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SIRES AND DAMS-* NfLS0N dunstan LEXINGTON, Ky., June 26. — Curiosity has prompted us to glance through the yearling catalogue of 1933 and although the book for 1953 is not yet available it is surprising to us how many changes have taken place in the salesrings in 20 years. In those earlier days there was only one sales center and that was Saratoga Springs. It took some three weeks to sell all of the yearlings that were offered by the breeders in Kentucky, Virginia, Maryland and other states. The industry had passed through an economic depression.that had all but paralyzed the nation. We can recall occasions where from eight to 12 yearlings would pass through the ring without so much-as a solitary bid being made for one of them. That was the year when Roman Soldier was one of a long string of yearlings who had been rejected by the slim crowd at the ringside. This horse was sold to Col. Phil Chinn for 00 after the sale that evening and then went on to win over 0,000. It was an amazing year and there were some breeders who were forced to take six or seven out of every 10 babes he shipped to upstate New York back to his farm in Kentucky. The yearling market is a very sensitive one in that is reacts to the financial condition prevailing in each season or period and in those years few breeders were able to close their books in black ink insofar as the thoroughbred sales Were concerned. AAA The Second Warld War was another period of setback to thoroughbred breeders. Well do we recall the government ordering a cessation of horse racing and the decision of the Kentucky breeders to form their own sales company and stage the vendues right here in Lexington. From the original group of 20 breeders, the company has now grown to the extent where it now numbers over Yearling Sales Have Changed With Years Saratoga Vendues Spread to Many Points Shorter Sessions Time Saver for All Reserve Bids, Other Practices Have Passed 350 consignors who regularly offer their stock in the modern pavilion at the Keeneland race course. While they still conduct both summer and fall sales, the whole setup has been changed from the three solid weeks of night sales at Saratoga. This year, the Breeders Sales Company plan three afternoon and one night sale at the Lexington race course, while the Fasig-Tipton Company has decided to make a decided change this year in that they will only hold five nightly sessions at Saratoga, followed by a Saturday morning sale of horses-in-training. They have planned to stage a fall sale at Meadow-brook for the remainder of the yearlings not sold at Saratoga and it would not be surprising if there were as many sold on Long Island as there "were at Keeneland and Saratoga. These changes, with fewer sales at all of the selling points, it is just one indication of the many changes that have taken place since 1933. AAA Whether the Meadowbrook experiment in the fall will be successful is a question in our minds although the Fasig-Tipton officials feel very confident it will be. They point outUhat a buyer in October will have far less expense on a yearling than those which are purchased in July or August. Breeding has lost many of its foremost consignors to the sales during the past generation. Read back over the past 20 years and you will be surprised how many have passed from their lush paddocks to the land beyond. Then again, you will* be surprised as to the number who have been forced from the business due to the present tax structure, which in many ways has prevented a breeder of thoroughbreds being able to attain wealth as some did in the old days. With all this the breeding industry has grown due to the fact that where we formerly had one breeder we now have three or four operating the same acres. The case of the late Col. E. R. Bradley is just one instance for today the Idle Hour Farm of Allen T. Simmons, the Darby Dan Farm of John W. Galbreath, Danada Farm of Dan and Ada Rice, the King Ranch of R. J. Kleberg, Jr., Circle M Farm of Mrs. E. Moore, and the White Oaks Farm of Miss Mildred Wool-vine, are all part of the property that was once operated as the Idle Hour Farm of the grand old Colonel, who sent so many winners to the Kentucky Derby. Elmendorf Farm is just another of those that has been cut up from its original acreage to be shared by three or four breeders who operate on a smaller scale. AAA Yearling sales have changed in many other ways during the past 20 years. In those days the breeders would protect themselves by having a friend bid in the horse in the ring. That led to the practice of "reserve bids," which was simply the breeders way of1 saying that he placed a valuation on his horse and if the buyer did not wish to meet the figure he named it was no sale. There was absolutely nothing wrong with the practice, but the fact remained that the man at the ringside would shy away from making the opening offer. There was one occasion where -we saw a group of 11 horses sent into the ring with reserve bids placed on them and the result was that every one of them went back to the farm of the one who bred them. Reserve bids have been used in England as long as we can remember and they probably still are to this day, but they have never been successful in this Continued on Page Forty-Three I SIRES AND DAMS By NELSON DUNSTAN Continued from Page Fifty-Two country. It is often said that the racing public has become smarter than they ever were before and we believe that is the truth but there is no doubt that the buyers of yearlings have become much smarter and use their own judgment much more than was the case in the days of Roman Soldier and others. There is one thing that was very noticeable this year and that is the number of "private" purchases that have been made before the yearling was catalogued for sale. Once a colt or filly is catalogued we believe the breeder is duty bound to refuse all offers until the youngster is sent into the ring and "may the best bid win." But there is no law which says a man who visits a farm and is impressed with a yearling cannot make a legitimate purchase before cataloguing, providing the breeders is willing to accept the price the buyer offers. AAA If we could write a book we could tell of. the. dozen and one. other changes that have taken place in yearling sales during the past generation. In this column, however, we have only limited space in which to express our thoughts. That old expression, "the improvement of the breed," has been kicked from pillar to post and yet it is our honest opinion that the breed has been improved. Picture the hundreds of thousands of dollars that have been spent by breeders for stallions that made good in racing I or breeding on the other side and have been j brought to this country. There has never | been anything like it in the annals of breeding throughout the world and all our j breeders wanted to do was to secure a horse who would be accepetable to the buy- ] ing population of this country. Then again ! regardless of the greatest array of stallions ever brought together in one country, the Breeders Sales Company of Kentucky say, "We will screen your yearlings and we will admit into the summer sales only these which our pedigree committee and our conformation committee pass on to be passed on in turn to the buyer." This writer, who has covered the sales for the past 20 years, says that the conditions of the ! present day are far better than they were in all respects just 20 years ago. I
