1 October 2004
I have been taken to task by several of you for not updating more
often. I promise I will try harder in future now I know that somebody
actually reads this stuff!
Keeneland's September Yearling Sale was a huge sale and a huge
success. Sad though I am to see the demise of the July Sale, I have
to accept that it ain't coming back. The formula now works for everybody,
and it can and probably will remain unchanged for some years to
come. My only wish is that Keeneland could delay the start by one
day so that I could attend the Doncaster St. Leger yearling sale
and still have time to properly prepare for Book One at Keeneland.
The St. Leger sale is becoming increasingly important and successful,
and recent events at Goffs (of which more later) will only strengthen
its cause. A later start at Keeneland would mean that I could not
go to Fairyhouse or Goffs - WONDERFUL!
The efficiency with which Keeneland Association physically move,
sell and remove 400 horses per day is superb, and of course the
consignors, vanners, shippers etc deserve their share of the credit
for this massive logistical exercise.
What does not work so well is that with 400 yearlings per day, viewing
time is restricted, and some of the consignors were just not sufficiently
organised to cope. Poor Luke Lillingstone, the most polite guy on
the planet, was castigated one day by Indian Charlie when he dared
to complain about being kept waiting 20 minutes to see a horse at
Eaton Sales. Will somebody please explain to Indian Charlie that
when we occasionally complain about inefficiency in the barns it
is not through lack of manners so much as a desire to get our job
done on time.
I often look at 100 plus horses in a day, sometimes 150 if I get
good service, but if I have to wait two minutes to see a horse that
adds up to a lot of wasted time at the end of the day. And therefore
some horses remain unseen, at the vendors expense.
Taylor Made are a shining example of how it can be done - Lane's
End and Eaton were the worst. No visible management after Book One,
no-one who knew anything about the horses, and presumably a lot
of breeders being charged for a service they were not receiving
i.e. marketing. Alys Emson did a good job for Lane's End in Barn
40 but she was like a shining beacon on a dark day. Give the girl
a raise.
The new polytrack at Keeneland is a bold experiment - I hope for
the horses' sake that the trainers will like it. It was very noticeable
while I was there that everybody was making the long trek to the
main track rather than risking this strange, foreign surface.
Highlight of the sale was the heavyweight bout between Michael Goodbody
and the nice gentleman from Texas who trades as Winstar. Apparently
the referee stopped the fight in the first round to present 'Sonny'
Goodbody receiving any more punishment. Indian Charlie has allegedly
been gagged by Keeneland, so anyone wishing full details of this
contretemps is advised to call Julian 'Screamer' Lewis on 44-1488-648382.
Screamer received the news of Sonny's colourful cauliflower on a
Cote d'Azur beach, but was soon on the phone pretending to be Frank
Warren (U.K.'s answer to Don King) and offering to promote Goodbody's
next fight.
Which reminds me that some years ago at Royal Ascot Robert Clay's
glamorous model sister asked Sonny Goodbody to introduce her to
this man Screamer of whom she had heard so much. Against his better
judgment, Goodbody eventually complied, only to hear Screamer's
opening gambit "Which one of the Three fucking Chimneys do
you own?"
A happier event in Lexington was the presentation to Trudi Smith,
who for thirty years has presided over the restaurant and bar at
the Harley Hotel, subscribed to by her many friends and admirers
in Europe and America.
I have just returned from what will probably be my last visit to
Goffs Yearling Sale. The quality of the yearlings was basically
dire, so the few nice ones made too much and the rest were not worth
consideration. Who needs to spend a week in Kildare next year. Philip
Myerscough must be hugging himself with gratitude to the board of
Goffs for relieving him of the responsibility of captaining a ship
which has a large hole below the waterline. Goffs only hope is for
the UK to join the Euro - which ain't gonna happen!
On to Tattersalls new format which is basically modeled on Keeneland's.
Unfortunately it will not work as well as Keeneland's because Tattersalls
take twice as long to sell a horse. Which means we have to spend
hours hanging around the ring when we should be out looking. Tatts
have catalogued 545 in the first two days of their Part II sale,
but we only have two days (Saturday and Sunday) to assess them before
the sale starts. That is just possible, but what about the 268 that
are catalogued on Wednesday? Will somebody explain to me when we
are supposed to see them? Not to mention the further 83 on Thursday
morning.
I apologise in advance to the breeders and consignors whose lots
I will not be able to see. I think I have a reputation for working
quite hard at every sale but there is a limit to what can be achieved.
And Tattersalls have exceeded that limit by a considerable margin.
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