re: Official Belmont Thread.

quote:

---

He is truly an idiot. I'd be retiring him right after the Belmont unless I got a mega insurance policy to race him in the Classic.

---

According to Sherman comments, the owners have just taken out an insurance policy on him, so that could actually be the best news of the day if it means he races through 4. Hell, if he makes it through a tough 3 and 4 year old campaign intact, on top of a steady 2 year old campaign, his durability alone would be good enough reason to take mares to him.

Here is the other reason I think they want to race as a 4 year old. While everyone says that Lucky Pulpit has 5 crops to race, they are including this year's two year olds which have just begun to race, (and win as I saw at Santa Anita recently). And this year's 2 year old crop is over half of all foals he has sired, and really the first crop that has made it to the track that were out of more decent mares than not. Considering the type of mare he was likely getting early on and in such few numbers, the fact that he has has TWO Kentucky Derby starters seems remarkable to me. Also looking at his top performers, they appear to be pretty durable and last at their class level through several years.

In addition, being his dam's first foal, no one knows exactly what kind of producer Love The Chase is yet. Another year on the track for CC will get her next foal to the starting gate hopefully. If she ends up a winner as well and Lucky Pulpit starts throwing more stakes performers with the increase in mare quality and quantity, you go from a suspect breeding to a family that appears on the up and up. That will immediately increase CC's stallion value.

Another thing I would love to see is the connections try CC on the turf. He has good turf pedigree top and bottom and winning a turf stakes as well as his dirt form will make him a more intriguing stud prospect. Losing a turf start wouldn't really take away anything.

Finally, I think they love the racing part of it. He is their only racehorse at this time.

We will see where he ends up. California is likely the favorite, but I could also see him doing very well in a place like Maryland if Kentucky already has too many Pulpit sires, which they do. If he wins on the turf, that will open up the world to him and he could shuttle between Cali and Australia/S. America.

With the reduced foal crops these days, I would actually prefer him priced at $15K to start with so that they can pick and chose the mares that will apply. At least his conformation will go well with 80% of the TB mares in America.

Its official: Social Inclusion to Woody Stephens