Spanish Steps

TBLADY · Postby **TBLADY** » Fri Aug 26, 2005 9:37 am

Anyone seen him in person and what can you tell me about the farm where he stands?

ZiaLand · Postby **ZiaLand** » Sat Aug 27, 2005 11:56 am

TBLADY, I saw the recent full page ad in the August 20 Blood-Horse. Somebody is putting some bucks into his promotion, and it definitely caught my attention. Full brother to Unbridled's Song and half-bro to Mancini, a freshman SW sire with only 9 foals to race.

I would also be interested in knowing if anyone has seen this guy and what your impressions are. His pic looks good, although he appears to be upright in the front pasterns which raises some soundness issues for me. It also bothers me when they stand a stallion on grass for his promo shots and not on something flat where the hooves can be seen. Always wonder if they're hiding something or if they just thought the grass would make a prettier picture.

Spanish Steps is a gamble, but at $5,000 (due when foal s&n)....looks like a pretty good gamble if you have interest in a stallion from this particular line. Comments?

Laurie

skeenan · Postby **skeenan** » Sat Aug 27, 2005 12:10 pm

I wrote a post about him a while back, if you both want to search for it... I believe it's the same subject name...

ZiaLand · Postby **ZiaLand** » Sat Aug 27, 2005 2:09 pm

Took me awhile to find it so I'll post the link here for any who are interested. Good discussion on Spanish Steps, pro and con...

http://www.pedigreequery.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4578&highlight=spanish

Laurie

TBLADY · Postby **TBLADY** » Sun Aug 28, 2005 4:16 am

OMG There was an AD? *hurrys off to find the Aug 20 BH*

So now wait a min...you mean to tell me theres also an UNRACED 1/2 brother whos now at stud? AND...Mancini only had 9 foals?

I will admit I did contact the farm and requested information on this horse and was told he bred 101 mares last yr, of which 60% were either Blktp or Producers. There was no budging on the stud fee at all. Our foals would be dropped in either KY or NY...

I do know a friend who has seen this horse in person and say hes a nice looking stallion..but the question needs to be asked...Why was this horse and his 1/2 brother not raced?

llbean · Postby **llbean** » Sun Aug 28, 2005 8:21 pm

TBLADY wrote:=

I do know a friend who has seen this horse in person and say hes a nice looking stallion..but the question needs to be asked...Why was this horse and his 1/2 brother not raced?

Considering Spanish Steps' full brother is Unbridled's Song ("the source of horses too unsound to lope around the track without getting lethal injuries"); I think the answer is all-too clear.

-llbean

monicabee · Postby **monicabee** » Tue Aug 30, 2005 6:06 am

TB Lady - I have seen some of those sons of Unbridled's Song "too unsound to lope around the track" going through the FT horses of racing age sale at Belmont last year. They were big, goodlooking fellows with painfully short, upright pasterns that Ernie Paragallo was dumping (unraced, maybe even untrained). No one bid at $1,000 - not even the hunter jumper people who were there - no matter how many times Terrence Collier intoned "Unbridled's Song."

I wouldn't presume to give you advice, but if there is glory by association with a famous brother the downside has to be accepted too, along with the thought that Spanish Steps looks a little back at the knee....

Postby **Roguelet** » Tue Aug 30, 2005 6:23 am

Actually, his 1/2 brother was raced, but only placed in minimal starts. I don't know if there was an injury involved in his retirement or not.

I may be able to shed some light on the questions surrounding Spanish Steps; just waiting for the approval to post here (I don't post someone else's info. without first getting approval first, so you'll just have to be patient :wink:

)

Postby **Roguelet** » Tue Aug 30, 2005 7:41 am

OK, here's what I know; this came straight from the current owner of Spanish Steps. He purchased Spanish Steps from Michael Tabor after SS sustained a torn rear suspensory while training at Gulfstream Park. When SS was purchased, he had only one descended testicle, and Todd Pletcher commented that he traveled wide in the rear due to the undescended testicle, which he suspected was the cause of the injury. He told the current owner that SS was well above average in talent.

That testicle has since descended and is normal. He bred 101 mares last year and is extremely fertile. A vet who boards broodmares that ship in to FL told them that Spanish Steps had "super semen" because she ultrasounded twins in one mare that were 48 hours different in age.

As I mentioned earlier, his 1/2 brother Mancini was raced but only placed in limited starts, and cause of his retirement is unknown to the owner of Spanish Steps. His new farm (purchased in May) is the former Marablue farm where leading freshman sire Songandaprayer stood his first three seasons.