After hearing from Chris McGrath in his 2024 Value Sires Part I, we thought we'd ask several breeders who they thought offered particularly good value this year. Here's what they said:
Jody Huckabay
The horses I have chosen are expensive, but I think they are good value.
GOLD: Elite Power (Curlin–Broadway's Alibi, by Vindication), Juddmonte Farms, $50,000. The first horse I like for his body of work, race record, and pedigree is Elite Power. To me, he's on top of the list, with everything being considered. I look at it as a pie, and how many pieces of that pie can I get. He's brings the most pieces. I love his speed. I love his longevity, his consistency. His pedigree is deep–a very deep family top and bottom–and the conformation was there as well.
SILVER: Gunite (Gun Runner–Simple Surprise, by Cowboy Cal), Ashford Stud, $40,000. Gunite would be number two for me, and it goes back to a lot of the same type of reasoning. He was a Grade I winner as a 2-year-old, a very attractive horse to me, the way he ties together, the way he moves, and his longevity. That's a big deal for me, and yes at $40,000 it's steep, but when you start looking at all the pieces he brings to the table, a lot of the things he moves for me.
BRONZE: Forte (Violence–Queen Caroline, by Blame), Spendthrift Farm, $50,000. I thought he was a really, really nice-looking horse, physically. A year from now, he's going to be a very imposing horse. He's still a little immature now but he will fill into an absolutely gorgeous horse. He was the 2-year-old champion. We raced Loggins, and the defeat we had at Keeneland to Forte was gut-wrenching. It was just unfortunate, because Loggins had some bad luck in spots, wasn't able to show his true colors, but he was a genuine racehorse. We're breeding several mares to him. He was as nice a yearling as we ever had. We have high hopes for him.
Tommy Wente
GOLD: Pappacap (Gun Runner–Pappascat, by Scat Daddy), Walmac Farm, $12,500. I think everybody is too high this year, and everybody is trying to get to the good horses and it's tough, but if anybody is good value, it's Pappacap at $12,500. He's a hard-knocking horse. He's very correct, a good size, and I think they could have stood him for a little more money, but they kept him at $12,500. For me, he's the best value there is among first-crop sires. He's a Gun Runner, who's very hot, and this horse could run. I booked three mares to him.
SILVER: Proxy (Tapit–Panty Raid, by Include), Darley, $25,000. He's by Tapit, he's well-bred, and he's at Darley, where they're not going to overbreed this horse. I like that. He might be $5,000 to $10,000 more than I wanted to spend, so at $25,000 he's a little high, but for his pedigree, and where he is standing, he's got a good shot at $25,000.
BRONZE: Two Phil's (Hard Spun–Mia Torri, by General Quarters), WinStar Farm, $12,500. I think Two Phil's is good value. He's a decent horse with good balance. He has a good front end, he's correct with a great body, has a great race record, and he's by Hard Spun. At $12,500, you've got a shot to make some money.
Honorable Mention: Taiba (Gun Runner–Needmore Flattery, by Flatter), Spendthrift Farm, $35,000. I thought he was a good value, and I'm glad I got one, but he booked up so fast I couldn't get more mares to him. He had 300 applications on the first day they announced he was going to go to stud. I think that makes him good value. He probably could have stood for $50,000 or $60,000 and still filled up. I don't know how many mares they took, but as soon as the word got out, it was crazy.
Sally Lockhart
GOLD: Elite Power! I bought four seasons for clients before the Breeders' Cup and am so excited. What a phenomenal racehorse and outstanding individual.
SILVER: Up to the Mark (Not This Time–Belle's Finale, by Ghostzapper), Lane's End Farm, $25,000. At $25,000 what's there not to like? Serious race record, son of Not This Time How can you go wrong?
BRONZE: Loggins (Ghostzapper–Beyond Blame, by Blame), Hill 'n' Dale Farm, $7,500. Great price for a great physical. I loved him when I saw him. Such a shame we didn't see his true potential on the track.
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