Arakan

I was listening to Timeform radio just before the Craven and their paddock judge was slating Trumpet Major saying that he didn't think he'd trained on at all. He even suggested laying him. Arakan certainly seems to be producing the goods at the minute. If he can get a runner like these two every year he'll be ok.

I saw Sixties Icon had another 2yo winner this evening. Pretty remarkable for a Ledger winner although he does have a great pedigree. Would anyone be a bit more interested in him now or is it too early to tell? I might be wrong but I think I read somewhere he didn't have a huge book either.

Is Nureyev consisered a sire of sires? I have a mare from the family of Pivotal and have considered **** Turpin for this reason. Maybe Arakan is a good alternative.

I think the SI's I have seen out to date are realy nice types. With 3 winners already I'm sure he will do a lot better than most thought. I have a feeling that he is going to do really well next year.

Well you won't be surprised to know that I am just going to state the obvious.

The trainers might seem to like them but to date they have been singularly unprepared to give anyone much of a profit for the yearlings. Only 9 yearlings have made over 30k euros in his career so far.

9 horses in his career so far are rated above 80. The big 2 are ofcourse the only 2 stakes winners.

So for me it is purely about whether one thinks there is a money making opportunity in the future because sometimes in the eye of the buyer two swallows really do make a summer, but two swallows don't really give my mares great odds of getting an above average runner.

Sort in that Piccolo, Avonbridge, Bertolini bracket of stallion (worse arguably) that makes it very difficult to make money.  Never has and probably never will get any momentum up commercially imo.  Got to hand it to Channon - these Sixties Icons clearly respond ok to having guns put their heads from Feb.  Thats more testament to their soundness rather than ability.

I agree with all the points above saying that I see he's been getting more mares lately so he may be gaining some momentum with breeders.His profile is sort of similar to Firebreak in so much as he can get a GR1 horse but by a sire who isn't noted as a great sire of sires so we have all been a little shy perhaps to give him a chance.But he may look more attractive if Trumpet Major does win the English 2000,I did like the look of him (TM)better looking than D'Turpin.

S.Icon,Well bred in so much as both sire and dam won classics but I'm not getting that excited just yet lets see how he gets on when the races become more competitive,when they take on half decent runners.With books in the low numbers reckon MC is doing everything he can to make him look attractive.......or deceivingly so perhaps,ask yourself why.Similar profile to another St.Leger winner Julio Mariner he ended up a jumps sire Sixties Icon I'd say will too.

I think with Arakan you have to give him some credit which perhaps I didn't do in my earlier post. Plenty of cheap stallions go a career without producing colts of the calibre of D1ck Turpin or Trumpet Major (if he's Gp1 class). I think that Arakan had precisely NO appeal as a sire prospect to me and if I wasn't alone then quantity and quality mares would not have been heading Carlowards to his court.
He has to have some sort of chance to progress.

Sixties Icon. Well I imagine it is some sort of personal pride issue that has Channon winding them onto the track right now. It presumably has crossed their mind that it will really improve their chances of hoovering up a servicable ammount of mares in this his difficultest of difficult years.

I remember Mind Games was wound for the benefit of Puissance in the Brocklesby and Hearts of Fire made it for Firebreak far more prematurely than subsequent events showed he should have been.

If Mick Channon has wound up talented types early, and not  ruined them in the process, then Sixties Icon needs observation. Given that particular trainer though, that is a massive, herculean sized 'IF'.
I'm not holding my breath.

Effie B makes it 4 winners from 5 runners for Sixties Icon up a month into the season, and whichever way you look at it, that is a decent effort.

Its one thing to get all them on to the track but another thing to have them win and surely its hats off to Channon and the team. I wonder if a few trainers will be getting SI mentioned when they tell owners their 2yo needs time

Long way to go but even achieving what they have is a great effort and will widen his appeal at stud with the possibility of better to come when meeting distances the pedigree suggest should suit. His breathing problem was more offputting than his StL win for me but it seems nothing can stop another manifestation of the magic of Galileo

Effie B makes it 4 winners out of 5 runners for SI. Does/Would MC really wind them up too hard and risk them for such minor prizes?

It certainly makes for a fascinating start doesn't it.

M C would put all his 2yo's through the same programme and those that stand it stand it and those that don't will fall by the wayside. His system will cause attrition to those that have a weakness of immaturity and that can mean mental problems when a horse will no longer accept the discomfort that comes with wear and tear that might have been avoided with a little more patience.

It is always possible to get a talented horse out earlier than perhaps their pedigree suggests because raw ability will take them far enough to earn a bracket over the more forward but ordinary. It takes an Aidan O'Brien type though perhaps to know when you can get away with that.

If it's talent that is getting these Sixties Icons out - and it's not being jeapordised - then we have an interesting start on our hands. Maybe ofcourse they are taking after speedy mares but that won't do him any harm right now. No one can have a definitive answer right now - as ever in this game!