richiebee Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Smarty Chuckles:
>
> 1) Silver Charm I think combined our last couple
> of posts; it made it more convenient for SC to
> attack both of us, which is OK.

Silver is just a little surly with Special Interest (Maiden) being the Old Man's only prospect. He'll be fine if the old guy can get a horse in the Breeders Cup.


> 2) Its kind of unfair and unrealistic to compare
> the Phipps operation to some of the others which
> are being considered. How much money has the
> Phipps operation spent at auction over the last
> few years? Do you think when they breed to a
> stallion that they don't own even a fractional
> interest in that they are reaching into their
> pockets? Do you think you will ever see a Phipps
> 2YO breeze an eighth of a mile in less than 10
> seconds?

Point noted. They probably don't pay full stud rate and they obviously don't push a young horse like that. But that is my point, they need to go outside their "ususal suspects" for blood. They have good mares, but they are boxed in most times with their stallion selections from their association with Claiborne. Kingambo and Dynaformer were interesting selections, but theres some very good and very reasonable Stallions out there and its that route that will get them in the Derby like they were in 1988 and 1989. But, you have to know which ones will do the trick and thats magic.

> I'm sure the Phipps' are competitive folks, and
> would rather win than lose; I can not however
> think of a family which is more financially suited
> to losing than the Phipps'. Breeding and racing is
> a hobby to them. The horses and Shug and Buzz
> Tenney are like extended family.
>
> In Jimmy Breslin's biography of Damon Runyon,
> he discusses August Belmont and August Belmont II,
> owner/ breeder of Man of War:
>
> "... father and son had spent glorious hours
> planning breeding
> lines. Their eyes misty with power, they
> drew graphs with lines
> zigging out of the pack, those great
> outcropping lines that
> would have stable managers bringing mares
> to stallion barns for
> the perfect mating. 'We are not in this
> sport for winning races'
> Belmont had said 'We are in it for the
> improvement of the breed to
> the point where it cannot be improved
> anymore, thereby giving us
> the master thoroughbred racehorse'"
>
> "For his own tastes, old Belmont usually
> could be found off some-
> where making a maid giggle. His son adored
> women from diners in
> Commerce, Oklahoma who wanted to be
> actresses"
>
> Of course the Phipps could have had more impact
> if they bred to the commercial stallions you want
> them to breed to; its slightly more questionable
> if they would have done better taking Chuckles'
> pedigree advice rather than the Hancock's.

Hancock? Claiborne is a shadow of what it was even 10 years ago and thats the problem. What moves has Hancock made that shine? Unbridled wasn't a bad one. 49er to Japan? Other than that Hancock had the Phipps horses and they've dried up. Woody Stevens did more for Claiborne than Hancock ever did.

> Phipps family has a history of winning races and
> producing breeding bedrock going back to at least
> the 1930s.
>
> To be fair, Dinny and Shug don't need me to
> defend their record and probably will not be
> taking you up on your offer to manage their
> bloodstock.

Probably not, opportunity lost is the greatest regret.