Rachel in foal to Bernardini

[Merlinsky]

Originally Posted by Danzig

you really think banke would sell one of her foals?

Nah. I'd be shocked if that happened. I think you're looking at Stonestreet racing/keeping RA fillies for the broodmare band and selling her colts' breeding rights when it's time for them to retire. I think Jess knew his health situation would be such that he wouldn't see how all of his plans shake out. That means clearing with Barbara what she's willing to carry on with in his absence. She's not gonna go 'yes dear, whatever you say' then chuck the 2nd foal into the sales ring. Not unless she's trying to scale back in the business. I think she'd still keep the fillies in that event. If he said it was okay to do it, I don't know that he'd have made quite the deal he did about his plans for Rachel, but that's just my opinion. It sounded like he expected her foals to race in his colors, putting his money (and ambition for the breed) where his mouth is.

With the Bernardini selection, I think they've seen how successful he is getting classic type horses, and he's extremely well-bred. If they get a colt that gets some graded earnings, he's a strong stallion prospect, and if it's a filly, she'll be a very nice addition to the broodmare band. I don't see this as a solely commercial decision. It makes sense for a homebred too. Bernardini is also high class breed-to-race.