THE BREEDERS WISHING WELL

Compliments of the season to everyone,and may 2010 be a great year.A fter taking a small vacation i gathered my thoughts on the breeding side and realised what a huge gamble this is.Who can actually honestelly say that they have been successful breeders and im sure a handfull will be a lot.Without mentioning names i believe that stud farms as a whole are taking a hiding.As a registered owner breeder i admit it was throwing hundreds of thousand into the wishing well without a return,and the best thing i could have done was pull out,after taking a caning for 2 years.We are blinded by the thought of a potential champion,but that reality,hardly materialises.After thinking about what trainers have said about breeding in the past it should have been a lesson to us,well ive taken the sucker punch and im licking my wounds,and ive decided NO MAS NO MAS.

You are not the only one Zoro..will be joining you soon.

Took a hiding to none as an owner/ breeder. There are hard lessons to learn, school fees are paid, only wish I knew then (when I started) what I know now!!

It's a hard game and only quality mares are worth your while, especially as a hobby breeder. We have 2 mares, one black-type and VERY well related, and a Northern Guest mare - still holding thumbs for a champion though

We are all gamblers, and the odds against when breeding is often overlooked.

Last season 5600 horses in training went out to win 3700 races.

Immediately 1/3 cannot win.
Some horses win more than one, so we get close to the fact that about 50% of horses will die a maiden.

Now try to have a mare who throws winner after winner.
Hard game, long odds, not so great return.

The champion breeders (at R57,000 earning per runner), only cover the training bill not the purchase price, or the costs from purchase to trainer, or the deductions of the average horse.

Was one of the syndicate members of Camden Park,and after a couple of years of hoping for a return He died,just before Jay Peg hit the big time.
Sold the few mares I had got involved with and that's enough for me!

2 of my last 3 stallion share purchases were Camden Park and Eyeofthetiger. Livestock is not for the faint hearted, it's scary.

Had 2 quality mares at stud this year. Sold my half share in Evanesce ( Kahal) and my other mare Dream World (Sportsworld) died after foaling a filly by Mogok.

That's it for me and breeding.

Im here in US you just gotta see what they say here bout the future of breeding..esp after the dubai debarcle...get out while you can.

Owning racehorses isn't a business, it's a hobby.
It can be seen in the same light as breeding with pigeons.

When you go to the sales and take out the R100k to purchase that Spectrum specimen, see it as money down the drain.
It's not an investment and it will never be.
You can't borrow money and put the specimen up for collateral.

Bravo you having a good run...

I'm enjoying it while it lasts.
The ups are there now after all the downs.