Frankel - Now Going to Stud

[pdq1]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/...horse-racing/19819948

Why don't horses in their prime continue racing but instead are retired to stud. Can't they do both?

[askyourgran]

What a great final race that was. Frankel will earn a lot of money at stud. He is in his prime, a fall would finish his career, but much more money can be made at stud than racing.

[Maydup]

If he quits while he's winning his offspring will be worth a small fortune.

However if he were to continue to race, the price would drop the minute he's beaten. No point in risking that better to remain the unbeaten record holder.

[askyourgran]

Kauto Star is about 14 years old now great jumper but ready to be retired now. Whereas Frankel is four years old and has won all fourteen races, retiring unbeaten.

[Brinjal]

Stalions get very heavy in the chest area so his racing days would be numbered as he would start slowing down.

[sandyRoe]

I couldn't believe that was Henry Cecil talking about the horse. He looks ill.

[Maydup]

Your !!!! key stuck toes?

[sandyRoe]

I didn't know that. I haven't been following the horses for a while.

[askyourgran]

He has stomach cancer sandy, diagnosed about 2009 I think. He did look ill.

[Maydup]

He was brave wasn't he Sandy, to speak to camera when he was clearly so very ill.

[sandyRoe]

He is brave, yes. As a racing man I don't think he'd mind me saying he comes from good stock. Just had a look at his Wiki entry.

[FredPuli43]

1) they've won their classic race (all are for 3 year olds); not much reason to keep them in training, unless you want to confirm their reputation by winning some class races at 4.

2)Horses (5 years old and over) are fully mature , a real handful and not tractable in racing. They do bulk up, but that's not necessarily going to slow them.

3) If the horse is wanted for jumping, he'll be gelded (see (2)); this is not, as commonly supposed, to save his undercarriage from hitting the fences

4) the stud fees commanded by the likes of Frankel will be high; £100,000 is spoken of, but the reality is an untested sire like him will be £30-£50K, and the fees will rise once he has a successful winning crop. But, he'll be covering three or four mares a day,from mid-February (romantically we talk of Valentine's day being the start). That's a lot of money taken over perhaps 18 breeding seasons ! And the foals fetch money too; one sired by Frankel's sire fetched over £2 million, and it's not unusual to see 500,000 guineas paid for a yearling.

[EDDIE51]

Retirement meaning you have to sh@g 3 women a day and get them all pregnant , thank God I'm not a horse.