Broodmare help please!

[Megan]

Hi! I am looking at a few mares to buy, and was just wondering if anyone could please give me some insight to these mares and tell me if they are any good and if they would likely produce anything themselves:

Dance Molly Dance, 01, by Dance Brightly -- Imperious Molly by Capote
Sheisreal, 97, by Conte Di Savoya -- Childs Dream by Stately Don

I am breeding to race myself, if that makes any difference. Also, did their dams produce anything worth speaking about? Thanks for the help!

[henthorn]

I can't speak to the race record of the three year old, but both girls have very nice pedigrees. I especially like Sheisreal in that she has Ride the Trails a few generations back (Cozzene's dam). There is a lot of quality on both mom/pop's sides of both mares. I don't know the produce record of the older girl, but she had had no foals yet noted on the APR as of 2001. Dance Smartly and Too Bald were excellent broodmares. If you are considering them, you might want to find out more about their race records and produce records, and conformation. On paper, these are both very nice.

[Kristie]

Megan, if you contact Albemarle Stud in Virginia, there's a breeder dispersing her broodmares. You might be interested in one or 2 of them. www.albemarlestud.com Good luck.

[Shammy Davis]

Megan: I agree. Both have nice pedigrees. So, you are breeding to race? If you purchase these gals, which stud are you going to breed them with? What's your plan? Sprinters? Milers? The Classics? Timbers? What's the race record for these gals? There are so many questions you should be asking the astute members of this board. The opportunities to buy broodmares in the universe are as numerous as colonies of fire ants in Death Valley. Respectfully, I get the feeling this is a hit or miss type of search. From my point of view, playing the odds on untried and unraced broodmares is like cutting the two front legs off the favorite in the Kentucky Derby and asking him or her to run from the outside post. These two mares have lovely pedigrees and there is some chance with the right breeding they can get you to the track with a nice colt or filly, but its a very long shot without a plan.

Lastly, have you ever gone to the www CANTER sites? Take a gander at the amount of horses in need of rescue. What your back-up plan if their foals can't hack it? Megan, before anyone (Who is being honest with you.) on this board gives you good advice, you've got to give them your plan. Getting babies to the track, just ain't it. Kindest regards, Shammy

P. S. Broodmare dispersals are interesting subjects in and of themselves. Why is this breeder getting out? If it is not death or disolving a partnership, I'd be careful. In VA, if the name of the breeder does not include the par excellence hyphenated Vanderbilt, Mellon, Janney etc. it's just an auction. VA has a very long way to go in the breeding world. I can say that because I live here and I maybe part of the problem. I can tell you though, I have a backup plan for every horse I own. Each one has had a useful life after track and stud. I'm very proud of that.

[Stellaspeed]

Breeder Donna Hayes in Virginia just stepped up to the plate and will repurchase any horse she bred that is at risk of going to a slaughter auction. Her challenge is simple: if as a breeder you do not value the animal enough to save it's life, why are you breeding?