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fc"™™*™,d™ REFLECTIONS by nelson dunst an ! BELMONT PARK, Elmont, L. I., N. Y., May 25. — In winning the Preakness Hasty Road increased his earning to 94,332, and that places him high on the list of yearling "bargains" of all time. He was taken from the salesring for 3,100 and any time a yearling earns 10 times his purchase price price he he must must be be considered considered a a good good fc"™™*™,d™ price price he he must must be be considered considered a a good good buy. Dark Star, winner of the 1953 Kentucky Derby, was sold for ,500, and Determine was knocked down for 2,-000. Hasty Road, runner-up in the Kentucky Derby and winner of the Preakness, is a horse who could well become the money-winning champion of the world, and, of course, we realize the pitfalls that he could encounter. Recently, Ben Jones of Calumet, told Oscar Otis he thought Citations million and a little more would eventually be topped. We string along with that great trainer for we well remember the day when there was but a single 00,000 race, and that was in Mexico. Today, there are 22 such races and that number will be increased next year as the Garden State officials have announced such a race for two-year-old fillies. Whether Native Dancer will eventually pass Citation remains to be seen. If he should miss and purses remain what they are today, it might well be that Hasty Road or some up-and-coming two-year-old will do it. AAA It is an old, old argument whether homebreds or yearlings who came .from the salesring are super. Alfred G. Vanderbilts Native Dancer is a homebred. Hasty Road was sold at auction. In reviewing the list of horses who came from Keeneland, Saratoga or elsewhere, we realize that our commercial breeders are sending top horses to the salesring and that they have every opportunity to top the homebreds in earnings. In a recent booklet of the Hasty Road Real Bargain of Salesring Can He Supplant Citation in Earnings? Oil Capitol Biggest Salesring Winner Impressive Babes to Be Sold This Year Breeders Sales Company it was recorded that Oil Capitol was the greatest winner to be taken from the salesring. He cost 5,000 "and went on to win 80,736, making him one of the greatest bargains ever taken from a salesring anywhere. The Hasty House contingent and trainer Harry Trotsek have done a marvelous job in selecting horses to carry their colors. There has been nothing quite like it, what with Hasty Road and Queen Hopeful representing them this year. A A A It is astonishing how many top winners have come from the salesring in this country. The booklet pointed out that the total cost of 60 yearlings sold at Keeneland was 57,500 and they amassed earnings of ,932,795 for their owners. On the list are such horses as Jet Pilot, Laffango, Cosmic Bomb, Greek Ship, Tum-to, White Skies, Miss Kimo, Queen Hopeful and Royal Bay Gem, mentioning but a few. Royal Blood, the only yearling who cost 0,000 or more, won 00,000. It is this writers opinion that we give too much attention to horses who cost over 0,000 and fail to earn their purchase price or even a small part thereof. The late Jim Tranter told this writer that in the old days the best yearlings were usually those who sold between ,000 and 0,000. Times have changed and so have prices. We would say, after checking the record, that the best yearlings sold today are those between 0,000 and 5,000. We were at the ringside in the depression years when you could not sell a yearling for 00. When we consider the earning power of a young -horse today we figure that a good one, like Dark Star or i Hasty Road, is well worth the price buyers pay for them. AAA 1 This writer holds that the yearling salesring is the link that connects the worlds of breeding and racing. It checks back to 1776 in England, and in this country Saratoga was long the magnet for those who sought a top * horse to carry their colors. During World War n., the ] Breeders Sales Company of Kentucky came into existence to vie with Saratoga. There is plenty of room for both organizations. Every year has had its share of , yearling bargains, and this writer, for one, has little patience with those who point out the "lemons" and ignore the bargains who earn 10 or 20 times their purchase price. We were at the ringside when Roman Soldier was sent out with "no bid" ringing in his ears, and we were also there in 1940 when Alsab was knocked down to Mrs. Albert Sabath for a mere 00. Roman Soldier went onto win over 0,000 and Alsab won approximately 50,-000. Long stories could be written about the careers of * those two yearlings and also Man o War and many others t who went on to make their place in the racing world and prove themselves great bargains. J AAA | On our visit to Kentucky recently we were asked what we thought the strength of the market will be, although it was evident breeders believe it will be strong. There is no reason we can see why it should be otherwise. TliSre has never been a greater opportunity Tor a horse to win a million dollars than today. A number of new stallions. ■ who were great race horses, will be offering their coltr J and fillies, and there will be consignments from the other J side by the Aga Khan and others that should have defi- Continued on Page Forty-Seven REFLECTIONS I By NELSON DUNSTAN Continued from Page Fifty-Two nite appeal to the American buying public. Yearling sales have undergone -many changes in recent years, and in the years to I come the offspring of the Nasrullahs, Royal I Chargers, Citations, Noors, Coaltowns and many others will be offered to the public that turns to the salesring for their racing material. These are great years in both racing and breeding. It is our prediction, and we do not believe we will have to eat crow, that the 1954 market for young racing stock will hold its own, if not be better than that of a year ago. And that market was very strong.
