What is a bloodstock agent?

Answer 1

A bloodstock agent / consultant serves a variety of services within the thoroughbred (race horse) industry.

At a sale, a bloodstock agent will identify and recommend the horse they believe have the highest probability of:

• being a top race horse themselves or producing a top race horse (if purchasing breeding stock).
• having the highest return on investment if pin-hooking (purchasing to resell at another sale) or producing a foal that will sell well (commercial breeding)

For breeding purposes a bloodstock agent will help identify the stallion/mare combination most likely to produce a top race horse or commercial horse. Breeding to sell and breeding to race can result in very different recommendations and someone should make sure to let their bloodstock agent know their goals when discussing details about the mating recommendation.

Is one bloodstock agent better than the next? Yes, just like within any industry there are good and bad. Many bloodstock agents have their own style and tools they use in identifying horses. The majority of agents consider pedigree as well as a visual inspection of the horse. a select few also add in the physical measurements of the horse to analyze the bio-mechanical ability and then are able to compare that horse to all of the horses they have in their database. There are others that use heart scans or DNA analysis in their decisions. It is best to take the time to investigate the different methods used by the agents and find your best fit.