Doubling the DWC to 12 million, WOW!!!

[SniperSB23]

Originally Posted by brockguy

Id like to believe that last years insane spending by the Sheikh was an anomaly and that seeing his Darley stud so far behind main rivals Coolmore, wanted to rectify that and wanted to do it quickly, hence the purchases of Street Sense, Hard Spun, Authorised, Manduro, Admire Moon etc etc.

Don't know if you saw but they already scooped up the stud rights to Pyro which coupled with the attempt to get the stud rights to Big Brown doesn't exactly give the impression that last year was a one year anomaly.

[brockguy]

Originally Posted by SniperSB23

Don't know if you saw but they already scooped up the stud rights to Pyro which coupled with the attempt to get the stud rights to Big Brown doesn't exactly give the impression that last year was a one year anomaly.

yeah i heard about the purchase of pyro and on this thread re: big brown.. I still think it will take some effort to match last years buying spree though..

Just thinking about this further. Darley really want to be where Coolmore have been over the past number of years.

For years Coolmore were constantly criticised for retiring their horses at the end of their 3 year old career. As Coolmore's quality of stallion increased, it reached a level where it was so good, that even with champions that they had, it was in their interest to race on with them. It has worked in their favour with Dylan Thomas and High Chapparal 2 in particular that benefited from. From a breeding perspective I believe that Darley are where Coolmore were at the end of the 90s, but it will have to get to a stage where it is in their interest to race their horses past 3. With the amount of money Darley have invested though, they could reach that stage sooner rather than later..

[Linny]

Everything that Godolphin ran last Sat was "older" including Literato and Creachadoir, both nice horses. I am not sure why they buy US horses and retire them while going on with Euros they buy. Maybe it's because there are more opportunities to stick it to Coolmore while running on grass-HK, Singapore, Australia etc

I don't think that early retirements are "sporting" and agree that they are bad for the game. What I said was "sporting" was putting up $22m for one day of racing, plus bearing the cost of shipping horses and transporting of human connections all over the globe to attend. Factor in payrolls and maintainance etc how much did Saturday cost? Probably 3 or 4 times what a BC costs before worrying about purses. Oh yeah, and BC screws up everything they touch. I wouldn't trust them to ship my luggage, much less my horse! DWC staff moved horses and humans through Dubai last week efficiently. I've spoken to several who were there and other than delays because of construction, things went beautifully.

I see no way to stop Sh. Mo from buying what he wants, other than for owners of horses he wants to say "no." Mrs. Valando did, IEAH did. It can happen. The man is a walking money pit, and most of it comes from real estate, NOT OIL. The price per gallon has little influence on him. His money however is very welcome through the industry.
The breeder with a nice yearling, the pinhooker with a nice 2yo, the owner of a recent maiden winner- they WANT to hear that phone call come in! It is their livelihood. That call can mean a life changing moment. As FANS and/or handicappers, we are not part of this game. While our money fuels it, we're in it but NOT OF IT. Just as the main office of the Yankees doesn't ask the bleacher creatures their opinions on trades, the horseplayers are not a factor in the decision to sell horses.

That post is just disgusting.

[ArlJim78]

Originally Posted by Kasept

Jim, and Gioia too..

While I appreciate your zeal for the DWC and enjoyment of International racing, perpetuating the notion that Sh. Mo in particular is doing good things for racing is utterly ridiculous. He's single-handedly destroying the game by disturbing the sport's competitive balance and effectively trying to simply buy control of it. ...

Kinda stifling in here on this subject, if you don’t toe the line and fall in with the crowd on this issue. You either must subscribe to the idea that Sheik Mo is single-handedly destroying the game, or you’re called out by the host as perpetuating “utterly ridiculous” ideas. Given the number of truly ridiculous ideas put forth on here that is truly an ignoble honor.

I not a shill and don’t agree with everything that is done by Sheik Mo and associates, but some of the arguments put forth against him seem like a stretch and somewhat hypocritical.

[The Indomitable DrugS]

If he brings Happy Boy to America I might go MMSC for a day or three and break out pom poms.

If he decides he wants to burry him in Europe on turf though .... that will be reason # 263,845 to hate them.

[brockguy]

Originally Posted by The Indomitable DrugS

If he brings Happy Boy to America I might go MMSC for a day or three and break out pom poms.

If he decides he wants to burry him in Europe on turf though .... that will be reason # 263,845 to hate them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbYyBKzBTo0 to see Happy Boy (video quality not super) Surely they arent that stupid to go the Asiatic Boy route with this horse..

[The Indomitable DrugS]

I don't know man...

I fear they are that stupid.

[jcs11204]

Originally Posted by cmorioles

For $12 million this year, what other great horses would have entered?

grasshopper...commentator....

[Indian Charlie]

Originally Posted by jcs11204

grasshopper...commentator....

heatseeker, tiago, perfect drift

[letswastemoney]

Originally Posted by Indian Charlie

heatseeker, tiago, perfect drift

perfect drift?

[Indian Charlie]

Originally Posted by letswastemoney

perfect drift?

you'd have to understand the lack of psychology involved.

[GenuineRisk]

I don't think it's fair to blame Sheik Mo (much as I would like to), because no one is forcing people to sell their horses to him, and he's pretty clear about why he's buying them (isn't Pyro continuing to race under his current silks until the end of his career? It's not like the Sheik is buying him to race him). But he offers a ton of money, so can you blame people without that much money for selling? We can complain about being unsporting all we want, but the only way anyone will pay any attention to what the fans say is if the gambling ones all stopped gambling to protest early retirement of top horses, and that's just not going to happen, because I think most serious horseplayers are gamblers first and racing fans second (which is perfectly fair). In the end, I think it will have to come down to regulation- the Jockey Club saying a horse can't breed before age 5, or limiting the number of foals (like brian mentioned) but that's not likely to happen either, because fandom is of no importance to this game. It's about the money, from top to bottom, and fans don't bring in any to an owner, breeder, or anyone directly connected to the individual horse. Sucks, to be sure, but it's not fair to blame Sheik Mo for taking advantage of a system already in place.

[Linny]

I cannot see how the JC can instutute a rule limiting books. It's a restraint of trade issue.
I do find it disheartening that so few owners of racehorses care to stand them at stud. I realize that it's very expensive and risky but in many cases you are "out" pretty early with a top prospect. I was no fan of the "Slew Crew" but I sure admire their loyalty to Slew. Similarly, owners like deKwiatkowski were rewarded for their loyalty to Danzig etc. Over the decades those to horses were worth more than even the Sheikh is offering. In most cases (not all) the owners are wealthy enough that absorbing the riskswouldn't be all that hard. If they sell, they have the option to sell only a percentage. They they have Sh. Mo as a partner and he has a pretty strong broodmare band with which to support a stallion that you also own. I have no idea if Sh. Mo would work that way but other operations do.

[Kasept]

Originally Posted by ArlJim78

Kinda stifling in here on this subject, if you don’t toe the line and fall in with the crowd on this issue. You either must subscribe to the idea that Sheik Mo is single-handedly destroying the game, or you’re called out by the host as perpetuating “utterly ridiculous” ideas. Given the number of truly ridiculous ideas put forth on here that is truly an ignoble honor.

I not a shill and don’t agree with everything that is done by Sheik Mo and associates, but some of the arguments put forth against him seem like a stretch and somewhat hypocritical.

AJ

I apologize if I gave too critical and strongly-worded a reply, but I'll argue that it's not 'stifling in here' on this topic. We have a very real problem in North American racing thanks to Sheik Mo, and it very well may be impossible to stem the tide.

I'm curious what arguments put forth against Darley are a stretch or hypocritical? What I found difficult to justify is the notion that Mo deserves an ounce of thanks or iota of recognition for anything that constitutes noble conduct or fair play.

And it isn't that I have no appreciation for the Doobies.. Mo's own brother, (Sh. Hamdam/Shadwell), operates like a gentleman and sportsman with an eye on contributing to the game on a worldwide basis and can be applauded for the way he runs his operation. It's just that we're getting way too much Mo...

[Cannon Shell]

I dont understand why someone has to be labeled "good" or "bad " for the game. A lot of Sheik Mo's money filters back into the game when he buys super expensive horses. That is good. A lot of the horses he buys are retired at first chance or never reach their full potential. That is bad. I also never understand when people fawn over mega rich guys spending money (unless the fawner is getting it, that is totally understandable). He has tens of billions at his disposal and happens to spend hundreds of millions on this sport. He doesnt really run his organization as a business even though it is a huge entity. A business is something that is created to make money and I hardly think he makes a profit. What he wants is to be known as the best and spends to do it. He is not much different than George Stienbrenner in that respect. His breeding aspirations have caused some horses to be retired early but who really thinks that they wouldnt be retired if he had not bought them? He is spending more money than anyone which always makes a nice target but the World Cup and carnival can hardly be declared harmful to the sport overall especially including the international effect. Does it take some of our best horses away from traditional races like the Big Cap? Sure, but a $12 million dollar race may be the one thing that keeps many of the marginal stallion prospects in training for an extra season.

[jcs11204]

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

No one has said the World Cup or Carnival is harmful for the sport. But the retiring early is no matter how much people want to pretend it isn't.

the ppl who own the horses before do not have to sell, if they cared for the game they would not sell.

[Scav]

Originally Posted by jcs11204

the ppl who own the horses before do not have to sell, if they cared for the game they would not sell.

LOL

If someone offered you 5 million dollars for a 2 million dollar horse, you wouldn't sell?

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

No one has said the World Cup or Carnival is harmful for the sport. But the retiring early is no matter how much people want to pretend it isn't.

True but if you look at the whole picture you have to include the positives also. Really he is trying to become the dominant player in the breeding business, probably for reasons of ego. His admitted rivals at Coolmore have been far ahead of him in that area and he simply has tried to corner the market by buying every top prospect. Not only does he get them to stand at his farms, Coolmore doesnt get them and it also forces them to pay more money if they decide to bid. Basically it is an billionaire's ego that drives him. I dont think that he will keep it up forever especially if one of his new acquisitions turns into the next big sire but he has raised the bar in the new stallion business really high and very few play there.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by Scav

LOL

If someone offered you 5 million dollars for a 2 million dollar horse, you wouldn't sell?

If I was a billionaire? No. In almost any other circumstance, yes. And in a lot of these situations you are talking about $50 million for a $20 million dollar horse, which even a billionaire has to look at.