A trio of horses that visited the winner's circle over Fourth of July weekend will make their next appearances in the Fasig-Tipton auction ring Monday as part of the company's July Horses of Racing Age Sale.
Stilleto Boy (Shackleford) (Hip 557) gave his resume a major boost last weekend with his first black-type win. On July 2, the sophomore gelding scored an emphatic victory beneath Jose Ortiz, taking the Iowa Derby by 4 1/2 lengths at odds of 16-1. The chestnut earned a 95 Beyer Speed Figure for that effort.
“We were thrilled with the win [July 2] and more over the fashion in which he won it by, beating an accomplished field of horses by 4 1/2 lengths, earning a career best 95 beyer,” Paramount Sales' Lesley Campion said. “He truly is a turn-key horse, he has been as sound as bell metal and shows up every time! I think this colt is primed for a big summer, a ton of conditions open with already a quarter of a million in earnings and maybe a trip to the Dubai Carnival as a fun target for the new owners in 2022. He is a standout physical with a fantastic mind and we are delighted to be offering him next Monday.”
Hitting the board in his first four starts, Stilleto Boy graduated at fifth asking at Oaklawn in April, defeating future GIII Indiana Derby hero Mr. Wireless (Dialed In), and was fourth in the Prairie Mile prior to his breakout win in the Iowa Derby for trainer Doug Anderson. He is a half-brother to SW Rosie My Rosie (Purge) and SP Condo Closing (Offlee Wild).
Elite offers another new stakes winner in Josie (Race Day) (Hip 501), who captured the Iowa Distaff at Prairie Meadows July 3. She kicked off 2021 with an allowance score in the slop at Oaklawn in February. Off the board next out there in Apr. 8, she won an Indiana optional claimer 20 days later and repeated in Iowa.
Out of SW Spirited Away (Awesome Again), Josie is a half to MGSW Prospective (Malibu Moon) and the dam of GSW & GISP Kalypso (Brody's Cause).
“It is always crucial to come into these horses in training sales off of wins and it is even better to come in off a stakes win,” Elite's Brad Weisbord said. “She is one of a handful of stakes-winning fillies in the catalogue. That was her first time in stakes company and I thought her race was very impressive. She ran a nine on the Ragozin sheets, which is a lifetime top and it would be competitive in Grade II races the rest of the year.”
Weisbord and Liz Crow's consignment also includes a promising sophomore colt in Hozier (Pioneerof the Nile) (Hip 659). Second in both the GII Rebel S. and Sir Barton S. for trainer Bob Baffert, the $625,000 FTSAUG purchase was transferred to Rodolphe Brisset. Failing to fire in the June 26 GIII Ohio Derby, the bay bounced back just eight days later at Ellis, winning a one-mile allowance July 4. Owned by the group known as the Avengers, he is a son of MGSW Merry Meadow (Henny Hughes).
“We ran him off eight days' rest after running in the Ohio Derby,” said SF's Tom Ryan. “That race just didn't work out for him. We thought it was a throw out race and Rodolphe felt confident enough that the horse would come back and race very well. He had good energy, his head was in the feed tub and he was training well throughout the week. It wouldn't be fair to bring him into the sale off such a sub-par performance in the Ohio Derby. It was an interesting maneuver to run a horse back on eight days' rest, but it turned out to be the right one. Getting a win on a Saturday afternoon is what it's all about.”
Ryan continued, “He has shown he has class and he will fit nicely in someone's program. He is lightly enough raced horse with a lot of conditions ahead of him that he can be a lot of fun for a lot of people.”
Ryan also pointed out another sophomore colt of note who broke his maiden June 23 named Myopic (Candy Ride {Arg}) (Hip 525). Off the board in two starts for Baffert, the SF homebred donned cap and gown by six lengths at Indiana.
“He won quite emphatically about 10 days ago and ran an 85 Beyer,” Ryan said. “He really looks like a progressive colt. He is just figuring things out.”
Myopic's second dam is Grade I winner Key Phrase (Flying Paster), who is the dam of SW Yankee Gentleman (Storm Cat).
“He only has sight in one eye,” Ryan said. “We were slated to sell him as a foal and he got this little eye injury. He was raised with Gerry Dilger and we thought it would rectify itself by the time he was a yearling, but it didn't really. He ended up losing sight in the eye. He is a big boy now and he is unaffected by it. He is out there strutting his stuff and looks like he wants to become a nice racehorse.”
The trio of Fasig-Tipton July auctions kick off Monday with the Breeding Stock Sale starting at 2 p.m. and the Horses of Racing Age Sale immediately following. The Fasig-Tipton July Selected Yearlings Sale will take place Tuesday, beginning at 10 a.m.
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