Legends swing into gavel action

Kasept · #1 09-09-2008, 02:35 PM

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...

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

Habersham000 · #2 09-09-2008, 02:45 PM

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

Kasept · #3 09-09-2008, 03:20 PM

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

ELA · #4 09-09-2008, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kasept

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

Correct, and with the G-G advisory team.

Eric

VOL JACK · #5 09-09-2008, 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kasept

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

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.

Cannon Shell · #6 09-09-2008, 08:57 PM

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.

VOL JACK · #7 09-09-2008, 09:05 PM

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.

Cannon Shell · #8 09-09-2008, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

I can definitely see your point, but these guys can train anything IMO. it just so happens that most of their clients are trying to win a Derby. Remember up until last year Mott couldn't win with a 2 year old? I know he had a horrendous Saratoga this year, but remember what his babies did last year?

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?

Benny Leger · #9 09-09-2008, 11:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

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?

I'm most likely looking at this bass ackwards, but doesn't it seem like these guys could afford to be patient with young horses because they "do" continually get big crops and can send a lot of runners to the gate.

VOL JACK · #10 09-09-2008, 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

Agreed for the most part. I was just saying that these guys have proven they can train just about anything so to label them as bad anything seems off. And Marlin was pretty good for Lukas although that was at least 10 years ago. And didn't Zito train a filly that won the Flower Bowl about 10 years ago? Name escapes me.

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

Cannon Shell · #11 09-09-2008, 09:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

Agreed for the most part. I was just saying that these guys have proven they can train just about anything so to label them as bad anything seems off. And Marlin was pretty good for Lukas although that was at least 10 years ago. And didn't Zito train a filly that won the Flower Bowl about 10 years ago? Name escapes me.

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.

blackthroatedwind · #12 09-09-2008, 09:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaHoss9698

Agreed for the most part. I was just saying that these guys have proven they can train just about anything so to label them as bad anything seems off. And Marlin was pretty good for Lukas although that was at least 10 years ago. And didn't Zito train a filly that won the Flower Bowl about 10 years ago? Name escapes me.

Chelsey Flower. First time after she was purchased from Tony Margotta.

Indian Charlie · #13 09-10-2008, 04:08 PM

Maybe they should rename the group, Legends with Alzheimers, after they purchased a Closing Argument yearling for 300 or 330k today.

cakes44 · #14 09-11-2008, 07:44 AM

Recent butcher jobs by DWL:

Folklore
Pegasus Wind

Both of these horses went into their 1st races off lengthy layoffs with I believe only 3 workouts, and neither ran after their comebacks.

Linny · #15 09-11-2008, 08:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cakes44

Recent butcher jobs by DWL:

Folklore
Pegasus Wind

Both of these horses went into their 1st races off lengthy layoffs with I believe only 3 workouts, and neither ran after their comebacks.

So he "butchered" them by training them to lightly?

Is Todd a butcher because horses like Ravel, Monba and others have not lived up to pedigree and expectation? What about Mott? Riley Tucker was named for Mott's son, so clearly there was the expectation that he'd be an outstanding colt. McLaughlin? He won the Belmont with Jazil who never won again. Butcher job or just a slowish colt who met the right (even slower) bunch at what is today a freakish distance?

Or are these good horsemen with horses that didn't live up to expectations for various reasons?

Of the 3 "Legends" trainers, IMO, Nick has the best record of maximizing horses with "mid level" valuation, as determined by sale price. Yet even Nick has seen several of his good babies from the last few years failed to train on. That said, several of these are still around and running but for other trainers in more modest races. (Irish Majesty comes to mind.) A few years ago a partnership I'm connected to claimed a horse from Asmussen that he had taken from LaPenta/Zito. He was G1 placed at two and when he looked like he wasn't going to be a graded winner at 3 he was dropped in for a tag. He win 2 allowance races for the partnership and ran until he was 6, when a neck injury of all things, ended his career. It's a testament to Zito's training style that so many of his former "potential" starts are still knocking around at 6 or over and winning races.

cakes44 · #16 09-11-2008, 10:17 AM

He butchered them by racing them in big races off layoffs when they weren't in shape to handle it. Just my opinion, of course. I've never trained a horse.

VOL JACK · #17 09-11-2008, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Indian Charlie

Maybe they should rename the group, Legends with Alzheimers, after they purchased a Closing Argument yearling for 300 or 330k today.

I dont know if they are picking out the purchases, or if it is Gaines-Gentry.

Thats Bafferts new niche, picking out 5k sires offspring and paying mega-bucks. Wouldnt be surprised if some money wasnt being moved 'under the table.'