The Factor

karenkarenn · Postby **karenkarenn** » Sat Sep 22, 2012 9:40 am

So he is going to Lanes End in Ky. in a few days after the nuclear scan and he's standing for $15,000 in 2013 according to his owner.
How did they get $15,000 ?

K

Barcaldine · Postby **Barcaldine** » Sat Sep 22, 2012 10:30 am

Actually, $15,000 seems reasonable to me considering he's a multiple Grade One winner sired by one of the most successful young stallions in America. The female side is a little light, but I think The Factor's conformation more than compensates for that defect.

It's somewhat surprising that Baffert didn't send him to Hill 'n Dale like so many other horses he trained. I told him last spring that many breeders, including me, don't like upper management there. Maybe he listened.

I will be taking a very close look at The Factor when he arrives at Lane's End and will report back here what I see.

karenkarenn · Postby **karenkarenn** » Sat Sep 22, 2012 10:31 am

Thanks !
Don't forget pictures! And he is arriving on Wed.
K

Barcaldine · Postby **Barcaldine** » Sat Sep 22, 2012 10:37 am

You're asking me to push to the very limits of my capabilities. Im at best a poor photographer and an even worse photo-poster. I still count with an abacus.

Barcaldine · Postby **Barcaldine** » Sat Sep 22, 2012 10:39 am

You're asking me to push to the very limits of my capabilities. Im at best a poor photographer and an even worse photo-poster. I still count with an abacus.

karenkarenn · Postby **karenkarenn** » Sat Sep 22, 2012 10:39 am

sorry... Ha

karenkarenn · Postby **karenkarenn** » Sat Sep 22, 2012 11:01 am

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/ ... -lanes-end

madelyn · Postby **madelyn** » Sat Sep 22, 2012 12:08 pm

Barcaldine wrote:... I still count with an abacus.

If you get the photos you can email them to me and I can post them. I wish I got over to Lexington more often!

Jeff · Postby **Jeff** » Sat Sep 22, 2012 12:59 pm

Note that he was in the Barretts 2 year old in training sale and thrived Congratulations to his lovely dam.
http://www.pedigreequery.com/greyciousness

Exquisitely bred daughter of Miswalki out of the nice Icecapade mare Skatingonthingice.

Including multiple G-1 The Factor; dam of 9 foals, 8 to race, 6 winners with an up and coming 2 year old.

I certainly envy the mares accomplishments at stud, wish I owned her, she's a very elite broodmare.

Jeff

Jorge · Postby **Jorge** » Sat Sep 22, 2012 8:21 pm

I think that his unheralded female bottom line is quite
sturdy, solid-hearted and will succeed. Curiously, he is
the first modern US top-notch grey sire who is inheriting
his color solely via Native Dancer. Incredibly, you don't see
that these days. Alas they didn't pursued the 1-million earnings mark. Given his precocity and scintillating speed, his stud fee looks quite reasonable, even more attractive than that of his sire.

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/ ... -lanes-end

http://www.pedigreequery.com/the+factor2

dublino · Postby **dublino** » Sun Sep 23, 2012 3:37 am

There is nothing to say he will be a good sire only glimpse of a stallion in his pedigree is Chief Seattle, not a recommendation.

He has what a 12.5% chance (1 in 8 ) to succed and be in Kentucky after 5 years.

If you had a decent mare why would you take the chance?

At $15k there are proven sires in that range.

Barcaldine · Postby **Barcaldine** » Sun Sep 23, 2012 7:27 am

Hi Dublino,

I agree with you about the weak female family. Chief Seattle proved an underachiever at stud and there isnt much below him in the pedigree to suggest that this family is a source of sire power. In addition, his dam was only a claimer for Mel Stute who hasnt produced anything close to a class horse. For example, her 2001 colt by Seattle Slew sold at auction for just $15,000 before he raced and proved a weak racehorse. So The Factor's pedigree power is primarily from his sire who is becoming a dynamic force.

I checked my notes from the 2009 Fasig-Tipton July sale catalog where The Factor first sold. He was an average size, well balanced and very athletic type with "B" forelegs and a slight toe out. I especially liked his very active walk. Surprisingly he sold for only $40,000 which was probably due as much to his relative small size compared to some of the giants usually seen at that sale. He was from the first crop of WAR FRONT whose yearlings overall sold very well that year.

Unlike another extremely fast Baffert sprinter, ZENSATIONAL, The Factor is not an imposing horse. However, with a larger mare he is probably capable of siring a bigger type.

For breeders like me, who cant afford the big proven names, The Factor is a very attractive stallion prospect. His first crop or two will probably attract a lot of sales attention, and in spite of his female family, he stands a better chance of being successful at stud than Zensational, a son of the problematic UNBRIDLEDS SONG.

dublino · Postby **dublino** » Sun Sep 23, 2012 8:33 am

Barcaldine wrote:, a son of the problematic UNBRIDLEDS SONG.

I don't think Unbridled Song is the problem, the problem is the mares being bred to him.

He is a big horse who needs mares with good legs, not Storm Cat mares with spindley legs who can't support the giant body the get from Unbridled Song.

$15k gets you
Langfuhr
Forestry
Succesful Appeal
Quiet American
Include
Macho Uno
Proud Citizen

I don't buy the old line a small breeder like me can't afford the proven sires.

You just want to gamble and hope you land a big pot, tell the truth! :wink:

Jorge · Postby **Jorge** » Sun Sep 23, 2012 8:36 am

I agree with Barcaldine in mentioning
that The Factor’s female side is still,
let’s say unproven, but at least his broodmare
sire department roster has proven capable of
producing great runners and help correct the bias,
especially, Miswaki and Icecapade. I cannot assure
that these two will represent instant success, but wow,
I would prefer to have these two names in a pedigree than
not. The great question mark seems to be: Is he another
Lure, another Holy Bull, or another Danzig (by the way, his
grandsire). Seems like a dead heat between success and failure,
but given The Factor’s sustained unique speed and gifted precocity,
seems like his genetic haversack may be carrying something else from
Icecapade aside from his color. For these reasons, I would say, there is
a good chance. Nothing helps more to auspice the career of an aspiring
sire than to unfurl his own racing record.

Miswaki
Icecapade
Bold Forbes (all heart)
Rasper (track record setter)
Rosemont (Santa Anita H)
Colin (undefeated)

(p.s. Hey Dublino, what an interesting good point you brough there!)

Barcaldine · Postby **Barcaldine** » Sun Sep 23, 2012 9:04 am

Dublino,

Cant agree with you about Unbridleds Song. Other than Songandaprayer (who is just OK) and Even the Score (hit and miss), his sons have greatly disappointed at stud. I bred a very sound mare to Songandaprayer this year, and am pondering breeding a granddaughter of TOUSSAUD to FIRST DEFENCE in 2013, knowing that the chances are very good that the foal's racing career wont be a long one His sons all tend to be on the BIG side and sire foals which are likewise. Thats why so many breeders flock to them--they're interested in breeding large sales yearlings.

And you're right---I am a gambler at heart (although I havent placed a bet at the track for many years!). I really enjoy breeding to the new kid on the block in the hope that he will fire. Like any investment, high risk = high return, low risk = low return. I bred to Successful Appeal this year, but only because the mare was a 1/2 sister to a Graded SW sired by him---and I foal-shared. He's just the type of horse I would have bred to early on when he stood for only $4,000.