I'm in something like year 2023 and have bought all the stable upgrades including the breeding barn.

I have 6 mares at stud but no money

Last year was there first at stud and I used a Group 1 winning stallion who was rated in the 120's but was cheap at just £40,000. This season there look to be 2 good stallions available both multiple G1 winners who stand for around £150,000 and £300,000 respectively.

Now, as mentioned, my funds are almost non-existent so I cannot use them at the moment. I do, however, have a decent runner myself who I planned to retire after the Dubai Carnival where unfortunately he lost his nominated target. He has won the 1m1f Dubai race in a previous year and also the Champion Stakes but is not really top class (he keeps getting beat as he is a true 9f horse).

So, should I retire my own nag and use him with my 6 mares ? or do I sell him and use that money to breed them with the better stallions for a year ?

My broodmares were not great runners btw. They have each won a maiden and then either won something like feature race handicap or were group placed. There are no top level perfromers among them.

How would you play it ?

Thanks in advance.

If he is not top class I would sell him, this will give your stable a cash injection.

i too would sell and then use the cash to setup some good breeding lines through your mares, try win a maiden or so with the youngsters then sell them on too, Make more money and then look to breed to keep when your stable has the funds otherwise you may end up at square one again. ]
Thats what i would do anyway.

I sold a couple of good horses at the backend of the previous season to reinvest in new stock and spent the lot on 4 or 5 expensive 2 year olds. It just came as a shock to see two great looking stallions available and for the first time having a serious decision to make strategy wise for the stable. I think I'll be going down the sale route and breed with the best.

put him in a selling race and with what money you have left back him off the board he should win easy you will sell him and make a few quid in bet returns i would always recommend crossing game horses with your mares anyway i get beter results doing that then crossing 2 of your own

p.s cliaming races are easier to win so go that way instead of a seller

Use art money

Firstly it depends on the quality then the distance the prodginy would probably want if you were to retire the stallion to stud, don`t want another 9f horse.
Reckon I would go with the rather large bet on him in a claimer or seller and bid on him to get a nice enough amount for breeding and hopefuly for the future.
It also depends on what level your playing, considering other trainers have an advantage on harder levels.
Definately a difficult decision as I would want to see how the new 2yo are but it`s now or never.

i would say this gent likes to do it without cheating i use art money at the start myself but i no loads of people like the realism of starting with nothing and gradually working there way up which is a noble way of doing it i wouldent have the patients myself so i salute anyone who does

I'm on season 34 with 130 Million in the bank without art money or whatever it's pointless and unrealistic, unless your roman abrahmovich and fancied a nibble at horse training lol...

I ended up putting him in a seller and got around 1.5 mill for him which was just about enough along with a bit of putting to get the mares in foal. He started 1/6 btw so couldn't make much betting him at that price.

As expected the decent stallions disappeared after that year and can you guess who is the best available this time around ? yes, the nag I got rid of !!! he never won again after the sale but is covering for 182k.