The Bargain Buy or the Seven-Figure Stunner: Take Your Pick in San Felipe

Confidence Game (Candy Ride {Arg}) gave another vote of confidence to the bargain shoppers when the $25,000 yearling made a splash on the Derby trail last weekend in the GII Rebel S. The week before, Angel of Empire (Classic Empire)–a $70,000 Keeneland September buy–proved best in the GII Risen Star S.

This weekend there is potential for another big win by the underdog in the GII San Felipe S., but there is also the likely possibility that the owner of one of those sensational seven-figure purchases will be rewarded.

The San Felipe's sizeable field of 11 includes two homebreds, three contestants purchased for less than $50,000, four bought for six figures–including $500,000 yearling and morning line favorite National Treasure (Quality Road) and $700,000 yearling Fort Bragg (Tapit)–and then that remarkable, pricey son of Bernardini known as Hejazi.

Bred by Chester and Mary Broman, Hejazi was bought by Zedan Racing for $3.55 million at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale, setting the mark for the highest-priced Thoroughbred sold at public auction in the state of Maryland and the highest-priced offspring of the late Bernardini at public auction.

Recalling the purchase, agent Gary Young said that the record-breaking colt was exactly what Amr Zedan was looking to add to his stable.

“Mr. Zedan has made it perfectly clear that his goal is to have good 3-year-old colts for the Classics,” Young explained. “This horse fit the bill. By Bernardini and out of a Medaglia d'Oro mare, he was really well-balanced and his conformation was correct. His work was terrific and Baffert loved the horse physically. Did we think he was going to go for that much? Not really. Baffert, my friend Charlie Boden and I stood in the back and Mr. Zedan was on the phone with us. One thing led to another and it got to $3.55 million. I don't think anyone in the group had foreseen it going that high, but when you get two players in the game these days, anything can happen.”

On the other end of the spectrum, Chase the Chaos (Astern {Aus})) is the bargain buy of the San Felipe field. The gelding was bought after receiving considerably less in-person scrutiny than his competitor Hejazi when he was purchased for just $10,000.

Chase the Chaos gets his first stakes win in the El Camino Real Derby | Vassar Photography

Buyer and co-owner Bill Dory purchases a few weanlings for under $10,000 every year to raise and break at his farm and then race at his local track, Century Mile.

“I didn't even go to the sale,” said Dory, recalling the 2020 Keeneland November Sale. “I went through the book numerous times and I picked out horses that I thought would fit in that $10,000 price range for Alberta. I really liked the Medaglia d'Oro-Uncle Mo cross on him. I got the vet report from the repository. He had some OCDs, but they were very minor and the vet thought he would grow out of them. When he didn't achieve his RNA, I asked the consignor how much they wanted for him and at $10,000, it was a done deal.”

From there, Chase the Chaos developed at Dory's farm in Canada and spent his early days under saddle there along with Dory's other November purchases.

“I bought five weanling colts that year and I had them all in one pasture that wasn't far off the road,” Dory recalled. “They would get to playing and people would stop and watch. They would show off for them. It was so cool to watch. Now all of them are winners and two are stakes winners.”

Dory recalled how he thought Chase the Chaos was one of the most promising colts of the bunch, so he called a 2-year-old consignor in Ocala. He named a price he said he thought was fair, but the consignor said that with the colt's inactive pedigree, Dory probably wouldn't get any takers. So Dory brought in partner Adam Ference and decided to race the colt himself.

Chase the Chaos already has free entry to the GI Preakness S. after his win in the El Camino Real Derby and now looks to add a third race to his win streak on Saturday.

Young has plenty of experience purchasing both types of horses–the seven-figure jaw-droppers and the value plays–and has been successful with each in recent years while working with Zedan Racing. Hejazi was bought the same month that Medina Spirit (Protonico), a $35,000 juvenile, won the GI Kentucky Derby. Last year their $1.7 million 2-year-old buy Taiba (Gun Runner) was a top Derby prospect and this year, along with Hejazi, Zedan's Derby hopefuls include the TDN's Derby Top 12 kingpin Arabian Knight (Uncle Mo), a $2.3 million 2-year-old.

“All of this run recently is fueled by Mr. Zedan's passion for the game,” said Young. “Baffert has the final say, which he should, and the team also includes Dr. Pug Hart. It's a team effort and it's very satisfying to see them make it into the Grade I races. It really doesn't matter if they cost $3.55 million or $35,000. Obviously there is more pressure with Hejazi and the seven-figure horses. We all realize that some of them will turn out and some will not, but we've been really lucky over the past few years.”

No matter what the final sales price will be, Young said he focuses on finding athletes at the 2-year-old sales.

“Horses have body language and you want to see them go back to the barn [after a breeze] looking like they're thinking, 'That was fun. I want to do it again.' Sometimes you like a horse and when you look at their pedigree page, you realize that it's not exactly a blue blood, but if they check the boxes for you, you go for it.”

So on Saturday, will the underdog streak continue or will the seven-figure prodigy run to his price tag? Maybe the answer lies somewhere in between. However the race shakes out, it makes for exciting viewing.

“[Bargain buys] give people an idea that you don't have to be a multi-millionaire to compete for the top running of the game,” Young said. “Yet Hejazi is a positive for the big money spenders. Let's face it, for the people that want to think 'Oh, they're just spending money,' if you look up the seven-figure horses through the years, the strike rate of those horses is very, very ordinary. That's not lost on us. We realize that.”

Switched from Baffert's barn to Tim Yakteen for Saturday's race, Hejazi enters the San Felipe coming off his maiden win, where he earned a 99 Beyer Speed Figure, but will now have to prove his ability going two turns. Young said that the colt's last work, where he went 5 furlongs in :59.20 on Feb. 19, speaks to his potential.

“It doesn't take a rocket scientist to watch his last workout and know that he worked terrific,” Young explained. “We're hopeful for a very big effort this weekend, but there are some very tough horses in the race. There are more horses I can see betting on than those that I can't.”

The weather at Santa Anita over the past month that has disrupted training, Young said, will be an added question mark for all of the race's entrants.

Chase the Chaos, who will be saddled by Ed Moger Jr., will be trying dirt for the first time since his debut last August at Canterbury.

“It was a muddy track and he got a huge lesson,” Dory recalled. “He was behind horses and then went between horses to run second. I was so proud of the way he ran in that race. He likes the synthetic, so now we're going to find out how much he likes the dirt.”

Dory is under no illusion about their competition on Saturday, but he said he plans to enjoy the ride knowing that Chase the Chaos has taken him and his partner much further than their initial goal of the winner's circle at their hometown track in Alberta.

“We talked about it, Adam and I, and said, 'You know, do you realize we're going up against a $3.55 million horse?' It's crazy. I think it makes people realize that sometimes you do get lucky and you can get the right horse for a decent price. Hopefully it brings more people into the game. My high is still as high as possible. I'm going to enjoy this for as long as I can. I think he's going to run very well against these horses and I'm hoping he goes off at 65-1 again.”

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Records Fall as F-T Midlantic Sale Concludes

TIMONIUM, MD – With a $3.55-million son of Bernardini providing the auction's biggest fireworks, the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale concluded another record-setting renewal in Timonium Tuesday.

At the conclusion of business, 391 horses had sold for a gross of $37,297,700–bettering the sale's previous high mark of $33,692,000 set just last year. The average of $95,391 was another record, bettering the mark of $94,375 set last year. The median dipped to $47,000, just 6% off the 2020 record of $50,000.

“Last year was such a wow year and, when I come to the next year, I always ask, can we exceed what we did last year,” said Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sales Director Paget Bennett. “And we certainly blew it out of the park. Next year could be tough. We are tickled to death with records for average and gross and record price for a horse sold in Maryland.”

The median was the auction's only statistic to fail to surpass its 2021 high-water mark.

“The middle market was a little tough,” Bennett admitted. “People were commenting that they couldn't sell a horse for $40,000 or $50,000, but they were selling them for $20,000. And then they were selling for $100,000 or $200,000. That was a surprise and some people asked where were the Maryland trainers. I guess they felt some were missing.”

Some buyers stepped in to take advantage of the softer middle market. David Meah of Meah/Lloyd Bloodstock was pleased with the six horses he is taking home from Timonium.

“I found a lot of very nice horses here,” Meah said. “It's a great sale. I think the market has leveled out a little bit, so it's a bit easier to buy, which is great for me personally. We managed to buy six so far, so we've been very happy with the market and what was on offer here.”

Meah continued, “It's been extremely hard to buy for the last 12, even 18 months, but I think it's just diluted a little bit now, come May. I found it a lot easier to buy horses this week.”

Raul Reyes's Kings Equine sold 25 of 33 horses through the ring this week and enjoyed a number of pinhooking scores.

“I think the market was great,” Reyes said.

Of a potentially soft middle market, he added, “It's been that way ever since I can remember.”

With an eye-catching :9 4/5 bullet breeze, hip 385 was no secret when he entered the sales ring Tuesday and when the dust had settled after a bidding duel between West Point Thoroughbreds and Gary Young, Young had secured the youngster for Amr Zedan for a sale record $3.55 million. The colt was the most expensive Thoroughbred ever sold at public auction in the state of Maryland, bettering the previous record of $1.8 million set by Gamine at the Midlantic auction in 2019. It was the eighth straight year that the Midlantic sale had produced a seven-figure juvenile.

“It just goes to show people can feel confident about bringing that type of horse to the marketplace here in Maryland,” Bennett said of the record colt. “My goal has always been to have two seven-figure horses, but I will take a $3.55 million one. I hope we get him on the cover one day.”

Bernardini Smashes Records in Timonium

A colt by Bernardini (hip 385), who advertised himself with a :9 4/5 work last week, ignited a bidding duel between West Point Thoroughbreds and bloodstock agent Gary Young in the Midlantic sale ring Tuesday. Young, doing his bidding out back while standing alongside advisor Charlie Boden and trainer Bob Baffert and on the phone with Saudi businessman Amr Zedan, answered every bid from the West Point team doing its bidding at the back of the pavilion to ultimately secure the colt for a sales-record $3.55 million.

“Obviously we thought he was a standout and other people did as well,” Young said. “Mr. Zedan was on the phone with me. Originally, we were going to go to $2.5 million, but he just kept answering. He said, 'Up to $2.5 million, it's yours. After that, you've got to have me on the phone.' I kept asking and he kept answering.”

The juvenile was consigned by Becky Thomas's Sequel Bloodstock on behalf of his breeders Chester and Mary Broman. He is out of G Note (Medaglia d'Oro), a daughter of graded winner Seeking the Ante (Seeking the Gold) and half to stakes winner Mineralogist (Mineshaft), as well as to the dam of this year's GII Rebel S. winner Un Ojo (Laoban).

“He did everything,” Young said. “He went :9 4/5 and in the videos, sometimes horses when they straighten up the backstretch they are pretty well spent, but he just kept firing up the backstretch. His third furlong was super.”

On behalf of Zedan, Young purchased a son of Uncle Mo (hip 206) for $2.3 million and a colt by Justify (hip 11) for $600,000 at the OBS Spring sale last month. At the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream, Zedan purchased a colt by Nyquist (hip 62) for $700,000.

All four purchases reflect Zedan's desire to get back to the GI Kentucky Derby, where he was represented last year by the ill-fated Medina Spirit (Protonico).

“You don't think of Bernardinis as :9 4/5 horses, as much as he's been a good sire for a long time, you think of horses that run longer,” Young said. “And that's what Mr. Zedan wants. He has Derby fever. That's his main focus. We will know in about five or six months how this turns out.”

Young said Tuesday's acquisition would likely conclude Zedan's 2-year-old purchases this year.

Hip 385 is the most expensive Thoroughbred sold at public auction in the state of Maryland, surpassing the $1.8 million set by Gamine at this sale in 2019. It was the eighth consecutive year that a horse selling at the Midlantic 2-year-old sale sold for seven figures.

Longtime New York breeders, the Bromans began selling select offerings as part of an estate planning program four years ago. The planning got a jump start with the $2-million Chestertown (Tapit), who topped the 2019 OBS March sale and is campaigned by a partnership that includes West Point Thoroughbreds and the Bromans themselves. Chestertown's half-brother by Into Mischief sold for $1 million at this year's March sale.

“It's huge,” Sequel's Carlos Manresa said of Tuesday's record-setting result. “It just goes to show how much the Bromans can be rewarded for the time that they have put into breeding these mares and keeping these families. It's especially wonderful to have Mr. Broman here for the sale. Whenever we feel like we have something that we think is really going to be exciting, he likes to be here for it. This was certainly an event that called for him to be here.”

Describing the colt's progression, Manresa said, “He's always been really calm around the barn. He is really well behaved and really well mannered. He gallops so calmly, but when we asked him to go fast, he went really fast.”

The colt became the first horse in a decade to shade :10 at the Maryland State Fairgrounds when he worked during last week's under-tack show.

“We knew he would go fast, we just didn't know he'd go quite that fast,” Manresa admitted. “We never expected a :9 4/5, but we were very pleased that he gave it to us.”

Manresa said the result was gratifying for the entire Sequel team.

“Any time you can be part of a horse that brings seven figures, it's really special,” he said. “Not just for me, but for everyone at the farm. Everyone is watching from home and they are all texting me and congratulating us, from the grooms, to the guy who does our track, to the blacksmith that does his feet every month. It's a wonderful team.”

Patience Pays for Kinder

Breeders Ralph Kinder and Erv Woolsey had no hesitation when taking home their American Pharoah filly (hip 443) after she RNA'd for $145,000 at the OBS March sale following a :10 1/5 work over the synthetic surface in Ocala. Rerouted to Maryland, the filly worked a furlong in a bullet :10 flat over the dirt last week and rewarded the partners' decision when selling for $500,000 to trainer Cherie DeVaux.

“She did not like the surface down there, she didn't relax over the surface,” Kinder said of the OBS work. “She's a better horse on the dirt. She galloped out great here and her video was off the chart.”

The filly is out of Jordan's Henny (Henny Hughes), who won the 2018 GIII Hurricane Bertie S. and placed in four additional graded races for Woolsey and Kinder, and is a third generation product of their breeding program.

“We raised her and still have her granddam–all three generations–that's the third generation,” Kinder said. “We were a little hesitant to sell her because we race as well.”

Asked why the partners had decided to sell the filly, Kinder laughed and said, “Economics.”

Another Filly for Black Type Team

The Black Type Thoroughbreds partnership has already had success buying gray fillies from Ciaran Dunne's Wavertree Stables consignment and went back to that formula when purchasing a daughter of Malibu Moon (hip 487) for $500,000 Tuesday in Timonium. The group, founded by Jake Ballis, purchased Grade I placed Up in Smoke (The Big Beast) for $230,000 at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale.

“We love fillies,” Black Type's Maddie Mattmiller said after signing the ticket on the filly alongside Ballis and television personality Jonathon Kinchen, a newcomer to the partnership. “We have had good luck with gray fillies off of Ciaran Dunne. He has always given us good advice when we've found one we like over there.”

Hip 487 is out of Lorelei True (Unbridled's Song), a half-sister to graded winner Sparky Ville (Candy Ride {Arg}). The juvenile's third dam is Win Crafty Lady (Crafty Prospector), who produced Harmony Lodge, Graeme Hall and Win McCool.

“She was a big filly with a ton of leg under her,” Mattmiller said of the filly's appeal. “She looks like she can go two turns. She carried herself well and she has good pedigree behind her, out of an Unbridled's Song mare.”

The Lehigh Bloodstock pinhooking partnership that includes Dunne and Kirk Wycoff purchased the filly for $110,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale.

A newcomer to the Black Type partnership, Kinchen also teamed up with Ballis and Mattmiller to purchase a colt by Mosler (hip 454) for $165,000 earlier in the session.

“I've known Maddie and Jake for a long time, so when I decided to do this, I was obviously going to do it with their guidance,” Kinchen said. “We are excited about it. [Hip 487] will go to New York and likely be with George Weaver. We can keep an eye on her all summer while we are up in Saratoga. It should be a lot of fun.”

Mattmiller added, “We love Jonathon's support. We are excited to have him in the Black Type team. We have a good group of guys, so Jonathon only adds to that excitement.”

Reyes Scores With Bolt d'Oro Colt

Raul Reyes of Kings Equine cashed in on the popularity of first-crop sire Bolt d'Oro Tuesday in Timonium when selling a colt by the Spendthrift stallion (hip 364) for $500,000 to Holly and David Wilson. Reyes purchased the youngster for $40,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale.

“He looked really nice, very strong and very handsome,” Reyes said of his initial impressions of the colt. “I got lucky. He was late on a day in the sale and I had a chance to buy him right. He kept developing the right way. He got bigger and he never went the other way.”

Out of Australian stakes winner Forever Discreet (Aus), the dark bay colt worked a furlong in a bullet :10 flat during last week's under-tack show.

“Every year, I try something different,” Reyes said of his approach to the Maryland sale. “You don't always hit it. I brought the Bolt d'Oro, a first-year sire, and he did great. You never know what horse is going to work out. Just when you think you've got it, it goes different.”

Eight juveniles by Bolt d'Oro sold at the two-day auction for an average of $309,625, topped by a $675,000 colt sold by Pike Racing to Spendthrift Farm and Frank Fletcher Racing during Monday's first session.

 

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Bernardini Colt Lights Up Fasig Midlantic

A colt by Bernardini (hip 385), who advertised himself with a :9 4/5 work last week, ignited a bidding duel between West Point Thoroughbreds and bloodstock agent Gary Young in the Midlantic sale ring Tuesday. Young, doing his bidding out back while standing alongside advisor Charlie Boden and trainer Bob Baffert and on the phone with Saudi businessman Amr Zedan, answered every bid from the West Point team doing its bidding at the back of the pavilion to ultimately secure the colt for a sales-record $3.55 million.

“Obviously we thought he was a standout and other people did as well,” Young said. “Mr. Zedan was on the phone with me. Originally, we were going to go to $2.5 million, but he just kept answering. He said, 'Up to $2.5 million, it's yours. After that, you've got to have me on the phone.' I kept asking and he kept answering.”

The juvenile was consigned by Becky Thomas's Sequel Bloodstock on behalf of his breeders Chester and Mary Broman. He is out of G Note (Medaglia d'Oro), a daughter of graded winner Seeking the Ante (Seeking the Gold) and half to stakes winner Mineralogist (Mineshaft), as well as to the dam of this year's GII Rebel S. winner Un Ojo (Laoban).

“He did everything,” Young said. “He went :9 4/5 and in the videos, sometimes horses when they straighten up the backstretch they are pretty well spent, but he just kept firing up the backstretch. His third furlong was super.”

On behalf of Zedan, Young purchased a son of Uncle Mo (hip 206) for $2.3 million and a colt by Justify (hip 11) for $600,000 at the OBS Spring sale last month. At the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream, Zedan purchased a colt by Nyquist (hip 62) for $700,000.

All four purchases reflect Zedan's desire to get back to the GI Kentucky Derby, where he was represented last year by the ill-fated Medina Spirit (Protonico).

“You don't think of Bernardinis as :9 4/5 horses, as much as he's been a good sire for a long time, you think of horses that run longer,” Young said. “And that's what Mr. Zedan wants. He has Derby fever. That's his main focus. We will know in about five or six months how this turns out.”

Young said Tuesday's acquisition would likely conclude Zedan's 2-year-old purchases this year.

Hip 385 is the most expensive Thoroughbred sold at public auction in the state of Maryland, surpassing the $1.8 million set by Gamine at this sale in 2019. It was the eighth consecutive year that a horse selling at the Midlantic 2-year-old sale sold for seven figures.

Longtime New York breeders, the Bromans began selling select offerings as part of an estate planning program four years ago. The planning got a jump start with the $2-million Chestertown (Tapit), who topped the 2019 OBS March sale and is campaigned by a partnership that includes West Point Thoroughbreds and the Bromans themselves. Chestertown's half-brother by Into Mischief sold for $1 million at this year's March sale.

“It's huge,” Sequel's Carlos Manresa said of Tuesday's record-setting result. “It just goes to show how much the Bromans can be rewarded for the time that they have put into breeding these mares and keeping these families. It's especially wonderful to have Mr. Broman here for the sale. Whenever we feel like we have something that we think is really going to be exciting, he likes to be here for it. This was certainly an event that called for him to be here.”

Describing the colt's progression, Manresa said, “He's always been really calm around the barn. He is really well behaved and really well mannered. He gallops so calmly, but when we asked him to go fast, he went really fast.”

The colt became the first horse in a decade to shade :10 at the Maryland State Fairgrounds when he worked during last week's under-tack show.

“We knew he would go fast, we just didn't know he'd go quite that fast,” Manresa admitted. “We never expected a :9 4/5, but we were very pleased that he gave it to us.”

Manresa said the result was gratifying for the entire Sequel team.

“Any time you can be part of a horse that brings seven figures, it's really special,” he said. “Not just for me, but for everyone at the farm. Everyone is watching from home and they are all texting me and congratulating us, from the grooms, to the guy who does our track, to the blacksmith that does his feet every month. It's a wonderful team.”

 

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Uncle Mo Colt Summons $2.3M at OBS

A colt by Coolmore super sire Uncle Mo (Hip 206) inspired a furious round of bidding during the opening session of the OBS Spring Sale Tuesday, hammering for $2.3 million to bloodstock agent Gary Young, who was acting on behalf of Amr Zedan. Young did his bidding alongside Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, who will train the colt at the conclusion of his suspension. Coolmore was the underbidder on the bay colt. Consigned by Jimbo & Torie Gladwell's Top Line Sales, the :9 4/5 breezer, who is out of Borealis Night (Astrology), was purchased by Scott & Evan Dilworth for $250,000 at Keeneland September.

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