The Dilemma

Zagreb (middle) on the way to maiden success.

I have a dilemma. Should I continue with my reliable formula of buying tried horses for cheap prices, or refocus on youth to try to make my way up the PF stable list?

Photo Finish is a game dictated by great stables who have built up dynasties over the years they have played. With great racers comes great results in the breeding shed- and many leading stables have asserted their dominance over the years with well bred racehorses.

Seeing that stables winning the major races typically breed their own stock, I have began to try and build up a breeding side of my stable to try and keep up. Untried broodmares like Quarterview have been bought on the promise of their early racing careers. Proven broodmares like Lady Lava have been bought, on the premise of her established foals consistency. Others like Genuine Belle & Little Miss Pump, whilst not setting the world alight were horses I thought had the chance to their better traits to their foals.

While I was building up my breeding stock, my racing stable suffered. It was due to happen after a few years of success with stable buys Trigun & Fireball, but after getting acquainted with reasonable success it is a big ask to let it go lightly. JD Kayll Race Club won only one Group 1 for the season, albeit a decent one- the former Hopeful Farm champ For You To Envy prevailing in the Godolphin Mile. The first homebreds also raced last season and whilst they looked promising- none have looked liked becoming a star.

The mixed results of last season urged me to ask myself a question- should I ramp up my assault on buying tried horses again like I used to, or should I take a risk and try going back to square one and concentrating solely on breeding?

Taking the first option can guarantee short-term success, but without a huge bank and a great amount of luck it can come back to bite you on the ass. With tried racehorses also you cannot enjoy a long term of success like you would with a champion home bred. Quite often a tried horse is past its peak when bought but at least you get a guide to where it is at and what races you can target with the racehorse. This is in contrast to homebreds, even a horse with the greatest breeding in the world can prove a failure.

The latter option is a more risky move. If implemented properly however it can create dividends. Champions can be bought, but it is very expensive. For stables that don't have millions of dollars, breeding is their best chance of owning a champion. If you do by chance breed a champion, you also get the longer lasting benefits of that horses' offspring and so on. Not to mention the value of the sire and dam of the champion's value also rise. Breeding can be an expensive and low-reward exercise, but if you succeed your stable can be set up for life.

Last season I decided to take the matters into my own hands. After buying basically half the Chiquita Lodge stable I have ended up with 5 proven established racehorses: Awesome Assassin, champion sprinter D-Day, evergreen stayer November Rain, Rightwing & Zagreb. Awesome Assassin is a horse I think can string a few wins together in lower class races. D-Day's record speaks for itself and he was bought after a few years of pestering Donny. November Rain was a bit of an impulse buy for me being a person who loves stayers, Rightwing was another who had had good results in staying races in the past and Zagreb. Of the five I have had Rightwing the longest.

Rightwing looked gone after his lacklustre run in the G2 San Bernandino Handicap, but I believed the horse still had something to offer, and promptly dropped him down in class. Rightwing went on to win 3 of his next 4 starts, earning a profit upwards of $120,000. A nice return that mightn't look massive in the scheme of things- but can be something that helps build the coffers up for better successes.

Having a bit of pocket money at the end of last season, I decided to look out for a horse I think could be my next money spinner. Perhaps I went a bit overboard trying to acquire this one horse, but after getting Zagreb for $500,000 I was happy.

The horse was still a maiden, but I was impressed with his runs in some big races. Zagreb ran seventh in the Japan Cup in just his first start, and almost created the upset of the season when a close second in the Cox Plate at 30/1 behind Krazy Shiekh. The horse has immaculate breeding, both its parents being Cox Plate winners. I just believe the horse needed a drop in class- and as a result I entered him in the $50,000 Lord Mayors Mile at Victoria Park.

Starting at 6/1, Zagreb wasn't the favourite but he prevailed in a good finish over Blue Light. Zagreb left behind two Group 1 winners in Fanfulla da Lodi & Arsenic, both G1 winners at 2.

Whilst Zagreb has a long way to go before reclaiming his purchase price, perhaps he could become the next tried horse to win me a Group 1. I'm hoping the horse could be up to the Caulfield Stakes (G1, 2000m) or something similar.

Perhaps Zagreb and a few of his stablemates can keep the ball rolling whilst I continue to experiment with breeding, maybe it could even lead to the champion I've been waiting for.

Now here's a question for any readers, which move do you recommend- Should I continue buying tried racehorses or move my focus onto breeding good racehorses?