Two-Year-Old Colt Awesome Strong Tops F-T May Digital Selected Sale

Fasig-Tipton's May Digital Selected Sale closed Tuesday afternoon with impressive 2-year-old debut winner Awesome Strong (Awesome Slew) topping the sale, bringing $500,000 from Bill Childs. He was consigned as Hip 24 from the draft of Elena Racing, agent.

The Florida-bred colt won by an eye-catching six lengths on debut for Elena Racing, Inc. and trainer Jorge Delgado at Gulfstream Park May 6 in an open maiden special weight. Awesome Strong is from the first crop of Awesome Slew out of the Pleasant Tap mare Pleasant Ring. That mare is a full sister to stakes winner and graded stakes producer Pleasant Chimes. Pleasant Ring has produced six winners to date, including multiple stakes winner Bad Debt (Grand Reward), a multiple graded stakes placed earner of $838,000.

Three-year-old Sareeha (Ire) (Shamardal) (Hip 10) was the leading racing/broodmare prospect offered, selling for $150,000 to Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners. The filly was consigned by Carriganog Racing (Joseph O'Brien). Placed in her second career start Apr. 23 at Limerick, Sareeha is daughter of European champion Shamardal out of the winning Dansili (GB) mare Saraha (GB).

“We believe a good horse can come from anywhere, at any time,” Eclipse's Aron Wellman said. “Sareeha is a filly who was on our radar as a potential private purchase in Ireland after her race last month, so when she was entered in the Digital Sale, it made sense for us to monitor her status. The world is getting smaller by the day, especially in our industry, so we cannot rule out any avenue by which horses can be acquired. We were able to connect with Joseph O'Brien, who trains for Eclipse in Ireland, which made it a bit more comfortable. That said, the process was seamless and the technology was user friendly. We applaud Fasig's willingness to be innovative and we certainly hope Sareeha is a success story for the program sooner rather than later.”

At the close of active bidding, 13 horses sold for $1,150,000, good for an average of $88,500. The median was $60,000. There were 120 bidders registered for the sale. Each offering attracted at least five unique bidders. Prospective buyers placed 609 cumulative bids, averaging better than 25 bids per horse.

Buyers may still make offers on horses that failed to meet their reserve by visiting the sale page, then clicking “Make Offer” next to the horse they are interested in purchasing.

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Con Lima Suffers Fatal Stall Injury

Con Lima (Commissioner), the multiple-graded stakes winning mare last seen winning the GIII Saratoga Oaks last August, suffered an injury in her stall at WinStar Farm in Lexington, Kentucky Wednesday night and was euthanized, according to a Tweet from her owners, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners.

Eclipse's Aron Wellman said that the 4-year-old filly was at WinStar preparing for a return to racing and to her trainer Todd Pletcher.

“We're devastated to report Con Lima suffered a catastrophic injury in her stall last night and had to be euthanized,” the Tweet read. “Con Lima epitomized all that was good about thoroughbred racehorses and our heart goes out to her, our partners, her breeders and all who cared for this grand gal.”

Wellman called her “one of a kind.”

In an impressive run in 2021, Con Lima reeled off wins in the Honey Ryder S., Ginger Brew S., GIII Herecomesthebride S., GIII Wonder Again S., and the GIII Saratoga Oaks Invitational S., her last start. All of her black-type wins were on the turf. She was second in the GI Belmont Oaks Invitational.

Con Lima was a $15,000 Keeneland November weanling who failed to meet her reserve at the 2019 September sale and again at 2020 OBS March.

But she showed she was special right from the start, winning by over five lengths in her second start on the dirt at Gulfstream at two. Switched to the turf after her fourth start, she went on to make eight starts on the grass, winning six of them, five of them in black-type events.

“She really captured people's hearts because of where she came from and what she was able to accomplish,” said Wellman. “I'm not sure we've seen many who were able to produce a campaign like she did from age 2 to 3. She was a real throwback, an iron filly who did it at the highest level in the real world.”

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Hidden Connection Must Overcome Draw in Rachel Alexandra

No fewer than three fillies (Untapable, 2014; Monomoy Girl, 2018; and Serengeti Empress, 2019) have used a victory in the GII Rachel Alexandra S. Presented by Fasig-Tipton as a springboard to success in the GI Kentucky Oaks, won so impressively by Rachel Alexandra in 2009. A field of 11 sophomore females will face the starter in Saturday's renewal looking to continue on the road to Louisville on the first Friday in May.

Hidden Connection (Connect) has been made the 3-1 morning-line favorite, a starting price likely inflated by her draw nearest the stands. Not that she hasn't dealt with that type of adversity before–she overcame the eight hole in a field of eight to graduate by 7 1/2 lengths on her 5 1/2-furlong debut at Colonial Aug. 17 and validated that performance with a 9 1/4-length thrashing of her rivals in the GIII Pocahotas S. Sept. 18 at Churchill, where she had gate nine of 10. While she left there running those first two starts, she bobbled at the break of the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies and never reached contention, finishing a distant fourth. The dark bay will look to give trainer Bret Calhoun a fourth winner of the race and first since Summer Applause (Harlan's Holiday) scored in 2012.

Trainer Doug O'Neill is always to be taken seriously when shipping horses into the Big Easy and is represented here by Reddam Racing's Awake At Midnyte (Nyquist). A debut winner sprinting at Santa Anita on Halloween, the $320,000 Fasig-Tipton Florida grad missed by a nose in the GIII Jimmy Durante S. going a grassy mile at Del Mar Nov. 27, but atoned with a sharp runner-up effort in the seven-furlong GII Santa Ynez S. Jan. 8. Mario Gutierrez is likely to ask for some speed from the 7-2 morning-line second pick.

Divine Huntress (Divining Rod) easily accounted for a field of Parx maidens going seven panels Dec. 13 following which Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners bought into the Maryland-bred filly. Prohibitively favored for a first-level allowance going an extended mile at the Bensalem oval Jan. 19, she took over at will with about 2 1/2 furlongs to race and shot away to score by nearly 13 lengths while never being asked to run. Jose Ortiz sees fit to take the call for trainer Graham Motion.

North County (Not This Time) is perfect in three starts to date, including a neck success in the Dec. 26 Untapable S., while the rail-drawn La Crete (Medaglia d'Oro–Cavorting) looks to add to her latest score in the Jan. 22 Silverbulletday S.

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Nest Takes Off with Suncoast Victory

With a third place effort in the Tempted S. Nov. 5 at Belmont Park the only blemish to her otherwise perfect four race record, Nest used her neck victory Dec. 4 in the GII Demoiselle S. as a springboard into the winner's circle here.

Carrying great expectations as the 1-5 overwhelming favorite, Nest briefly drifted out after the break, but went into the first turn comfortably stalking from third to the outside of the field. Glued to Alittleloveandluck (Arrogate) as the pair tracked a frontrunner through a moderate pace in :24.52 and a half in :49.29, they left the early leader behind coming off the final turn. Nest found her best stride by the final sixteenth, spurting clear to a geared down six length victory.

The winner is a full-sister to GI Santa Anita H. winner Idol as well as a half to stakes placed Dr Jack (Pioneerof the Nile). Marion Ravenwood, a half to sire Abstraction (Pulpit), has three stakes winners from five foals to race. Purchased by Ashview Farm for $400,000 at 2017 Keeneland November, the mare's offspring have justifiably been sought after in the auction ring: Total Cooperation (Tiznow) bringing $525,000, Idol bringing $375,000, and Nest dropping the hammer at $350,000, all at Keeneland's September sale. The 2-year-old half-brother by Violence named Lost Ark recently brought $275,000 from Steven Young as a yearling. Marion Ravenwood was barren last year, and is expecting a foal this season after visiting both Curlin and Quality Road. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

SUNCOAST S., $100,000, Tampa Bay Downs, 2-12, 3yo, f, 1m 40y, 1:39.30, ft.
1–NEST, 124, f, 3, by Curlin
1st Dam: Marion Ravenwood (SW, $112,598), by A.P. Indy
2nd Dam: Andujar, by Quiet American
3rd Dam: Nureyev's Best, by Nureyev
($350,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Repole Stable, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and House, Michael; B-Ashview Farm; Colts Neck Stables (KY); T-Todd A. Pletcher; J-Irad Ortiz, Jr..$60,000. Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-1, $265,000. *Full to Idol,GISW, $416,964.
2–Alittleloveandluck, 122, f, 3, Arrogate–Points of Grace, by Point Given. ($135,000 RNA Ylg '20 KEESEP). O/T-Michael Dini; B-Helen Barbazon & Joseph Barbazon (FL). $20,000.
3–Blamethechampagne, 118, f, 3, Candy Ride (Arg)–Quippery, by Forest Wildcat. ($210,000 Ylg '20 KEESEP). 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Six Column Stables, LLC, Bloch, Randall L., Gladden, Jim, Riverview Racing, et al.; B-Popatop, LLC (KY); T-Ian R. Wilkes.$10,000.
Margins: 6, 3 1/4, NK. Odds: 0.30, 4.50, 32.20.
Also Ran: Ha' Penny, Princess Elin, Peaceful Surprise, Mining Chrome. Scratched: Mirth 'n Merriment.

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