Silently Classy

The other night as I patiently waited for my favorite mare to foal I started thinking about how I ended up owning her.

In August of 1994, Marlene Putnam mailed me a sales catalogue for a sale in Kansas. I studied the catalogue in depth and picked out one mare that I really liked. I liked her pedigree being she was by Something Classic and out of a St. Limit Daughter.

I quickly started making plans to attend the sale, only to discover the date of the sale was the due date of our first child, Vanessa. Quickly, I came up with plan "B". I hired Joe Taylor to attend the sale in my place and bid for me.

The day before the sale Joe called me and told me this was the type of mare to build a program around and you rarely have an opportunity to buy one this good. I instructed Joe to buy the mare. The sale was on a Sunday. I nervously paced around my living room trying to watch the Broncos game waiting for Joes call.

In the eight years since that day Classy has had seven foals for me. Looking back, Joe Taylor's' advice was right on. I have kept a stud colt by Spanish Skill (Skilled N' Silent) who after only six foals has produced two point earners. A mare by Skill who had one of my best colts last year and there are two fillies by a Country Hit who will never leave here. Classy has been bred to four different stallions. Each resulting foal has been a good one. I learned three big lessons on that day:

1. You can build a solid program by starting with an exceptional mare.

2. It can be extremely nerve wracking giving Joe Taylor a blank check and sending him to a horse sale.

3. Doctor "due dates" are about as accurate as weather forecasts.
The three colts out of this mare that I stupidly sold paid for her four times over.

Sincerely
Mike Gerbaz

P.S. This year's baby is a palomino stud colt by Skips Silent.