Due Diligence

Hope (not least for young harpers sake) he's very nice looking as he isn't much of racehorse.  'But not for his injury, he'd have been pegasus' doesn't wash.  Should've been in the Ayr Gold Cup imo

my guess is that you haven't studied very hard Yer Ma.

Take a look at the replay of Slade Power's Golden Jubilee win on the Darley website. DD is just as talented on the day, having had to cross the track. Was a serious weapon given his conditions.

Hope he's nice and cheap, definitely on my radar. £3k?

Sorry, its a bit rude to post twice in a row but I have a little list of possible cheapies all should be under 5k (well under in some cases!

Estidhkaar - Very fast pedigree and hasn't trained on
Kool Kompany - Excellent 2yo and won G3 as 3yo. Ugly and by Jeremy but at £3k?
Toscanini - I really like this colt. Needs to win a little group race.
Adaay - another well bred Shadwell speedster by Kodiac. Kodi Bear is better but to expensive.
Cotai Glory - one for Hedgeholme

should get the lot for a bag of chips!!!

I always try to study hard Wily, just choose not to judge a horses ability on its one peak run - particularly in sprinting division where most are 100-110 handicappers able to win a Grp race when everything falls right.  I can't recall one previous example of a serious weapon sold to an English stud by Coolmore. They are accumulating better bred and simply better War Fronts and they've been offered a good deal. Fair play.  Whitsbury will probably try to get £5-7.5k.  As I said, if he's very good looking he might work at 5k.  IMO

What about Mount Nelson , yer ma? I am pretty sure Newsells have made money out of him.
My issue with DD is soundness. I have no doubt he was very talented at his best.

I get your point Yer Ma, but in this case I think Coolmore have stayed in as partners, not flogged the horse. With regard soundness, it doesn't worry me with this line, Danzig only ran 3 times, I prefer to look for a bit of "X factor" which this lad had.

Thanks for your list Truehoncho, but it doesnt get me excited. What about Ivawood? Tricky situation to be in with him, but I would take a punt on him at 5k. just hope he's fairly local as my lorry doesn't go more than 200miles without complaining!

Certainly hits the mark fashion wise and I suspect he's plenty size and bulk.  Mount Nelson is in fairness very well bred, but would be a good example of one Coolmore didn't need or rate terribly highly.  He'd be equatable to a Toormore but better bred (that certainly used to count for something).  They'll have a made a bit but not a lot on Mount Nelson...I don't think he's that bad but has only sold 140 odd yearlings in 5 years.  That's not enough to keep going, doubt he covered 30 this year.

The 'at his best' argument is an interesting one in stallions.  Gleneagles could clearly have run several more times but possible not at his best - does that change your view of him?  Coolmore clearly take that view but maybe some don't.  Harbinger put up an astonishing performance once at his best but was consigned to history (or Japan). Cockney Rebel was brilliant a couple of times.  Ivawood has been mentioned elsewhere as a prospect - looked terrific a year ago...what now? Outstrip for godolphin ditto.  One could argue Giovanno Bolodini at his best was just as interesting as DD but he went unheralded to Denmark.

I think that there is a limit to the cheapies  Coolmore can stand and as I've said before, it's a very expensive excersise to use one of their lesser lights with a British based mare.
Maybe they have another lesser light pencilled in for Castle Hyde so they have decided to park DD over here.

If they genuinely have kept a significant share in him then about time too I say. Whitsbury would be a good partner for the arrangement I guess and their successful launch of Showcasing must have helped.

Previously they've been a bit obsessed with banishing their more modest prospects in the fear that they would succeed if left locally and bite them on the arse. This would be a good way of hedging bets perhaps.

FWIW Mount Nelson covered 57 mares this year, his seventh season in UK (100 in 2014 and 90 in 2013. He also did a few seasons in South America).

£5-£7k is too expensive for DD. He has to be under £5k and more like £4k.  His official rating is only 109. He really hasn't done much at all and his best run was in defeat. Sorry but I don't believe he was any better than the 109 he was rated.

After saying all that, I would use him if he was cheap enough.

You’re only looking at this season. He was rated 116 last year, and even more by Timeform. His 2nd in the Jubilee was very good and if it had existed he would have won a Commenwealth Cup last season.

If Brazen Beau goes to stud I bet you’ll assess him as having put up a very good performance in the Jubilee,  but if you look at the races they are very similar.

Us small Brit breeders need more studs standing commercial options like this to compete with our colleages across the water. I cant afford to take risks on 2nd & 3rd season stallions and I cant afford proven horses, so its horses like this that give me a chance to stay afloat.

I've been told that he'll be 'north' of what Whitsbury normally start a stallion off.

Mmm. I'm thinking north of Foxwedge's start off is not a great idea. North of Swiss Spirit might be okay.