Biggest/Best TB values in history

[mary]

Wasn't Lawyer Ron also a 40k claimer at one time (though not claimed)?

[WARHORSE28]

While we’re all waiting for the Belmont to start, I thought we needed another game to play… I said in a previous post that I’ve always liked rooting for an underdog. (I was the idiot rooting for Sham in 1973…) One of my other loves of the sport is finding stories about horses that were bought for a song and then went on to become major stakes winners. (I like to amuse my non-TB fan friends with this kind of stuff.) Anyone can buy a winner if your pockets are as deep as the Maktoums; but you get a special place in history in my book if you’re broke and just plain lucky…

So in no particular order (and forgive me if I get some of this wrong, since I’m going off the top of my head), here are my candidates. Please feel free to correct or add:

John Henry (purchased by Sam Rubin for $25,000.00)
Holy Bull (inherited for free by Jimmy Croll)
Skipaway (purchased for $22,500.00 by Sonny Hine for wife Carolyn)
Stymie (claimed for $1,500.00 by Hirsh Jacobs)
Miesque’s Approval (claimed for $50,000.00 by Marty Wolfson)
Alsab (purchased for $700.00)
Red Rum (purchased by Ginger McCain for a very small sum, only horse to ever win the Grand National three times)

Miesque's Approval was never claimed. He ran for $50,000 while trained by Bill Mott for Live Oak but wasn't claimed. When he was transferred to Marty Wolfson he was still owned by Live Oak.

Sorry, thought I had read that Wolfson claimed him. Was still a hell of a training job on Marty's part.

[bdw0617]

Wasn't Lawyer Ron also a 40k claimer at one time (though not claimed)?

ii'm pretty darn sure it was 25k.it definatly was at turfway park

[majxmom]

Wasn't Lawyer Ron also a 40k claimer at one time (though not claimed)?

ii'm pretty darn sure it was 25k.it definatly was at turfway park

It was a $50,000 race, but he only carried 109 pounds, so who knows, maybe he took the weight and was entered for $40,000. I'd have to see the chart. It was at TP, though, on 9-14-05. And he didn't win! Ran second that day to Smokemout (I bet they are still bragging), and broke his maiden two starts later at KEE. In his ninth start, the light bulb finally came on, and he won six in a row.

[geowarrior]

Carry Back by Saggy ($500 fee) out of Joppy (cheap mare). I never understood why they didn't call him Soggy.

[zinn21]

I guess if we're talking the biggest bargain of all time, it would have to be Seattle Slew. His race and stallion earnings combined are in the multi millions.

Perhaps Princequillo compares in total earnings if you take into account dollar inflation.

[majxmom]

I guess if we're talking the biggest bargain of all time, it would have to be Seattle Slew. His race and stallion earnings combined are in the multi millions.

I agree. They bought him for $17,500, and after syndication retained half of him. They could sell their breeding right for hundreds of thousands a pop every year. I remember when a single share (1/40th) sold for $3 million, making him worth $120million. I'd say that's a good bargain!

And kudos to them for taking care of him. The Taylors always kept control of him, kept him at the best places, moved to Kentucky to be with him in his old age, and were in the stall with him when he died. He changed their lives, and they never forgot it.

[madelyn]

$17,500 was actually a lot of money in the 70's. Seattle Slew was the dam's first foal. Who knew My Charmer would be such an amazing broodmare?

[FOS]

hi spex4me

Spectacular Bid, as a yearling, he was sold for US$37,000 . Or at least I think that is what I was told.

Yep...$37,000.

And (to my way of thinking) was absolutley, positively one of the TOP racehorses of ALL time.

A monster if ever there was one.

Respectfully

[FOS]

hi guys

Bold Forbes at $15,200 (Fasig-July) was a heck of a purchase too.

The winner of both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont (1976) was reportedly syndicated for an estimated $7.8mil.

Respectfully

[Tucumcari]

Definitely Moscow burning has to be in the top few!

[Keith]

Good Buys

Silver Charm $16,500 OBSAUG 1995
Funny Cide $22,000 FTNAUG 2001
Lil E. Tee $25,000 OBS APR 1991
Mecke $40,000 OBS Mar 1994
Lion Tamer $20,000 KEENOV 2000
Sunday Silence $32,000 CALMAR 1988
Silver Ending $1,500 KEESEP 1988
City Zip $9,000 KEEJAN 1999
Jay Trump purchased for $2,000 and won Grand National

Keith

[oliverstoned]

CURLIN $50,000 Now worth 50 mil
BIG BROWN $60,000 Now worth 50 mil
nice returns

[bdw0617]

CURLIN $50,000 Now worth 50 mil
BIG BROWN $60,000 Now worth 50 mil
nice returns

big brown was bought for 190k

[jagger]

I am reasonably sure that BB was first purchased by a pinhooker for 60K.