$50,000 per year just to cover bills?

[dinkadoo]

We were just discussing this topic on a thoroughbred web page.  And the estimate is that about 5% of 2 and 3yo runners break even on bills without factoring the cost of the horse.   Breeders are making out, but only because there are enough people still willing to spend huge amounts of money on them.

[Fuguzzi]

$4 to $5 gas, diesel and home heating oil means the Arabs will always be buyers.....

[wizardofoz]

The bottom line is the trainers costs to owners has reached critical mass now and if they think they can raise it any higher, they will lose many owners.  As far as buying a yearling, $50,000 is well enough to spend as the yearling game is 90% LUCK and nothing else. Studying a sales catalogue is ridiculous.  It can show you how bad a mare is as a producer in the past and to avoid any offspring, but as far as figuring out if a horse's looks matter to be a success or if their bloodline looks good, it is meaningless.  On The Road Again went for $10,000 as a baby.  The owners went back to a future sale and liked another horse that reminded them of OTRA and paid $37,500 for it.  Its name was Matts Scooter.  Bulldog Hanover, a 13th foal I believe, went for $28,000.  The Belmont and Travers winner Archangelo went for $35,000.  What gets me is the excited faces of the winning bidders on $500,000+ yearlings.  It is more likely these nuts blew half a million and they will most likely NEVER see that money back.

[wizardofoz]

2014 article: After several years of failing health, Gordon Rumpel passed away last night in Calgary at the age of 85.

Rumpel made his name in the automobile business with several Alberta dealerships but also as arguably one of the most successful Standardbred owners ever in the game. On The Road Again and Matts Scooter were his two biggest success stories both having lucrative careers for trainer Harry Poulton before heading to stud for very profitable periods in the breeding shed.

On The Road Again was a storybook tale, with Rumpel having purchased the horse as a weanling for $10,000. He went on to win $2.8 million which at the time made him the richest pacer in history. In 1999 the horse was named to the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.

[Fuguzzi]

2014 article: After several years of failing health, Gordon Rumpel passed away last night in Calgary at the age of 85.

Rumpel made his name in the automobile business with several Alberta dealerships but also as arguably one of the most successful Standardbred owners ever in the game. On The Road Again and Matts Scooter were his two biggest success stories both having lucrative careers for trainer Harry Poulton before heading to stud for very profitable periods in the breeding shed.

On The Road Again was a storybook tale, with Rumpel having purchased the horse as a weanling for $10,000. He went on to win $2.8 million which at the time made him the richest pacer in history. In 1999 the horse was named to the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.

There were few races that Rumpel did not win with either On The Road Again and Matts Scooter including the Meadowlands Pace, Confederation Cup, Cane Pace, Prix D'Ete, Canadian Pacing Derby, Stewart Fraser Memorial and U.S. Pacing Championship to nave but a few

Bothe horses were groomed ny a young, tall Canadian kid named Hughy. Nice kid, when Matt's came to Yonkers he was stabled in a lower barn not too far from me. Hughy was friends with a groom at the track that I knew well, so one thing led to the other, and Hughy allowed us into Matt's stall with his supervision. Matt's Scooter was the most impressive Standardbred I had ever seen up close from a physical standpoint, but that thing that really stood out was his massive, thick neck and his head which was in perfect proportion and parallel to his body. Plus he had a massively wide airway between his cheek bones. U thought to myself , "imagine that engine, getting all that air"  When I see Confederate now, he reminds me a lot of Matt's Scooter. What a treat that experience was.

[wizardofoz]

Shipping charges: If a horse is shipped 350 miles each way, what should the roundtrip fee be, excluding tolls, which varies from state to state?

[Fuguzzi]

Shipping charges: If a horse is shipped 350 miles each way, what should the roundtrip fee be, excluding tolls, which varies from state to state?700

[Mailbox Money]

The guys that paid Allturd and Cassie Carbonate 6k a month would consider 50k annually a bargain!

[mwins]

Big Sexy's training Bill's probably average 50k a year.

[Fuguzzi]

Big Sexy's training Bill's probably average 50k a year.

I remember walking through the parking lot at the top of the ramp at YR towards my truck. it was always windy up there and a piece of paper had blown on to my truck. Naturally I looked at it. It was a bill from Dr.Connor, a respected vet in those days. It was to Danny Kramer et al, the owners of Docs Fella the top FFA horse in NY at the time. 1 month, just for Docs Fella -  $7,200. I remember saying "HOLY SHIT!"  True story..

[Meadow Ford]

Shipping charges: If a horse is shipped 350 miles each way, what should the roundtrip fee be, excluding tolls, which varies from state to state?

More info please.
Trainers truck and trailer or shipping co. like Brook Ledge?
How many on the load?
 Stops inbetween?
One groom or no groom?
ETC?

[wizardofoz]

One horse.....trainer's truck.....no groom-----no stops.

[dougie]

I remember when we had four cheap claimers in the early 80's at Pompano Park. We were charged $150 per day for all four which did not include the farrier (Mike Cable) who was about $500 a month and our groom (Mikey Metcalf) who got $40 to paddock on race days. Having cheap claimers is of course a losing endeavor. Between the monthly bills and those vet costs, i figure my three partners and me lost about !0 grand a year. It was fun at times being in "The Game", but most of the owners i met had similar results over the years.

[LUCPARK]

if u have a top tier trainer its about

65 to 75  YR IN TRAINERS BILLS

ALL IN

VET SHIPPING SHOEING ETC ETC

[Stan durbread]

3.50 for a bale of hay. For a racehorse. No way Unless it is worse than garbage  That's impossible.  NY prices whether by bale or ton. You are looking at 12.50 per bale minimum for a decent Timothy mix 2nd cut.. Hell first cut and orchard hay is going for 9 to 11

That is a rough estimate on per day cost. I average 1/3 bale of hay per day per horse