Real-Life Decision Making
You're a pedigree analyst looking for the perfect stallion to pair up with your client's brood mare, Charisma. Charisma is an extremely valuable mare that's produced many successful racers.
You've been researching the mare's bloodlines, summing up her good qualities. "It can take as long as two weeks to research one mare," says Loren Bolinger, a pedigree analyst.
The owners are looking for a stallion that will produce another winner, so when it comes to matching Charisma's qualities with a stallion, you want to be extra careful. "You have to select from many thousands of stallions," says Bolinger.
After some work, you think you've narrowed the search down to two possible stallions. Your first choice is a stallion named Black Shadow, with a $2,000 stud fee. You feel that he would be the best possible choice for your client's mare. Your second choice is Lucky News, a stallion with a $1,700 stud fee.
Of course, the choice isn't simply about the horse. It's about costs. Your clients have stated that they want to spend around $2,000.
Black Shadow is at a stable 100 miles from your client's mare, so there would be additional costs for traveling and shipping involved. Lucky News is right nearby, so no travel costs would be incurred.
Knowing that it will cost an additional $500 (once travel costs are considered) to breed to Black Shadow, which is more than your client's budget, which stallion do you recommend they use?