bellsbendboy Wrote:
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> As a clarification CTC the Phipps visit Claiborne
> every ten years or so. Seth makes almost all their
> mating decisions. He is the best horseman around
> as he can identify every horse on the farm
> immediately by sight. Getting First Samurai is a
> major coup. About half of the Phipps mares are
> bred off the farm. They are certainly not
> infatuated with the Derby by any means. bbb

I do know many of the Phipps mares are at Claiborne. I know they lost a coin flip in an alternating foal agreement for Secretariat. I don't know who plans the Phipps pairings, my offer of course was tongue in cheek, not because I wouldn't get them to the Derby, I would, but I understand the egos involved. If it is Seth you'd have to agree he's got a lot of room to improve from the last 2-3 crops to hit the track.

I disagree entirely about First Samurai. I don't like him or his sire, excepting grass and I don't like Samurai to finish in the Top 5 in the Derby or to make much of a stallion off what will essentially be a B miler record. He's weak in all four branches. Now, if Claiborne can get Henny Hughes you might be talking.