1 runner, a 2yo): ~15k

Roll With Punches
4yo mare
price: 200k
earnings: 256k

Sharp Vision
3yo colt
price: 501k
earnings: 181k

Stroll In The Dark
7yo mare
price: 652k
earnings: 157k
progeny earnings (1 2yo runner): ~13k

Top Honor
5yo horse
price 1.6 mil
earnings: $1,974,780

Tried and Tested
4yo colt
price: 1 mil
earnings: 858k

Well Traveled
9yo horse
price: 750k
earnings: $2,357,000
current stud fee: 30k, 98 foals

World of Races
10yo horse
price: 400k
earnings: $1,845,000
current stud fee: 22k, 158 foals

This is an obviously incomplete picture as it doesn't really quantify potential or realized funds from stallion fees (I didn't include how many of WORs and WTs runners were bred by me), potential progeny earnings from mares, greater potential for stakes runners out of stew bred mares (which probably can't be quantified, though I do generally believe it to be true), etc. etc.

Also, BFD is going to be the greatest horse in the history of the SIM and I didn't include that in any of World of Races' info.

One big horse can substantially change the metrics, alot of that potential drives the price of stew breds. I think they are a risk worth taking. I rarely buy colts from anyone not named Steward.

[Keith Maidlow]

I always looked at a horse's value and wanted to make back every penny I spent on a horse (a profit was always better of course). Now that I have some bucks I go out and get steward bred horses in areas where I don't have a stallion or mares (which is dirt routers). First I fight the feeling to bid the mega bid and the I say to myself, "self, why are you hoarding money...go get that potential big horse...what's the worst that can happen? you won't make back your investment and look a bit foolish". Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Do I like my home bred winners? You betcha'. But the steward has soooooo many more breeding choices and with top notch stallions and mares.

[Tammy Stawicki]

Very good point Tammy...and oh my goodness do you keep track of your stud's progeny...

WOW

yea don't expect that for crop 2. its a lot of work.