Pedigree Query

Looking for opinions on breeding Bundle of Gold. Please offer advice for either breeding to race or breeding to sell.
Thanks in advance.

I like Sky Classic for this mare.

If you're looking for breeding to race, I think Sky Classic is likely the best choice on paper. I think your mare goes very well with Nodouble (No Class). He is a proven horse with better credentials than many other horses that people are paying two or three times his stud fee. I also find very interesting Alphabet Soup for your mare. Although not a good commercial option, he matches very well with your mare and is delivering good results consistently. Keep it simple, look for physical compatibility and go ahead with a proven sire.

Arch has done pretty damn well with Seeking the Gold mares. The cross is solid and if the physicals match, you'll get a foal that will be a good sales candidate and breed to race candidate. Problem is, Arch is booked up for the year.

Might want to get to him early for next season in the fall.

tmgh

Not knowing the limits on your stud fees, I would offer the suggestion of breeding this mare to Bernstein at 20K. This mating would give inbreeding of 4X4 to Northern Dancer, 4X5 to Raise A Native, 5X5 to Busanda giving an RF to her with Finance and Buckpasser, and 5X5 to Hasty Road.

DDT

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I have decided to go with Doneraile Court as the cross is already proven with a stakes placed foal. For the money, he is the best bargain in the business, especially with the last couple of weeks his offspring has had. It's more than likely this will be a breed to race foal, which is great for me since we have a wonderful regional program in Indiana. She's a gorgeous mare and I'm super excited.

If you have not committed I think you should consider Slew City Slew instead who is also by Seattle Slew and has the same stud fee of $6,000. He is the sire of the great Lava Man and has 76% winners to runners Doneraile Court only 65%. Slew City Slew has higher average earnings of $65,643 vs. DC's $37,725.,and Slew City Slew's offspring are sounder with an average of 21 starts compared to 13 for Doneraile Court. They both have 5% stakes winners to foals.

Slew City Slew is a great option at a very reasonable fee.

jm

Seems like Slew City Slew is on almost everyones shortlist, although most seem to go elsewhere in the end from what I see, sometimes saying that they want to send a mare next year, etc. Same with Rahy and others. This surprises me--even before the whole Storm Cat thing--because it seems like, as a breeder, one would have to consider every season to be the last season for stallions in their mid-twenties. Also, I imagine that these stallions are pretty booked; is it even possible to get a mare to Slew City Slew? Not criticizing or anything at all like that--just my impressions and trying to learn why they might be wrong!

I have a two month old Slew City Slew filly so it can't be too tough to get to him, or at least wasn't last year. I did have to pay full fee but they agreed to changing to stands and nurses from live foal due Sept 1. I didn't want to risk having to send her all the way to KY again to get a rebreed if she lost the foal.