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| Staff Writer |
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For decades, Eddie Woods has been a prominent name in the buying and selling game.
A top consignor and bloodstock agent, Woods has his own operation in Ocala, Florida, and over the years, has moved on to produce and sell horses that have gone on to win races at the very highest level.
One of the most notable horses that Woods has ever sold is Big Brown.
A brilliant winner of both the 2008 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, it's fair to say that Woods has an eye for a champion that very few can match, and it's easy to see why he has become one of the biggest names when it comes to the sales.
Over the past few weeks, Woods has made even more headlines with the sale of Music Critic. An exciting 2YO prospect he prepared and sold for his breeder George Krikorian, fetching a cool US$650,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale.
Sired by Maclean's Music, who has produced multiple Grade 1 winning horses such as Jackie's Warrior, Cloud Computing, Drain the Clock and Complexity, it looks as if Music Critic will be the latest talented American-bred horse to depart for the Middle East.
After his most recent sale, we were able to sit down with Woods to find out more about what he looks for when buying a horse and his future hopes for Music Critic.
Music Critic could be a name to remember.
Recently acquired by Prince Faisal bin Khaled Bin Abdulaziz's Najd Stud, the sale of Music Critic to the Middle East reflects the recent shift in American sales, with more and more respective owners coming over from countries such as Bahrain, Dubai and Saudi Arabia in the hope of bringing over top American bred dirt horses.
With the profile of racing in the Middle East attracting greater Western interest by the year, the Middle Eastern racing scene is only going to get bigger.
With a plethora of hugely wealthy owners, Woods doesn't sound surprised when he talks about the price that Music Critic was sold for, as his sire Maclean's Music certainly attracts plenty of attention.
"If buyers want to buy an American dirt horse, then Maclean's Music is the all-round American Stallion. He produces really good-looking horses, quick horses; he has produced a horse that has won the Preakness, and his horses often go that bit further.
Like all good horses, they have one trait and that's quality: quality and class. They don't stress. They take everything in their stride. They keep their weight. They're good-minded, and things come easy for them."
When reflecting on the price that Music Critic was able to fetch, Woods doesn't seem surprised, and it's clear that he was happy with how Music Critic had been produced ahead of his big day.
"When you know that there is going to be a good clientele at the sales, you obviously want to bring them a good product. Music Critic is a great-looking horse; he's a big, strong colt with plenty of leg and a beautiful head on him. I expected him to work out well, and that's exactly what he did."
Having attracted the attention of Saud Al Qahtani, Al Qahtani was quick to recognise that he had snapped one of the best horses on show.
Currently in the process of making his way over to Saudi Arabia, he will now race in the colours of Prince Faisal bin Khaled Bin Abdulaziz and a future run in the Saudi Derby looks like being his main assignment.
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For Woods, the process of getting horses to the sales is the culmination of plenty of hard work and requires a lot of teamwork. Woods' wife Angela leads the team at the sales. Horses of high quality are hard to find; they need to be scoured for, and once found, they need to meet certain criteria.
"We go everywhere to find the right horses, Keeneland, OBS, Fasig-Tipton, we work really hard to see what we can find and what might work for us.
When I find a horse I like, there are several things I look for. I like well-made horses who look like they might be quick, have a good top on them, and have as much pedigree as we can afford. We take a good look at where they have come from and how they are at home. If we think they could be a good fit, we go from there."
His decades of experience have given Woods connections all over the world, enabling him to sell globally.
With owners and agents from the Middle East increasingly getting more involved in American sales, Woods is aware that he may need to adapt the way he produces his horses in the future.
"You never know what you are going to take unless you get involved first. We know that owners in the Middle East are looking for impressive American-bred horses. Agents are showing up at sales all over the States, and it might change the way I produce the horses as we know they like good-looking horses with speed and impressive pedigrees."
Despite the sale of Music Critic, the work for Woods and his team doesn't stop.
"We start our sales work in March and work straight through to July. We are always on the lookout to see what we can buy. The market is tricky, irrespective of what everyone tells you. So, you just need to ensure that the product you take is the best it can be and hope that it all works out."
For Woods, the connection to horses runs deep. When talking about his formative years he states, "I was bred into horses, you are either into it or you aren't and, in my case, there was nothing else that I wanted to do."
Woods started as a jockey, and his experience translates well to selecting high-quality horses. He's known for two things: buying young horses and pinhooking and training young horses for clients who want to race. He handles a huge number of horses – a couple hundred yearlings every year – and there's even a waiting list to get in. Currently, his business is split 50/50 between the juveniles he prepares for the sales and those he trains for racing.
Authentic, Big Brown, Lady Eli, Left Bank and Midnight Lute have all risen to the very top, and there will be high hopes that Music Critic will be able to join them.
“We broke and trained Authentic but he wasn't for the 2YO sales. He was a very immature horse early on. At first, he was tall and a little bit narrow, but he thickened out as he got older. He was a beautiful-moving, sound horse,” Woods had said of the son of Into Mischief in an interview with BloodHorse.
Recognised as one of the best consignors in the game, it would be no surprise if the horses that Woods produces go on to scale the heights in the Middle East. Already a champion in America, few would bet against his legacy continuing in the Middle East.