Following is a list of stallions whose first crops of 2-year-olds are represented in the upcoming Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. Spring 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, including the number of horses cataloged and the farm where the stallion is currently advertised.
Offerings from the debut crop of a stallion are often met with a commercial premium from buyers at auction. A stallion's stud fee is often at its highest during their first season, increasing the initial investment, and the natural intrigue of a blue-sky prospect often put a unique spotlight on the rookie sires at any given sale.
Here are the opportunities to get in on the ground floor with a first-year stallion at this year's OBS Spring sale, along with analysis on a pair of standout sires by Kip Elser of Kirkwood Equine Advisory.
The OBS Spring sale takes place Tuesday, April 25 through Friday, April 28, with each session beginning at 10:30 a.m. Eastern.
—List Continues After Analysis—
Analysis of Spendthrift Farm's Vino Rosso and Lane's End stallion Catalina Cruiser from Kip Elser of Kirkwood Equine Advisory:
It's always interesting to see how each year's freshman crop of juveniles evolve and develop in the time between OBS March to OBS Spring in April or even the May and June sales. Offspring by the sires we talked about last time – Omaha Beach and Mitole – continue to impress, and there are several more freshman sires that are well represented at OBS Spring.
There were several by Vino Rosso that caught my eye. While he was two-for-two as a juvenile, he was by and large known as a late developer, winning his biggest races – the Grade 1 Gold Cup at Santa Anita and Breeders' Cup Classic – as a 4-year-old. Like their sire was at this stage, his offspring look like they still have some growing to do, but they are solid and well put together. They're breezing quite nicely, especially as they get into the rhythm of the breeze, and show an efficiency of stride – a good combination of power and balance with minimal wasted motion. For as big as I think they'll be when they mature, they are remarkably well put together as juveniles.
The Catalina Cruisers are also worth a look. Like Vino Rosso, Catalina Cruiser was late to develop, but once he found his stride, he became one of the top sprinters we've seen in years. He is by Union Rags, who is probably best known for his win in the Belmont Stakes, but don't forget that he won the G2 Saratoga Special as a 2-year-old by 7 1/4 lengths as part of a Grade 1-winning juvenile campaign, so that sire line is not necessarily slow early. I really like not only how the Catalina Cruisers are breezing, but also how they're galloping out, which can often tell you almost as much as the breeze itself. They're made in the same mold as their sire – stout, strong horses with some leg under them.
I'm eager to see how both of these sires' offspring develop, both as juveniles and into their 3- and 4-year-old years.
The post First-Crop Sire Watch Presented By Kirkwood Equine Advisory: 2023 Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. Spring Sale appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
