Grade 2 Winner Bodhicitta Tops Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Winter Mixed Sale Opener

Inclement weather postponed the first session of the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Winter Mixed sale by a day, but the level of activity Tuesday in Lexington, Ky., proved worth the wait. A healthy market for broodmares, racing and broodmare prospects, and short yearlings showed itself in vibrant first-session results.

Grade 2 winner Bodhicitta (GB) (Hip 177) topped Tuesday's session when sold for $450,000 to K I Farm (video).

The 6-year-old daughter of Showcasing (GB) was offered as a racing/broodmare prospect by St George Sales, agent. Bodhicitta won the Grade 2 Yellow Ribbon Handicap at Del Mar at foiur and placed in back-to-back editions of the G1 Gamely Stakes at Santa Anita at four and five. Bodhicitta has earned $370,808 to date. She was campaigned by owner Calvin Nguyen and trainer Richard Baltas.

“The market's healthy right now,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “There's a vibrancy to it. (It's) a very encouraging market for short yearlings (with) great demand for both in-foal mares and broodmare prospects. Just a tremendously healthy market.”

Hip 42, a colt from the second crop of multiple Grade 1 winner City of Light, sold for $260,000 to lead the short yearling contingent (video).

The dark bay or brown colt was purchased by Peter Pugh, agent for Cherry Knoll from the consignment of Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent. Hip 42 is a half-brother to stakes placed winner Eloquent Speaker (Flatter) out of the unraced Broken Vow mare Spoken Now Broken, from the immediate family of Grade 1 winner Behrens. The colt was bred in New York by John W. Hertrich III and John D. Fielding.

The session's highest-priced broodmare came in the form of Cocktail Party (Hip 218), sold for $240,000 to Dash C. Goff from the consignment of James B. Keogh (Grovendale), agent (video).

The 7-year-old winning daughter of Mizzen Mast was sold carrying her second foal, by Liam's Map. The gray or roan mare is a full sister to multiple stakes winner, graded stakes placed Barrier Reef and a half-sister to nine other winners. Cocktail Party hails from the immediate family of champion Kiss A Native and Grade 1 winner Yes It's True.

Hip 38, a filly by last year's champion first-crop sire Gun Runner, sold for $225,000 to round out the session's top four prices (video).

The bay filly was purchased by Stock Thoroughbreds LLC from the consignment of Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent. Hip 38 is the second foal out of Sororitysweetheart (Discreetly Mine), a full sister to stakes winner Classy Class. The filly was bred in Pennsylvania by Forgotten Land Investment Inc.

“The fireworks are always going to take care of themselves,” Browning said when asked about the session's top sellers. “The fireworks are great, but it's the trading of 90 percent of the horses that walk through here (that's promising). The base and backbone of the industry is being able to support the men and women that are in the trenches. There's a lot of good horses tomorrow as well.”

During Tuesday's opening session, 198 horses sold for $6,598,800. The average was $33,327, up 13.3 percent over the two-day sale average in 2021, while the median rose 45 percent to $14,500 from $10,000. The session RNA rate was 16.1 percent.

The Kentucky Winter Mixed sale resumes Wednesday at 10 a.m. Results are available online.

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Santa Anita Trio Finishes Preparations For Pegasus World Cup Day Turf Races

Three Santa Anita-based horses finished final preparations for a pair of graded stakes to be run this Saturday on Pegasus World Cup Day at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla.

Trainer Dan Blacker's Hit the Road drilled five furlongs on turf prior to Sunday's Santa Anita races, as did the Richard Baltas-trained Bob and Jackie, both in preparation for the Grade 1, $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational, while the Baltas-trained Bodhiccta went the same distance while readying for Gulfstream's G3, $500,000 Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf.

All three came onto Santa Anita's one-mile main track via the quarter mile chute at about 11:45 a.m. and worked separately over the turf oval.

The G1 stakes-winning Hit the Road drilled five furlongs under assistant trainer and regular exercise rider Juan Landeros in 1:01.42 in what appeared to be a maintenance move.  In his penultimate Pegasus work last Sunday, the 5-year-old horse by More Than Ready smoked five furlongs on turf in in 58.42.

Bob and Jackie, a winner of the G3 San Gabriel Stakes at Santa Anita on Dec. 26, was the first horse on the turf and he went three furlongs in 35.80 en route to a final clocking of 59.77 under Jose Valdivia, Jr.

A 6-year-old horse by Twirling Candy, Bob and Jackie, a four-time stakes winner, will be looking for his second graded stakes win.

Bodhicitta, a 6-year-old English-bred mare, broke off about three furlongs behind her stablemate and worked five furlongs in preparation for the G3, $500,000 Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf with Umberto Rispoli up in 59.61.

The G1, $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational heads a total of seven graded stakes on Saturday at Gulfstream Park and will feature a showdown between presumptive Horse of the Year Knicks Go and recent G1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Life Is Good.

Santa Anita will offer three graded stakes on Saturday, the G2, $200,000 San Vicente, the G3, $200,000 Palos Verdes and the G3, $100,000 Megahertz.

First post time on Saturday at Santa Anita will be at 12:30 p.m. PT. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

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Hit The Road, Bodhicitta Prep At Santa Anita For Pegasus World Cup Day Races

Trainer Dan Blacker's Grade 1 stakes winning Hit the Road and the Richard Baltas-conditioned Bodhicitta, a Grade 2 winner, both worked over the Santa Anita turf late Sunday morning in preparation for major stakes engagements at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., on Pegasus World Cup Invitational Day, Jan. 29.

Hit the Road, a 5-year-old horse by More Than Ready, and Bodhicitta, a 6-year-old English-bred mare, came on Santa Anita's main track via the quarter mile chute at 11:42 and back-tracked around to the finish line, where they then came onto the turf and proceeded to the clubhouse turn.

Hit the Road, with Umberto Rispoli up, was a winner of the G1 Frank E. Kilroe Mile (turf) at Santa Anita on March 6, 2021, and was most recently a close third in the G2 City of Hope Mile on turf at Santa Anita on Oct. 2.  A winner of six races from 12 starts and $563,751, Hit the Road is prepping for the G1, $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational at 1 1/8 miles.

With Bodhicitta taking the lead, Hit the Road came onto the turf course about an eighth of a mile behind her and cantered with his pony near the outside fence to the 5 ½-furlong pole, where he shifted down to the rail and in an aggressive move, was in full stride at the five-furlong marker.  Clocked by Santa Anita track timer Dane Nelson going three furlongs in 36.14, he finished up five eighths of a mile in 58.42.

Owned by D K Racing, Radley Equine, Inc., Taste of Victory Stables, Tony Maslowski and Dave Odmark, Hit the Road has two graded stakes wins and five overall added money victories on grass included among a lifetime mark of 12-6-0-2.

Bodhicitta, who was ridden by Jose Valdivia Jr. and prepping for the G3, $500,000 Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf Invitational at 1 1/16 miles,  remained well in front of Hit the Road and hit the half-mile pole running in an equally aggressive move.  Clocked the first quarter mile in 24.17, she finished up her half mile drill in 47.11.

A winner of the G2 Yellow Ribbon Handicap at Del Mar Aug. 8, 2020, Bodhicitta, made her first seven starts in Ireland and all four of her wins from 22 overall starts have come with Baltas in Southern California.  Owned by Calvin Nguyen, Bodhicitta has banked $364,808.

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Cal-Bred Mucho Unusual Back To Defend Her Title In Robert J. Frankel Stakes

A dominant figure over the course, George Krikorian's homebred Mucho Unusual is back to defend her title in Saturday's Grade 3, $100,000 Robert J. Frankel Stakes as seven older fillies and mares go a mile and one eighth over the Santa Anita lawn.

A soon-to-be 6-year-old California-bred mare by Mucho Macho Man out of Krikorian's Unusual Heat mare Not Unusual, Mucho Unusual, a Grade 1 winner and four-time overall graded stakes winner for trainer Tim Yakteen, is a remarkable 12-6-3-3 over the local turf and sports a 22-8-5-4 overall mark with earnings of $933,415.

Idle since prevailing by a nose at 3-5 in a mile and one eighth allowance here on Oct. 30, Mucho Unusual will be reunited with John Velazquez who guided her to her Robert J. Frankel victory five starts back.

Trainer Richard Baltas is well-armed with a pair of distaffers, LNJ Foxwoods' improving Luck and Calvin Nguyen's English-bred Bodhicitta.

A 4-year-old filly by Kitten's Joy, Luck was two for four in France at marathon distances prior to taking her U.S. debut for Baltas going a mile and one sixteenth on turf in a first condition allowance Aug. 7 at Del Mar. Subsequently second, beaten a head in her last two races, the G1 Rodeo Drive at a mile and one quarter on turf here Oct. 2 and in the G3 Red Carpet Handicap at 1 3/8 miles on grass Nov. 25 at Del Mar, Luck has been knocking on the door and will hope to barrel through with Flavien Prat back aboard for the third consecutive time on Saturday.

Winless in her last six starts, the most recent a sixth place finish in the G1 Matriarch at one mile on turf Nov. 28, Bodhicitta will hope to be flying from off the pace under Kent Desormeaux.

THE GRADE 3 ROBERT J. FRANKEL STAKES WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 8 of 10 Approximate post time 3:30 p.m. PT

  1. Bodhicitta—Kent Desormeaux—121
  2. Mucho Unusual—John Velazquez—123
  3. England's Rose—Victor Espinoza—123
  4. Moraz—Juan Hernandez—121
  5. Sloane Garden—Kyle Frey—121
  6. Global Brand—Umberto Rispoli—121
  7. Luck—Flavien Prat—121

Special early first post time for a 10-race card including four graded stakes, is at 12 noon. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com or call (626) 574-RACE.

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