All the foals are here-7 for LCS- and all the mares-8- are in foal.
We used Gleneagles, Wootton Bassett, Bated Breath (twice), Profitable, Havana Gold, Due Diligence and Showcasing. Hopefully a decent mix and the first three sexed are carrying colts (Wootton , Profitable and Gleneagles.
No social distancing worries for the mares and foals though and they enjoy each others paddock company in the unusually warm and bright spring weather.
It is less fun for the humans as we continue to be amazingly compliant to an ever more “headmisstressy” government. Would you employ any of them-Tory, Labour, SNP and the others to run your business? Not a chance! We all need some proper leadership-fair, honest and transparent- motivated to work for the common good. Not bluster, criticism, negativity and semi-totalitarianism!!!
Enough for the minor rant though.
Sales look like being tough. After the last recession , Tatts Book 1 declined by 12% and Book 2 by 50% ! Book 1 may be at greater risk in this recession as “wealth” (especially of some of the bigger buyers) has been more greatly affected, as opposed to “income”, and even that may be more widely affected across the whole population than last time round. Most of our N19 crop went as foals so we have only a few yearlings to go. Hopefully our one special one- Ribchester filly ex Wake Up Call- can make what she deserves (and doesn’t do herself any damage between now and sales time)!
Maybe Tatts could waive vendor buyback fees to help the breeders somewhat while they face some real difficulty. Look out for culling and resting in 2021 to even out the cycle.
Yet following the US and restricting stallion books seems a tricky way to proceed and if it has been instigated to protect the breed (much referred to), where is the empirical evidence to back up the assertion that the breed is suffering?
Hard to know why racing-and other easily participant distancing sports like golf, fishing, tennis- have not been restarted as the initiating closure reason (protecting the NHS) now seems to have been accomplished (with ICU occupation rates ca 40%)! Yet we still wait. Looks like the “presentational” has the upper hand over the “substantial”.
I recently re-read R J Collyer- Moore’s paper ” High Caste Corinthians” which is a tongue in cheek piece on the thoroughbred breeding classes and is very amusing. Aside from “Horsetrader” it is for me the best read about this business -and it is a short piece for hose with attention span challenge.