How Hot Is Mailbu Moon?

[Rupert Pupkin]

Malibu Moon is on fire. He had another grade I winner today in the Ruffian with Malibu Prayer. He won a grade I last week with Devil May Care. Then he had another grade I winner with Life At Ten last month. Coincidentally Pletcher trains all 3 of those fillies.

Malibu Moon is becoming one of the best sires in the country. I think he is actually the leading sire in North America right now.

Correction, he is 2nd leading sire in North America this year. Maria's Mon is still leading.

As of last week, I heard they were raising Malibu Moon's stud fee to $50,000 for next year. With the additional grade I win today, I wonder if they will raise it even higher.

[Danzig]

b'horse currently has him at third behind maria's mon and giant's causeway.

[Rupert Pupkin]

Originally Posted by Danzig

b'horse currently has him at third behind maria's mon and giant's causeway.

Yes, I just realized he is still behind Maria's Mon. I corrected my post. With the win today, he is now ahead of Giant's Causeway.

[Round Pen]

Was Just having this Discussion Friday as to who was the Best Sire out there, of Course We could not agree on who was the best right now But Malibu Moon was my number #1 Choice

[Rupert Pupkin]

Originally Posted by Round Pen

Was Just having this Discussion Friday as to who was the Best Sire out there, of Course We could not agree on who was the best right now But Malibu Moon was my number #1 Choice

Malibu Moon is an interesting story. He was owned by B Wayne Hughes and Mel Stute was the trainer. He only ran once. He won easy but got hurt and had to be retired.

B Wayne Hughes didn't know what to do with him. He wanted to stand him at stud but nobody was interested. Ron Ellis came up with the idea of sending the horse to Pennsylvania to stand at stud there. Ron found a place in Pennsylvania and the rest is history. The horse did so well in Pennsylvania that he was able to move to Kentucky. Since then he's been getting better mares every year and the better mares he has been getting, the better offspring he has been producing.

He's definitely one of my favorite sires.

[Betsy]

Originally Posted by Rupert Pupkin

Malibu Moon is an interesting story. He was owned by B Wayne Hughes and Mel Stute was the trainer. He only ran once. He won easy but got hurt and had to be retired.

B Wayne Hughes didn't know what to do with him. He wanted to stand him at stud but nobody was interested. Ron Ellis came up with the idea of sending the horse to Pennsylvania to stand at stud there. Ron found a place in Pennsylvania and the rest is history. The horse did so well in Pennsylvania that he was able to move to Kentucky. Since then he's been getting better mares every year and the better mares he has been getting, the better offspring he has been producing.

He's definitely one of my favorite sires.

I loved this horse and was crushed when he had to be retired early. However, he stood at Country Life Farm........in MD. I don't know if he garnered any interest from KY breeders, but Country Life loved him. In any case, he's been a very pleasant surprise - surprise only in that with 2 starts behind him, he wasn't about to start off with a great book of mares. His pedigree, however, is fantastic.

[Rupert Pupkin]

I meant Maryland. I don't know why I said Pennsylvania.

[Indian Charlie]

He had a rare bone disorder, which is how Stute ended up with him.

Nobody wanted to train him.

[Scav]

Originally Posted by Indian Charlie

He had a rare bone disorder, which is how Stute ended up with him.

Nobody wanted to train him.

If you have time and know of an article about it on the net, I'd love a link.

[Betsy]

Originally Posted by Indian Charlie

He had a rare bone disorder, which is how Stute ended up with him.

Nobody wanted to train him.

I never heard of that...........and with that pedigree, no one wanted to train him? If he had a bone disorder, he's lucky he didn't suffer a fatal breakdown.

[Indian Charlie]

Originally Posted by Scav

If you have time and know of an article about it on the net, I'd love a link.

I'll look later, but I remember thinking "WTF, why is this Hughes horse trained by Stute" before his debut.

I thought he looked like a really nice prospect as well, after that debut second place finish. I believe I than read about that bone disorder and how that Hughes's usual trainers turned down training him.

He then won super impressively and was never heard from again.

[slotdirt]

Did I miss Malibu Moon being some new player on the block or something? Wasn't he the hottest thing since sliced bread circa February 2005?

[Port Conway Lane]

Originally Posted by slotdirt

Did I miss Malibu Moon being some new player on the block or something? Wasn't he the hottest thing since sliced bread circa February 2005?

Yes he was. He went from leading Maryland sire back then to near the top in the nation today.

[slotdirt]

Who can forget Declan's Moon?

[The Indomitable DrugS]

It's not hard if you try.

[Indian Charlie]

That's what she said.

[Rupert Pupkin]

Originally Posted by Indian Charlie

He had a rare bone disorder, which is how Stute ended up with him.

Nobody wanted to train him.

There was no bone disorder. He actually had two fractured sesamoids when he was 6 months old. They didn't think he would ever make it to the races. The vet told them he needed 8 months of stall rest. After the 8 months were up, he looked like a dwarf compared to the other yearlings. The other yearlings had been running around for 8 months and he had been stuck in a stall. He was tiny. They had practically no hope for him.

They still had to break him. Even if they were going to make a pony out of him, he still needed to be broken. After they broke him and he trained a little bit, he grew a lot and he strated to look pretty good. His ankles still did not look perfect but they looked much better.

Hughes ended up sending him to Mel because he thought most other trainers would putz around with the horse forever and he'd never make it to the races. He figured that with Mel would just go on with the horse and he would either make it or he wouldn't. He ended up running 2nd in his debut. I believe it was in May of his 2 year old year. He came back a few weeks later and won but he fractured his knee in the race and that was the end of his racing career.

He actually had another graded stakes winner today. August Moon won the Rancho Bernardo at Del Mar.

[Indian Charlie]

Originally Posted by Rupert Pupkin

There was no bone disorder. He actually had two fractured sesamoids when he was 6 months old. They didn't think he would ever make it to the races. The vet told them he needed 8 months of stall rest. After the 8 months were up, he looked like a dwarf compared to the other yearlings. The other yearlings had been running around for 8 months and he had been stuck in a stall. He was tiny. They had practically no hope for him.

They still had to break him. Even if they were going to make a pony out of him, he still needed to be broken. After they broke him and he trained a little bit, he grew a lot and he strated to look pretty good. His ankles still did not look perfect but they looked much better.

Hughes ended up sending him to Mel because he thought most other trainers would putz around with the horse forever and he'd never make it to the races. He figured that with Mel would just go on with the horse and he would either make it or he wouldn't. He ended up running 2nd in his debut. I believe it was in May of his 2 year old year. He came back a few weeks later and won but he fractured his knee in the race and that was the end of his racing career.

He actually had another graded stakes winner today. August Moon won the Rancho Bernardo at Del Mar.

Where did you learn this?

I clearly remember reading in either the DRF or LA Times that the reason for being with Stute was that bone disorder. I'm not doubting what you are saying, but I'm guessing that this 'bone disorder' that I read about was spin.

[Rupert Pupkin]

Originally Posted by Indian Charlie

Where did you learn this?

I clearly remember reading in either the DRF or LA Times that the reason for being with Stute was that bone disorder. I'm not doubting what you are saying, but I'm guessing that this 'bone disorder' that I read about was spin.

Maybe what you read was that he had the two fractured sesamoids as a weanling.

The thing you are saying about Mel Stute is partially correct. The reason Hughes gave the horse to Stute was because of the horse's soundness issues. Hughes figured Stute would be aggressive and go on with the horse no matter what, whereas other guys would keep stopping on the horse and he would never get to the races (or if he did it would be as a 4 year old).

A person involved with the horse told me the story.

[Indian Charlie]

I know what I read.

Like I said, the connections must have spun his issues into this rare bone disorder nonsense.