Tag: Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale

Strong Opener to Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale

TIMONIUM, MD – The Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale got off to a strong start Monday in Timonium as it looks to follow up on a record-setting 2021 renewal.

“It was a very solid opening session to the sale,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “There was diverse bidding activity literally from buyers all around the world participating today. This has become a really solid marketplace where you can sell a quality horse, you can sell a state-bred horse. There was lots of activity at really all price ranges.”

A total of 172 juveniles sold Monday for a gross of $15,755,700. The average of $91,603 dipped slightly from the opening session of 2021, while the median was up 11.1% to $50,000.

Last year's record-setting auction concluded its two-day run with its highest average–$94,375–and highest median–$50,000.

With 59 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate Monday was 25.5%. It was 19% during the first session of the 2021 auction.

Bloodstock agent Donato Lanni, bidding on behalf of Michael Lund Petersen made the day's highest bid when going to $725,000 to acquire a filly from the first crop of GI Haskell Invitational winner Girvin. Monday's session topper was consigned by Paul Sharp.

“It's been tough all year,” Lanni said of the 2-year-old market. “It's been a crazy year. Good horses bring a lot of money and it doesn't matter who they are by, if they perform and they look like a racehorse. People want a racehorse. It's good to see the market be so strong.”

Sharp said the traditionally deep buying bench in Timonium can reward sellers.

“This sale has always been like that,” Sharp said. “If you have a horse that's kind of risen to the top, people are very excited about them. And it's a good buyer base. I like to bring meat and potato horses here, they seem to get looked at and do well here.”

The Midlantic sale continues with a final session beginning at 11 a.m. Tuesday.

Girvin Filly to Lund Petersen

Donato Lanni, bidding on behalf of Michael Lund Petersen, signed the ticket at $725,000 to acquire a filly from the first crop of GI Haskell Invitational winner Girvin (hip 88). The filly was consigned by Paul Sharp on behalf of Baltimore native John Davison. Erin Wismer purchased the filly on Davison's behalf for $90,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton July sale. She is out of Sweet Pistol (Smart Strike), a daughter of multiple graded stakes winner Pomeroys Pistol (Pomeroy) and a half-sister to multiple graded winner Thousand Words (Pioneerof the Nile).

“She was just a really cool filly,” Lanni said. “She had a lot of class. She did everything they asked her to do and she stayed pretty cool all the way through. I liked her a lot. I showed her to [trainer] Bob [Baffert] and Bob liked her as well.”

Girvin, who stands at Ocala Stud for $6,000, has had a solid spring of results in the sales ring with a half-dozen six-figure juveniles led by a $300,000 colt at the OBS Spring sale.

“I have been impressed by the Girvins I've seen,” Lanni said. “They look like they have speed and they look like they want to go two turns. This is a tough year for freshman sires because there are a lot of really good freshman sires. So he's against Justifys and Bolt d'Oros, but I've been impressed by what I've seen from him.”

Sharp agreed with Lanni's assessment of the offspring of Girvin he's seen.

“They kind of seem to have some class with some precocity,” Sharp said. “They are good-looking horses. They have some scope and look like they can get some distance, too.”

Lund Petersen purchased the top lot at the Midlantic sale in 2019 and 2020. He purchased champion Gamine (Into Mischief) for $1.8 million in 2019 and a $1.1-million son of Uncle Mo in 2020.

“Michael lives down the road and this sale has been lucky for him,” Lanni said. “He likes to be here and it's been fun to have him come to the sale. It's nice to see him be here in his backyard.”

Sharp admitted the filly's final price tag exceeded expectations.

“I had no idea she would bring that much,” Sharp said. “Coming in, we had pegged her at the $300,000 mark, after that we are only guessing. It's a guessing game about who feels the most passionate about the horse. There were several underbidders. And we are definitely thankful for them. Only one person can win, but they definitely never get enough credit, but I like to thank the underbidders.”

 

 

 

Wismer, Davison Form Winning Partnership

Bloodstock agent Erin Wismer and John Davison have turned a chance meeting at Fasig-Tipton a few years ago into a profitable partnership, never more so then when Davison sold a filly by Girvin for $725,000 Monday in Timonium. Wismer had picked the youngster out for Davison, paying $90,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton July sale.

“We met a couple years ago at Fasig-Tipton when we were both bidding on the same horse,” Wismer recalled. “We kept in touch for a couple of years. He is very passionate about the industry, but didn't know a lot about buying horses, so he asked if he came to the sales if I would teach him. He came to the sale and we just started looking at horses and I showed him what I like and what I don't. And he decided he was ready to buy one.”

The partnership's initial investment was a filly by Twirling Candy who was purchased for $40,000 at the 2020 Keeneland September sale. Returned to the ring last spring in Timonium, the filly (hip 468) sold for $200,000.

Hip 88 was Davison's second pinhooking prospect and Wismer admitted the filly's $725,000 exceeded all expectations.

“His wife calls it serendipity,” Wismer said of the partnership. “Because it was ironic that we met and it's ironic that we kept a friendship going, because he's from Baltimore and I'm from Lexington. It's kind of funny how it all happened.”

Asked what she liked about hip 88, who was bred by Airdrie Stud's Brereton Jones, last summer, Wismer explained, “My husband [Troy] works for Airdrie and I love buying Airdrie horses. I love the way they raise them. I had never seen this filly before the sale, but she just walked out and she was so classy and she seemed very intelligent. She had a lot of presence and she was a phenomenal mover.”

Wismer and Davison will be back in action Tuesday with a pair of pinhook prospects.

“We have a Good Magic colt (hip 384) and a Classic Empire filly (hip 556) in tomorrow,” Wismer said. “I love both of them, too.”

While Davison is new to the pinhooking game, his family has been breeding Thoroughbreds in Maryland for three generations.

“His grandfather and his mother have been racing in Maryland for a very long time,” Wismer said. “He is very passionate about Maryland racing.”

Spendthrift, Fletcher Team Up for Bolt Colt

The new partnership of Spendthrift Farm and Frank Fletcher, shut out at OBS last month, officially got started Monday in Timonium with the purchase of a colt by Bolt d'Oro (hip 30) for $675,000.

“He will probably go to [trainer] Brad Cox,” Spendthrift's Ned Toffey said. “We tried to get one or two down at OBS and couldn't get anything, but we are always looking for people to partner up with on colts. Frank is a quality guy who has been doing this for a long time. We are really honored to do something with him. We think we have the right colt.”

The partnership was quick to add a second juvenile to its roster when going to $340,000 to acquire a colt by GI Belmont S. winner Tapwrit (hip 47).

Hip 30 turned in a bullet :10 flat during last week's under-tack show and he is out of Shine Softly (Aldebaran), a daughter of champion Soaring Softly (Kris S.). He was consigned by Pike Racing and was purchased by Al Pike for $90,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale.

Monday's result continued the hot start to the stud career of Spendthrift's Bolt d'Oro, who has been in demand in the sales ring this spring and who has already been represented by a pair of winners on the racetrack.

“This is as good a start as you could ask for from a young sire,” Toffey said. “It is really remarkable how well they've been received, how they have performed at the sales so far, how they are already performing on the track. It's one thing to do it here, but he's got two winners already. You couldn't ask for him to get off to a better start.”

Toffey said hip 30 was typical of the Bolt d'Oros he has seen so far.

“They tend to have some stretch to them and stand over a lot of ground,” he said. “But they are just very athletic, that's the bottom line. We see athletes come in all shapes and sizes, these are big beautiful classy horses. But the things that you are seeing most of all is ability. This track will separate them a little bit. So if they are doing :10 flats, it's pretty strong.”

 

 

 

WinStar Gets Into Mischief

WinStar Farm's David Hanley signed the ticket at $600,000 to acquire a colt by Into Mischief (hip 70) from the de Meric Sales consignment at the Midlantic sale Monday. Out of multiple stakes winner and graded placed Stormy Regatta (Midshipman), the juvenile is a half to stakes winner Bay Storm (Kantharos). He was purchased by the de Merics for $250,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale and worked a furlong at the under-tack show in :10 1/5.

“He is a beautiful horse and I thought his breeze was one of the best breezes,” Hanley said of the colt's appeal. “He has beautiful balance, he's a beautiful mover and he's full of class. Elliott [Walden] really liked the videos on the horse, so we took a shot on him.”

Hanley signed the ticket on the colt on behalf of the partnership of WinStar's Maverick Racing, Siena Farm and Commonwealth.

“It's been strong right through. I think nothing has changed with that,” Hanley said of the 2-year-old market this spring. “But he's by a proven sire with a nice page, with A.P. Indy and Storm Cat down there, and out of a nice young mare. We were very happy to get him.”

West Strikes Early for Always Dreaming Colt

Bloodstock agent Jacob West struck early in the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale Monday morning, going to $550,000 to acquire a colt from the first crop of GI Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming (hip 11) on behalf of Robert and Lawana Low. The juvenile was consigned by Top Line Sales on behalf of Marc Tacher's Elusive Thoroughbreds, which purchased him for $40,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale. He worked a quarter-mile during last week's under-tack show in :21 2/5.

“I think at the end of the day, he was one of the most talented horses that we've seen in quite some time,” West said of Always Dreaming. “For him to have done what all he did in a short amount of time speaks to the merit of the racehorse he was. And this horse reminded me of him physically. And I thought his breeze was outstanding. He is a big horse that breezed really quick on a small track. He handled it very well. Historically speaking, if you look at the front and back covers of this catalogue, the horses that breeze well here and gallop out are the ones that live up to that hype. I am just hoping he is the next one to make the catalogue.”

Hip 11 is out of stakes winner Saritta (Indygo Shiner) and from the family of graded winners Called to Serve and Behrens.

West made his winning bid just minutes into the first session of the Midlantic sale, but he was expecting action at the auction would heat up quickly.

“I actually told Mr. Low we were going to have to strike early and strike hard because I think, as this sale picks up later today and tomorrow, we are going to see some fireworks. There are some very nice horses here and there is plenty of money walking around. The market has been strong all the way through. I know some people have gotten shut out on top horses. This was a top horse. We were happy to get him.”

Monday's bang-up result continued a strong spring of sales for Tacher.

“It was exactly what you saw today,” Tacher said when asked about the colt's appeal as a yearling. “Physically, he was very impressive and a correct colt. He is a big scopey colt who looks like a two-turn colt who looks like he can go on and do good things.”

Of the colt's yearling price tag, Tacher added, “I was surprised to get him for that. I thought he was going to go much higher. I was happy to get him for $40,000 because I'm always thinking about the 2-year-old sales.”

Asked how his pinhooking has gone this spring, Tacher said, “Fantastic. This has been a great year. Probably my best year.”

 

 

 

Ransom the Moon Colt Tops Big Day for Brewer

Robert Brewer enjoyed a string of pinhooking successes Monday in Timonium, led by a colt by Ransom the Moon (hip 94) who sold for $375,000 to B-4 Farms, LLC. The Texan had purchased the dark bay colt for $55,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton October sale.

“It was a good lick,” Brewer said of the result. “But with all the action that was on him, I thought he might bring more. I thought he could bring $300,000 to $500,000.”

Brewer also sold a colt by Good Samaritan (hip 135), purchased for $27,000 at Fasig October last fall, for $150,000 to Chad Schumer, as well as a filly by Cross Traffic (hip 270) for $150,000 to August Dawn Farm. Paul Neatherlin signed for the filly at $18,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale.

Brewer purchased a colt by Bolt d'Oro (hip 272) for $35,000 at the Fasig October sale and sold him Tuesday for $250,000 to Harmash Racing.

“I was excited when I was seeing how the Bolt d'Oros were selling,” Brewer admitted. “I knew I had a good one, so I knew I would do well with him.”

When Brewer is shopping for yearlings, he said the individual is paramount.

“An athlete,” he said succinctly when asked what he looks for in pinhooking prospects. “[The pedigree] kind of matters on the price, but I don't open my book until I find a horse.”

Asked to assess his Monday in Timonium, Brewer said, “It was good. I RNA'd a couple that shocked me a little bit, but I am getting them sold.”

 

The post Strong Opener to Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Lieblong, Asmussen Maiden Winners Impress at Oaklawn

Represented by a pair of flashy 3-year-old maiden winners at Oaklawn Park, owners Alex and JoAnn Lieblong have been on quite a nice run at their hometown track the past two weekends.

Favorite Outlaw (c, 3, Maclean's Music–Coco Belle, by Storm Boot) earned a 95 Beyer Speed Figure–the highest rating of any sophomore so far this season–after airing at second asking by 3 1/2 lengths for Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen going six furlongs Jan. 29 (video).

“We're very pleased,” said Alex Lieblong, who heads his own investment firm in Little Rock and is also chairman of the Arkansas Racing Commission. “That's what you want to see.”

Chasing from second through a sharp opening quarter in :21.81, Favorite Outlaw turned up the heat on the far turn and blasted for home once switching over in the stretch to win with authority while stopping the timer in 1:10.68. The 4-year-old Bob's Edge (Competitive Edge) covered the same distance in 1:10.50 three races later on the card while capturing the King Cotton S. Favorite Outlaw previously just got nipped by a nose after leading in the stretch on debut from the tricky one post at the same distance in Hot Springs Dec. 31.

“One thing I've learned about Steve, it doesn't take him long to decide if one is a sprinter or a router,” Lieblong said. “He wanted to nominate him for the Triple Crown and I said, 'OK, go ahead. If you think you could get him around two turns, it's going to get interesting.'”

Lieblong continued, “If you look at him, the thing that gets me, he's still such a baby. You think he'd be muscled up a little bit more, but he's not yet. He's a nice nice-looking horse, just not as defined as you would've thought by now, which is fine. Steve is doing a good job not pushing on him and just letting him do his thing. After we bought him, he spent part of the summer back down in Ocala at Bo Hunt's just to let him grow up a little bit.”

Favorite Outlaw brought $350,000 from the Lieblongs at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-old sale [breezed an eighth in :10], the fourth-most expensive of 24 juveniles to change hands by Maclean's Music in the ring last year. In addition to training the exceptionally fast Maclean's Music during his abbreviated racing career, Asmussen also campaigns the Hill 'n' Dale stallion's three-time Grade I winner Jackie's Warrior.

“Of course, it wasn't hard to talk Steve into a Maclean's Music,” Lieblong said with a laugh. “If you watch his [breeze] video, he didn't go in a straight line and bear down and he still had a quick time. If he ran straight, it would've been a lot quicker.”

Bred in Kentucky by Hill 'n' Dale Equine Holdings, Inc, Favorite Outlaw, an Apr. 26 foal, previously brought $12,000 as a KEENOV weanling and also RNA'd for $14,000 as a KEESEP yearling. Produced by the speedy Storm Boot mare Coco Belle, a three-time stakes winner and graded stakes-placed all around one turn, Favorite Outlaw is a half-brother to SW Cofactor (The Factor) and SP Coco Tiger (Twirling Candy). He is bred on a similar cross as Maclean's Music's GIII Gulfstream Park Sprint S. winner Classic Rock. Coco Belle brought a mere $11,000 from Gary and Mary West advisor Ben Glass at the 2020 KEENOV sale.

“If you look at his pedigree, I guess you'd say it leans toward the sprinting side,” said Lieblong, who has campaigned GISWs such as Embellish the Lace, The Big Beast and Wicked Whisper. “But that's what they said about Cigar and grass, too, so you just don't know.”

Hot and Sultry (f, 3, Speightster–Hot Water, by Medaglia d'Oro) also carried the Lieblongs blue-and-white silks to a razor sharp victory at second asking for Asmussen, swatting away pressure and graduating in front-running fashion by 3 3/4 lengths with an 89 Beyer Speed Figure going six furlongs at Oaklawn Jan. 23 (video). Like the aforementioned Favorite Outlaw, Hot and Sultry was a strong second on debut after drawing the dreaded one hole in the Oaklawn mud Dec. 18.

Bred in Kentucky by Cobalt Investments, LLC, the $475,000 KEESEP yearling purchase was the most expensive of 43 yearlings sold from the second crop of Speightster, who was relocated to Ontario for the 2022 breeding season. Out of the unraced Medaglia d'Oro mare Hot Water, Hot and Sultry is a half-sister to SW & GSP Tracksmith (Street Sense) and SP Tortuga (Bodemeister). Hot and Sultry's third dam is GISW and champion 3-year-old filly Xtra Heat (Dixieland Heat).

“She's just a gorgeous filly,” Lieblong said. “It was hard to hide her at the sale. Paying that much for a Speightster was probably not advisable, but just on her appearance and coming from a good consignor [Bluewater Sales], that marked all the boxes for us. We have always thought a lot of her.”

Looking ahead with his pair of promising 3-year-olds, Lieblong concluded, “Those two races [for Favorite Outlaw and Hot and Sultry] were pretty similar in a lot of ways. They both did it the way you want to and both came out of it good. We're tickled pink.”

The post Lieblong, Asmussen Maiden Winners Impress at Oaklawn appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Sunday’s Insights: Expensive Colt Looks To Maintain Sire’s Momentum

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency
3rd-DMR, $70k, Msw, 2yo, 5fT, post tme: 4:30 p.m. ET
Spendthrift Farm's Gormley (Malibu Moon) has gotten off to a flyer at stud, with 18 first-crop winners to his credit, and B DAWK will look to add to that total Sunday 'where the turf meeets the surf. A half-brother to SP Nicky Scissors, the May 21 foal was a $77,000 short yearling at Keeneland January last year before improving into a $140,000 KEESEP purchase. Joseph Besecker signed the ticket on the chestnut at $425,000 at this year's Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale (see below) and West Point Thoroughbreds, among the underbidders, struck a deal to partner on the colt. The hammer price was the second-priciest of his sire's 45 juveniles (52 ring) reported as sold this year. TJCIS PPs

 

The post Sunday’s Insights: Expensive Colt Looks To Maintain Sire’s Momentum appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Strong Bidding From Start-to-Finish at Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale

TIMONIUM, MD – After surviving the uncertainties of a pandemic-delayed 2020 renewal, the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale returned to its traditional May slot with a record-setting two days in Timonium. The auction concluded Tuesday with its highest-ever gross, average and median.

“It was huge. It was crazy good,” Midlantic Sales Director Paget Bennett said Tuesday evening. “People wanted horses and they fought to the end to get them. Even in the supplement, we still had a lot of strong results.”

Through two sessions, Fasig-Tipton sold 357 juveniles for a total of $33,692,000, bettering the previous record of $29,374,000 set in 2019. The average was $94,375, up 4.7% from the 2019 previous record figure of $90,104. The median of $50,000 bettered the mark of $45,000 set in 2015.

The 2020 renewal, which was held in June due to the pandemic, 303 horses sold for $23,572,500. The average was $77,797 and the median was $40,000.

With 69 horses reported not sold, the buy-back for the two-day sale was a sparkling 16.2%.

The auction's co-highest colt in history sold Monday when Terry Finley's West Point Thoroughbreds paid $1.5 million for a son of Quality Road. Vicki and Mike McGowan's Xtreme Racing Stables purchased the top lot of Tuesday's session, going to $625,000 to acquire a daughter of Tapit from the de Meric Sales consignment.

“It was a great market,” Tristan de Meric said. “It's been solid. It seems like it's carried on from the [OBS] April sale. It's good to see some strength in the market at all levels.”

While the juvenile sales muddled through the pandemic-plagued season a year ago, the demand for horses has come roaring back in 2021.

“We really didn't know what to think coming into this year, to be honest,” de Meric said. “We were expecting it to be better than 2020, but we didn't think it was going to be this much better. It's really been an outstanding year.”

Spendthrift Farm's Ned Toffey felt the record-setting energy in the Midlantic sales pavilion this week.

“This pavilion has been jam packed,” Toffey said. “I think it's been great. It kind of feels like there is this Covid rebound. People just want to get out. They have been cooped up and if they want to spend their money on a horse, I think it's a good thing.”

Tapit Filly for McGowens

Trainer Mac Robertson, bidding on behalf of Vicki and Mike McGowan's Xtreme Racing Stables, purchased a daughter of Tapit out of Grade I winner Gomo (Uncle Mo) (hip 492) for a session-topping $625,000 Tuesday in Timonium. The filly was consigned by De Meric Sales.

“I thought she was the best filly in the sale,” Robertson said after signing the ticket out back. “Mike and Vicki are looking for really good fillies. And I thought she had the best breeze (:10 1/5) and she's out of a Grade I horse by a sire that everybody wants. It made sense to me. We went a little more than we wanted, but the sale is strong.”

Based in Minnesota, the McGowans have been in racing for about six years now. They have been represented on the track by this year's Gazebo S. winner Sir Wellington, who they purchased for $55,000 at last year's Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training sale.

Hip 492 was bred by Bridlewood Farm, which purchased Gomo for $1.5 million at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton November sale. The juvenile RNA'd for $475,000 at this year's Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream sale after working a furlong in :10 2/5.

“She was a standout from day one,” said Tristan De Meric. “Unfortunately, we didn't get the job done in Miami, but she did everything right here. She even shaved a tick off her time from Miami. She just got better and better.”

 

 

Patience Pays off for Brennan

When Niall Brennan brought a son of first-crop sire Practical Joke into the Midlantic sale, he knew the youngster would not be among the fastest horses at the under-tack show, but the Irishman was hoping buyers would see all the potential he saw in the colt. Brennan, who purchased the colt for $85,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale, was rewarded when Spendthrift Farm's Ned Toffey saw off a determined Chuck Zacney to acquire hip 314 for $490,000 Tuesday in Timonium.

“We really loved the sire and when we were looking at the yearling sales, they were popular and they were selling really well,” Brennan said. “But this guy just seemed to fall through the cracks. He was average-sized and maybe just a little bit more of a plainer model, I guess.”

Brennan's team knew the colt would improve over the winter, but they were surprised by just how much he moved forward.

“We thought he would fit the pinhook model really well because we thought he would improve and furnish out nicely,” Brennan said. “And it turned out he grew an awful lot and that's why we had to point him to Maryland.”

The colt worked a furlong during last week's under-tack preview in :10 3/5.

 

 

“This horse hasn't had a lot of breezes,” Brennan said. “He only started breezing five or six weeks ago and we brought him along slowly. His breeze here was the first time he was asked to run and he worked in :10 3/5, but he galloped out beautifully. I am glad people looked at that because he's a tremendous horse.”

Hip 314 is out of April Snow (Candy Ride {Arg}), a half-sister to multiple Grade I winner Harmonius (Dynaformer) and to the dam of graded winner Into Chocolate (Into Mischief).

“The sire is pulling him right now, but he has a very nice pedigree and he's a beautiful-moving horse with a great profile,” Brennan said. “We think he has a great future. He's not a 'now' horse and he's a big growthy colt who needed time. Sometimes when you are patient and you give them that time, it pays off.”

Spendthrift's Ned Toffey saw a lot of the colt's grandsire, the farm's super sire Into Mischief, in the youngster.

“Obviously we are familiar with his grandsire,” Toffey said. “He's a big, athletic colt who had a really good breeze. Niall does a great job of not really putting the screws to these horses too much, so we felt like what we were buying, there was still more there. And that's certainly what we hope.”

Of the offspring of the much-hyped first-crop sire Practical Joke, Toffey said, “They do remind me of the Into Mischiefs. He's maybe putting more size on a lot of his. This is a big, strong colt. But they have certainly shown the same ability based on what we're seeing so far. A lot of these are performing really well at the 2-year-old sales, so hopefully that will continue.”

Gormley Stays Hot in Timonium

Juveniles by first-crop sire Gormley continued to be popular in the sales ring in Timonium Tuesday with bloodstock agent David Ingordo going to $450,000 to secure a son of the Spendthrift stallion (hip 417). The colt was consigned by Chris Seale's Bird in Hand Stables.

“He is going out to John Sherriffs in California,” Ingordo said. “He will run in some familiar silks.”

Sherriffs trained Gormley to wins in the 2016 GI FrontRunner S. and 2017 GI Santa Anita Derby.

“John trained Gormley and we very much like the sire,” Ingordo said. “This colt had class and presence about him the whole time. He was well-prepared by the consignor. He was really the one that I had been waiting around to buy.”

Bred by Candyland Farm, the bay colt RNA'd for $49,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton Midlantic October sale. The Maryland-bred is a half-brother to stakes-placed Jamaican Don (Freedom Child).

Gormley has already been represented by two winners on the racetrack. His son Headline Report, who sold with Eddie Woods for $550,000 at the OBS March Sale, graduated on debut at Keeneland Apr. 23.

“Gormley was a very good horse,” Ingordo said. “He maybe got lost a little in the shuffle and hype after he went to stud because of Practical Joke and Classic Empire. But he was a very good horse in his own right. We were very fond of him and lucky to support him. The one Eddie Woods sold that is already a winner was a beautiful colt and I'd rate this one as highly as that one. I have high hopes for him.”

Gormley, who stands at Spendthrift for $5,000, was represented by a $425,000 colt in Timonium Monday.

“He is carrying on the tradition,” said Spendthrift's Ned Toffey. “The Gormleys have been pretty impressive. We've been hearing great things from breeders right along. They have a lot of style to them. They have that substance that Malibu Moon always threw, but maybe just a little bit more refined. They look like athletes. He is two for three now with his 2-year-olds. So he's off to a great start. We couldn't ask for anything more.”

All Well That Ends Well for Hartley/DeRenzo

For consignors Randy Hartley and Dean DeRenzo, getting their colt by Classic Empire (hip 512) to the sales this spring proved to be an adventure from start to finish, but the story had a happy ending when the dark bay sold for $400,000 to the bid of bloodstock agents Alex Solis and Jason Litt.

“I had him for Miami and he had a little shin, so I had to give him some time and take care of his shins and he lost a couple of months,” Hartley said.

The colt's work during last week's under-tack preview was impeded when the saddle slipped under Susan Montanye.

“He was a little green and then the saddle slipped with Susan,” Hartley said. “I couldn't see from the backside what happened. I could see her standing up, but I really couldn't see until she came around the turn and she was hanging off the side of the horse.”

Despite the mishap, the colt, who Hartley/DeRenzo purchased for $160,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearling Showcase, completed his furlong drill in :10 2/5.

“He's been my favorite horse all winter and if he had gotten the workout right, who knows,” Hartley said. “He is just a beautiful horse, classy and so smart. He just got here and all of the commotion didn't bother him. He's just a cool horse.”

Hartley continued, “That's the first one they ever bought off us, so hopefully it will be lucky. They got a good buy on the colt, to be honest. Hopefully he can run and they'll be back buying off us again next year.”

 

 

Fast Start for Sterling Thoroughbreds

Carlos Estrada and Sarah Estrada-Brok are consigning 2-year-olds under the Sterling Thoroughbreds for the first time this year and safe to say the new venture is off to a promising start. The couple sold a colt by Brody's Cause (hip 370), purchased last fall for $6,000, for $290,000 to Larry Zap, as agent for Mike Mellen.

“We bought him out of Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October sale,” Sarah Estrada recalled. “I was at home and my husband said, 'Come look at this horse with me.' I came out and looked at him and I said, 'All right, let's do it.'”

Of what appealed to him about the colt, Carlos Estrada said, “He had great balance with a big walk. I fell in love with him. I said, 'I want to have him.' He RNA'd at the sale and I bought him privately after that.”

The chestnut colt is out of Candy d'Oro (Johannesburg), a half-sister to graded placed Julia Tuttle (Giant's Causeway), dam of Grade I winner Tom's D'Etat (Smart Strike).

“There were a few little baby issues on the X-rays, but we knew it was something we could work with and he would grow out of mostly and he did,” Sarah said of the colt's bargain price last fall. “He was just about squeaky clean here.”

The chestnut colt turned in a furlong work in :10 2/5, but the Estradas were keeping their expectations in check.

“Coming in we were thinking $40,000,” Sarah admitted. “So he beyond exceeded our expectations. The first two days we didn't get much traffic through there. Then after the Preakness, people started showing up and more and more of the right people showed up to look at him. We were excited, but we still weren't thinking almost $300,000.”

The final price was a highwater mark in the young couple's consigning career. Asked what it was like to watch the colt sell, Sarah said, “I think my heart stopped for a minute.”

As for what their future plans are, Sarah said, “Definitely more pinhooking. This was kind of a test this year to see how we did and clearly we did all right. We have five yearlings to sell at the yearling sales and we will see if we can pick one or two yearlings up and take them to the 2-year-old sales.”

 

The post Strong Bidding From Start-to-Finish at Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Source of original post

Verified by MonsterInsights