Word: bloodstock
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...stallion like Bold Ruler is more accessible for breeding than the sires of a generation ago. Before the second World War, a few wealthy racing families bred, foaled, raced and retired to stud much of the finest American bloodstock. "Today," says Lucien Laurin, trainer of Secretariat, "it's easier to get better breeding because it's more of an open breeding market." The reason: the proliferation of commercial breeders and the widespread syndication of top stallions. The owners of Spectacular Bid, as well as Seattle Slew, certainly are not members of racing's Establishment...
...Khan's antagonist is Wayne Murty, 42, a leading U.S. horse trader and bloodstock agent from Lexington, Ky., and the clash concerns the racing stable of French Textile Tycoon Marcel Boussac, who went bankrupt a year ago. Among Boussac's 200 or so Thoroughbred horses are some of the most sought-after broodmares in the business...
Seven days before Boussac declared personal bankruptcy, Murty made a deal to buy 56 of his horses. The price: $840,000, a bargain-basement figure for Thoroughbreds whose breeding potential alone is worth millions of dollars. Two days after his purchase Murty was approached by a French bloodstock agent, Victor Thomas, who often acts for the Aga Khan. Perhaps hoping he could strike a deal with the prince, Thomas asked the American if he would resell the horses for a commission. Murty says that when he refused, Thomas threatened to have the sale killed, he pointed out that...
...seamy, ruthless world of horseflesh peddlers. His laconic hero, Jonah Dereham, an ex-jock turned agent, refuses to play along with a ring of crooked horse traders. A loner, like most of Francis' characters, Dereham learns the hard way that "all's fair in love, war and bloodstock": he is savagely beaten, pitchforked within an inch of his life and has his house set afire. Francis resolves most of Dereham's tribulations-including a boozy brother who lives with him and a spiffy blonde who will not-in a dénouement that provides enough excitement...
...with Mrs. Marion duPont Scott the victor: price, $235,000. While the auctions offer a newcomer like Taub a way to break into racing, most of the Saratoga yearlings are sold to barely more than a hundred regular customers -owners with established stables and breeders looking to diversify their bloodstock...