Fasig-Tipton Midlantic | Horse Racing Free Tips

Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Mixed Catalog Online

A total of 204 horses of all ages, including broodmares, yearlings and weanlings, have been cataloged for the main section of the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Mixed Sale to be held Tuesday, Dec. 8, at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium.

“As the last mixed sale of the calendar year, Midlantic December annually provides quality buying opportunities for both regional and national breeding and racing operations,” said Midlantic Director of Sales Paget Bennett. “This year’s catalogue offers large groups of in-foal mares and weanlings that should be attractive draws to prospective buyers.”

For the fourth consecutive year, the sale will include a Horses of Racing Age supplement, for which the company has already accepted 50 horses. Entries remain open for the supplement through Friday, Nov. 13.

“The Horses of Racing Age supplement has become an exciting component of this sale, providing buyers and sellers a proven venue to trade racehorses in our Midlantic-rich racing region,” noted Bennett.

Click here to view the online catalog. Print catalogs will be available later this week and the sale will feature online and phone bidding. The catalog will also be available in the equineline sales catalog app.

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Sandin Out to a Flyer With Pico d’Oro

Gerry Sandin, who grew up near Bay Meadows Racetrack and played Little League with future trainer Bill Morey, always knew he wanted to own racehorses one day. The California native finally made the dream a reality when he purchased a son of Curlin at the OBS March 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale this year and he was cheering the colt on from his Bay Area home when Pico d’Oro became his first winner while breaking his maiden in stakes company in the Runhappy Juvenile S. at Ellis Park Sunday.

“That was my first win and it happened to be a stakes win,” Sandin, a global operations manager for Apple, said while still savoring the victory Monday afternoon. “It was a pleasant surprise–I was on a high for the second half of Sunday, it was tough to go to sleep last night.”

Sandin traces his love of racing back some three decades to time spent at Bay Meadows as a kid.

“My uncle used to work at the front gate at Bay Meadows, so before I was even of legal age, he would let me in,” Sandin recalled. “I would go watch them in the paddock, I would handicap them, learned to read the Daily Racing Form and Andy Beyer’s Speed Figures. The first time I was there at Bay Meadows and saw those horses turning for home and the thundering as they were charging down the stretch, I was hooked.”

Sandin didn’t have to look far to find a trainer when he was ready to buy a horse, even if he did eschew his longtime friend’s initial advice.

“Billy Morey and I are old friends,” Sandin said. “We grew up right around the corner from one another in the California Bay area. His dad was a [CTBA] Hall of Fame trainer [William Morey, Jr.] in Northern California. Billy and I played Little League together and I always knew that he would follow in his father’s footsteps in a training career. He always told me the best way to get involved was just to buy a piece of a horse so you could understand the operational side of this business. I never invested early on, but just last year he made the move out to Lexington and I was ready to make my initial investment as a solo operator.”

Of the decision to forego a partnership, Sandin explained, “I wanted to make sure we did it the right way. As a solo operator, you get to call all of the shots, you get to pick your races and everything else.”

The two friends traveled to Ocala in March and purchased a pair of juveniles, first going to $255,000 to acquire Pico d’Oro (hip 241) and then going to $35,000 for a daughter of Malibu Moon (hip 530) now named Luna Tigress.

By Curlin out of Michelle d’Oro (Bernardini), a daughter of multiple Grade I winner Champagne d’Oro (Medaglia d’Oro), Pico d’Oro was an easy choice for Sandin.

“One of the first horses that I saw at Bay Meadows was A.P. Indy,” Sandin explained. “I saw him race there and I’ve always been enamored with the A.P. Indy bloodlines. Most of the horses that I do buy will somewhere have that bloodline in them because I’m a huge fan. With Pico especially, the cross between Curlin and a Bernardini mare, to me, is the best nick in the business.”

Pico d’Oro came in slightly under Sandin’s budget at OBS, but bidding didn’t go without some anxious moments.

“Pico came through the ring and I started bidding on him,” Sandin said. “My initial bid was $235,000 and someone got over me at $245,000 and I went to $255,000 and the announcer is saying, ‘Going once, going twice…’ and then the color commentator guy interrupts and says, ‘Folks, we have a son of Curlin here, you really ought to pay more for this horse.’ And I am thinking, ‘What are you doing? Drop the gavel! Drop the gavel!’ My heart was beating 1,000 beats a minute. Luckily, nobody bid further. I only had a budget of $300,000. So I had a little more room, but not a lot. If a couple more people had gotten interested and it quickly escalated up another $100,000, I would have been out.”

Following a troubled late-closing runner-up effort behind Medicine Tail (Kantharos) in a six-furlong maiden special weight at Ellis Park in July, Morey had picked out some potential maiden races for Pico d’Oro’s next start, but Sandin had more ambitious plans.

“Billy came up to me with the maiden special weight races that were three weeks out and fit with the timing of his recovery and when he would be ready next,” Sandin said. “I looked at him and I said, ‘OK, but what about the Ellis Juvenile? I think Pico could have run past Medicine Tail in that race when we were blocked, but I also think, given another furlong, it will be better for him.’ So we nominated him and then we saw how the field came up. Nobody was overly scary to us and I thought we had a good chance. The race seemed overloaded with speedster types and Pico stalks and pounces. I thought it set up well for us.”

Pico d’Oro got off to a slow start in the seven-furlong Juvenile and Sandin admitted he was initially worried his plans had gone awry.

“When I saw the start, I was a little nervous because he generally doesn’t drop that far back,” Sandin said. “But it was all speed, so it was our plan to relax him early and let him finish. When I saw that first quarter in :22 and change, I was like, ‘All right, they are beating each other up up front. This is going to work well for us.’ And he slowly started to make his move going into the turn and picking horses off one by one and towards the end of the turn when he swung past a wall of horses, I thought he was looking good, he was guaranteed at least second. Medicine Tail had built a three- or four-length lead going into the top of the stretch, but I thought as long as we could keep the clear room on the outside, I knew Pico would keep coming. It was a long stretch run and he really bore down there under a little left-handed urging from Joe [Talamo] and he got him in the last sixteenth and kept drawing away.”

Pico d’Oro could make his next start in the graded stakes ranks.

“We are looking forward to stretching him out another furlong,” Sandin said. “I think we are probably going to target the [GIII] Iroquois S. at Churchill on Derby Day for his next appearance.”

In addition to his two OBS March purchases, Sandin also acquired Bronze Beast (Will Take Charge) (hip 427) for $60,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale.

“Luna Tigress had a chip in her knee and had to have surgery,” Sandin said. “She is just about to start training and hopefully she will be ready to race in late September. Bronze Beast is just starting training and just like Luna we are hoping to get him out for an initial race in late September.”

Sandin doesn’t have a specific target number of horses for his racing stable, but does plan on a long-term investment in the sport. And he may be active at the upcoming yearling sales.

“I may end up going with Billy to the September yearling sales,” Sandin said. “But we are definitely look to invest every year at the 2-year-olds in training sales. I have had success with the 2-year-olds with Pico, but I like buying horses based on pedigrees more than works. For me the pedigree is what I’m looking for. Year to year, we are going to have to take a look at yearlings and 2-year-olds in training sales.”

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Market Proves Resilient in Timonium

TIMONIUM, MD – The Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, delayed two months due to the coronavirus pandemic, opened Monday with trepidation in the air, but the clouds of fear and doubt dissipated and, for two days at least, there was a feeling of a return to normalcy in the industry. The auction featured solid demand for horses at all levels and concluded with a remarkable 19.2% buy-back rate.

“We had a terrific day Monday and I said I hoped and prayed that we could keep the momentum going and the RNA rate at a low or acceptable range,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “Overall, we are just thrilled with the activity that we’ve observed the last two days. I think it restores some confidence among our buyers and sellers. It proved to us that there remains a legitimate viable marketplace out there. The resiliency in the industry continues to be on display.”

At the conclusion of the sale, 303 horses sold for $23,572,500. The average of $77,797 fell 13.7% from last year’s record-setting figure of $90,104 and the median dipped 7% to $40,000. But this is one year in which the success of the sale likely goes beyond the raw numbers.

“When we started the process last week, there was fear in people’s eyes,” Browning said. “There was legitimate fear for their livelihoods. And if you look at them today, the fear has been transformed into relief. ‘Thank God, I was able to sell horses.’ It probably won’t be the most lucrative year financially for many pinhookers, but I think the survival rate at the end of the day will be dramatically higher than many would have assumed 60 days ago.”

The two-day sale was topped by a $1.1-million son of Uncle Mo who sold to Michael Lund Petersen during Monday’s opening session. Tuesday’s session was topped by a colt by Candy Ride (Arg) who sold for $875,000 to bloodstock agent Gary Young. The juvenile was consigned by Ciaran Dunne’s Wavertree Stable.

“I think the market has been solid,” Dunne said Tuesday. “All of the big buyers have been here and they’ve shopped it hard. We’ve had some [horses] that were disappointments, but we’ve had more that surpassed expectations.”

Of the auction’s success under difficult and uncertain conditions, Dunne said, “The thing about horse people is that we’re eternal optimists, no matter what they throw in our faces. And you have to be because horses will try to disappoint you at every level. So you learn to roll with the punches pretty good. I think that’s what we are seeing from everyone, from owners to agents and trainers, everybody is trying to make the most of it and trying to conduct their business like we’re going to have a future. Which we will.”

Consignor Cary Frommer enjoyed a standout auction, with 19 juveniles sold for $2,396,000 and an average of $126,105. Her consignment was led by a $600,000 son of Flatter who sold Tuesday. The results made up for all the precautions and social distancing at the sales grounds this week.

“I can’t be complaining about my mask right now,” Frommer said with a laugh. “The market is definitely strong for the right horse. I am never surprised when a good horse brings a lot of money, but I am surprised when some of the horses you were worried about bring good prices. And that’s what seems to be happening, at least with me.”

The Midlantic sale had been originally scheduled for mid-May and its place on the calendar was in doubt as recently as Memorial Day. Browning gave credit to Fasig-Tipton’s Midlantic team for the successful auction.

“I take my hat off to our team in the Maryland office,” Browning said. “There were days we didn’t know what we were going to do in a geographic area that was impacted by COVID more than we were in Kentucky. We really didn’t have a firm decision until right around Memorial Day that we would be able to have the sale and they’ve done a remarkable job. This sale was a testament to the hard work of Paget [Bennett], Penny [Woolley], Polly [Mooney] and Anna [Thorp].”

Candy Ride Colt Lights Up Midlantic Sale
Gary Young made the highest bid of Tuesday’s second session of the Midlantic sale, going to $875,000 to acquire a colt by Candy Ride (Arg) (hip 443) from the Wavertree Stables consignment. Young was bidding on behalf of an undisclosed client, but the agent did say it was the same buyer for whom he acquired a colt by Not This Time (hip 1254) for $1.35 million at the OBS Spring Sale.

“I knew we would have to pay for him and we did,” Young said.

“I think he is a very good horse. We’re going to give him a couple months to recoup and then he’ll go to California and we’ll go from there.”

The seven-figure Not This Time colt has joined the Bob Baffert barn in Southern California and when asked about who would train hip 443, Young said, “It’s probably going to be a guy with white hair.”

The bay colt, who worked a furlong at last week’s under-tack preview in :10 1/5, is out of Causara (Giant’s Causeway), a daughter of graded winner Lady Belsara (Boundary).

Bred by Brian Kahn, the colt sold for $215,000 as a weanling at the 2018 Keeneland November sale. He was purchased by Ron Fein’s Superfine Farms for $175,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton October sale.

“The colt has been very well received all week,” said Wavertree’s Ciaran Dunne. “We thought earlier in the year he was one of the best colts we had on the farm, one of the better horses we’ve had in a while. He had a little setback which forced him to miss OBS March and we rerouted him to here. He is such a big colt we were worried coming up here how he would handle the racetrack and the turns, but obviously he did and he breezed really well. At the end of the shank, he’s always been a wonderful horse, so once you cross all the bridges you just have to sit back and watch.”

Fein was represented by his first seven-figure sale last year at the OBS Spring sale when selling a colt by Liam’s Map for $1.2 million through the Wavertree consignment.

Flatter Colt Finds a Home on West Coast
Trainer Mark Glatt, acting on behalf of a new client, added a colt by Flatter to his stable when purchasing hip 360 for $600,000 from Cary Frommer’s consignment Tuesday in Timonium. Mike Machowsky handled the bidding on the phone.

“Mike did the in-person inspection,” Glatt explained. “Because of the move to Del Mar, I was not able to get back there for the sale this year. I have a new owner in the business and he was very much interested in the sale. I did all the homework here that I could and the colt passed Mike’s physical evaluation. We decided to take a shot at him and fortunately we were able to get the horse.”

The chestnut colt, who worked a furlong last week in :10 1/5, is out of the unraced Wildaboutshopping (Wildcat Heir) and is the unidentified buyer’s first horse..

“He was just looking for a racehorse,” Glatt said of his client. “Something that looked like it had a lot of potential. He kind of left it up to me to search out certain numbers and he was looking himself–he had a friend of his who is familiar with the business. It kind of worked out because I sent him a list of numbers and it seemed like we all came to the same horse. That’s why we zeroed in on the Flatter colt.”

Frommer was consigning the colt on behalf of his breeder, former Hobeau Farm manager Craig Wheeler. Hobeau Farm is responsible for the juvenile’s second dam Shopping and Frommer sold that mare’s son Trappe Shot (Tapit) for $850,000 at the 2009 Midlantic sale as part of the historic farm’s dispersal.

“I was nuts about him from the time he shipped in to me,” Frommer said of the colt. “Barry Berkelhammer had him before he came into me, so he filled me in and he was so laid back. He gained weight at the sale, nothing phased him. He was a fun horse to be around.”

Also on behalf of Wheeler, Frommer sold a filly by Into Mischief (hip 31) for $250,000 during Monday’s first session of the sale.

Ellis Doubledowns for Templer
California trainer Ron Ellis has been busy shopping the juvenile sales for longtime owner Richard Templer’s Doubledown Stable and made his second purchase of the Midlantic sale when going to $375,000 to acquire a colt by Tiznow (hip 296) from Bobby Dodd’s consignment Tuesday morning.

“I loved the way he moved,” Ellis said of the bay colt. “He is bred to run long, but he worked fast (:10 1/5). “He checked all of the boxes as far as soundness, which is hard to do. I tried to buy his brother a couple of years ago, but we couldn’t get close to him. So we got this one for a little better bargain.”

Out of Tanglewood Tale (Tale of the Cat), the colt is a half-brother to ‘TDN Rising Star’ Tale of the Union (Union Rags), who Dodd pinhooked for $925,000 at the Midlantic sale in 2018. Dodd and Brad Grady’s Grand Oaks purchased that colt for $90,000 at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale. The team purchased the Tiznow colt for $130,000 at that same sale in 2019.

“I didn’t necessarily buy him because I had that horse. I really liked this horse,” Dodd said. “It was really just a coincidence that I had had the other horse.”

Asked if there were similarities between the two colts, Dodd said, “They were both built the same. I really like Tiznow, but this horse doesn’t look like a Tiznow. He’s out of a Tale of the Cat mare and looks more like him.”

Ellis purchased a colt by Union Rags (hip 67) for $140,000 during Monday’s first session of the Midlantic sale. At the OBS Spring, the trainer purchased three juveniles: a colt by Malibu Moon (hip 971) for $200,000; a colt by Frosted (hip 367) for $160,000; and a filly by Speightster (hip 515) for $85,000.

Of the market in Timonium, Ellis said, “It’s buyable. I think it’s ok. I don’t know when you pay $375,000, you can say it’s a bargain, but I’ve seen the market a lot stronger in other years.”

Dodd agreed it’s been a buyers’ market, but taking uncertain global conditions into consideration, it has been strong enough for sellers.

“We have been doing ok,” Dodd said. “I think this is a pretty good market if you have the right horse, but it’s always that way. I think they are still discounted. I think this horse a year ago would have brought $600,000 or $700,000. So I feel like they are buying them at 50 cents on the dollar. But that’s ok. We still make some money and we are out of the trap and got a little cheese. So we’re happy.”

Quick Turnaround Pays for McKathan
Kevin McKathan had high hopes when he brought a daughter of Dialed In over to work ahead of the OBS Spring Sale earlier this month, but the filly’s breeze over the synthetic disappointed and the Ocala horsemen decided to scratch her from the auction and try again over the dirt track in Timonium. The juvenile (hip 552) duly delivered a :10 flat co-bullet work and sold for $310,000 to Lauren Carlisle Tuesday.

“She worked in :10 1/5 down there [in Ocala], but I didn’t think she handled the synthetic surface,” McKathan said. “I really thought when I brought her over there, she’d be a :9 4/5. I was in love with her all year. So on the synthetic, she seemed to scramble, didn’t start well, she was on the wrong lead. She just didn’t look good or comfortable over it. In my mind, I knew I had the opportunity to bring her up here and let her showcase herself. Because at our home track, she had looked beautiful and that was not what I was seeing on the synthetic. That’s why I took the shot and brought her up here.”

There were just two weeks between sales, but McKathan was concerned about the quick turnaround.

“It did not concern, just knowing her, everything is so easy with her and she’s a good-minded horse,” he said. “Racehorses breeze every week anyway, it wasn’t like she needed the time. It wasn’t too much to bring her and breeze her, the travel and everything, she got over that really good. We were kind of easy on her up here.”

Out of Fall Fantasy (Menifee), the filly is a full-sister to GI Breeders’ Cup F/M Sprint runner-up Chalon. McKathan purchased her for $165,000 at last year’s Keeneland September sale.

“I loved her as a yearling,” McKathan said. “She was a beautiful filly. She cost plenty of money. I believe the Jacksons were the underbidder on her as a yearling, so they made me pay for her. But I just loved her and with the pedigree I thought there was a little upside on her. So we took a shot and it worked out.”

The juvenile was consigned Tuesday by SBM Training and Sales.

“I am happy with it,” McKathan said of the result. “It was good money made by everyone. Anything can happen at sales, but in this kind of year, I feel like that was nice.”

Speightster Colt an Unexpected Pinhook Success for Trombetta
When Mike Trombetta purchased a colt by Speightster for $25,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Fall Yearling Sale, the plan was to race the youngster, but the trainer called an audible and returned the juvenile to the sales ring where he sold for $130,000 Tuesday in Timonium. Consigned by Best a Luck Farm, hip 528 is out of stakes winner Fancy Diamond (Eastern Echo) and worked a furlong last week in :10 1/5. He was purchased by High Point Bloodstock as agent for Irish Smith.

“I bought him to race, being a Maryland-bred, but he did well in Florida and the way things were going this year, to cover my bases, I thought I would put him in the sale and see how it goes,” Trombetta said. “He continued to progress so nicely, I figured we would go ahead and give it a try.”

Asked if he was happy with Tuesday’s result, Trombetta said, “Oh yes. Absolutely.”

He continued, “We race most of them, but once in a while, if you have the right individual, it’s nice to try to make a buck.”

Trombetta agreed there was plenty of uncertainty over what the market would be like in Timonium this week.

“I think everybody was worried, but I think it was better than most people thought it was going to be.”

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Vibrant Opener to Fasig Midlantic Sale

TIMONIUM, MD – The Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale opened Monday in Timonium with the specter of uncertainty in the industry caused by the pandemic and the havoc it has wreaked on the global economy hanging over all participants, but the session was punctuated by vibrant bidding across the board and concluded with a sparkling 20% buy-back rate. A colt by Uncle Mo brought the day’s highest price when selling to Michael Lund Peterson for $1.1 million.

“I don’t think anybody really knew what to expect, including us,” Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning admitted at the close of business Monday. “I thought today was tremendous, exceptional and reassuring. If you didn’t observe the activity in the pavilion with the masks and the seats marked off and signs on the floors that say social distancing and so forth, it seemed very similar to what we experienced in 2019 here and in past years.”

At the end of the session, 152 juveniles had sold for $12,632,500. The average was $83,109 and the median was $40,000. Of the 274 horses catalogued Monday, 190 went through the sales ring and 38 were reported not sold.

Last year’s opening session, held under markedly different circumstances, saw 156 horses sell for $11,402,500. The session average was $73,093 and the median was $43,000. The buy-back rate was 25.7%.

“I am astonished at a 20% RNA rate today and I am going to hope and pray it is in that range tomorrow, but there was certainly activity at most every level, including some at the lower end, and the middle was stronger than I would have anticipated coming into the sale,” Browning said. “I’m not saying it’s easy or a walk in the park, there is still polarization that exists in the market, but we had a market today. And I think you could see it and feel it if you were in the pavilion or bidding online. I am very encouraged by the resiliency of the participants in the Thoroughbred industry in the sales side and the racing side. It never ceases to amaze me and today was another example of that.”

Monday marked Fasig-Tipton’s first foray into online bidding and Browning reported seven horses were purchased online and there was bidding on a further 30 to 40 horses throughout the day.

“It was very seamless,” Browning said of the online bidding process. “We are working with professionals in that regard and they did a really good job. And our auctioneers have experience in other markets of selling stuff on line and I thought they handled it very well. We would have had between 40 and 50 horses that people bid on out of 190 through the ring. That’s pretty encouraging activity.”

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

Petersen Makes Big Splash Again

Michael Lund Petersen, who went to a record-setting $1.8 million to acquire future Grade I winner Gamine (Into Mischief) at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale, struck again Monday in Timonium, bidding $1.1 million to acquire a colt by Uncle Mo (hip 118) from Al Pike’s consignment. Bloodstock agents Steve Young and Marette Farrell, bidding on behalf of Speedway Stable, were among the underbidders on the colt who shared the furlong bullet of :10 flat at last week’s under-tack preview. The colt, like Gamine and Petersen’s former graded winner Mucho Gusto, will be trained by Bob Baffert.

“Of course it’s very exciting to buy a horse for that amount of money, but most importantly I am excited because Bob is excited,” Petersen said. “He was excited about buying Gamine, he was excited about buying Mucho Gusto. I’m just happy I am part of an unbelievable team. I am fortunate that I am.”

Petersen and bloodstock agent Donato Lanni did their bidding out back of the pavilion. Lanni compared the juvenile to another colt currently trained by Baffert.

“He looks very similar to a horse we have now called Uncle Chuck,” Lanni said. “He’s kind of a similar-looking Uncle Mo.”

Owned by Karl Watson, Mike Pegram and Paul Weitman, Uncle Chuck aired by seven lengths in his June 12 debut at Santa Anita.

Hip 118 is out of Miss Ocean City (Indian Charlie) and is a half-brother to graded stakes winner Azar (Scat Daddy).

“He’s a horse that Bob is going to take his time with,” Lanni said.

Lanni admitted his biggest concern was his owner getting to the sale in time Monday.

“We’re happy for Michael. This is his sale-he lives in Baltimore,” Lanni said. “It was only a 10-minute drive for him, but I saw there were a bunch of outs and I called him and told him to hurry up. He said, ‘Don’t worry about it.'”

Of the colt’s seven-figure price tag, Lanni said. “He’s a good horse and everybody saw that and that’s what the good ones cost. Horses like that are so hard to find and they are very rare. You just have to stretch a bit more to get them.”

For his part, Petersen admitted it was tough bidding that high.

“Last year was a lot worse,” he said with a laugh. “Somebody asked me what it is like to buy the most expensive horse and I said, ‘It sucks.’ It’s not actually that much of a thrill, I would like to buy the least expensive horse. But obviously I am excited having Gamine. It’s fun being in horse racing right now.”

Petersen has six horses in training at the moment. He purchased two juveniles at the recent OBS Spring Sale, going to to $700,000 to acquire a colt by Not This Time (hip 1283) and to $375,000 for a colt by Twirling Candy (hip 1226).

Petersen credited the private sale of his multiple graded stakes winner Mucho Gusto (Mucho Macho Man), purchased for $625,000 at the 2018 Midlantic sale, with his bullish bidding at recent juvenile sales.

“I bought two down in Ocala only because I sold Mucho Gusto,” he said. “A prince [Faisal bin Khaled Abdulaziz] came and he asked if he was for sale and I said no, but he kept coming back. And eventually Bob said sell him. I am lucky to have the best horse trainer in the world and I am not making myself believe just because I’ve been successful in something else I know what I am doing here. I am humble about being part of the team and I follow what they say and it’s been going pretty good so far. So that’s what I intend to do.”

Gamine, who romped by 18 3/4 lengths in the June 20 GI Acorn S., worked four furlongs at Santa Anita Monday morning.

“She breezed today and Bob said she was happy and did really, really well. That was the text message I got,” Petersen said. “Where she is going next, I don’t know. I think Bob doesn’t necessarily make plans. He lets the horse talk to him. If she looks like she is ready to go, he will let her go. Everybody wants to know if she will go to the Derby. Gamine will tell us if it’s going to be the Oaks or the Derby. I am happy either way.”

SF Bloodstock signed the ticket at $450,000 on Miss Ocean City with the Uncle Mo colt in utero at the 2017 Keeneland November sale. The juvenile was bred in Virginia by William Backer Revocable Trust.

Al Pike purchased the colt privately after he RNA’d for $185,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale. Following the juvenile’s bullet work last week, Pike said yearling consignor Frank Taylor had convinced him to buy the colt

“I guess I owe him dinner at Malones,” Pike said following the seven-figure sale Monday. “Frank took me over and said, ‘I think this is a really good horse and you’ll be happy with him.’ And bless his heart, he was right. He’s been a special horse since we got him. Hopefully we will be seeing him at the big races. He’s in good hands.”

Carlisle Busy Bidding for Tramontin

Greg Tramontin, founder and CEO of GoAuto Insurance, enjoyed his first-ever Grade I success as co-owner of the June 20 GI Woody Stephens S. winner No Parole (Violence) and added a pair of high-priced juveniles to his stable Monday. Bidding on behalf of the Louisiana owner, bloodstock agent Lauren Carlisle kicked the auction into high gear with the $500,000 purchase of a filly by Into Mischief (hip 4) from the consignment of Hoby and Layna Kight and returned later in the session to secure a colt by Not This Time (hip 213) for $650,000 from the Classic Bloodstock consignment. Both will be trained, like No Parole, by Tom Amoss.

“We have tried on some other horses at some other sales and haven’t gotten lucky,” Carlisle said. “We bought yearlings last year and we are trying to get more involved.”

Of Tramontin’s racing stable, Carlisle added, “We have two 2-year-olds, No Parole, and some horses in Louisiana. We bought a 2-year-old at OBS March in partnership with Maggi Moss and we bought the two today. And I’m not done yet. I’ll be here all day tomorrow.”

Hip 213, who worked a furlong in :10 1/5 last week, is out of Sanctissima (Indian Charlie). He was purchased by Classic Bloodstock’s Danzel Brendemuehl on behalf of Lambe Bloodstock for $40,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Fall Yearling Sale.

“We thought he might be a little higher than that, but I’m delighted that he is getting a good home,” Brendemuehl said. “For me, that horse breathes other air and he’s a bargain at that price. In the right hands, we will see him next May and in the Breeders’ Cup and every big race. He’s that kind. He shows up every day.”

Hip 4, who worked a quarter-mile at last week’s under-tack preview in :21 3/5, is out of graded placed Global Hottie (Dixie Chatter).

“I loved everything about her,” Carlisle said. “We wanted to buy a nice filly and I think we did.”

As for the youngster’s price just three hips into the two-day auction, Carlisle said, “For an Into Mischief, that’s not bad. Especially compared to last year.”

The bay filly was purchased by the Kights for $150,000 at last year’s Keeneland September sale.

“She was a good filly and did everything right,” Hoby Kight said. “She vetted good, worked good and trained well. I hope to see her in Saratoga.”

Kight admitted he had been surprised to be able to purchase the filly last fall.

“I really wanted to buy something by that sire and it’s just hard,” he said. “She was big and stretchy. I couldn’t believe I bought her actually. She was kind of big and pretty then, too. Maybe there were a lot of them through the days and she just slipped through.”

The Kights have had success selling at the Midlantic sale, but usually send their horses north with the Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds consignment. Of hip 4’s placement in the Maryland auction, Kight explained, “[Fasig President] Boyd [Browning] told me when he came to look at my horses to go to Miami, ‘Just bring one to Maryland that you wanted to take to Miami and I promise you you’ll be rewarded.’ And it worked.”

Upstart Filly Rewards Frommer

Cary Frommer is annually a busy shopper at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Fall Yearling Sale and the horsewoman was rewarded for her efforts when selling a filly by first-crop sire Upstart (hip 173) for $400,000 Monday in Timonium. Frommer had purchased the dark bay for $120,000 as a yearling. Nick Sallusto and Hanzly Albina, bidding on the phone, purchased the filly, who shared last week’s bullet furlong breeze time of :10 flat, Monday.

“As soon as I saw her, I fell in love with her,” Frommer said of the juvenile. “I thought she was the epitome of a beautiful filly, elegant, long and scopey and athletic.”

Bred in Maryland by Dark Hollow Farm, hip 173 is out of stakes winner Plum (Pure Prize).

The filly was the co-sixth-highest priced yearling at last year’s Midlantic yearling sale and was one of 15 individuals Frommer signed for at the auction.

“I do find it surprising and I’d like to keep it a secret,” Frommer said of her success buying out of the auction. “Every year, that’s where I buy my best horses.”

As much faith as she had in the filly, Frommer did admit she had concerns over the uncertainties in the market caused by the global pandemic.

“Obviously, everything is imploding,” she said. “I felt like we had the goods with her, but I didn’t know if it would be appreciated in this world today. So I am very happy with the price.”

Sackatoga Strikes for Tonalist Filly

Sackatoga Stable, on the Triple Crown trail again with GI Belmont S. winner Tiz the Law (Constitution), purchased a filly by Tonalist for $290,000 early in Monday’s first session of the Midlantic sale. The juvenile (hip 27) was consigned by Kirkwood Stables and, like the Belmont winner and Sackatoga’s 2003 GI Kentucky Derby winner Funny Cide, is a New York-bred.

“[Sackatoga operating manager] Jack Knowlton just uses New York-breds. That’s all he does,” said trainer Barclay Tagg.

The filly is out of Holiday Apple (Harlan’s Holiday), a half-sister to multiple graded stakes winner Lady Apple (Curlin). She worked a quarter-mile during last week’s under-tack preview in :22 1/5.

“She’s a very attractive filly,” Tagg said. “I liked everything about her when I went over and watched her here for a couple of days. We didn’t want to spend that much money, but I think she’ll be worth it.”

Asked if Tiz the Law’s exploits made the partnership more likely to bid higher than they might normally do, Tagg smiled and said, “Maybe he gave them a little more money.”

Of the Belmont winner, Tagg added, “He’s doing well, very well. He came out of his last race great and we’re very pleased with him.”

Speightster Colt Turned Back, Joins Baffert Barn

A colt by Speightster (hip 1312), purchased by Larry Best for $1.1 million at the OBS Spring Sale, has been returned to previous owner Solana Beach Sales and has joined the Southern California barn of trainer Bob Baffert.

“Larry Best purchased the colt and after the sale he sent him to Taylor Made,” explained consignor Tom McCrocklin. “I discussed post-sale management of the colt with Frank Taylor because he was not familiar with the horse and I was. And I think they chose to pull his back shoes and put him in a paddock for a post-sale rest. We sold the colt on a Friday and on day seven, at 2 in the afternoon, I got a call that they had put him in a paddock and he was cribbing on a fence board. We made every attempt with Larry Best to resolve the issue. We offered him a discount and at the end of the day, he chose to pass on the horse.”

McCrocklin continued, “We were devastated and disappointed. But the people who own the horse were happy to keep him and we sent him to Bob Baffert.”

Solana Beach Sales is the pinhooking division of the Little Red Feather racing partnerships. McCrocklin purchased the colt on behalf of the partnership for $110,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred Sale last year.

“There were a lot of moving parts of people wanting to stay in and people wanting to get out,” McCrocklin said. “But at the end of the day, they were really excited to have the horse. We feel like we have never had a horse of that caliber and they were happy to keep him.”

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