Where can I find the best horse for racing?

Question

how much and why do you think it is best?

Answer 1

You can only race a Thoroughbred horse in races run under Jockey Club Rules.

If you are looking to buy a Thoroughbred then be prepared to spend a lot of money!  You can buy a racehorse at the sales for anything up to $16million!

The major sales companies in Europe are Tattersalls (sales sites in Newmarket, England and also in Ireland) Doncaster Bloodstock (based in Doncaster, England), Goffs (based in Kildare, Ireland) Arqana (based in France) BBAG (based in Germany) and SGA (based in Italy).

In America the major sales companies are Keeneland (based in Lexington, Kentucky), Fasig-Tipton, Ocala and  Barretts.  If you Google any of these you will find their websites.

Of all these sale companies, Tattersalls is the oldest and most prestigious.  The company have been selling horses since 1766 and hold 9 sales every year.

You can also buy a racehorse direct from a trainer, but again you need to be prepared to spend a lot of money!

If you really want to get into racehorse ownership I'd suggest joining a syndicate to start with.  This is where you will share ownership of a horse (or several horses) with other people.  The cost of buying and owning the horse is shared between everyone and so are the winnings.

Answer 2

Too many factors to answer that questions.  It greatly depends on your goals, budget, and time frame.  Depending on where you want to race, you can claim a horse in training for as little as $2000 (I would not recommend going that low).  You basically know what you're getting when you claim a low level horse.  

You can also buy at any of the major sales, at pretty much any age...weanlings, yearlings, two-year olds, horses of racing age and at any price ($1,000 - $10,000,000)  The exciting thing about buying an unraced horse is the unknown.   Your $10,000 yearling may be the next Teufelsburg (won several hundred thousand dollars) or your $16,000,000 two-year old may be the next Green Monkey (still hasn't won a race).

I recommend checking out one of the partnership companies that offer fractional ownership opportunities.  The one I am most familiar with is Pocket Aces Racing.(www.pocketacesracing.com)

Answer 3

The best horse for racing is one that is sound so you need to find one which has had a number of races already. If I were ever to buy one I would avoid a filly and I think I would seek to buy one out of a claiming race, preferably the one which won the race, especially if it was favourite. This should certainly be cheaper than buying one in the sales.There are quite a few trainers who find horses in this way or out of selling races.  Bear in mind that you are likely to get more runs out of a sprinter than one which runs over longer distances.