Alfred Nobel for me a very good price all in all. He bound to be very popular.

Speaking of Coolmore sire's i think Holy Roman Emperor is good value at 10k.

Pot M,Im going out this evening as I guess you are going to NMKT tommorow let me wish you luck for your foals this week now,I'm pretty sure I know which are yours so keep a close eye out as I will look,2nd look anyway if she gets that far,good luck lets hope its better than your yearlings

Have you been reading some of my posts on other forums Pot M?And no Berlusconi is a twit but you could say there are simularites with us as I'm sure you know[;)]And don't worry the drinks will be on me if I get her!

Evenin'all.

  I am off to NMKT tomorrow and Tue (at least) to catch up on the sires in town so I thought I'd start a thread for peoples experiences then.

I live to fight another day but it would have been nice to have had a colt that fit. The trade for them at times was almost obscene. Ordinary pages, ordinary (but commercial) sires but a great looker and you could be seriously rewarded. Some of those pinhookers WILL go out of business next year!

Sorry not to have met up Prima, but I was kept busy by Mrs Donna. She's very demanding is she not?


I'm sure you are in full agreement with the sire of the sales topper Prima! And I was pleased for you with your involvement in Ravens Pass. I love this time. Tamayuz and Sakhees Secret joined him with some strong figures, but then New Approach and Mount Nelson just dropped a length or two behind.
You could still sell a Compton Place well and a Royal Applause, but there's nowhere to hide if the old familiars let you down. Bahamian seems to have slipped a notch - finally. Acclamation hot hot hot. Holy Roman, one of the most successful 1st season sires ever, but perception has him dead in the water.

A 'miss' is as good as a mile. And a 'hit' is just as frequently undeserved!

Yes Pot M I did get myself a nice filly for next year,trade was mad in some quarters I agree about the pinhookers,I think they all wanted the same foals all that does is almost force themselves to pay too much now then next year if they are lucky they might just get out.

Bahamian seems to have slipped a notch - finally. Just wait till next year!saw a couple of her family last week a Motivator filly ex Rummage that was small but looked sharp,then a Exceed and Excel filly out of a Rainbow Quest mare need I say anymore.You are right about Compton Place Trickledown had a nice filly she made about 12/14k some of the Royal Applause's sold though a few failed to get the stud fee back[;)]

Well yer ma, thank god pinhookers are such a hardy bunch, it's nice to find at least the odd dash of buoyancy in the industry. I suppose they know what is guaranteed to sell for them as yearlings and sadly for them, so does every other foal buyer. It appears they would rather pay over the odds. present those yearlings and lose money, than think outside the box and actually develop some sales skills.
Just about any stallion you care to mention stacks up like your Kyllachy model methinks.

As you were in the foal market, and indeed anyone else, did you get to see a range of 1st season foals? Did anything stand out to you, was the market right in their valuation of the relative progeny?

Also any other December sales-ites. Did we all get to go and see the 4 new sires shipped in for the occaision? I thought they weren't a bad bunch but would love to bounce some ideas around. Makfi, off-fore for instance. Too much?

I would have thought that if this was so PoshPaddy, then the money would have filtered down a little more evenly. It was only a certain type of foal in demand, I am not sure much can be learned from that. Also I think that the torrid time so many experienced at the yearling sales would have meant a decrease in demand for pin-hook foals that would've been at least commensurate with any drop in foals bred. The catalogue size was about the same too.

Were you at Tatts P.P.? I am still waiting for folks opinions on their views on the 1st season foals! Has anyone seen any of the 2011 new lads yet? Did anyone else see Paco Boy on the Highclere video in the Tea Room? There looked more of him than I imagined.

Come on. I know several of you were there! Did Equiano walk any better for you than he did for me?  etc. etc. etc.

One thing that I always notice with you English breeders is that very few of you are ever confidant of your stallion choices.Over here people say things like "I am using so and so" or "I have used so and so" in England you often hear "What do you think about so and so"or "have you used so and so",what shouts loud and clear to me is over here breeders as a whole are pretty sure of 1,what they are aiming at,2,Just what they need to do to get the desired result.This is not to criticize you Brit's just an observation of you.

I'm pretty sold on Showcasing but prefer the 100 limit to 120.  If its the higher I'll be looking for some change.  As an aside, this is the mare planned for Kyllachy but despite asking a month ago about a deal nobody's come back to me...business must be too good.

I've just spent a f''''ing hour of my life posting a f'''ing reply to this post and lost the f'''ing lot.

I'll calm down presently

Sorry to hear your Cheveley experiences. Not mirrored by my own, but pretty poor nonetheless. I wonder if they don't know where they'll be with Kyllachy yet - but if so they should let this be known.

I'm interested in your racial divides! I think we are quite probably a bit more circumspect sometimes. I know I am pretty roundabout (you'd never have guessed, right? ). However our respective abilities to do what's necessary to get the results is a can of worms and I ain't goin' there!

I know that Whitsbury always start their 1st seasoners off with 120 mares so I guess it's just a case of whether Showcasing attracts that many in a competitive year. I liked the horse. Good depth, shoulder, walk. A commercial package. Apparently they have him at 16hh, but he wouldn't be the scopiest - a la Oasis - Happy to recommend though.

Makfi is very striking indeed. I just had this nagging thing that I would have liked a bit more emphasis on quality over solid (Deploy). Hard to describe really and I'm sure he will get a nice type. I would look to correct (who wouldn't!) quality and a good hind leg in a mare for him - it's a lot of money to get it wrong!

I liked Equiano too. Correct, Sprinter looking to me - although not a bull I agree. He doesn't walk and I'm always happy to accept jarring and wear and tear in something just out of training but I suspect it's a trait of the Acclamations? Anyway, he's a very good example of a potent (good, bad or indifferent) sireline in my view. As such there has to be a chance he'll do the same again.

Mawatheeq was a problem. Size, scope, class. Obviously not much chance of a Coventry winner then but he would look more 'handy' than Nashwan/Nayef etc. I'm very aware of what folly a trip there could be. But I'm accutely aware of the folly of being one of 170 indifferently breds too. You've got to try for an edge! Great pedigree, great looks, small book, great supporters of the product. Something to sacrifice precocious for? (Go easy on me Prima [:x])

I'd like to see Paco Boy and wouldn't write him off until then, but realistically he doesn't fit right now.

I worry about Mount Nelson. He wasn't that good in my opo amd nor is his sire also in my opo.

Monsieur Bond -if you're brave enough - needs leaving till next year perhaps as you would be following too close on tiny books of dreadful mares. Presumably if 2011 brings an upturn in mares covered then 2012/13 would be the year. Not for me though!

Now Prima. You are on a retainer (unpaid, naturally) to trip round looking at these horses. Mertoun Paddocks is only over the road! I fear we are going to have to teach you a little more discernment. Yes the cheese in Tatts tea room is expensive, but so is every other vittel in there and none of it is any good! You were too easily seduced when you should have been on the road

As a 'successful' small breeder, obviously I am flushed with funding right now and I am intending to splash out a good percentage of my treasure chest. I know it seems extravagent, but if I commit say 50% of my rainy day savings I think I might just be able to come up with the price of the fee (and it better be Oct 1st terms) for a woolly hat for you Prima Donna.

I never knew times were so tough that you couldn't afford a winter coat ?

Believe me I am not keen on sacrificing a good walk for anyone, although I was much amused at Tatts this year as I was stabled opposite a nice colt foal by a hot stallion. The foal couldn't walk. End of. Well you should have seen the assorted Numptys (Agents, pinhookers, Cordelia's, Tarquins,etc etc) who thought that they could 'find' a walk. They had it all over Newmarket to get it to 'let down'! Needless to say it never did and it ended up one of the most sour foals it has been my misfortune to set eyes on. Incidentally it sold profitably but didn't fly like I guess it could've done. It's probably back in Ireland somewhere and they're chasing it across The Curragh trying to get it to 'just relax' !

Which I suppose brings me to the point - if they want you, they want you. And for that sire fashion is so much a part. I suppose I have reluctantly come to the point of acceptance that my mares are not quite as good as the Slick'n'smooth  broodmare band! (indeed are anyones, but I'm not bitter. . .) so I have to accept that I cannot count on being in the top 10% of a stallions foals commercially. I do however see every  point in making that the aim and have managed to top the sires sales on a satisfactory number of occasions. Including this year - now that's thrown you! If therefore you cannot be in the top 10%, but the sire has a particularly buoyant profile anyway, then having fewer lesser lights for those so determined to be trendy to fight over, has a big appeal over the 170 book horse. Being one of 30 by a stallion they like surely out ranks being one of 90? Year after year several stallions considered commercially unlikely out rank those considered nailed on. It's our job to seek them out and perhaps enjoy the advantages that their smaller book brings, no?

Although, being one of the herd sure brings with it it's comforts too

Right now - and who knows what's round the corner - I feel that Shadwell are the operation most loyal to their sires. Always Nayef, Royal Applause and now Tamayuz and Haatef get a very useful topping off by Hammy. IF they continue then that is a big plus for the otherwise scary Mawatheeq.

I've not done Haatef, Prima. Not remotely interested, but just checking up I see that every foal sold for over the stud fee and overall it was a most satisfactory start for him. And I would say he was a pretty difficult horse for folks to recall.
However I am in agreement that Mawatheeq is a step down again in terms of profile so I wouldn't go in lightly I assure you! Your comments on Sir Percy + co. make sense but their equivalents probably aren't around this time are they.
I suppose that Paco is the closest but he doesn't have Sir Percy's pedigree by any stretch. I don't know if the Earl of Pompous is worried about a lack of phone calls, but my god he should be used to it with Motivator at £8k. As we've discussed endlessly there are a lot of them around this year so with the exception of Arcano I'm sure there are a lot of phones not as live as the boys would like.

I'd sacrifice just about anything for a good looking good walking foal - don't care where the hell it comes from really! Your range of mares obviously makes you better qualified to source one than me though! But I'll keep enjoying your posts and clutch at the advice therein

It maybe is a red herring. But it's also absolutely legit. Indeed it's been a source of much amusement as I'm sure you'll see if you look again.

However, maybe you haven't got me? [;)]

I'm not entirely sure I've nailed you either

'I think I have Pot M but its only a bit of fun'

How right you are. I suspect I'm rumbled but have you worked out my 'topper' yet? It's a hoot!
Luckily I'm a pretty insignificant soul and no-one much knows me - or cares for that matter

Just when I think you've moved into view out comes another curved ball and I'm left high and dry!
I seem to remember I was confident of the Goffs yearling but if I recall, it was an agent purchase so it didn't help much. Still I enjoy the chase and hope you do too. Perhaps that's the best bit!!

We were both there! (just gone)

Listen, after that sale I'm claiming that as a result                                    At least he has gone back to the land where they appreciate you know who, so I hope he'll get a chance at a relatively better hotel
It's amazing though that with all the considerations we have to factor in (and I'm most reluctant to go unproven with maidens) particularly monetary, that I find myself backed into a corner with something that is not perfect by any means
1st season is so much safer though so you can be a bit quirkier I always think, and I am only ever really relaxed with 1st season as you cannot get hung up about fashion because only the quality of those 1st crop foals will dictate that. But that mare would be a prime Showcasing candidate this time.

Incidentally, I thought you had a successful if more modest 'history' prior to the joint power house that is the current Slick/Donna set up Prima?

Couldn't agree more.

And I'm glad you've seen sense and got yourself a woolly hat

So what are the 2011 nominations looking like, what stallions are ye using, most of the contracts must surely be signed off, although playing the waiting game can work very good aswell.

Have a couple of contracts signed so far as we were given a good deal with Coolmore we have mares booked for Montjeu, Rip Van Winkle and Starspangledbanner. Theres one mare going to each of them so far maybe one more to either Rip Van Winkle or Starspangledbanner definitely not Montjeu only the one going to him. I dont look after the contracts or finances really thats up to the father but it will probably be another month before the rest of the contracts are signed. We've got a mare going to Nayef but as far as i know the contract has not been signed. We're also looking at Lord Shanakil,Arcano(mare submitted but no word yet),Teofilo,Echo Of Light,Acclamation,Oscar,Westerner,Milan,Court Cave amongst many others. You have to be covering your mares with very good sires if you want to sell and cutting corners can bite you but chances have to be taking thats why were going using a couple of stallions with there first runners next year it paid dividends this year by using Iffraaj