tx friends .

my NY bred colt, foaled 3/25/07 and raised on the farm where he was born, has been out for breaking since Dec.23 at Quiet Woman Training Center . They had stalls that opened up then whereas other facilities nearby were full . I have no trainer yet, just a short list of 3 at this point . The mgr of Quiet Woman says he is "very difficult and his testicles get in the way." She says he is behind schedule . On a positive note she says he is conformed well, is sound, and eats well . He is a big boy and I'd prefer to see how he runs before considering the geld .

So we have arrived at this point . He will continue his training and she will keep me updated . My plans are to turn him out back at Irish Hill after he's broke until April . By then I will have a trainer, etc.

Assuming you're a real person you seem like someone who cares about the horses' welfare. So look at the situation at Hollywood Park this week where some 3yo colt freaked out and killed himself and a 6yo gelding. Do you really want to have your horse pull the same and know that you said the horse shouldn't be gelded?

My colt is a friendly sort, mild mannered but firm, independent and not craving attention . He is not a nut case, not high strung . We're going to give him more time to acclimate himself to the breaking process before a decision is made to geld .

"very difficult and his testicles get in the way."

Sounds like he literally may be a nut case.

OOOOOOOOOO

your description of your horse directly contradicts that of the trainer....she's around the horse every day. You should listen to her. He's not a stallion prospect by any means and you are probably doing him a disservice by keeping him intact....that is if you actually want to see him get to the races. The longer you wait the more "difficult" he is likely to get....what she is actually telling you is that the horse is an ass.hole and has to have his ass kicked in order to get him to do his job....are you really a fan of having your horse beaten?

lol

the positives you mention don't negate the negatives. he's behind schedule, very difficult. having good conformation won't fix those.
even if he turns out a good runner, i don't think his breeding would make him a prospect. the manager, who is probably well-versed in this game, suggests you geld. i think you should follow her advice.
you may never get to see him run if he only becomes more difficult. be pro-active, not reactive. geld him, i doubt you'll ever regret it. while not gelding him-may cause plenty more problems down the road.

The only G1-winning Saintly I know of was an Aussie - Cox/Melbourne Cup winner; his only venture overseas was to Japan, where he became ill and couldn't start.

You're right about the Euro G1 sprints, though (and the Cup races, too) - it's mostly the classic-type races that the Euros don't want geldings in, because those are the races that determine those colts worthy of breeding on. That said, Takeover Target was another Aussie with established top-level class Down Under.

It's actually a weird mindset in England regarding entires vs. geldings. Entires are trying to make themselves stallions, so they often run in G3s and LRs where they might not quite fit to get that precious notation, instead of in the big handicaps with a couple times the money but no official black type. So you have a highly competitive 30-runner race worth $200K+ not 'worthy' of black-type, but a 5-runner race worth $35K is. Owners of good geldings in a country where purses for everyday races make no pretense of covering expenses know where to run.

One of my favorite handicappers in Britain for the last couple of years has been Borderlescott. He was able to compete in G3s and LRs, but he could earn more in the non-black-type handicaps like his favorite, the Steward's Cup at Goodwood (a win, a short-head second, and a blanket-finish 3rd) so his 'offical' stakes record only hints at how he earned his money. Even though he won a G1 last summer, his handicap earnings still exceed his 'stakes' earnings. And since he is a gelding, he doesn't need group wins to put in the stallion ads.

he's a big, heavy colt so i'm leaning toward the geld to slow the bulk .

I AM THE OWNER , I KNOW, I RULE...
:zz: :D

tx everyone . i'm leaving it up to Heather, the farm mgr .

as you should

we have a powerful pyhiscal horse here . so young . thanks for your input .

If every NY bred colt ever was gelded how many mistakes would have been made?

just kidding about the owner chest pounding :D

I'm leaving it up to Heather to decide what's best .

wants to geld the entire male race^^^ humans

Funny Cide and Commentator?

Wasn't Funny Cide's situation physical discomfort? I don't have my FC book with me that I got last Christmas.

The horse's breeding hasn't been put up so I'm going to assume we're not to know what it is. The idea of the horse being "behind schedule" is funny because not all horses are on the same one--Nicanor for instance shot up like a weed over summer and they had to slow down for awhile. He won't have started til late Jan/early Feb of his 3yo season. Is it certain he's not just late maturing? Some get in their own way when young. Bulky doesn't always equate to precocious.

He is not a stallion prospect although his breeding is solid .