Will The Green Monkey ever start?

Question

First he was supposed to start during the Saratoga meet, now it's been pushed back to the Belmont meet. Does anyone else think this horse is never gonna start a single race? I looooove Todd Pletcher, but I'm starting to think this horse wasn't worth $16, let alone $16M

Answer 1

When a horse is purchased for the highest sum ever, 16 Million,

He wil not start unless evrything is perfect.  If he runs and loses, his breeding value will plummet beyond belief. That is why the owners placed him in the capable hands of the best trainer in recent history, Todd Pletcher.  He will run when conditions are all in his favor and not before.  Also, if he doesn't run..  He will recoup his purchase price and then some when he is sent to breed.  Michael Tabor, et. al are as goog, if not better, than all other owners.

Answer 2

I sure hope so... I am wondering that too

Answer 3

Yeah I kind of agree with you. Todd Pletcher said that the Green Monkey won't start at Saratoga but he will work on August 26.

Answer 4

I think he'll eventually race, but I also think that The Green Monkey once again demonstrates that paying a price in excess of ten million dollars for a yearling or an unraced two-year-old is a really, really bad idea.  

It just defies all logic.  For the $16 million that was paid for this colt, his buyers could have bought several broodmares with either Grade 1 race credentials or proven producers of Grade 1 foals, plus seasons to any stallion they wanted!  And they would have had a better chance of having a stakes winner...plus, they'd still have the mares to produce more foals!

Absolutely insane.

And it may not happen again, either.  To reach that kind of a price, you practically have to have the Maktoums and the Coolmore mafia on the same horse.  At the Saratoga yearling sales, reports are that the Coolmore people and the Maktoum reps were trying to avoid bidding on the same horses.  Interesting.

Answer 5

I think The Green Monkey is a joke. If this horse had any ability, he would have already started.

Answer 6

Maybe they are so afraid that something will go wrong and thet won't be able to breed him that they will never race him.

Answer 7

You're only now STARTING to think he wasn't worth $16 million?

Seriously though...

Yes, he will start in a race.  Here's the thing...  right now, the horse is a complete money pit.  He looked really flashy at the sale and the bidding war resulted in the most ridiculous price in the history of horse racing.  But after paying $16 million for a horse, they don't have quite the same options as they would have with an ordinary horse.

... With a decent 3 year old with decent bloodlines, they could retire him to stud...  but an unraced horse even with the greatest bloodlines isn't going to command a stud fee worthy of his $16 million price.  And unraced horses with decent bloodlines are all too common...  The Green Monkey has developed a bad reputation: he's never won a race and he's certainly not consistent (a blazing workout at the sale followed by mediocre trainings and a long stint of time off)...  When choosing between the many horses with mediocre racing careers and decent bloodlines, I'd certainly pick another horse over The Green Monkey.  So that pretty much rules out breeding.

...  The other thing you can do with a young TB who isn't training well is sell him to someone looking for an off-the-track horse to train into a hunter jumper or whatever equestrian style they want.  But the thing is NO ONE in ordinary equestrian circles pays NEARLY $16 million for a horse.  You might be able to get over $100,000 for your horse, but only if it's an excellent hunter-jumper with tons of training.  You're not even going to be able to sell an off-the-track TB for $10,000...  I've seen retired racers sell for less than $1000.  So they're certainly not going to sell him.

So the only option they have now is to race him.  That's the only way he's going to make some of the money back.  He has to race and he has to win.

Answer 8

i hope so. i wanna see this horse run already.