Bill Farish | Horse Racing Free Tips

Summer Wind to Retain Yearling Half-Brother to Flightline

Following Flightline (Tapit)'s jaw-dropping victory in the GI Pacific Classic at Del Mar Saturday, breeder Jane Lyon of Summer Wind Farm has decided to withdraw the star colt's half-brother by Curlin from next week's Keeneland September Yearling Sale. The yearling, who is named Eagles Flight, had been catalogued as hip 243 with the Lane's End consignment.

“I had a feeling when Flightline did what he did [in the Pacific Classic] that it was going to be pretty hard for her to part with him,” said Lane's End's Bill Farish, confirming the news first reported in Blood-Horse. “It's disappointing not to be able to sell him, but we totally understand the decision to keep him.”

Farish continued, “[Lyon]'s been on the fence for a long time about selling him. She loves all of her horses, but every year there are a few that really grab her. And this one always has. It's tough because she loves to sell them well, too, but this is one that is just hard to part with.”

Flightline is out of multiple Grade I placed Feathered (Indian Charlie), who was purchased by Summer Wind for $2.35 million at the 2016 Keeneland November sale. The mare produced a filly by Into Mischief this year and was bred back to Tapit.

Feathered's 3-year-old colt by Pioneerof the Nile, Voron, was exported to Russia after selling for $100,000 at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton October sale, and her 2-year-old colt by Tapit, Olivier, RNA'd for $390,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale. Olivier worked five furlongs in 1:02.20 (17/27) at Keeneland last Friday.

Flightline, who races for a partnership which includes Summer Wind, as well as Hronis Racing, Siena Farm, West Point Thoroughbreds and Woodford Racing, sold for $1 million at the 2019 Saratoga sale.

Asked to compare the yearling to Flightline, Farish said, “They are both outstanding colts. This colt has a lot more Curlin in him. He is a stronger-made–not that Flightline's not–but Flightline is longer and this is more of a Curlin type. But he is really an outstanding-looking individual.”

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Global Appeal: Too Darn Hot’s First Crop Comes to Market at Arqana

Next week, the first yearlings by Darley's dual champion Too Darn Hot (GB) will be offered for sale at the Arqana August Yearling Sale. Expectations were always going to be high for Too Darn Hot–a son of sire of sires Dubawi (Ire), out of the triple Group 1-winning mare Dar Re Mi (GB) (Singspiel {Ire}), from the deep family of the prodigious sire Darshaan (GB). An undefeated champion at two who repeated as champion at three, he also achieved the best foal sales average of 2021.

But uniquely, it will not just be observers in Europe taking careful notice of his yearlings' performance in the ring, but several in America as well, where breeders and investors are noting the traits that make for a successful sire in the New World as well as the Old.

The Arqana group includes four fillies selling on Saturday Aug. 13, the first day of the sale: lot 3 for Ballylinch Stud, a filly out of the graded-stakes-placed Janicellaine (Ire) (Beat Hollow {GB}); lot 29 for Ecurie des Monceaux, a filly out of the listed and group-placed Lida (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}), from the family of Wootton Bassett (GB); lot 66 for Haras du Cadran, the second foal from the multiple-group stakes winner Night Music (Ger) (Sea The Stars {Ire}); lot 90 for Monceaux, a filly from the family of Group 1 winners Persian King (Ire) and Planteur (Ire); and one colt on day two of the sale, Monday; lot 220 for Baroda Stud, out of listed stakes winner and multiple group-stakes placed Bastet (Ire) (Giant's Causeway), and a half-brother to the Group 1 winner Beauty Parlour (GB) (Deep Impact {Jpn}).

Lane's End Farm's Bill Farish said he was so impressed with Too Darn Hot that he invested in the stallion upon his retirement.

“Too Darn Hot is a very exciting stallion for a lot of reasons,” said Farish. “I think he would work well over here in America, mainly because he had so much speed. He was a seven furlongs-to-a-mile Dubawi, which is pretty rare. Usually, they're middle distance to stayers. And, being a Mr. Prospector-line stallion, he just really appeals to me for this market.”

American-based breeder Tanya Gunther said she bred two mares to Too Darn Hot in his first year at stud, and has sent several back since. “Smart Change was the first; she's a daughter of Smart Strike from the Without Parole family,” she said. “We thought with Mr. Prospector and the speed that can come from Smart Strike that it would be an interesting mating. The other mare was a nice, well-bodied mare that we thought would suit him physically as well as on paper.

Frankie Dettori celebrates at the finish of the Darley Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket October 13, 2018 | Photo by Alan Crowhurst/Getty Images

“In the two yearlings, you can really see a bit of a stamp from Too Darn Hot. They're just very athletic. One is a late foal, but super athletic and looks precocious. The other one was an earlier foal and very tall, leggy, just an exceptional individual. And one thing I see in both of them is a lot of class and quality, so that made us very excited. We've sent a mare back again, and a couple of mares back this year as well. One of those mares is a half-sister to Westover (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who had a very good year so far, and people will have seen him on t.v. So we're excited about the mares that we bred to him and the offspring that we've had so far and that we are expecting next year.”

“I followed him very closely from his first race on because we're close friends with the Lloyd- Webbers and with Simon Marsh,” said Farish, “so he was a horse I was particularly paying attention to. And, being an undefeated 2-year-old Group 1-winning champion, and being a champion at three, with his pedigree, he really checked so many boxes for us that we actually bought a breeding right in him when he retired. That's how much we thought of him. And we just we rarely ever do that with a European stallion.”

Lexington-based bloodstock agent Mike Ryan has bred to Too Darn Hot, and bred his same mares back to him a second time.

“I'm upset with myself that I didn't breed to him in his first year,” said Ryan. “I was asleep at the wheel. I bred two mares to him his second year. One aborted, and I have nice foal from the other. She is back in foal to him. She has a filly foal by her side and the mare that lost her foal is also in foal to him.”

Ryan said he liked what he saw on the track, as well as what he's seeing from his offspring.

“Too Darn Hot was a brilliant 2-year-old,” he said. “He was undefeated at two, showed a lot of precocity, and he was champion 2-year-old. He carried on his class and ability as a 3-year-old. He had great acceleration, which we need in American racing. He had very good tactical speed. You could put him anywhere in a race. He is a lot like Kingman (GB): brilliant speed, brilliant acceleration, fast-ground horses. And I'm hoping he's the next Kingman and that we can go over there and afford to buy some and continue to breed to him.”

Said Farish, “The ones I've seen are look a lot like him. They're very typey, very attractive. Very attractive heads and very correct. I remember when they first bought Darara, the second dam, and she was very well-conformed, very straight-legged. And he's a more sprinter-miler looking than some of the rest of the family. But they've all been very good looking and very correct.”

“He's a magnificent-looking horse,” added Ryan. “Beautiful quality, great shape, oozes presence and class. And I understand his foals are very, very nice, very much like him.”

Both American-based breeders said that the early support he has received from Watership Down, who bred and campaigned him, and from Darley, would prove critical to his success.

Darley photo

“He stood at a high early stud fee (£50,000 in year one and £45,000 in year two), and if he can stand for that and consistently get full books, it's a testament to how popular he is over there and how well Darley and Watership Down have supported him,” said Farish. “He's just got every chance. You know, he's not only had four books in the Northern Hemisphere, but also down in Australia as well.”

“Too Darn Hot got tremendous support from both Godolphin and Watership Down, who bred and raced him,” Ryan agreed. “It's a huge leg-up for a young horse to get the backing of those kind of mares, and it gives them every chance to succeed in his first and second crops, which is hugely important. Much like Frankel and Kingman–Juddmonte supported both those stallions very heavily. And we see the results today. They are two of the top stallions in Europe. So you can't do better than that. It's up to the horse then himself to see if he can do it.”

“Everybody always talks about checking all the boxes,” Farish added. “Well, he really does check all the boxes. He was a champion at two and three, he was speedy, has a great pedigree. You just can go on and on about all of his qualifications and that's the best you can do is to have all those things covered. And he really does.”

“I think he's one of the most exciting young stallions in the world, not just Europe,” Ryan concluded. “He's beautifully bred. He's got a tremendous race record. He has every qualification that you would look for in a young horse. I think the sky's the limit for him.”

At 20 years old, the race is on to find Dubawi's heir apparent at stud, and Gunther said that with any luck, Too Darn Hot may well fill that role.

“When we went to see him at the stud, when he retired to Darley, he was an impressive individual, particularly in that he took after his father,” she said. “You like to see a bit of the sire in his sons. I think the hopes would be very high that Too Darn Hot could potentially be his successor.”

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Acting Out Tops Keeneland April HORA Sale

Acting Out (Blame), who most recently caused a 6-1 upset of the Carousel S. at Oaklawn Park Apr. 2 (video), was hammered down to Bill Farish, acting as agent for his parents Will and Sarah, to lead the way at Friday's Keeneland April Horses of Racing Age Sale held following the conclusion of the closing-day program at the racetrack a handful of steps up the hill.

Previously trained by Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer for the ownership group of Sherman Racing Inc., Zivka Akin and Robert Hawkins, Acting Out won three of 10 starts in California and was placed in the Camila Urso S. sprinting on the turf at Golden Gate last year, but switched to the Arkansas oval this term and was a wire-to-wire allowance winner Mar. 11 before besting heavily favored 'TDN Rising Star' Frank's Rockette (Into Mischief) in the Carousel. She was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency as hip 23.

“She is a six-furlong specialist, so she will [continue] sprinting and hopefully be back here to [race in] the [GII] Thoroughbred Club of America S. in the fall,” said Farish. “We hope we can make some of the purchase price back [by racing her] before retiring her at the end of the year.

“When the catalog came out, she was one that just stood out in the catalog,” Farish added. “When we saw her–she looked fabulous, a beautiful mare, really correct. She looks like one who would have nice babies. [Her pedigree] goes back to a Stuart Janney III family, and we hope to breed her one day.”

Acting Out is out of a half-sister to Janney III's Grade III-winning turf mare Onus, also a daughter of Blame, and to the dam of the promising 3-year-old multiple graded-placed turf colt Limited Liability (Kitten's Joy), who flew home to win a grass allowance at Keeneland Apr. 16. The stakes-placed third dam Meghan's Joy (A.P. Indy) has left behind the likes of graded winners Ironicus (Distorted Humor), On Leave (War Front), Norumbega (Tiznow), Hunting (Coronado's Quest) and Quiet Harbor (Silver Deputy).

WATCH: Acting Out sells for $600,000 at Friday's Keeneland April Sale

The ELiTE-consigned Blue Devil (Uncle Mo) was the most coveted of the male racing prospects, selling to Rocket Ship Racing LLC, agent/William Denzik for $260,000. The 3-year-old was offered as hip 32 on behalf of his previous owners SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Siena Farm and Golconda Stable and trainer Rodolphe Brisset and made a favorable impression in his lone racetrack appearance to date, missing by a neck in a six-furlong maiden over the Turfway synthetic Apr. 2. The same connections were also represented by Blackadder (Quality Road) (hip 89), who was purchased by Claiborne Farm, agent, for $250,000. Hailing from a Stone Farm family, the colt holds an entry for the GI Preakness S. by virtue of his victory in the El Camino Real Derby Feb. 12.

Another Brisset trainee made his way down to the sales pavilion only hours after winning his maiden at the track a few hours earlier. Summer Anthem (Temple City) was offered by Gainesway, agent, as hip 104, and was snapped up by Kirk Wycoff's Three Diamonds Farm for $150,000 to continue his career. The 3-year-old gelding proved a tenacious winner of Friday's fourth race in a meet-fastest clocking for the 8 1/2-furlongs on turf.

Other offerings to have won during the meet and sold Friday were the I.C. Racing-consigned Shannon (Nyquist) (hip 100), who broke her maiden at 24-1 in an Apr. 22 turf sprint and was purchased for $240,000 by Hidden Brook, agent; and Atras (Astern {Aus}) (hip 102), a 3-year-old gelding who graduated by 2 1/2 lengths in an Apr. 23 turf sprint and fetched $150,000 from Clay Scherer.

As reported earlier, a share in Airdrie Stud's Upstart sold for $450,000 as the final hip up for bidding.

For the single-session auction, a total of 58 horses were reported as sold for $5,349,000, good for an average of $92,224 and a median price of $50,000. The 2021 event saw 37 horses sell for $2,440,000 for an average of $65,946 and a $45,000 median.

“From start to finish of the sale, the energy was strong and the enthusiasm at every level was really encouraging,” Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said. “Joining the race meet and sale and having them on one day really, really worked. The atmosphere was incredible with a real buzz. That's something we want to replicate and build on not just for the April Sale, but all sales moving forward.”

Added Keeneland's Director of Sales Cormac Breathnach: “It's so important to us to have the brick-and-mortar event built around the race meet and have the support we got up front from so many consignors and owners with really good horses. That first group–the 73 horses that were initially entered–really turned heads. We are incredibly grateful to them. That feeds into the race meet, and people see a chance to cash in or a chance to buy. And to be able to accommodate those horses that had run well during the meet in the sale showed our flexibility. To see it all come together is very rewarding.”

Keeneland will welcome buyers and sellers back to Lexington for its benchmark September Yearling Sale Sept. 12-23.

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Demand Strong at the Top of the Gulfstream Market

by Jessica Martini & Christie DeBernardis

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – A diverse buying bench vied for a select offering of juveniles during a rapid-fire three hours under the sunshine at the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Sale Wednesday afternoon. A filly from the first crop of Bolt d'Oro brought the day's highest bid when selling for $1.2 million to Spendthrift Farm. Consigned by Tom McCrocklin, the youngster was one of two to bring seven figures during the auction. Jamie McCalmont, bidding on behalf of Coolmore's M.V. Magnier, went to $1.1 million to acquire a colt by Justify from the Wavertree Stables consignment.

“We have been doing this a long time and today was indicative of a typical 2-year-old sale,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “The horses that worked well and vetted well, sold really, really well. There was a lot of interest in them. There was a diverse buying group. For the horses that missed the mark on one of those elements, it wasn't an easy day.”

Of the 103 juveniles catalogued to the boutique auction, 52 went through the sales ring Wednesday and 35 sold for a gross of $13,155,000. The average was $375,857 and the median was $300,000.

Spendthrift Farm purchased three of the day's top 10 lots and Magnier acquired another two. A strong domestic buying bench included the partnership of West Point Thoroughbreds and Lane's End Farm, as well as Frank Fletcher, Zedan Racing, Robert and Lawana Low and Repole Stable.

“I was pleased with the group of buyers that was in attendance and the level of activity,” Browning said. “It is no secret that we wish we had more horses here. We will work really hard to try and remedy that going forward.”

Last year, 67 juveniles sold for $25,360,000, an average of $378,507 and a median of $300,000.

“Overall, the market was very similar to what we experienced in 2021, which is healthy,” Browning said. “I think if we could lock in this market across the Thoroughbred industry through the rest of 2022, we would all say yes. It is a solid market with no real surprises.”

McCalmont agreed demand for the top offerings was high in Hallandale Wednesday.

“I think the right horses are making the right money,” he said. “There aren't as many horses as there normally are here, but if you've got the right horse, it brings plenty of money. I hope the sale will be here next year because Miami is a great destination for people to come to in the horse business, especially this time of year.”

The Fasig-Tipton team remained busy with post-sale transactions even as the auction stand in the Gulfstream paddock was being disassembled Wednesday.

“Post sales have been very active,” Browning said. “It is so hard to judge the value, particularly of a 2-year-old. It is not easy to set reserves. Sometimes sellers are optimistic, then reality sets in. Sometimes buyers get shut out and then circle back around to buy a horse. So there were no real surprises. No euphoria, no despair. We are looking forward to our next 2-year-old sale at Timonium with a 600-horse catalogue and a different feel. It will be the best catalogue we've had there.”

Bolt Filly Electrifies Fasig Gulfstream

For the second time this week, a filly from the first-crop of red- hot freshman sire Bolt d'Oro (hip 48) wowed the crowd at Gulfstream Park when bringing a final bid of $1.2 million from Spendthrift Farm. The sale-topping result came just two days after the filly zipped a quarter-mile in :20 2/5 during the auction's under-tack preview Monday.

“We have been hearing about this filly for a while,” Spendthrift General Manager Ned Toffey said after signing the ticket on the juvenile. “She prepped beautifully for the sale and Tom McCrocklin, we've already bought one from him, and he does a great job.”

The filly's bullet work was not a complete shock to the Spendthrift team.

“We'd been hearing good things and on game day she delivered,” Toffey said. “That was as good a breeze as we've seen in quite some time.”

The bay filly is out of Rich Love (Not For Love), a daughter of multiple stakes winner Richetta (Polis Numbers) and a half-sister to stakes winners Concealed Identity (Smarty Jones) and Peach of a Gal (Curlin).

“She's a big, imposing filly,” Toffey said. “She's classy and athletic looking and good minded. Nothing ruffled her feathers. She got shown constantly and never seemed to turn a hair and her energy level stayed good the whole time. So she had all the intangibles that you want to see, as well as the obvious things that she showed everybody.”

The sale topper continued a strong sales season for Spendthrift's Grade I-winning Bolt d'Oro, whose standout results at the OBS March sale included a $900,000 colt.

“I think they tend to look like the sire, which isn't necessarily important, but I think is a good thing in general,” Toffey said of his early impressions of the stallion's offspring. “They are just athletic and very good minded. We spent a lot of time looking at his first crop as weanlings and we were impressed right away. We got great feedback from breeders and we saw for ourselves–we bought a couple privately. In terms of what we've seen of his offspring from day one, it's just been really encouraging. I know that [Spendthrift founder] Mr. [B. Wayne] Hughes was really keen on landing some Bolts. So that is going to clearly continue.”

Spendthrift purchased three juveniles Wednesday at Gulfstream, going to $800,000 for a colt by Uncle Mo (hip 21) and $475,000 for a son of Curlin (hip 57).

The sale topper was consigned by Tom McCrocklin on behalf of Solana Beach Sales. Solana Beach, the pinhooking division of Little Red Feather Racing, purchased Rich Love, with the filly in utero, for $70,000 at the 2020 Keeneland January sale. Part of a foal share, the filly was sold for $80,000 as a weanling at that year's Keeneland November sale, but Solana Beach got her back when paying $85,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September sale.

“We bred the horse, we sold her as a weanling as part of another partnership,” explained Solana Beach's Gary Fenton. “Tom called us from Keeneland in September and said he wanted to buy her back. We said, 'If you want to buy her back, buy her back.”

McCrocklin was high on the filly all winter, according to Fenton.

“Tom did a fantastic job,” Fenton said. “He called us in late December and said, 'You have a really special horse.' This horse has not turned a hair and showed she was a special horse for a long time. And she went through all the progressions.”

Of the filly's lights-out work Monday, Fenton said, “It was the second work of the day and you could just hear everybody stop. We knew she was going to be fast, but we weren't expecting that fast. It was pretty great.” @JessMartiniTDN

Coolmore Secures Regally Bred Justify Colt

With undefeated Triple Crown winner Justify as his sire and GISW and producer Appealing Zophie (Successful Appeal) as his dam, it was no surprise when Hip 84 summoned $1.1 million in Gulfstream's paddock Wednesday. It was also no surprise to see bloodstock agent Jamie McCalmont signing the ticket on the striking bay on behalf of Coolmore's M.V. Magnier.

When asked what the Coolmore team liked about Hip 84, McCalmont said, “Everything.”

He continued, “We have seen a lot of Justifys. The word seems to be getting very strong on them. This one looks like more of a precocious type than some of them look, so you'd hope he'd be running in the summer. I have watched him train here for the last week and he hasn't put a hair wrong. He stood up to the sale well and we wanted to buy the horse.”

Bred by Barronstown Stud, hip 84 RNA'd for $290,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale last summer. The colt breezed in :10 flat for consignor Ciaran Dunne of Wavertree Stables despite a few antics.

“He jumped two shadows and still managed to go :10 flat and stay on his feet. That shows a lot of athleticism,” McCalmont said.

Len Riggio's My Meadowview purchased Grade I winner Appealing Zophie for $1.1 million at the 2007 FTKNOV sale. Her first black-type winner was Tapwrit (Tapit), who summoned $1.2 million at the Saratoga Sale and went on to win the 2017 GI Belmont S. The following year she produced MGSW & GISP Ride a Comet (Candy Ride (Arg), a $375,000 OBSAPR purchase. Two years later came SW & GSP 'TDN Rising Star' Inject (Frosted), $390,000 KEESEP buy. Sent back through the ring at FTKNOV in 2018, Appealing Zophie brought $1.2 million from Barronstown Stud, carrying a full-sister to Tapwrit now named Teasing, who was most recently third in a Gulfstream maiden special weight Mar. 13.

Towards the end of Wednesday's sale, McCalmont went to $575,000 on behalf of Magnier for hip 96, a son of Ashford Stud's Uncle Mo that was also offered by Wavertree. The bay, produced by a winning half-sister to leading sire Tapit, breezed an eighth of a mile in :9 3/5 Monday.

Acting as agent for Magnier, McCalmont signed the ticket at a sales-topping $2.6 million for a Wavertree-consigned son of Nyquist at last year's Gulfstream sale. —@CDeBernardisTDN

West Point, Lane's End Team Up Again

Always on the lookout for future stallion prospects, West Point Thoroughbreds and the Farish family's Lane's End Farm teamed up to purchase a strapping son of Medaglia d'Oro (hip 88) for $900,000 from the Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds consignment at Gulfstream Wednesday.

“He is by Medaglia and has a super pedigree, being a half to Constitution,” Bill Farish said of the juvenile's appeal as West Point's Terry Finley signed the ticket. “We saw him as a yearling on the farm and we graded him highly there. We were surprised he didn't bring more as a yearling, but he's a May 11 foal, so he has a lot of maturing to do. Terry and I loved him. It's exciting to get him.”

The dark bay colt was bred by Don Alberto Corporation, which bought out partner Bridlewood Farm on Baffled (Distorted Humor) with him in utero for $1.8 million at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton November sale.

Baffled is the dam of GI Florida Derby and GI Donn H. winner Constitution, as well as multiple group winner Boynton (More Than Ready).

“Absolutely,” Farish said when asked if the colt was bought for his stallion potential. “And he certainly fits that bill with his pedigree and his conformation. It's a fun partnership that we have on him. We'll see. Hopefully he will be a runner.”

The colt, who worked a furlong in :10 flat, was purchased by Hoby and Layna Kight for $225,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September sale on behalf of Marvin Boyd and Charlie Allen.

“That's getting up there for me,” Hoby Kight said Tuesday of the colt's yearling price. “That's a lot for me. And they have to have all the right parts when I stretch.”

The youngster will be trained by Shug McGaughey. @JessMartiniTDN

Spendthrift Strikes Early for Uncle Mo Colt

Spendthrift Farm is typically seen among the list of top buyers at auctions of all types throughout the year and the Kentucky-based operation made its presence felt early at Gulfstream, going to $800,000 for a colt by Uncle Mo (Hip 21).

“He is a nice colt and did everything right,” said Spendthrift's Ned Toffey after signing the ticket. “He is tremendously talented and looked the part. [Consignor] Tom [McCrocklin] does a great job getting them ready. He will go back to Spendthrift and get 30 days and go from there.”

The bay colt breezed in a snappy :20 3/5 for McCrocklin during the under-tack show.

“He is obviously very fast and he carried it well past the wire,” Toffey said. “He is a good mover and was well within himself.

Bred by Parks Investment Group, hip 21 was purchased by McCrocklin, who was acting on behalf of Champion Equine, for $250,000 at the the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Sale. His GSP dam Lady Tapit (Tapit) is a half to GISW Gozzip Girl (Dynaformer), as well as the dam of Argentinian Group 3 winners Gallileo's Town (Speightstown) and Gianella (Lizard Island). The deeper female family also includes Lotus Land (Point of Entry), a two-time winner at group level in Japan and narrowly runner-up in the G1 Takamatsunomiya Kinen Mar. 27. —@CDeBernardisTDN

Zedan Returns to the Well for Nyquist Colt

During last year's renewal of this auction, bloodstock agent Gary Young went to $1.7 million to secure a colt from the first crop of Gun Runner for Amr Zedan's Zedan Racing. Now named Taiba, that colt earned the 'TDN Rising Star' nod for his ultra-impressive debut at Santa Anita Mar. 5.

Young and Zedan were back in action at Gulfstream this year, going to $700,000 for a colt by Nyquist (hip 62). The colt will go to trainer Bob Baffert, who conditions Saturday's G1 Dubai World Cup winner Country Grammer (Tonalist) for Zedan, WinStar and Commonwealth Thoroughbreds, as well as Zedan's late GISW Medina Spirit (Protonico).

“I thought we'd have to give more for him than we did,” Young said. “I hope I feel the same way about six months from now.”

Classic Bloodstock bought the bay colt for $275,000, the third-highest price at Fasig's California Fall Yearlings and Horse of All Ages Sale, on behalf of Sasulito and Breckenridge. He breezed an eighth in :9 4/5 Monday at Gulfstream.

“I really liked his work,” Young said. “His push off behind and extension with his front legs was pretty faultless.”

Bred in California by Bud Petrosian, hip 62 is a half to stakes-placed There Goes Harvard (Will Take Charge). His dam Soul Crusader (Fusaichi Pegasus) is a half to Turkish champion Hakeem (Harlan's Holiday) and the dam of GISW Killer Graces (Congaree) and MGSW Chocolate Ride (Candy Ride {Arg}).

“I like this horse a lot,” Young said. “I don't think what you see right now is a finished product. We will give him time to fill out and I think he will fill out and become a beautiful horse.”

He continued, “We will discuss it with Mr. Zedan and Bob Baffert. He is the kind of horse that if everything went right, you'd want to get him to the races towards the end of the Del Mar meet or during the Santa Anita fall meet.” —@CDeBernardisTDN

Sharp Far From Unhappy

George Sharp refuses to call himself a pinhooker, but the owner was able to enjoy a profitable resale Wednesday at Gulfstream when selling a colt by Runhappy (hip 64) for $700,000 to the bid of bloodstock agent Donato Lanni, acting on behalf of Frank Fletcher. Sharp purchased the colt for $125,000 during a 12-yearling buying spree at last year's Keeneland September sale.

“There's nothing wrong with pinhooking, but for me this was just paying off the ones I am keeping,” Sharp, who entered 2022 with a class of 23 juveniles, explained. “I am ecstatic with this result and I would do this again next year where I buy a bunch and then try to sell a few off to pay for the ones I am keeping.”

While the $700,000 didn't complete Sharp's quest to pay off the 2-year-olds he is keeping this year, he still has more opportunities at upcoming sales.

“This was a nice sale, but it hasn't paid for the all the ones I've bought yet,” he said. “But I am selling a couple at OBS and probably at Timonium.”

The colt, who worked a furlong in :10 1/5 Monday, is out of Sue's Good News (Woodman) and is a half to Grade I winner Tiz Miz Sue (Tiznow). He was consigned by Niall Brennan.

“We were seriously considering pulling him from the sale,” Sharp admitted. [Trainer] Caio Caramori absolutely loved the horse. He actually asked me not to sell him. But part of this is a business and to achieve the goal of selling enough to pay for the other ones, we needed to sell.”

Lanni said the colt jumped through all the hoops this week in Florida.

“It's a 2-year-olds in training sale and these horses are under so much pressure to perform and come back and act like nothing happened,” Lanni said. “He had a really great breeze visually. He looked like a pretty laid back horse and he came back from the breeze really well.”

Lanni purchased maiden winner Happy Boy Rocket (Runhappy) for $490,000 at last year's OBS April sale on behalf of Fletcher.

“I like the sire,” Lanni said. “I think he's going to be really good. We bought a Runhappy for Frank last year that turned out to be a nice horse.”

Lanni continued, “When we try to buy one for Frank, Frank is the best. He is so game. He is an amazing guy to work for. He loves the action. He's game. He puts his money up and never complains. Not a lot of people know him, but he's an amazing human and he helps a lot of people out.” @JessMartiniTDN

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