Legends swing into gavel action
 

Zito-Lukas-Baffert group that front the Legends Racing Group formed earlier this year swung into action mid-session today knocking down three $1,000,000 yearlings...

$1MM each for El Prado colt out of the Clever Trick mare Swift and Classy, bred by Liberation Farm, and a Mr. Greeley colt out of the Storm Cat mare Tempest Dancer. Then $1.2 million for a half to Point Given, a Storm Cat colt out of Turko's Turn. I think Baffert will push to train that one... :D

In the opening session they bought 5 horses for $2,000,000.

I have been to both days of the sale for the majority of each day...haven't seen Baffert and Lukas talk to each other or been by each other once. Never saw Zito at the sale...I wounder how they are deciding on picking the horses with each other...maybe they are each picking one

I think Gentry-Gaines are making the bloodstock calls...

Correct, and with the G-G advisory team.

Eric

Well they need to realize that most of the horses they bought, at least on day one, were bred for turf. They have mangained to hire the 3 worst turf trainers of the modern era. They might want to expand the legend posse to 4 and hire Mott or Motion.

I predict that exactly one of thse colt will turn out to be a real good horse because that will fit with the Freddy mo 90/10 theory.

Actually most of them grind them up trying to be a TC horse. Turf horses generally involve patience and these guys usually have big crops coming in and simply dont have the patience to wait on turf horses. Nick hates poly but he doesnt exactly adore turf either. I cant remember the last good turf horse Lukas had (Steinlen?) and Baffert has had some luck i believe with a few turf fillies?

Its amazing that Lukas still gets good horses.

Id like to meet the sharpies that are investing mega-bucks with this venture.
I have some ocean front property here in middle TN for sell.

Look at the stock they get to work with, all blue-bloods. They basically get to go to any sale they want with an open checkbook. Between the 3, there are more butcher jobs and underacheiving horses rather than good horses being trained into something noteworthy. JMHO

They CAN train turf horses if they wanted to. I just dont think they want to because #1 turf isnt nearly as lucrative and #2 the press coverage is far greater on the TC trail than the rest of the year combined. That is not a knock because those guys have made way more money than the average trainer because they used that publicity to good use along with being good trainers.

It still seems hard for them to make any money with this unless they get really lucky and come up with a real star colt.

Baffert had that Mr. Sekatichi horse I think. I can't think of many if any from zito, he doesn't seem to spend these crazy amounts....

and after reading this again, you meant them having talent....

I would think if they butchered one you would have never heard of them because they were butchered, no?

The difference is that "the legends" usually pick their horses out for their clients at the sales. Which accounts for the under-achieving. Its the same as when these NFL coaches want to do all the drafting. It never works out.

As for The Green Donkey, he was the result of a pissing match of 2 ego-maniacs that actually look at the times in 2yo in training sales while they are being ridden like they are in the all-american fut. at Riodoso.

It really depends on how you look at it. There is so much that goes into these sales and how trainers get horses.

I will say it this way, if Baffert bought the horse, on his recommendation, and did all the prep work to get him to the races, then yes, it is his fault.

But if someone bought the horse and then sent him to Baffert race ready, then it isn't his fault.

If that makes any sense.