It’s a sad day when…

[Kaine Saracen]

Not saying some stallions aren't worth more, but I have sort of always felt you should stand stallions so people that breed to them have a real good chance of the offspring making more back than that stallion fee.

On this note, one of the Simperior benefits that I use the most is looking at the average/median earnings on a stallion's page. If for example a stallion has been at stud for a while and their median earnings are half the stud fee (no stallion in particular is being referenced here, I'm making up numbers) I'm probably going to go with someone else. I'll also look at the disparity between the average and median, since one horse can inflate the average (a real world example would be when Unbridled's Song was leading sire by earnings in 2017 and almost all of that was Arrogate).

It is most definitely a good idea to make use of ALL the available stats for comparison, but it is also a great idea to pay attention which trainers and which mares go to stallions. A barn with better tier mares is always going to bolster a studs numbers, whereas the newer/lower(?) level stables will more often than not cause a deficit.
The other thing to consider is fees occasionally sway a persons thinking. A lot of folks by default will look at two very similar statted studs and actually pick the $50k stud fee over the $15k stud fee because it is obviously better because it is priced higher... Right? Not that I agree with this assessment. My decision is always what I see within the pedigree depending on my plans at the moment.

I'd consider my studs fees hit and miss in a big way since they are solely decided by the career earnings. This is because I can never decide on an actual number that makes any real sense.

[John Smith]

...All of that, and especially, breeding to sires with increased probabilities of getting money back while trying to build the best pedigrees possible. (Got to keep the lights on!)

Three words - State.Bred.Racing.

Where the stallion stands is a substantial consideration for me. I can't understand why stallion owners wouldn't want to give their stallions/patrons the extra support.

Note: I have been a recipient of many generous siring rebates - too many to list. I try to do the same. But state bred racing is a bit like a SIM (or player) subsidy if one can't afford to give as many rebates as they'd like. It is easily $20k the horse otherwise may not have earned, at least as of now, if they gallop low on the scale. If they are High then no problem.

* example: If at $48k, I stand a TS stallion and I give 1/2 off rebate, the foal is 24k. If that stallion is standing in say MD, JPN, AUS it is basically a free foal! All that is left is for one to enter it into 5-8 races.

"...I can't give it away on 7th avenue."

[Hope Bentley]

When ever I see this mare … I’m reminded of the one I let get away … BLACK TASSELS(I) a mare I let go cheap at auction then goes on to be amazing as she was as a broodmare. That in turn reminds me of Valued who I was on the buying end and got her cheap at auction. Ahh great memories and regrets but if she didn’t go to Leigh Ann she may never have produced the horses she did. And if Emma Lochran didn’t decide to sell me her new colt Blood Red sun… … there be no Black Starfall … and other chance happenings further back love it

[Leigh Ann Anderson]

Thank you Nick, for pointing out the loss of this special mare. It's funny how things work out; I was looking for a few Tattered mares for my broodmare band an found a likely candidate in Black Tassels. I was never able to get a win out of her and retired her after several chances, but she met my requirement of breaking her maiden and off to stud she went. Black Tassel's first few foals were not great, but the 3rd one was a useful type. I knew I wanted to support Hailey's Comet as he has one of my favorite homebreds in his pedigree. That cross produced Black Comet.

Black Comet was so much fun. Not only to race but she gave me not only the chance to race 2 extremely nice fillies, Black Starfall and This Black Filly.

How exciting it is anytime that the Steward wants to get a filly from a horse you've bred! And Black Starfall not only was fun to race, but went on to be a much better producer than the previous generations. Her first foal, Me in Black earned +$3 million, the next earned nearly $2 million, Avengers Assemble has been her biggest earner but the rest of her progeny have been of a high enough quality to make her a name that garners an eulogy and with any luck her name will pop up in pedigrees for some time.