Pedigree Query

I thought I read somewhere recently that Eddington was going to be retired to stud. Does anyone know what his stud fee will be or where he'll be standing?

Thanks,
Laurie

ZiaLand wrote:I thought I read somewhere recently that Eddington was going to be retired to stud. Does anyone know what his stud fee will be or where he'll be standing?

Claiborne bought a breeding interest in him and will be standing him starting next year. They won't announce a stud fee until the horse is retired (which should be after the Breeders' Cup). Right now, it would probably be somewhere around $7,500-$10,000. There are better Unbridleds at stud at the moment so he'll need to find his niche at the lower levels.

It's interesting that Claiborne made the play for him ... I was under the impression they'd be getting Saarland.

edit

Yeah .. I've been paying attention. Saarland is at Hill N Dale for $10k

Guess I'm surprised Claiborne didn't get him. He was Cynthia Phipps' boy, right?

Thanks, Sam. I had a feeling he might start out at a lower fee.

Laurie

hi ZiaLand

Eddington is one grand-looking dude...he's a lotta horse.

Respectfully

Hi All,

The comparisons to Saarland are many. They were similar types on the track (big, big strides and often a little late). Both are sons of Unbridled.

Saarland has a deeper pedigree - especially on the dirt. He's owned by Jeff Johnson (of the vineyards) and thus why he's at Hill N' Dale.

Eddington is a better horse on the turf and seems to like more distance than Saarland. Other than Saarland's Remsen win (G2) as a 2yo, Eddington was more consistently in the classic races and has earned more money. Saarland's best races after his 2yo season were at a mile.

If you're looking to breed to Eddington, I'd consider that his performance and pedigree are more turf oriented. If he stands for $10,000 or less, book early, like Saarland, he may have an increase in fee before the season's over.

Regards,

Pete

Yo Sam -- noticed the change in your avater. What latest piece of stupidity has you fried?

Mahubah wrote:Yo Sam -- noticed the change in your avater. What latest piece of stupidity has you fried?

Pick one

Mass stupidity of Las Vegas drivers who can't figure out what a damn stop sign is.

General stupidity of our elected officials.

Blatant hypocrisy of Fundy Christians.

oh yeah .. I almost forgot that whole Ballymoss calling me a "c*nt" thing ... that was tremendously amusing.

At the time of the change ... it was the drivers things .. I almost got nailed 4 times in between the post office/taco hell and home because of jackasses running stop signs (sending my lunch all over the floor boards .. I came home and threw the dogs in the car for clean up duty)

Sam wrote:
It's interesting that Claiborne made the play for him ... I was under the impression they'd be getting Saarland.

If you go back in Eddington's female family, you will find that it has crossed well with Private Account (to the tune of a G-1). A great deal of Claiborne's broodmare band has a ton of Private Account in there...so you get a strain that is known to cross well, plus the Unbridled. That *may* be what they are thinking.

He's a good horse, and honest. I strongly suspect that this year's Pimlico Special might be his Gr-1 win. His strong finishes behind Saint Liam and Roses in May don't discredit him, either.

Everyone in KY was surprised that Claiborne had no interest in Saarland given the obvious Phipps' connection. Jess Jackson did buy the majority interest in the horse.

Eddington is the horse that (in my opinion) has never lived up to his billing. He may place in the Pimlico Special but he will not win it............... go Eurosilver!

Saarland was also a "talkin horse" as a 3 year old, but he was already a grade 2 stakes winner. Saarland also proved himself as a 4 year old when he ran a winning race in the Met Mile, closing to finish a neck shy of champion Aldebaran.

On the other hand, Eddington did not get a graded win until 2005, his 4 year old year. That coupled with pedigree pushes me to favor Saarland.

As always, time will tell.....

Hi Roving Boy,

My interest in Saarland and Eddington is their projected value to me. I make no comment on who I believe will be the better sire.

I felt that Saarland brought a lot to the table and I posted several times that he was my best projected value in a freshmen sire in his price range (I listed his commercial value (to me) as $16,000). I booked several clients to him and was pleased when the demand for his services was such that his fee was raised to $20,000. Absolutely no guarantee that he will be a good sire, but his evident popularity will hopefully mean high prices for my clients when they sell his foals.

Likewise, Eddington has the ability to be a 'good deal' for breeders in his first year as Saarland has been. I feel in that they both may have less value to breeders in following years.

The real value of a stallion is NOT the price that the farm places on their services, rather it is the value at a particular point in time that the stallion has to the breeder. I bred to Artax in his first year and never considered him again and was well rewarded.

I expect that both Saarland and Eddington will get winners, probably stakes winners and one or both may develop into a good sire. For now, when I speak of them in the breeding shed, I refer to their value to me.

Regards,

Pete

Good points Pete, for the commercial breeder the first year "pop" of Eddington will be significant.

Both horse are somewhat unique in the marketplace because they are sons of Unbridled - not many of those out there. Both horses will have very good chances to make it because of numbers and mare quality. Saarland probably will have the edge in terms of mare quality as
Jackson bred some 50+ of his own mares to Saarland - most of them purchased for $100,000+. This is a tremendous first book for a $10,000 stallion and is one reason why I favor Saarland to be the better stallion in the long run.

Hi Roving Boy,

In early September, Medaglia D'Oro and Candy Ride were booking far better than Saarland for Hill N' Dale but when the November Mixed Sale buyers got a look at him he filled fast. By January he was over subscribed.

He's a grand horse with a blue blood pedigree even in the bluegrass. Add this to his sireline and a record that was good enough and you have an excellent recipe.

Regards,

Pete

Eddington did win the Pimlico Special on the dirt (mud). So he is now a G1 winner on the dirt. If you like sons of Unbridled, I would think that you would have to like him.

Hi Liberty,

The Unbridled sire line is highly commercial and you can get exceptional foals from sons in the line without breaking the bank.

If Eddington were a Storm Cat son he'd stand for more, but Unbridled line sires are rewarding their breeders with solid returns. I'd expect that Eddington will stand for at least $15,000 or more (now).

Regards,

Pete