Al Pike | Horse Racing Free Tips

Street Boss Colt Tops Texas Sale

A colt by Street Boss (hip 28), one of six to share the furlong bullet of :10 1/5 during the under-tack preview show Monday, topped the Texas 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale when bringing a final bid of $265,000 from Tracy Williams Wednesday at Lone Star Park. The Texas-bred juvenile, the first foal out of Gemmizell (Gemologist), was consigned by Pike Racing at Highlander.

“To be honest, when we came here, we thought he would be one of the better ones,” said consignor Al Pike. “You never know if you're going to top the sale or not, but we thought he would be one of the better horses because he's shown that he was a pretty special horse at the farm.”

Of the colt's final price, Pike admitted, “I wasn't expecting that kind of price. At any market, when you bring a horse who looks like he's the real deal, they usually bring some money. So I was very pleased that he showed up and did his job. And there were some very good judges of horseflesh here and they appreciated what we brought.”

The dark bay colt was purchased for $72,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton July Sale.

“[Trainer] Scottie Gelner picked him out as a yearling and he did a great job of picking him out,” Pike said.

Pike Racing, which was bringing its first group of horses to sale from its new base at Highlander Training Center, sent eight horses through the ring Wednesday. The consignment was represented by four of the six horses to work the bullet furlong Monday.

“This is our first year partnering with Highlander Training Center,” Pike said. “The facility has been good to us and, by the breeze show, you can tell they came from a good place. We broke all of these horses there and they came in here and did a good job. I'm very proud of our team at Highlander and all of the people involved there.”

Pike continued, “I am from Texas and we try to bring a nice group here every year because this is home. We try to bring horses who fit this market and we think we did a pretty good job. These are all client horses, but luckily they sent us some nice horses and they performed well. And for the most part, they sold pretty well.”

Hip 28 was one of three at the one-session auction to bring six figures Wednesday. Whispering Oaks Farm, Coteau Grove Farms, Jackpot Farm and Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt teamed up to purchase a filly by Vino Rosso (hip 26) for $170,000 from AsmussenEquine.com and the same partnership returned later in the session to acquire a filly by Cinco Charlie (hip 49) for $100,000 from Asmussen Horse Center.

From a catalogue of 130 horses, 64 horses sold for a total of $2,199,500. The average was $34,367 and the median was $24,500. With 49 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate was 43.4%.

At last year's Texas sale, 107 head sold for $3,470,500. The average was $32,435 and the median was $17,500. The buy-back rate was 35.9%.

“It's like everything else, it is kind of hit or miss,” Pike said of the market at Lone Star Park Wednesday. “There were some new people here–there was some money for good horses. We were fielding calls from as far away as Kentucky and California on horses and they were watching their breezes. When you've got a good horse, it's hard to keep it a secret.”

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Practical Joke Colt Tops Texas Yearling Sale

GRAND PRAIRIE, TX – A colt by Practical Joke brought $110,000 to top Monday's single-session Texas Thoroughbred Association (TTA) Summer Yearling Sale at Lone Star Park.

By the numbers, a total of 175 yearlings sold for $3,240,000. The figures represented a decrease from 2022 when 161 sold for a record $3,416,000 in gross receipts. This term, the average was $18,542, while the median was $11,000 and 77 horses reported not sold.

Foster Bridewell, Director of Horse Sales for the TTA, said of the auction, “Three of our top five offerings were Texas-breds, so that was good to see,” he said. “This was one of our largest catalogs in the history of this sale and we had buyers from several key quadrants–Kentucky, Ocala, California and across the Lone Star State.”

A Practical Topper For Al Pike

Offered as hip 122, the dark bay was purchased by Al Pike, acting as agent. The Apr. 30 foal is out of SW Jan's Perfect Star (Imperialism), dam of UAE Jebel Ali Sprint hero Road Bloc (Street Sense). The native Texan from Palestine, and his wife Salley, relocated this past summer to Highlander Training Center, outside of Dallas. A regular on the pinhooking scene, Pike frequents a bevy of juvenile sales, including OBS March, Fasig-Tipton Midlantic and the Texas 2-Year-Old In-Training Sale.

Practical Joke colt (hip 122) | Olivia Friesen/TTA Sale

Pike said he saw this yearling as an opportunity.

“This one is for me and partners,” said Pike. “I thought he was a stunning Practical Joke, beautiful horse, and I think he's going to grow to be really special. It's just the Practical Joke that sold it and he had some pedigree too. I just thought he was a beautiful colt. This will be one to pinhook for the spring and we'll probably look to go to OBS March.”

Bred by Michael and Linda Mazoch of Texas, the colt was consigned by Scott Mallory, agent.

“He came from Buena Madera and they always do an excellent job in preparing the horses for the sale,” Mallory said. “And it makes it a whole lot easier when you get to the sale because they are well presented. With the recent success of Practical Joke, we kind of thought he'd be fairly popular with the sale. He vetted good, handled himself well up there. And with Texas coming up with the $40,000 maiden special weights, we knew that would add an extra bid or two. I didn't quite think he'd bring $110,000, but I'm happy about it. We thought he'd sell well–I thought he'd sell for $70,000 or $80,000, but $110,000 is excellent.”

Vekoma Colt Takes Home Silver

Late in the session, hip 260, a chestnut colt by Vekoma, brought $90,000 from pinhooker David Scanlon. Out of Winning Saga (Tale of the Cat), the May 12 foal was raised and prepped at Elm Tree Farm in Kentucky and consigned by agent Scott Mallory, who also consigned the topper.

“This colt just showed well the whole time, he had a great disposition, he just looks like he is going to turn into a really beautiful 2-year-old and he was bred by Dr. Fred Willis from Louisiana,” said Mallory.

Competitive Edge Colt Reminds Asmussen of Ryvit

The third highest-priced yearling of the session was taken home by Steve Asmussen's KDE Equine for $85,000. Hip 24, consigned by Highlander Training, was bred by Valor Farm in Pilot Point, Texas.

Ryvit schooling at Saratoga with Erik Asmussen up | Sarah Andrew

The Feb. 16 foal is the first foal out of unraced Better Than Mo (Uncle Mo), who counts MSW More Than Most (Indygo Mountain), MSW Worldventurer (Wimbledon) and GIII Miss Preakness S. scorer Red Ghost (Ghostzapper) as half-siblings. His third dam MGISP Alysbelle (Alydar) is a full-sister to Horse of the Year Alysheba.

Asmussen indicated Monday's purchase was prompted by another Texas sale graduate, GIII Chick Lang S. victor Ryvit (Competitive Edge).

“A couple of years ago, I got Ryvit out of this sale,” explained the Hall of Famer. “I think that there are blue collar horses and they have to earn their keep. And it had everything to do that he reminded me of Ryvit. Just a very sturdy and athletic-looking horse and, hopefully, we can create a similar circumstance.”

On behalf of his client Whispering Oaks, Asmussen also purchased hip 110, a Louisiana-bred colt by Spun to Run out of SP Hilarious Brown (Big Brown) for $80,000, in addition to a dark bay filly by Competitive Edge out of Conquest Bebop (Scat Daddy) (hip 51), who also brought $80,000.

Complete sales results can be found here.

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Tapwrit Filly Tops Texas Sale

A filly by Tapwrit (hip 167) , who blazed a furlong in :9 4/5 during Monday's under-tack show, topped the Texas Thoroughbred Association's 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale when bringing a final bid of $300,000 from trainer Randy Morse Wednesday at Lone Star Park. Morse, fresh off a runner-up finish with Taxed (Collected) in Saturday's GIII Fantasy S., purchased the juvenile on behalf of owners Randy Patterson, Joe Morgan and Sam Vogel.

“She's fast,” Morse said of the filly's appeal. “The work was really good. There was a really strong headwind and for a horse to work :9 4/5 on dirt, that's impressive. And physically, she looks like an athlete. I loved her looks. But time will tell.”

Morse admitted he may have found a bargain at the Texas auction.

“Truthfully, I think if she'd been in Florida, she would have brought way more,” he said. “But just like any sale, if there is a good one, someone will show up.”

Consigned by Al Pike's Pike Racing, agent, the gray filly is out of Sky O'Blue (Henny Hughes). She was purchased by Susan Naylor Sellers for $60,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton July sale.

“She just had a presence to her,” Naylor said of the decision to purchase the filly last summer. “She was just a nice, balanced filly and had a good walk and looked like she might be fast.”

Naylor confirmed her intention was always to reoffer the filly at a 2-year-old sale.

“Absolutely. I am a pinhooker first and if I have to race them after that, I will,” she said.

Naylor has also had success with racing as her default. She was represented by a pair of horses in last year's Breeders' Cup; homebred Andthewinneris (Oscar Performance), who RNA'd for $67,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September sale and Manny Wah (Will Take Charge), who she purchased for $175,000 at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton July sale.

“And I had to RNA two in this sale,” Naylor said with a chuckle. “Who knows, maybe you'll see us next year in the Breeders' Cup.”

The Texas sale seemed like a good fit for the speedy gray filly, according to Naylor.

“She looked like she would be early and fast,” Naylor explained. “And they aren't as judgmental down here. She did not have a whole lot of page, but neither did Bwana Charlie when we sold him down here in 2003. We paid $14,000 for him and sold him for $240,000, which was a lot back then. And I know they love grays down here, so I figured a gray filly that was fast, this would be the place for her. She wouldn't get lost.”

Of the filly's bullet breeze Monday, Naylor admitted, “We were blown away. She looked good doing it, but then they printed what it was–that doesn't happen very often. And especially with this track. This track used to be a lot faster back in the day, but it's not as fast as used to be.”

During the one-day auction, which had a catalogue of 193, a total of 103 juveniles sold for $3,420,000. The average was $33,204 and the median was $17,500. There were 64 horses reported not sold for a buy-back rate of 38.3%.

A year ago, from a catalogue of 144, 88 juveniles sold for $3,050,700. The average was $34,667 and the median was $28,000. There were 29 horses reported not sold for a buy-back rate of 24.8.

There were four horses sold for six figures a year ago, led by a $200,000 daughter of Free Drop Billy. Seven hit six figures Wednesday.

“We're truly fortunate to have had such quality offerings in our 2023 sale,” TTA Sales Director Foster Bridewell said. “It's a testament to the hard work and time put in by our sellers and teams behind these athletes. And we're grateful to our buyers locally, nationally, and internationally for supporting our sale.”

Still, with the uncertainty swirling around racing and Texas and its conflict with the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, Naylor admitted she wasn't sure what to expect from Wednesday's sale.

“I was a little shocked that [hip 167] would bring that much,” Naylor said. “It was a very odd sale. The sale last year was a little more balanced. But I think with all of the stuff in the news and all of the uncertainty with HISA and everything, a lot of the big hitters were not here. There were a handful, but a lot weren't here. There were a lot of nice pedigrees, but it seemed like everyone was sitting on their hands a little bit. I was really surprised to see they got as nice a book as they did and there seemed to be some nice individuals here, too. But I think we didn't quite get the buyers to show up this year.”

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Five Share Furlong Bullet at Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Tuesday

TIMONIUM, MD – The three-day under-tack show for the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale began shortly after 8 a.m. Tuesday morning under cloudless blue skies and temperatures hovering around 60 degrees and by the conclusion of the day's seventh and final set shortly before 3 p.m., with temperatures approaching 80 degrees, five horses had turned in the co-fastest furlong time of :10 flat. A filly by Collected had the day's fastest quarter-mile work of :21 1/5.

A filly by Nyquist (hip 150) was the first to hit the :10 flat mark while working during the second set for consignor Randy Miles. The chestnut is out of Westside Tapstress (Lookin at Lucky), a half-sister to graded stakes winner Discreet Hero (Honour and Glory).

“We knew she could do it, but your nerves take over as you're leading her up there, hoping that nothing happens,” Miles said after the work. “She performed the way she was supposed to and I'm glad she represented herself well.”

Miles is consigning the filly on behalf of her breeders, Todd and Chad Frederick and Carl Thomas Potter.

“We've had some horses for them in the past and they entrusted us with two really nice horses this year,” Miles said of the breeders. “The first one sold well in April and this is the second one.”

Miles admitted he is a big fan of the Midlantic May sale.

“We love this track and when you get a week like this of great weather, it's so fun to come here,” he said. “This filly got over the track great all week and she loved the weather, the low humidity and cool weather. When Mother Nature cooperates, it's a wonderful place.”

Miles sent out four horses to work throughout Tuesday's session and said he had found the track to be consistent from start to finish.

“The track was beautiful,” he said. “They did a great job with the 25 horses and then a break. They kept it so consistent. It doesn't matter whether you go early or late.”

Juveniles from the first crop of Bolt d'Oro have been in demand at the auctions all spring and a son of the Spendthrift stallion (hip 30) was the second to work in :10 flat during the session's fourth set. Consigned by Pike Racing, the bay is out of stakes-placed Shine Softly (Aldebaran), a daughter of champion Soaring Softly (Kris S.) and also the dam of stakes winner The Grass is Blue (Broken Vow). Al Pike purchased the youngster from Peter O'Callaghan's Woods Edge Farm for $90,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale. O'Callaghan had acquired the colt for $65,000 at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton November sale.

“He was beautiful,” Pike recalled of the colt as a yearling. “He was in Book 2 with Woods Edge and he was a little immature at the time, because he's young, and Peter had a stunning group of Book 2 horses. So I think he got a little bit overlooked. I was very fortunate to get him. We've liked him all winter. He's done nothing wrong. We came here thinking he was capable and hoping that he would perform and we were pleased with him.”

Pike's consignment topped the 2020 Midlantic sale with a $1.1-million son of Uncle Mo.

“This is one of our favorite spots,” Pike said of the Maryland auction. “We always try to bring a good horse here because you'll get rewarded.”

Grassroots Training and Sales sent out a filly by Neolithic (hip 9) to work one of three :10 flat works during the day's fifth set. Out of multiple stakes placed Sarahline (Northern Afleet), the chestnut was purchased for $8,500 at last year's OBS Winter sale.

Hip 20, a son of More Than Ready, turned in his :10 flat work for Keiber Rengifo's Golden Rock Thoroughbreds. A $12,000 Keeneland September purchase by Jose Silva, the bay is out of Seeking Sheba (Seeking the Gold) and from the family of champion Perfect Soul (Ire).

Completing the :10 flat works was hip 36, a New York-bred gelding by Practical Joke consigned by Scanlon Training and Sales. The bay is out of the unraced Silken Lily (Grand Slam), a half-sister to multiple graded-stakes winning sire Upstart (Flatter). He sold for $30,000 at the Fasig-Tipton New York-bred Yearling sale last August.

“He is a horse we took a little bit of time with,” Dave Scanlon said. “I don't know that they announced it during the breeze, but he is a gelding now. We bought him privately after the New York sale and he always looked fast. He had a great hip and body, but he was just a little bit tough through the breaking. So around December, we just decided, let's make life easier on me and you and everybody else. So he became a gelding. And then we took our time with him. He's always had a great hip, he just needed to level out. My assistant and I were just talking about how he is just looking better and better. Every work, he's just been getting better.”

The Scanlon team comes into the Midlantic sale off a strong OBS Spring sale, which included a $1.3-million Mendelssohn colt.

“It's been great,” Scanlon said of his 2021 results so far. “We've had a really good year. We were pretty excited last year when we bought these horses. We thought we had done a good job picking them out and it's been a great group all year. We were excited for OBS, but we've been excited about coming here. I love to bring my New York-breds here. Horses that we find quick and precocious–horses like Army Mule–we've always done really well with here.”

A filly by Collected (hip 202), the first horse to work during the second set, turned in the fastest quarter-mile work of :21 1/5 for Jesse Hoppel's Coastal Equine. Out of Aurore (Arch), the dark bay is a half to stakes-placed Orageuse (Broken Vow) and Boreale (Makfi). Her dam is a half-sister to multiple graded stakes winner Interactif (Broken Vow). She was purchased by Larry Zap, Hoppel and Amanda Murphy for $47,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton October sale.

The Midlantic under-tack show continues through Thursday with sessions beginning daily at 8 a.m. at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium. The auction will be held next Monday and Tuesday with bidding commencing both days at 11 a.m.

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