Polite but perfunctory. That’s the tone in which people tend to compliment Kitten’s Joy when he was with us, and I guess it’s no different now that he’s gone. Even so, I find that his loss has been statistically well-deserved. Not only of his own accord, as an avid stallion who has won two North American generals stud championships in a frenzy; but barely appreciated, like a last straw during the past nine months has become a disaster for the enlightened minority who persisted with grass farming in Kentucky.
Last November, the English Channel’s continued challenge to leadership in the field of Kitten Joy was unraveled by a sudden illness at the age of 19. In March, Crestwood lost Get Stormy out of the blue at the age of 16. And now we have to say goodbye to the eldest brother. statesman, at the age of 21.
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With harsh trade odds that must be overcome by anyone trying to launch a stud in Kentucky, the departure of this trio represents a huge test of how many Americans say a good game. about launching an extensive grass program. Because when it comes to walking, they tend to head straight for the exit by the time a species yearning to have chlorophyll in its pedigree is led into a sales loop.
Admittedly, one breeder’s survival challenge can be another’s game-changing opportunity. There are some promising young stallions around with the potential to fill in these dreaded vacancies. Karakontie (Jpn) received the black type action with a good percentage, and will be doing it again when passing a number collision on the road with his current sophomore. In fact, he had just had three winners in three days, one becoming his first millionaire. Oscar Performance, meanwhile, was launched with real fanfare by a farm that welcomed the return of the stallion game, and made its mark with his early athletes. bred by European imports, whether trained or growing horses, from the avid sales of the elite. Both Division I competitions on the pitch over the past two weekends have been harvested by Chad Brown with one of each model, Adhamo (Ire) (Intello {Ger}) being won as the winner. Group France last fall and In Italian (GB) ( Dubawi {Ire}) as a Book I crave in Tattersalls.
But this kind of deviant trade causes trouble on both sides of the water. While a lucrative export market offers an important path to survival for the disputing European horsemen who cannot afford prizemoney, it may ultimately contain the seeds of its own downfall. through continuous dilution of standards. And while purses are higher in the US, it certainly cannot replace commercial livestock as an engine for sustainable investment. It’s great that these imports can make a lot of money on the racetrack, but they will never offer home runs in the barn unless or until Bluegrass changes its commercial stance. about blood.
Because right now you will not give a new Nasrullah (Ire) many prayers. Obviously we wouldn’t have Bold Ruler or Nashua, and everything they’ve had to do since then, if the Kentucky breeders of the 1950s had been as insightful as their successors today.
The same farm imported Nasrullah, of course, demonstrated the transferability of European grass blood through the likes of Blenheim (GB) and Princequillo (Ire). But if now they can bring Frankel (GB) on the water, I wonder how low his fees will be before commercial breeders think he will represent a viable game.
I have frequently cited the similar Flintshire (GB) program as a particularly clear example of how things are today. Replaced as Juddmonte’s highest earner by only one member of the same family in Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}), he remains relegated to the final Kentucky book of eight children. mares before finally returning to Europe in despair. If Kitten’s Joy and English Channel can’t win the hearts of the market, with its inflexible stereotypes about physiques, what chance does Flintshire stand for – even if on a farm as visionary as Hill n’ Dale?
It was, of course, John Sikura who gave Kitten’s Joy a fresh Kentucky background when his owners had become so enraged by the commercial indifference that they almost put brush to paper instead. So he’s in Europe. However, in the parallel world where that deal was made, it will be helpful to see how well-received Kitten’s Joy will be there. Even after finding the European champion in Book I of the September 2016 Sale for $160,000 — and the tragedy of the Roaring Lion only raised the stakes for Oscar Performance and others, in terms of male heritage – David Redvers could still return to the same auction two years later and buy a G1 winner 2,000 Guineas for half the price. It seems that European investors have learned less respect for the horse than for the local market.
It’s a bit disconcerting, then, if they’re still harder to imagine when it comes to the kind of dirty blood that has, historically, stimulated a cyclical rebirth in the European gene pool. To another of my constant complaints is that this must be a two-way street, and that this mutual division will ultimately be equally damaging to Europeans.
As things go, we can simply hope that the lucky few are still more interested in the fast horses than in the fast horses — and, on any sustainable model, that also means are horses capable of running hard and long — able to respond to a crisis with exactly the kind of flair that sets them apart. Those who once kept their faith with Kitten’s Joy, English Channel and Get Stormy now have to stick with guns and look for replacements.
After all, they know where to look. The Get Stormy grieving farm, for example, persists stubbornly with the same brand: sturdy teak runners and/or aristocratic lineage. Nor must we overlook the potential contribution of stallions that could, in this arduous environment, damage their commercial reputation if over-promoted as equally effective influences. on the field, such as American pharoah, Not this time, Spinning candy or Blame.
But at the weekend as Zandon tries to renew the fleeting impression he made in the home leg of the Derby, in a thrilling race for GII Jim Dandy S., it would be remiss not to end with a nod to the farm can be marked as 50order celebrate with the arrival of a new Indian Charlie or Harlan’s Holiday in his men Start up.
Because the Airdrie’s allegiance to the gene pool most urgently demanded by the modern Purebred breed allows breeders with enough vision a chance to roll the dice for Kitten’s Joy’s son to receive the oxygen. precious little even in this suffocating department. Divisidero won the classified bets for five consecutive seasons, amassed 13 triple-digit Beyers, and was denied a third Tier I in the Breeders’ Cup Mile by half the length. Furthermore, more seriously, the four mares in the third generation of his dam are (roll drums, please): Miesque, Lassie Dear, Height Of Fashion (Fr) and a daughter of Cosmah. There aren’t too many Purebreds who can do better than that, anywhere in the world.
Yes, his classmate Conservationists very close, with Natalma, Weekend Surprise and Too Chic. Meanwhile, down to the barn, Prince Cairo is proving to be quite influential, on the surface, while Airdrie is also introducing a son of War front—The leader of our time has maintained an elite stature in sales despite his aptitude for the pitch.
Clear War front now there’s a bright new dirt prospect starting elsewhere, in Omaha Beach, but his enticing channels for versatility include more than just Summer Front at Airdrie, but War of Wills beside his husband at Claiborne – who, promise, was pushed to the absolute limit in his debut book.
War frontHis own traffic was naturally more cautiously managed than ever, as he entered the early stages of his career. Either way, he’s already out of reach for most breeders, but keep in mind that he only gained credibility in Europe by chance (mostly thanks to John Magnier). And that’s the only thing — chance — breeders need to be brave enough to give some of these stallions right now.
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