The Week in Review: Takeaways from Justify-Scopolamine Verdict, and Other Thoughts

The long-running battle to decide whether or not Justify (Scat Daddy) should have been disqualified from his win in the 2018 GI Santa Anita Derby seems to have come to a conclusion last week when the team representing Mick Ruis, the owner and trainer of runner-up Bolt d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro), obtained an order from Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff, directing the California Horse Racing Board Stewards to set aside their Dec. 9, 2020 decision and issue a new ruling disqualifying Justify from the 2018 Santa Anita Derby. With the ruling, Bolt d'Oro has been declared the winner.

At issue was a report in the New York Times that revealed that Justify had tested positive for the substance scopolamine in the Santa Anita Derby. At the time, scopolamine was on a list of substances that, when found in a horses's system, required that the horse be disqualified. According to reports and Ruis's lawyer, the CHRB acted on recommendations from then-executive director Rick Baedeker and equine medical director Dr. Rick Arthur. It was their call that Justify should not be disqualified because the positive test was the result of contamination linked to jimson weed.

Had the New York Times not broken the story some 17 months after the Santa Anita Derby, probably, no one would have ever known that the horse had tested positive. Once the story was brought to light, Ruis went to work and hired attorney Darrell Vienna. Ruis stood to make $400,000, the difference between first and second-place money in the $1-million Santa Anita Derby.

There are, however, a few remaining questions:

1) Is this the final word or may there be still more appeals and fights in the courts?

“There is the potential for appeal,” Vienna said. “My understanding of the judge's order is that the stewards must now issue an order to disqualify Justify. There's the potential that the stewards' ruling can't be appealed. That's kind of confusing because they're under the order of the court. Now, is there going to be an appeal to the judgment of the Superior Court judge. They could appeal to the stewards, the court, one or the other or both. Hopefully, there will be no more appeals and we can just move on.”

2) All of the qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby that Justify picked up came from the Santa Anita Derby. Had the California stewards disqualified him from that race and did so in a timely manner, he would not have been eligible to run in the Kentucky Derby and obviously wouldn't have won the Triple Crown. Do the owners of the horses who finished behind Justify in the Triple Crown races have a case and could, say, Good Magic (Curlin) eventually be declared the winner of the 2018 Derby?

“I don't think so,” Vienna said. “I am aware of a case in California in which there was the appeal of a winner of a race who had subsequently been disqualified from a qualifying race that got him into the race he won. In that case, the California courts held that the horse's eligibility was determined at time of nomination and participation. Under those circumstances, I don't believe there will be any change in the order of the Kentucky Derby or the other Triple Crown races.”

A spokesperson for Churchill Downs told Horseracing Nation that the track has no plans to alter the result of the 2018 Derby.

3) How did this ever become the mess that it did? And why didn't the CHRB follow its own rules?

Vienna maintains that if the California Horse Racing Board followed it own rules the case would have been cut and dried and dealt with promptly. He maintains that the rules were simple and not open to interpretation. He says that any horse that tested positive for a prohibited substance had to be disqualified.

“It's all very simple,” he said. “All they had to do was follow their own rules. There was never any real determination of what happened after the closed session. The closed session lacked finality and lacked all the indices of true decision making.  There was no notice to the involved parties. There were no witnesses. All you had was Dr. Rick Arthur making the argument that scopolamine was the result of contamination. The problem is the rules in California at the time called for the disqualification of a horse who was positive for a prohibited substance that was in classes 2 through 3, which scopolamine was. They could have correctly absolved Mr. Baffert or any one else of any responsibility and still under law be required to disqualify the horse. That was the gist of our case. That's all we ever asked for. Our case was based solely on the fact that there was prohibited medication in that horse's system and, as a result of that, the rules called for the horse to be disqualified. I don't think it was very confusing at all.”

4) The process dragged on for some 4 1/2 years and if not for the New York Times report, it may never have been known that Justify tested plosive for the substance. Was the CHRB trying to sweep this under the rug?

“I think that is the case,” Vienna said. “In one executive session, they were provided with one side of the story and they wanted it to go away. There is a process in California law that provides for dismissal of a complaint, but if you look at the history of the statute in California it really applies to charges against a trainer and not the dismissal of a disqualification. That would conflict with another statute in California that says that no horse can benefit if they are carrying a degree of a substance in his system.

“Mick, like all of us is worn out, but he is pleased. This happened in 2018 and no one knew anything about it until 2019. That's a tremendously long journey for something. It could have been settled right away if horse racing board simply decided to follow their owns rules.”

Can Full-Brothers Win the Derby Back to Back?

With his win in the GII Remsen S., Dornoch (Good Magic) is on his way to the GI Kentucky Derby, where will try to pull off something that has never been done. He is a full-bother to GI 2023 Kentucky Derby winner Mage and siblings, either full-brothers or half-brothers, have never teamed up to win the Derby.

To show just how difficult that feat is, take Secretariat. His dam, Somethingroyal, produced four foals who made it to the races after Secretariat. They combined to win three races with total earnings of $38,241.

There have been a couple of dams who produced more than one win in a Triple Crown races. Thanks to research done by Randy Moss of NBC Sports, we know that the dam Leisure produced two Preakness winners in Royal Tourist (1908) and Holiday (1914). Better Than Honour was the dam of 2006 GI Belmont S. winner Jazil (Seeking the Gold) and 2007 winner Rags to Riches (A.P. Indy).

As for Dornoch, a lot will have to go right for him to win the 2024 Derby, but at this point in the game, he's far ahead of where Mage was at the same point. The Remsen was Dornoch's fourth career start and with the Remsen, he has added a graded stakes win to his record. Mage didn't start until Jan. 28 of this 3-year-old year and had not won a stakes race coming into the Kentucky Derby.

Noble Indy Makes It Home

Remember the story of Noble Indy (Take Charge Indy), the winner of the 2018 GII Louisiana Derby? He never ran back to that race and wound up being sent to Puerto Rico, where racing can often lead to the worst possible outcomes. Well, Fred Hart, who owned the dam of Noble Indy, Noble Maz (Storm Boot) was determined to bring him back home. Working together with Caribbean Thoroughbred Aftercare Inc., he has made that happen and Noble Indy landed at Old Friends last week. It's worth noting that Mike Repole and WinStar Farms, who were two of his owners during his prime racing days, foot the costs required to transport the horse back to the U.S. It's good to see owners accept the responsibilities that come with providing a good life for their horses after their careers are over.

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Court Orders Disqualification of Justify’s Santa Anita Derby Win

A decision may have finally been reached in the long-standing legal skirmish over the results of the 2018 GI Santa Anita Derby, won by Justify (Scat Daddy), according to a release issued Friday afternoon by the connections of Ruis Racing, who campaigned runner-up Bolt d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro). Ruis Racing has sought a disqualification of Justify by the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB), as the winner tested positive for scopolamine following the race.

After it was revealed in a report that Justify had tested positive for scopolamine, Ruis began that quest to have the result of the race overturned with Bolt d'Oro declared the winner. Ruis alleged that the CHRB failed to follow its own rules when it decided not to pursue penalties after Justify's positive test. The CHRB acted on recommendations from then-executive director Rick Baedeker and equine medical director Dr. Rick Arthur. It was their call that Justify should not be disqualified because the positive test was the result of contamination linked to jimson weed.

The lack of disqualification at the time was especially significant as the qualifying 'Road to the Kentucky Derby' points Justify earned from his win in the Santa Anita Derby–his first career stakes start–made him eligible for the GI Kentucky Derby a month later. He not only won the Kentucky Derby, but went on to win the Triple Crown as well. Justify, a 'TDN Rising Star' conditioned by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, was raced at that time for the partnership of China Horse Club, Head of Plains Partners LLC, Starlight Racing, and WinStar Farm, while Bolt d'Oro was trained for Ruis Racing LLC by Mick Ruis.

The statement, in its entirety, follows:

“Ruis Racing LLC announced today a significant legal victory against the California Horse Racing Board. Represented by attorneys Carlo Fisco and Darrell Vienna, Ruis Racing LLC obtained an order from Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff directing the California Horse Racing Board Stewards to set aside their December 9, 2020 decision and issue a new ruling disqualifying Justify from the 2018 Santa Anita Derby.

“The Steward had originally ruled that they lacked jurisdiction to conduct a Disqualification Hearing in this matter. The Court disagreed and stated in its decision that there is “no reason for remand” as there is “no doubt” the Stewards would have disqualified Justify if they understood that they had the authority to do so.

“Today's decision supports the longstanding California Horse Racing Board rule that any horse racing with a prohibited substance in its system must be disqualified and the purse redistributed.”

TDN was able to option a copy of the ruling, which appears here. The following is found in the ruling's conclusion:

“As the Stewards have already determined what the result would be if they could reach the issue of disqualification on the evidence before them, the court will issue a writ directing the Stewards to set aside their December 9, 2020 decision and Remand Decision and to make a new order disqualifying Justify. Based on the twice-stated clear position of the Stewards, the court finds there is “no reason for remand” of the matter as there is “no real doubt” the Stewards would have disqualified Justify if they understood that Respondent provided them with such authority when Respondent filed the complaint against the Justify Parties.”

According to CHRB spokesperson Mike Marten, the agency has not yet decided whether to appeal the ruling, and there was no further comment on a “pending legal matter.”

Attorney Darrell Vienna, representing Ruis, said that Justify's connections theoretically could also appeal the ruling, “even though this suit was simply between Mick Ruis, under Ruis Racing LLC, versus the California Horse Racing Board.”

Ruis also has a separate civil case pending against the CHRB seeking monetary damages. That case is also filed in the Los Angeles County Superior Court.

“They don't run in parallel. I think if we had lost this case it would have been very problematic for the civil case,” said Vienna.

“We don't have a direct claim against Justify's people,” added Vienna. “The awards and what we want has to come from the CHRB. If they want to chase down Justify's owners for the funds, they can do that. We're not going to do that.”

A footnote in the judge's ruling criticizes the CHRB for entering into a settlement agreement with Ruis, for a stewards purse DQ hearing on the Santa Anita Derby. The stewards subsequently claimed they had no jurisdiction on the matter as it had already been decided–a decision the board then concurred with.

“It strains credulity that a state agency would enter into a settlement agreement providing the other party with illusory relief. That is, why would Respondent settle litigation with Petitioner knowing its complaint could not (as a legal matter) be adjudicated. To the extent the agency did mislead Petitioner, equitable estoppel would likely preclude the agency from depriving the other party with the benefit of its bargain,” the ruling states.

According to Vienna, “we were enticed to enter into an agreement that was not going to be honored.”

Because of the qualifying points system in place for the Kentucky Derby, Justify's berth in that year's contest was incumbent upon his running first or second in the Santa Anita Derby.

When asked if the ruling puts into question Justify's Kentucky Derby win, therefore, Vienna pointed to a similar case he had previously litigated “in which a horse's eligibility was valid until it was disproven.”

“At the time of the running of the Derby, Justify was eligible based on the then-pending decision,” said Vienna. “Subsequently today, that decision was overturned. But at the time he participated in the Derby he had, for all intents and purposes, achieved the right to run in the Derby.”

Vienna added, “if the board had done what they should have done in the first place, he would have been disqualified, and that issue of whether he had enough points for the Derby would have been decided back then.”

Said Vienna, “There's no question that Justify's a very good horse and a great sire, and that Bolt d'Oro's a good horse and a great sire.”

He added, “I'd like to see everybody get back to racing and not fighting.”

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A Pair of Queens for King’s Equine

ARCADIA, CA – As the unbeaten Tamara (Bolt d'Oro) looks to emulate her legendary dam Beholder (Henny Hughes) with a win in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, the duo have something else in common that you won't be able to find in Friday's program at Santa Anita.

Before heading out to join Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella in Southern California, they were both broken and trained on behalf of Spendthrift Farm at Raul and Martha Reyes's King's Equine in Ocala, Florida.

Like mother, like daughter?

“Actually, Tamara was a little different as a yearling than Beholder was,” Raul Reyes said. “Tamara was a little bit more of a rebel. She was a little harder to break for a couple of weeks–she had her own mind. Then, she changed and became a regular filly. On the other side, Beholder was very pleasant all the time. She never gave you any trouble.”

Reyes continued, “Beholder was a little more stocky and had more muscle. Tamara has really filled out since Mandella has had her.”

Tamara is the fourth foal produced by the four-time champion and three-time Breeders' Cup winner. Beholder's first two offspring–Q B One (g, 5, by Uncle Mo) and Karin With an I (f, 4, by Curlin)–failed to find the winner's circle and were a combined 0-for-6 at the races. Tamara's 3-year-old half-sister Teena Ella (War Front), winner of this spring's grassy GIII Senorita S. at Santa Anita, became Beholder's first winner as a broodmare in February.

Beholder's yearling colt by Curlin, meanwhile, brought a sale-topping $4 million from Zedan Racing at Fasig-Tipton's Saratoga Sale this summer. Barren for 2023, Beholder was covered by Jackie's Warrior for next season.

Tamara, ears up, toying with the competition in the GI Del Mar Debutante S. | Benoit

Reyes and Mandella would often chat about and compare notes on Beholder's offspring during Mandella's visits to King's Equine, Reyes said. Mandella has trained all of Beholder's progeny to date.

“I told him that I didn't know how good this filly (Tamara) was going to be, but she sure was better than her siblings,” Reyes said. “I broke all of Beholder's (offspring) and Tamara looked more racey. She breezed way better than all of them–way way better. She used to outrun the company when I used to breeze her here. The filly before her (Teena Ella) won a Grade III and she was O.K. But Tamara was exceptional. We didn't know that she'd go on and win these races like that. But she was the best one of the siblings by far.”

Carrying the namesake of B. Wayne Hughes's daughter–sounds like the folks at Spendthrift concurred with Reyes's assessment–Tamara overcame a stumble at the start from her rail draw to launch her career in style with a 'TDN Rising Star' performance at Del Mar Aug. 19.

Tamara ran to the billing as the 6-5 favorite and then some with a 6 3/4-length tour de force over 11 rivals in the GI FanDuel Racing Del Mar Debutante S. Sept. 9, good for a 91 Beyer Speed Figure. Tamara will be heavily favored as she tries two turns for the first time in the Juvenile Fillies. She has been installed as the 4-5 morning-line favorite.

“The way she runs, she makes you think that she's gonna be alright,” Reyes said.

Beholder seeks to become the fifth Breeders' Cup winner to also produce a winner at the two-day Championships.

Living the American Dream…

Growing up a mile from the racetrack in his native Tijuana, Mexico, Reyes wanted to follow in the footsteps of his older brother, a quarter horse jockey in Texas. Reyes began working on the backstretch at the tender age of 10 back in 1975–yes, you read that correctly–and just six years later, began to pursue his career in the saddle in California.

“I came to the United States and worked for a couple of good trainers, but I was too big to be a jockey,” Reyes said. “I had to quit riding when I was like 20. It was hard for me because I couldn't speak English very well. Can you imagine? It's hard enough for an American kid to make it here.”

King's Equine's Raul Reyes | Fasig-Tipton

Reyes subsequently relocated to Florida to begin training and caught his big break while working the yearling sales for Taylor Made in Kentucky. Everything began to fall into place from there.

“They gave me the opportunity of a lifetime,” Reyes said. “That opened my eyes. I learned how to sell horses and how to deal with people. I must say, my friend (Taylor Made's Vice President of Sales) Frank Taylor, he's the one who really made it happen for me. He introduced me to all these good people–the biggest clients in the world all come to Taylor Made. And then I met Wayne. That's really how I got started.”

Wayne, of course, is B. Wayne Hughes, the late founder of Spendthrift Farm who passed away in 2021.

“We became pretty good friends,” Reyes said. “And we've had pretty good success together. They are great people to work with.”

Reyes typically trains approximately 100 head at his 84-acre training center and is also a leading consignor at the 2-year-old-in-training sales. Spendthrift Farm has been a client of his for nearly two decades now.

“We try to keep it simple,” Reyes said. “It can get very complicated if you start looking for ways to do it differently. People have been doing this for a 100 years. They say the good things don't change.”

In addition to Beholder and Tamara, other King's Equine training graduates include: champion Letruska (Super Saver); MGISW Miss Temple City (Temple City); GI Breeders' Cup Sprint winner Silver Train (Old Trieste); and GISWs Jimmy Creed (Distorted Humor) and Hit the Road (More Than Ready).

King's Equine's 2-year-old sale alumni include: GISW Beyond Brilliant (Twirling Candy) ($200,000 2yo '20 EASMAY); MGSW millionaire Stanford (Malibu Moon) ($550,000 2yo '14 BARMAR); MGSW Kanthaka (Jimmy Creed) ($140,000 2yo '17 BARMAR); and GSW and GI Breeders' Cup Sprint runner-up Shancelot (Shanghai Bobby) ($245,000 2yo '18 OBSMAR).

“I've been in Ocala for 25 years already,” Reyes said. “This is a place that's been very good to me. That's a lot of good seasons that I've had here now.”

Reyes's 2023 season is about to get even better at 2:40 p.m. PT on Friday afternoon.

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‘Solid Sale Getting Better Every Year:’ Fasig-Tipton October Sale Concludes

LEXINGTON, KY – The Fasig-Tipton October Yearlings Sale concluded Thursday with a solid renewal which very nearly kept pace with its record-setting 2022 version even in the midst of a softening yearling market and a backdrop of uncertainty in the global economy and geo-political landscape.

“It was a very successful 2023 Fasig-Tipton October sale,” Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning, Jr. said after the last horse went through the ring Thursday evening. “The results were very similar to last year and very similar to the 2021 results, which is pretty remarkable when you consider everything that is happening in the world that we live in, from the economy to some of the challenges our industry has faced. To have 1,600 horses on offer the last four days and to be standing in the back walking ring with five horses to go and it is full of people and there is enthusiasm and activity, it shows the resiliency of our industry.”

Through four sessions, 1,064 yearlings grossed $51,120,000. The average of $48,045 dipped 4.6% from last year's record figure and the median of $24,000 was down 4.0% from another 2022 record.

The buy-back rate was 21.5%. It was 18.7% a year ago.

“The good news for all consignors is that, if you have a late-maturing horse, or a horse that has a little bit of an issue, you can bring that horse here. Can this sale support a very good horse? The answer is absolutely, positively, yes. I think this sale has established itself on the calendar as a very legit sale, one that you have to attend and participate in, whether you are a buyer or a seller. We look forward to continued growth and continued great graduates coming from this sale.”

Ocala horseman Karl Keegan made the highest bid of Thursday's final session of the auction, going to $330,000 to acquire a colt by Bolt d'Oro from the Knockgriffin Farm consignment.

Denali Stud consigned the second and third highest prices of the session, with Mike Ryan going to $310,000 for a son of Into Mischief and Jacob West going to $275,000 on behalf of Mike Repole for a daughter of Curlin.

Hip 1441, the Curlin filly bought for Mike Repole | Fasig-Tipton

The auction was a case of feast or famine, according to Denali's Conrad Bandoroff.

“When you lead a horse up here, you are in one of two positions,” Bandoroff said. “You are either coming up for a horse sale or you are coming up for a funeral. I think this market is highlighting the polarization. If you have one that is a quality individual who vets, there is a good market for it. If you have a horse that doesn't vet or doesn't have the commercial physical, it's going to be a difficult market and you've got to be realistic about it. But that could also be the definition of a fair market as well. We are having a good sale. We've been fortunate that we've had some good horses here and the good horses are selling well.”

Ryan, who purchased 10 yearlings for $2,195,000 during the auction, found plenty of competition for the yearlings he followed up to the ring.

“We were runner-up quite a bit, too,” Ryan said. “We were getting hammered. But we do feel like we got some quality at good value. It is the last stop and there are a lot of horses here. You have to look at a lot of horses to find the ones you want. But there are some nice pedigrees here. And obviously there is money here for the good ones. It's a solid sale and it's getting better every year.”

Keegan Stretches for Bolt d'Oro Colt

Looking to play at the upper echelon of the pinhooking game, Karl Keegan of Lucan Bloodstock stretched to $310,000 to acquire a colt by Bolt d'Oro (hip 1575) late in Thursday's final session of the Fasig-Tipton October sale.

Karl Keegan | Fasig-Tipton

“We are going to pinhook the horse,” Keegan said after signing the ticket on the bay colt. “It seems like all of these sales–especially the 2-year-old sales–are going to the upper end of the market, so we are trying to buy really, really good physicals by good stallions and hopefully it works out back in the springtime.”

The colt is out of Whirl (Curlin), a full-sister to graded winner Pacific Wind and a half to multiple graded winner Strike a Deal (Smart Strike). Consigned by Jim FitzGerald's Knockgriffin Farm, he was purchased for $145,000 at last year's Keeneland November sale and RNA'd for $240,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale in August.

“He was an outstanding physical,” Keegan said of the yearling. “He was at Saratoga and it looked like he went through a bad patch there. They took him back and gave him some time. And he really blossomed and showed himself well here. He's an exciting prospect for Lucan Bloodstock.”

Keegan admitted he had gone past his initial budget for the youngster.

“We were at $150,000 to $175,000, but my guy stretched,” Keegan said. “This was the only horse I wanted to walk away from the sale with. And my guy stood in and supported me.”

Lucan Bloodstock also purchased a colt by Tom's d'Etat (hip 1332) for $80,000 and a colt by Outwork (hip 1573) for $15,000.

Keegan said there was plenty of competition for the pinhooking prospects he was shopping for.

“It was very strong for the horses I was on,” Keegan said. “I came up here trying to buy these physicals to be in the upper echelon of the market at the 2-year-old sales. Those horses were really hard to buy.”

Ryan Strikes for Into Mischief Colt

Bloodstock agent Mike Ryan, busy all week at the Fasig-Tipton October sale, made his highest-priced purchase of the four-day auction Thursday, going to $320,000 to acquire a colt by Into Mischief (hip 1482).

Mike Ryan | Fasig-Tipton

“He's a beautifully bred horse,” Ryan said of the yearling. “He's going to be a two-turn horse. He has plenty of size and stretch and scope for an Into Mischief. He's got a serious pedigree. If he can perform on the racetrack, he's got a lot of appeal as a stallion.”

The bay colt, bred by My Meadowview and consigned by Denali Stud, is out of multiple graded stakes winner Tin Type Gal (Tapit), who is a daughter of Grade I winner Miss Shop (Deputy Minister).

“They are averaging $750,000 for the yearlings,” Ryan said of Into Mischief's knockout season at the sales this fall. “The median is $525,000. So this [final price of $320,000] is less than half the average. Of course it's the end of the year, but this horse has a lot of upside if he can perform.”

Curlin Filly to Repole

Mike Repole, who along with his partners will send champion Nest (Curlin) through the sales ring at Fasig-Tipton in a week and a half, restocked with another filly by Curlin Thursday at Newtown Paddocks when bloodstock agent Jacob West made a final bid of $275,000 to acquire hip 1441. The gray filly was consigned by Denali Stud on behalf of Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings.

Jacob West | Fasig-Tipton

“Mike has had a little bit of success with Curlin through the years,” West said after signing the ticket on the yearling. “It's the old saying, if it's not broke, don't fix it. She was just a beautiful filly and has the pedigree, through and through.”

The yearling is out of Tapping Pearl (Tapit), a daughter of Cat Dancer (Storm Cat) and a half-sister to Grade I winner Drill (Lawyer Ron).

West, on behalf of Repole, as well as other clients, has purchased six yearlings this week in Lexington.

“The market is incredibly harsh right now,” West said. “If you don't have the pedigree and the physical and the vetting, you get crucified. I feel bad for the breeders because I know how much work it takes to get them up to this ring. That's the unfortunate side of our business right now. It's incredibly polarizing. I don't see it changing for the foreseeable future.”

The polarized market has allowed him to find some bargains this week, West agreed.

“The first day of the sale, we bought a Quality Road filly for $3,000 and we bought a Gun Runner colt for $42,000,” he said. “They were just horses that the market didn't perceive to be what they wanted and they fell through the cracks. We had done our homework and due diligence and picked them up.

“The Quality Road filly had some significant vet issues, but $3,000 for a Quality Road filly, you're going to take a chance. The Gun Runner colt was just a backward horse. He didn't have the physical that everyone was looking for here. But for all of Mike's purposes, he will be patient on a horse like that, let him grow up and fill out. If he goes on and wins a big race, everybody will say, 'How the hell did they buy him for $42,000?' If you are willing to sacrifice on one of those things, you can find some bargains here.”

West concluded, “I'd say there are going to be some really good runners that come out of this sale. There are every year. It doesn't always have to be the sale topper that you land on.”

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