Buy a yearling filly Jim
Jokes aside it also makes sense for selecting a damline you would like to patronise - unless you can find a broodmare whose line you would like to breed from
per un PUGNO di DOLLARI
Thanks, I have recently bought a share in a Lincoln Royal filly, fingers crossed.
You will find this thread interesting Jim
http://www.harnessracingforum.com/sh...rst-Crop-Sires
per un PUGNO di DOLLARI
Thanks Kevin the thread was very interesting. There are a number of Australian/NZ (Colonial) sires I like none more than Changeover which could change if the little girl can run like her Dad
Hi Dan.
If they don't start helping the breeder to make a profit, there won't be enough horses bred to keep the industry viable. I really feel the small fields are beginning to show this but I could be wrong .
I think some of the next prize money increases should be aimed at the breeder.
Hi Trish, in what ways would you suggest breeders be helped? I was going to breed 5 mares this season but can't afford to do so at the moment, so I'm leaving 3 empty and waiting until I get a return on the yearlings and the 5 foals I hope we get (2 colts & 1 filly on the ground, 2 to go).
Regards
Mark
"I was going to breed 5 mares this season but can't afford to do so at the moment".
Hi Mark.
You said the biggest problem in one sentence. Affordability. My friend went to the sales for the 1st time this year & he said if you haven't got a Bettors, Mach, Art, Somebeach forget making any money. And he can not afford those sires so he may not make any profit with his yearlings when the time comes to sell them. He observed everyone wanted to look at "Bettors" yearlings & people were not that interested in much else. he said when he took his filly into the ring there were about 15-20 people still there, so that also tells a story. He got a fair price but made nothing after the amount spent on everything from service fee, 30 mths in between to selling.
Ok what can be done to help the breeder because realisticly , no foals=no racing=no owners =no trainers etc etc, the list goes on. I think HRA or states ,should make it a priority to get in touch with every breeder , where possible (or breeders can ring them) & ask how many mares they are breeding, so if like yourself say 2 mares, they ask have you any other mares & you say yes 3, then they should offer to help get those other mares in foal financially . Or have a system in place where
breeders can get a return % from every horse they breed, that races bit like the payout to last place , the breeder gets a percentage as well. This way you can be assured that more people will breed but of cause some will make more money than others depending on who gets the resultant yearlings. Mark I am thinking out loud & of cause need help with any suggestions.
My friend came up with an idea for NSW. That the breeder of any horse that was bred in NSW receive $1000 for every win for the horses life. That way the breeder might be more inclined to let his yearling go for the pitiful amounts on offer unless
you are lucky enough to have enough money to spend on the top sires.
Have you or anyone else any idea how to help the declining breeding industry?
I think stallion owners need to work harder to show the value their stallions offer. There are so so many fantastic horses by unknown or 'average' stallions that people dont realise. Sure Bettors, Art Major and Some beach rank the best and get the most winners, but they also cost the most and serve the most mares. Not necessarily a champion sire but an example is Ohoka Arizona. Sired a great horse in Eyre Crusher.
My involvement in the industry these days is almost entirely as a breeder. It is a tough game with steeply increasing costs, especially service fees, a multitude of things that can go wrong and feeding into a contracting racing industry. I do believe, however, that the authorities have been outstanding in their support of the breeding industry in recent years and there are many incentives already in place to encourage and support breeders.
Just looking at the example of a NSW bred horse, the breeder is eligible for a $3000 bonus for the first 2YO win, another $3000 for the first 3YO win, 5% of any Breeders Challenge prizemoney that the horse wins and 10% of the total prizemoney for any Group 1 win throughout Australia as a 2YO, 3YO or 4YO.
In the case of owner / breeders, they will also get a $3000 bonus for the first 2YO win, another $3000 for the first 3YO win (potentially $12,000 in bonuses if you breed and own a horse that wins one race as a 2YO and one race as a 3YO).
A substantial increase in the import fees on NZ bred horses is another action taken by authorities that helps to prop up the Australian breeding industry.
In my opinion, the viability of the breeding industry is ultimately dependent upon the health of the rest of the sport. I think the biggest challenge for harness racing is to attract more owners. Improve the reward to owners, (not just financially but also in terms of excitement and overall enjoyment, etc.), and benefits will automatically flow through to breeders, trainers, etc.