NEWS
Freshman Sire Blog: What is your name? What is your favorite color?
Posted: Friday, April 01, 2011 5:53 PM
John Egan's Freshman Sire Blog appears weekly as part of the 2011 Freshman Sire Contest presented by Markel and Thoroughbred Times
by John Egan
In recent days and weeks I have been speaking to a number of friends and colleagues about the Freshman Sire Contest. A number of them have not yet committed to their entries, deciding to wait a bit longer to see what happens through the month of April.
The tactic may pay off, but I am not convinced that much will happen in April that will ultimately affect the outcome of who will be the leading freshman sires of 2011.
The waiting game is a tactic of the long-time, battle-hardened handicapper. You can never have enough information, and waiting until the very last possible minute is always the best approach. I have heard this argument several times. I have some very good friends who always complained about the lack of data being the reason why they never had a winner on the Polytrack when Keeneland Race Course first installed it. They never did give me a reason why they also lost when betting on the dirt before that.
This leads me to tell a freshman sire-related story from this week.
I hope that by having the European section in the Freshman Sire Contest, and by keeping you informed on how those sires are performing, we will spark interest in racing abroad as well as in the U.S. I therefore try to keep up with the two-year-old races from back home.
In checking the entries this week, I noted that Red Clubs, a freshman sire by Red Ransom, had an entry on March 31 at Leicester. The name of this colt was Jack Who’s He.
Now, I too have been wagering on horses for as long as I can remember and I never like to bet on sentimental value, names, colors, etc. However, on this occasion I placed a bet to win on this colt making his debut.
The only reason for the wager was that I backed myself into a corner when pointing this entry out to my wife and had to commit to having a bet on him to win. Jack is the name of our first pet together, a light ginger tabby cat. He is my wife’s pride and joy. At the bottom of my blog, you will note from my bio that my wife, Melissa, is a small animal veterinarian. As for the Freshman Sire Contest, I would like to see Red Clubs have some success as I know the owner of Tally-Ho Stud in Ireland where this stallion stands.
So, low and behold, what happens? Jack Who’s He wins by four lengths and is the first winner for his freshman sire.
So there you have it. You can wait until 11:58 p.m. EDT on April 29 before completing your freshman sire entries, but sometimes you just have to go with your instincts and who is to say that just picking out by name won’t be just as good a strategy?
Previous Freshman sire blog posts:
Spring at last
It's a marathon, not a sprint
Alright son, you're nicked!
Remembering Rags to Riches
Is 2011 a safe bet for a Darley double?
About John Egan
A native Londoner, John Egan has been a racing enthusiast from a very young age and even owned interests in Thoroughbred racehorses with his parents. After graduating from University with a business degree in 1997, John spent three years working in the London insurance market before pursuing his desire to work in the racing industry. He began work as an assistant to a trainer and was predominately based at Wolverhampton racecourse in England. After a spell in training, John then went to work for Lord and Lady Lloyd Webber's farms of Watership Down in England and Ireland before relocating to Kentucky and Lane's End Farm in 2002. After two years at Lane's End, John decided to combine his experience in the horse and insurance industries and became an equine insurance agent, which he did for three years, before making the transition to underwriter for a large multi-national insurance company. In 2008, he became underwriting manager of the Lexington office of Markel Insurance Company, which was opened in October of that year with the primarily focus of writing Thoroughbred equine mortality insurance.
With the launch of the Lexington office, John has become actively involved in Thoroughbred media to help promote Markel. He appeared on the Horse Racing Radio Network's Saturday morning show in 2009 and 2010 to discuss horses on the Kentucky Derby trail. In 2009, John also began a freshman sire competition and created a newsletter with that competition called The Freshman. That contest caught the eye of THOROUGHBRED TIMES and a partnership was formed to present the Freshman Sire Contest together in 2010. The partnership continues with the 2011 competition also being presented by Markel and THOROUGHBRED TIMES.
John lives in Lexington and is married to Melissa, who is a small animal veterinarian.
Follow the conversation at The Freshman Facebook page. For the page, click here.
READER COMMENTS
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Posted by: John Egan, Lexington, KY on April 01, 2011 at 09:38 PM
Thank you for your comment, Elaine. You are right, sometimes instinct can pay off. Although not in Group 6, I hope you continue to follow Amadeus Wolf. His first winner won very well today.
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Posted by: Elaine , Kenbridge, VA on April 01, 2011 at 06:16 PM
Betting on horses based on names,colors,etc or just a feeling has worked for some people sometimes including me. The first time I went to the track I bet a horse to show in the last race because he was black. He was 3rd and paid $15.40. I rather liked Amadeus Wolf who just had his first winner and was surprised when he was not included in Group 6.
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