TRAINER and leading point-to-point handler, Colin Bowe, joined trainers Mark Johnston and Ger Lyons, breeder and consignor Damian Burns, Ballyhane Stud’s Joe Foley and bloodstock agent Ed Sackville to debate the future of the industry with chairman Leo Powell.
While sales results looked healthy last year, it was agreed that they remained polarised and competitive. The numbers were there, but the choice wasn’t, the trainers felt. The breeders were keen to hear what ticked the boxes for the trainers and agent who each felt that pedigree got them to the door.
Johnston revealed that very few of his catalogue selections were scored off and he sees them all through the ring.
CRITERIA
Being more specific on pedigree, Johnston pointed out that the vast majority of the 50 yearlings he buys each year made less than their production cost.
“My advice to owners of a filly rated less than 90 is don’t breed from her because you won’t get your costs: 50% of blacktype winners are out of blacktype-winning mares, which equates to 50% of blacktype winners being out of 2% of all broodmares. Those figures were true 30 years ago and still stand now.”
fillies’ scheme
Bowe’s observation on the National Hunt sales was that you can get away with a horse turned in, or a horse turned out, but you can’t give away a small horse.
“The syndicates have all gone, so there’s no market for the smaller, weaker horse.” He acknowledged the success of the mares’ bonus scheme and that has made buying a filly more attractive.
“If I’m buying a filly she needs to have a strong pedigree, she has to be a big filly, around 16.2hh, and she needs a bit of bone. I’m a big fan of stallions, I would go for the sire more so than the dam.”
A horse out of an unraced dam wasn’t a problem for him, but he liked to have blacktype in the pedigree, even if only under the second dam.
BREEDERS’ QUESTIONS
ANSWERED BY THE PANEL
The trend towards speed sires was also discussed and Damien Burns suspected Shadwell had somewhat distorted Tattersalls Book 2 by going after speedier types. “A huge amount of sprinter sires are going to stud on the back of that and I just wonder will that continue?” he pondered. He pointed out the stark contrast to the Horses In Training Sale, when it was the stayers making the money.
the market
This led Powell to ask if the trend of retiring two-year-olds to stud was damaging. Burns reminded us that Europe is the primary source of seven-furlong-plus horses worldwide.
The World Rankings show that Australia produces the best sprinters in the world, but Europe remains a source of top-class middle-distance performers and Johnston, for one, was adamant we should promote that and “do what we’re good at’’.
He said: “We are bombarded by speed and speed-testing and breeders trying to get rid of the TT gene when Galileo, the greatest stallion in the world, is TT!”
“It’s economics,” Ger Lyons pointed out. “Harzand, a dual Derby winner, is dropped back to 10 furlongs to prove himself. You see people breeding for the sales ring, that’s their Derby day and it’s my problem after that.”
In defence of commercial breeders, Foley responded: “People are trying to stay solvent and can’t afford to breed a Derby winner.
“That’s the market and breeders are trying to breed for the market.”
In the end it comes down to doing your homework and Foley reminded the audience of Limato, the produce of a cheaply bought mare and inexpensive stallion, but importantly the product of a lot of analysis, study and hard work on his breeder’s part.