“We don't use Clenbuterol. Period,” Englehart said.

So is there more to this story? Dig a little deeper and you might conclude that there is. To Englehart, it's not about the fact that the horse tested positive. He doesn't dispute that finding. But when was the horse given Clenbuterol and by whom? He hopes the answers to those questions will clear his name and lead to HIWU dropping the case against him.

The horse that tested positive for Clenbuterol was an unnamed 2-year-old by Classic Empire out of Fast Heart. Englehart bought the horse on behalf of owner Marcello Rosa for $14,000 at the OBS auction June 15. The horse broke down while training and had to be euthanized at Finger Lakes Nov. 21.

Englehart's problems were just beginning.

HIWU performed a battery of tests on the deceased horse, including blood, urine and hair. The blood and urine tests were negative. According to Rick Arthur, former equine medical director for the California Horse Racing Board, a standard dose of Clenbuterol will typically be detectable in the blood for about three to four days after administration. For urine, the detection window would typically be between 10 to 17 days after administration.

But HIWU also performed a hair test, which revealed the presence of Clenbuterol. Englehart claims that hair tests can show the presence of the substance for up to a year after it was given to a horse. According to Arthur, Clenbuterol can be found in hair samples for at least six months after the drug was administered.

Dr. Rick Arthur | Horsephotos

“We've certainly seen Clenbuterol in hair up to six months,” said Arthur. “It could probably stay longer, we just haven't tried to look at it. We did a lot of hair testing for Clenbuterol in Quarter Horses at Los Alamitos. Trainers have contended that horses past six months have tested positive.”

After learning about how long after administration Clenbuterol can be found in a hair sample, Englehart started to do the math. The horse broke down exactly five months and six days after the purchase at OBS. That means, Englehart contends, that it is entirely possible that someone gave the horse the drug before he purchased it and that he could be suspended for something someone else did.

“(HIWU) say it's in the horse's system, so you are guilty,” said Englehart, who is still training while awaiting he results of the split sample test done on the Classic Empire colt. “It doesn't matter to them that it can stay in the system for up to a year and I only had the horse for less than six months. That's completely unfair. They are trying to upend my life.”

The unraced colt was sold for $4,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearling Sale Oct. 26, 2022. The consignor was Vinery Sales and the purchaser was Juan Centeno. The latter, who sells under the name of All Dreams Equine, turned around and put the horse in OBS June. It was one of five horses who successfully went through the ring, including a horse named She She's Shadow (Bucchero), who was also purchased by Englehart.

When asked if She She's Shadow was tested and what the results were, Alexa Ravit, the director of communications & outreach for HIWU, said in an email response to the TDN: “HIWU cannot comment on what horses have been sampled or their subsequent test results beyond what is published on our website in accordance with the ADMC Program's public disclosure requirements.”

Englehart's theory is that Centeno gave the Clenbuterol to the horse in hopes that it would help the colt have a fast pre-sale workout. The horse put in a two-furlong breeze in :22.

“I don't know the gentleman from All Dreams Equine,” Englehart said. “I just know it had to be him because I know it wasn't me.”

Centeno did not respond to emails, text messages and phone calls from the TDN requesting a comment.

Englehart alleged that Clenbuterol use is “rampant” at the 2-year-old sales.

“This horse was probably training on (Clenbuterol) right up to day he sold,” Englehart said. “It's very well known that Clenbuterol use is rampant at sales. Every trainer knows that. I think if they did a hair test on every horse 70 to 80 percent would be positive for Clenbuterol.”

Under OBS's conditions of sale, no medication may be administered within 24 hours of a horse's under-tack performance. Several specific medications may not be administered on the sales grounds or present in a test sample, including Clenbuterol. OBS tests around 10-15% of the horses who are going to sell, but does not do hair-sample tests, just blood and urine. This colt was not one of those randomly tested in June, the sales company said.

Tom Ventura | Patty Wolfe

When asked to elaborate on the sales company's rules regarding Clenbuterol, OBS President Tom Ventura said every step possible is taken to make sure that no horse in the sale has been given that particular drug.

“With our policy for bronchodilators, including Clenbuterol, we were ahead of the racing curve, because the sales companies have the ability within the conditions of sale to put policies in place maybe a little quicker than jumping through the regulatory hoops that are required at the racetracks,” Ventura said. “OBS, in October of 2019, prohibited bronchodilators. Period. In any animal at any level, in any type of sale.

“Since the very beginning of the tests, I think we had two early on who tested positive and didn't go through the ring, so two positives that we have had for Clenbuterol in four years. I know there weren't any in the last year. We test them as they're coming off the racetrack, and then the buyers have the right to test when they sign the sales ticket. We haven't had any returns for Clenbuterol from those tests.”

In limbo while awaiting the results of the split sample, Englehart has continued his own investigation. He believes the answer to his problems may lie in what is called a segmented drug test, which can provide a time line so far as when a drug was used.

According to the website cellmark.co.uk, by segmenting head hair samples into monthly one-centimeter sections, a month-by-month historic profile of drug use can be obtained. That goes for humans and horses.

If the segmented test shows that the Clenbuterol was administered prior to the day when Englehart bought the horse, it would seem to prove his point that someone else must have given the drug to the horse and lead, he believes, to him being exonerated.

Englehart has sent a hair sample off to the lab at Texas A&M and asked it to do a segmented test.

“I'm just hoping they look at the science and I don't have to do the suspension,” he said.

The problem is that he doesn't know if HIWU will also do a segmented test. Will they? Have they? HIWU won't say.

“HIWU cannot publicly comment on the specific facts of pending cases, including whether segmented analysis was conducted on samples taken from specific horses,” Ravit said in another email.

Finger Lakes | Sarah Andrew

That's not reassuring to Englehart, who points out that the problem extends beyond sales. Horses often change hands, whether being bought at auction, being claimed or being privately purchased, and if they test positive for Clenbuterol through hair tests it would be unfair to automatically penalize the person who had the horse at the time it tested positive.

“The average horseman who bought a horse or has a horse in their possession for only a short period of time, they can't be dropping the hammer on them when something can still show up in these tests after a year,” Englehart said. “You have to know when the horse was given the Clenbuterol.”

We posed this question to HIWU: “Could a horse be given Clenbuterol by someone prior to being transferred to a new trainer and test positive? That would mean the current trainer would be getting penalized for something someone else did. Is this a plausible scenario?”

Ravit's response did not answer that question.

“HIWU cannot comment on the specific questions regarding Englehart's pending case, including the samples collected and type of testing conducted on Fast Heart 2021, the expected timeline to receive the B Sample results, and the plausibility of his defense,” she wrote. “Additionally, HIWU cannot speculate on the adjudication of the hypothetical case you described, for the outcome would depend on the specific facts of the case.”

Englehart is worried that he is running short on time. Once the results of split sample are in and as long as it also shows the presence of Clenbuterol, he will be facing what could be an immediate suspension that can last as long as two years.

“I'm just hoping that the tests comes back and vindicates me,” he said. “I will fight this as hard as you can and take this as far as necessary. I'm ready to take it to the courts. Meanwhile, this has been a nightmare for me.”

Dan Ross contributed to this story.

The post Facing A Two-Year Suspension For Clenbuterol, Trainer Jeffrey Englehart Says They’ve Got The Wrong Guy appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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5th-MEY, Allowance, AED300k ($82k), NH/SH3yo, 1400mT
ALWAYS IN FIRE (Audible) will spot each of his 15 rivals some valuable racetrack experience as the lone firster in this Jumeirah Guineas Trial, but he has some pedigree to recommend him. The Apr. 26 foal is a son of Inspeight of Us (Speighstown), whose son Momos (Distorted Humor) defeated Saratoga maidens at first asking before going on to four black-type placings, two at the graded level as a juvenile. Inspeight of Us is a half-sister to Daddys Lil Darling (Scat Daddy), winner of the GI American Oaks  on the grass and the dam of the listed-winning and G1 Betfred Oaks runner-up Savethelastdance (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}). The SW & GSP second dam Miss Hot Salsa (Houston) is also responsible for GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint upsetter Mongolian Saturday (Any Given Saturday) and SW Victoryasecret (Victory Gallop). Harmash Racing paid $120,000 for Always in Fire after he breezed a furlong in :10 flat at OBS last June.

The post Desert Debuters: Audible Gelding Set Tall Task appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Summer Breezes highlights debuting 2-year-olds at those meetings that have been sourced at the breeze-up sales earlier in the year, with links to their under-tack previews. To follow are the entries for Saturday at Saratoga and Del Mar:

Saturday, September 2, 2023
Saratoga 1, 2yo, 5 1/2fT, 12:40 p.m. ET
Horse (Sire), Sale, Price ($), Breeze
Echo Baybe (Ire) (Cable Bay {Ire}), FTMMAY, 115,000, :10.3
Consignor: Top Line Sales LLC, agent
Buyer: Legion Bloodstock, agent

Reagan's Flame (Flameaway)-AE, OBSAPR, 185,000, :10.1
Consignor: Eddie Woods, agent
Buyer: Cherie De Vaux, agent

Tammy Lynn (Distorted Humor), OBSMAR, 170,000, :10
Consignor: The True Farm
Buyer: Spendthrift Farm

Saratoga 6, 2yo, 1 1/16mT, 3:26 p.m. ET
Ocala Rocket (Hard Spun), OBSJUN, 450,000, :9.4
Consignor: de Meric Sales, agent
Buyer: Frank Fletcher Racing Operations

Stolen Magic (Good Magic), FTMMAY, 85,000, :10.2
Consignor: Paul Sharp, agent
Buyer: Emerald Sales, agent for KEM Racing

Vin Santo (Vino Rosso), OBSJUN, 110,000, :21.1
Consignor: Ocala Stud, agent
Buyer: Bruce Brown, agent

Zverev (Oscar Performance), OBSAPR, 330,000, :10.2
Consignor: Eisaman Equine, agent
Buyer: Cherie De Vaux, agent for Belladonna Racing V

Saratoga 7, 2yo, 7f, 4:00 p.m. ET
Deposition (Constitution)-AE, FTMMAY, 77,000, :10.3
Consignor: Woodford Thoroughbreds, agent
Buyer: Trin-Brook Stable

Del Mar 3, 2yo, 6f, 5:30 p.m. ET
Arthur (Uncle Mo), OBSAPR, 675,000, :10.1
Consignor: Gene Recio, agent
Buyer: Benjamin Gase

Beneficial (Malibu Moon), OBSMAR, 375,000, :10
Consignor: James Layden, agent
Buyer: Three Amigos

Wine Me Up (Vino Rosso), OBSJUN, 300,000, :20.4
Consignor: McKathan Bros Sales, agent
Buyer: Three Amigos (PS)

Del Mar 4, 2yo, (S), 5 1/2f, 6:00 p.m. ET
Takes Three (Nyquist), OBSAPR, 400,000, :10
Consignor: Wavertree Stables Inc (Ciaran Dunne), agent
Buyer: Slugo Racing

The post Summer Breezes: Uncle Mo Firster Brings Big Pricetag to Del Mar appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Summer Breezes highlights debuting 2-year-olds at those meetings that have been sourced at the breeze-up sales earlier in the year, with links to their under-tack previews. To follow are the entries for Thursday at Saratoga and Del Mar:

Thursday, August 24, 2023
Saratoga 2, $88k, 2yo, (S), 5 1/2fT, 1:44 p.m. ET
Horse (Sire), Sale, Price ($), Breeze
Rob the Bank (Central Banker), OBSJUN, 35,000, :10.2
Consignor: Ordonez Thoroughbreds, agent
Buyer: Bruce Brown, agent for Our Sugar Bear Stable

Score the Rock (Kantharos), OBSMAR, 72,000, :10.1
Consignor: Omar Ramirez Bloodstock, agent
Buyer: Three Diamonds Farm LLC

Sorority Prank (Maximus Mischief)-MTO, OBSAPR, 75,000, :10.1
Consignor: Niall Brennan Stables, agent
Buyer: Windylea Farm LLC

Saratoga 5, $88k, 2yo, f, 7f, 3:26 p.m. ET
Buona Salute (Vino Rosso), FTMMAY, 25,000, :11
Consignor: Grassroots Training & Sales LLC, agent
Buyer: Jon Taisey, agent for Big Dom Racing, Hibiscus & Big Toe

Del Mar 4, 2yo, 5fT, 6:34 p.m. ET
Andreadytorumble (Street Boss), OBSAPR, 170,000, :10
Consignor: Randy Miles, agent
Buyer: Mike Ryan, agent for Peter Redekop BC Ltd

Charge for Gold (Omaha Beach), OBSAPR, 60,000, :10.1
Consignor: Randy Miles, agent
Buyer: John P Warren

Eight Clap (Audible), OBSMAR, 190,000, :10.1
Consignor: de Meric Sales, agent
Buyer: Little Red Feather Racing, agent John Dowd

Pharoahs List (Tonalist), OBSJUN, 20,000, :21.4
Consignor: Niall Brennan Stables, agent
Buyer: Travis Gordon

Teddy's Triumph (Sharp Azteca), OBSJUN, 30,000, :10
Consignor: Omar Ramirez Bloodstock, agent
Buyer: Peter Miller, agent (PS)

Wild Recruit (Nyquist), OBSAPR, 180,000, :10.1
Consignor: S G V Thoroughbreds (Steven Venosa), agent
Buyer: Philip Lebherz, Rusty Brown, Rick Pitino (PS)

Del Mar 8, 2yo, 1mT, 8:35 p.m. ET
Bear River (Flameaway), OBSJUN, 50,000, :10.2
Consignor: Randy Miles, agent
Buyer: Charles Marquis

*Glandford (GB) (Havana Grey {GB}), TATAPR, 104,369, click
Consignor: Houghton Bloodstock
Buyer: Shanderella Stables

Gorilla Boy (Catholic Boy), OBSMAR, 75,000, :21.4
Consignor: CM Thoroughbreds
Buyer: Mike Pender, agent

Uplift (Upstart), OBSMAR, 250,000, :10.2
Consignor: Niall Brennan Stables, agent
Buyer: Marette Farrell, agent for Exline-Border Racing

*First start in the U.S.

The post Summer Breezes: Rescheduled Del Mar Maiden Caps Thursday Card appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Summer Breezes highlights debuting 2-year-olds at those meetings that have been sourced at the breeze-up sales earlier in the year, with links to their under-tack previews. To follow are the horses entered for Saturday at Saratoga and Ellis Park:

Sunday, August 20, 2023
Ellis 5, $70k, 2yo, f, 5 1/2fT, 2:45 p.m. ET
Horse (Sire), Sale, Price ($), Breeze
Blitz (Uncle Mo), OBSAPR, 675,000, :10.1
Consignor: Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds LLC, agent
Buyer: D J Stable LLC/Gary Barber

Saratoga 5, $136k, 2yo, f, 6f, 3:27 p.m. ET
Brookmesa (Sky Mesa), FTMMAY, 87,000, :10.1
Consignor: Cary Frommer LLC, agent
Buyer: Maddie Hamlin, agent

Catherine Wheel (Into Mischief), OBSAPR, 725,000, :9.4
Consignor: Eddie Woods, agent
Buyer: Richard Schermerhorn/Team Hanley/30 Year Farm

Ella Elizabeth (Take Charge Indy), FTMMAY, 510,000, :10
Consignor: de Meric Sales, agent
Buyer: Jeff Mackor, agent for Gus King

Mischievous Miss (Maximus Mischief), OBSJUN, 140,000, :10
Consignor: de Meric Sales, agent
Buyer: Hidden Brook, agent

Munny Rockette (Munnings), OBSMAR, 1,000,000, :20.4
Consignor: Tom McCrocklin, agent
Buyer: Donato Lanni for Frank Fletcher Racing Operations

Ellis 7, $70k, 2yo, 5f, 3:50 p.m. ET
Rowdy Riot (Runhappy), OBSAPR, 130,000, :10
Consignor: Scanlon Training & Sales, agent
Buyer: Doyle Williams

Tapitboy (Tapiture), OBSAPR, 60,000, :21
Consignor: Fabian Stables LLC, agent
Buyer: Michael Langford

Saratoga 6, $136k, 2yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 4:02 p.m. ET
Steel Lute (Midnight Lute), OBSMAR, 370,000, :10
Consignor: Julie Davies LLC, agent
Buyer: Sean Flanagan

The post Summer Breezes: Million-Dollar Munnings Leads Busy Sunday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Summer Breezes highlights debuting 2-year-olds at those meetings that have been sourced at the breeze-up sales earlier in the year, with links to their under-tack previews. To follow are the horses entered for Thursday at Saratoga:

Thursday, August 10, 2023
Saratoga 5, $88k, 2yo, f, (S), 6f, 3:26 p.m. ET
Horse (Sire),Sale, Price ($), Breeze
Ekwanok (Mitole), OBSAPR, 145,000, :10.2
Consignor: Niall Brennan Stables, agent
Buyer: Windylea Farm LLC

Miss d'Or Cherie (Bolt d'Oro), OBSAPR, 300,000, :20.3
Consignor: RiceHorse Stable (Brandon & Ali Rice)
Buyer: Reeves Thoroughbred Racing (PS)

Snarky (Redesdale), OBSJUN, 115,000, :10
Consignor: Harris Training Center LLC
Buyer: eFive Racing

Superstarsusan (Hard Spun), OBSAPR, 95,000, :10.1
Consignor: Omar Ramirez Bloodstock, agent
Buyer: Clear Stars Stable & Mitre Box Stable

Saratoga 6, $83k, 2yo, (R), 6f, 4:00 p.m. ET
Always Dialed (Dialed In), OBSJUN, 20,000, :10.3
Consignor: Omar Ramirez Bloodstock, agent
Buyer: Melanie Giddings

Cowboy Luke (Girvin), OBSMAR, 37,000, :10.1
Consignor: Little Farm Equine LLC, agent
Buyer: Ashley Quartarolo, agent

Don Vino Vici (Vino Rosso), OBSMAR, 37,000, :10.3
Consignor: de Meric Sales, agent
Buyer: Dominick Schettino

Secret Lover (Khozan), OBSJUN, 24,000, :10.2
Consignor: IJC Racing Stables LLC
Buyer: Cammarota Racing LLC

Twentyeighttothree (Curlin), OBSAPR , 40,000, :10.3
Consignor: de Meric Sales, agent
Buyer: James Politano

The post Summer Breezes: Reeves Firster Looks Dangerous at the Spa appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Summer Breezes highlights debuting 2-year-olds at those meetings that have been sourced at the breeze-up sales earlier in the year, with links to their under-tack previews. To follow are the horses entered for Sunday at Saratoga, Ellis and Del Mar:

Sunday, August 6, 2023
Saratoga 2, $136k, 2yo, f, 6f, 1:44 p.m. ET
Horse (Sire), Sale, Price ($), Breeze
Shore War (Omaha Beach), OBSAPR, 350,000, :10
Consignor: Mayberry Farm, agent
Buyer: Bo Bromagen, agent

Six Pack Senorita (Practical Joke), FTMMAY, 70,000, :21.3
Consignor: Coastal Equine LLC (Jesse Hoppel), agent
Buyer: Baccari Bloodstock, agent for DWF Inc (PS)

Ellis 4, $70k, 2yo, 6f, 2:13 p.m. ET
Uncle Happy (Runhappy), OBSAPR, 70,000, :10.1
Consignor: Randy Miles, agent
Buyer: Colt Pike, agent for C J Thoroughbreds

Saratoga 6, $136k, 2yo, f, 6f, 4:00 p.m. ET
Before You Go Go (Mitole), FTMMAY, 310,000, :10.1
Consignor: SBM Training and Sales, agent
Buyer: West Bloodstock, agent for Robert & Lawana Low

Helcia (Bernardini), OBSMAR, 600,000, :10
Consignor: Gene Recio, agent
Buyer: John C Kimmel, agent for Sean Flanagan

Ruby Queen (Classic Empire), OBSJUN, 130,000, :10.1
Consignor: Paul Sharp, agent
Buyer: Jeff Mackor, agent for Gus King

Del Mar 1, $82k, 2yo, f, 5 1/2fT, 5:00 p.m. ET
Avoir (More Than Ready), OBSAPR, 72,000, :10
Consignor: Eddie Woods, agent
Buyer: Peter Redekop BC Limited

Certitude (Fr) (City Light {Fr}), ARQMAY, 173,587, click
Consignor: Prevost-Baratte
Buyer: Fernando's Horses/F Dupuis, agent

Julias Dream (Flameaway), OBSAPR, 180,000, :9.4
Consignor: Grassroots Training & Sales, agent
Buyer: Talla Racing/Kim Lloyd, agent

Pacific Rose (Not This Time), OBSMAR, 125,000, :10.1
Consignor: Paul Sharp, agent
Buyer: Zap/Murphy, agent CA Racing Partner, Ciaglia & Savide

Del Mar 5, $82k, 2yo, f, 6f, 7:00 p.m. ET
Cheeky Gal (Maximus Mischief), OBSAPR, 135,000, :10
Consignor: Ordonez Thoroughbreds, agent
Buyer: Peter Miller, agent

Great Forty Eight (Constitution), OBSAPR, 70,000, :10.1
Consignor: Top Line Sales LLC, agent
Buyer: Gayle Van Leer, agent

Nothing Like You (Malibu Moon), OBSAPR, 190,000, :10
Consignor: Wildheart Thoroughbreds LLC, agent
Buyer: John Rogitz

The post Summer Breezes: Late Bernardini Represented By $600K Filly appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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“Coming off of a record gross of last year, I think we kind of held our own,” said OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski. “It seemed like the market held up through the entire season. There were no big surprises–the market is what the market is. There is money for the perceived higher quality horses and sometimes it can get a little tough in the middle.”

Over three days, 630 head sold for $23,777,900–down from a year ago when 666 horses sold for a sale record gross of $27,052,000. The sale average of $37,743 dropped 7.1% from a year ago, while the median dropped 10.6% to $21,000.  With 136 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate was 17.8%. That figure is almost par with the 2022 figure of 17.4%, which includes post-sale transactions.

Three of the auction's top six prices came from its supplemental section late in Thursday's final session. John Fahey made the day's highest bid, going to $475,000 for a colt by Into Mischief who was consigned by Tom McCrocklin.

A total of 11 juveniles sold for $200,000 or more during the sale, compared to 21 who hit that mark last year.

The June sale was described throughout the week as polarized and spotty. Many of these same consignors who were selling 2-year-olds in Ocala this week will now be looking ahead to purchasing yearlings beginning next month in Lexington.

“We are putting together a plan on what we are going to do,” Randy Hartley said of expectations for Hartley/DeRenzo's strategy for the upcoming yearling sales.

Asked if he expected any perceived softening in the 2-year-old market this year would translate to the yearling sales, he said, “You don't know because horse people have amnesia. They will go right back there and we will be fighting over them in July.”

Playing at the top of the pinhooking market, Hartley/DeRenzo enjoyed a strong year in the sales ring.

“The market we play in is the most riskiest market but it's the safest market,” he said. “Because people with a lot of money want the best horses. It's what we do and it's the kind of horses we try to buy.”

The Gladwells' Top Line Sales topped the OBS March sale with a $2-million colt by Good Magic. Jimbo Gladwell admitted the operation will be more selective in its yearling purchases, but ultimately will maintain the same approach.

“I don't think we are going to change anything, but we are probably just going to be a little more particular about what we are buying,” Gladwell said. “The market seems really polarized towards perceived quality, but we are still going to shop every sale and just try to pick up quality horses where we find them.

“These last couple of sales have been tough, but it's mainly been tough on the ones that don't make the cut or reach the bar of what people set for what they think is acceptable. If you don't reach the bar, it's very difficult to get them sold. But as long as you jump through all of the hoops and they vet good, and are fast enough, you can do very well. You just have to be very particular when you are buying them because there is not much room for error.”

While the top end of the market inevitably takes care of itself, middle-market pinhookers have been more affected by the increased polarization in the juvenile market this spring.

“I am going to have to be very selective,” Bryan Rice of Woodside Ranch said of his yearling buying plans. “The horses that I was right on, I was able to succeed with. Any horse that I missed the mark at all on, it was pretty unforgiving. So, as I move forward, it has to be really a horse that strikes me in all aspects and that I really believe in.”

Asked if he expected a less competitive yearling market this fall, Rice said, “It probably will be. At least in the middle. I don't think there will be [any softening] in the top. I think it will stay strong, but those of us who make a living moving the intermediate horses, we are going to have to be really selective and really careful with our money.”

Into Mischief Colt Leads the Way Thursday

Bloodstock agent John Fahey made a pair of high-priced purchases on behalf of undisclosed clients from the supplemental section of the OBS June sale, ultimately paying a session-topping $475,000 for a colt by Into Mischief (hip 1074) just 10 hips from the auction's end. Consigned by Tom McCrocklin, the bay colt is out of Canadian champion Delightful Mary (Limehouse).

“He's a big, beautiful Into Mischief colt,” Fahey said of the juvenile who worked a quarter-mile in :21 flat. “He could be a stallion. We will go to the races and find out.”

Fahey said the colt's final price tag was not a surprise.

“Into Mischief is the best stallion in the world and he stands for $250,000,” Fahey said. “And they put all this work into him to get to this point and we get him for basically double the stud fee.”

A few hips earlier, Fahey went to $370,000 to acquire a filly by Flameaway (hip 1066).

“I bought her for a client of Justin Casse's,” Fahey said. “She did everything, jumped through all of the hoops. The good ones are expensive.”

The gray filly is out of Tomato Bisque (Macho Uno), a full-sister to graded winner Macho Macho (Macho Uno). Consigned by Julie Davies, the juvenile worked a furlong in :9 4/5.  She was purchased for $50,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale.

Fahey purchased six horses at the three-day auction; bidding on behalf of Stone Bridge Farm, he paid $52,000 for a filly by Violence (hip 703); on behalf of Lazy Creek, he paid $17,000 for a colt by Karakontie (Jpn) (hip 323); and as agent, he purchased a colt by Palace Malice (hip 601) for $20,000.

“I felt like if people didn't want to go to the races, you could buy a nice horse that vets for $150,000 easy,” Fahey said of the market at OBS this week. “But if they want to go to the races, they are going to protect them.”

Arrogate Colt to Delgado, Restrepo 

Ramiro Restrepo and Gustavo Delgado, Jr., who teamed up to purchase future GI Kentucky Derby winner Mage (Good Magic) as a 2-year-old last year, put together a new partnership to acquire a colt from the last crop of Arrogate (hip 868) for $375,000 during Thursday's final session of the OBS June sale. Consigned by Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds, the dark bay colt is out of Epic Scataway (Scat Daddy) and worked a furlong last week in :10 flat.

With time winding down on the juvenile sales season, Restrepo agreed there was a desire to acquire a colt by the late champion who was responsible for last week's GI Belmont S. winner Arcangelo.

“Obviously, when we look back at what Arrogate has done as a sire in his limited crops, it's unbelievable,” Restrepo said. “A Classic winner, graded stakes winners, it's just an incredible loss to the game. This is going to be one of the last available ones up for purchase. The colt had an extraordinary work and he is a tremendous physical. For us, we really buy in limited boutique numbers and this horse just kind fit everything we were looking for.”

Restrepo said Delgado was absolutely committed to buying the juvenile.

“Gustavo loved this horse to the moon,” Restrepo said. “He must have gone back to the barn six times and was so, so high on the horse. Arcangelo was our neighbor. Gustavo, Jr. saw Arcangelo walking the shedrow from day one, so he had a front row seat in seeing his development and seeing how these Arrogates progress. And this horse was in line with those other ones. So it just struck a chord with Jr., big time.”

The partnership also purchased a colt by Into Mischief (hip 477) for $300,000 at last month's Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May sale–the same auction where they acquired Mage last spring.

“Our mindset is that we want to buy really nice racehorses with talent and ability that can go and be whatever they are going to be–champion sprinters, champion grass horses, middle-distance horses, Derby horses, whatever. We are looking for good, talented horses and hopefully it all comes together later this fall. Our mindset has always been the same, just find talented runners that can take us places, whether it's the Kentucky Derby or the Travers next year or whatever. We are just hoping for a fantastic effort and our new partners have fun.”

Hip 868 was named Victory Avenue when he went through the sales ring at OBS Thursday, but his path to the auction was anything but paved straight. He was purchased by Dean De Renzo and Randy Hartley for $150,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale. He returned to the sales ring in Ocala sporting an impressive scar across his neck.

“We have a night watchman who lives on the farm and he checked everything around 12-12:30 a.m. right around Christmas one night and everything was fine,” Hartley explained. “I came to the barn at 4 a.m. and he had gotten cast in his stall. He rubbed his shoulder and his back and took off pretty much all the hide. So he had to spend a month at the clinic, rehabbing and getting the hyperbaric chamber and getting him to heal good.”

Hartley said the colt didn't get broke until April and he almost didn't take the handsome dark bay to the June sale.

“I didn't think after the year we had that Dean was going to make me come, but we had another colt in the sale and he said, 'Why don't you just take the black colt?' I said, 'He's never breezed before.' We started to break him in April. But he came over here and he was training like he's a little professional.”

Hartley/DeRenzo had a good spring with offspring of Arrogate. At the OBS Spring sale, the consignment sold a colt by the late sire for $1.45 million. At the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May sale, the consignment topped the sale with a $1-million daughter of the late champion.

“I know there are no more Arrogates, so I'm like what am I going to buy now?” Hartley said. “I guess I'll be buying some Good Magics and some Justifys–I love the Justifys.”

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Through two sessions of the three-day sale, 410 juveniles have sold for $14,922,600. The average of $36,397 is down 5.1% from the 2022 figure of $38,358–which includes post-sale transactions–and is down 8.9% from the $39,961 close-of-day average from a year ago. The median of $20,000 dipped 13% from last year's final figure and 20% from the end-of-day figure.

The cumulative buy-back rate stood at 21.9% after the fall of the last hammer Wednesday.

At this same point a year ago, with 125 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate was 22.9%. With 32 additional post-sales transactions, 452 horses had sold for $17,337,600 and the two-day final buy-back rate was 17.1%.

Wavertree Stables, which sold two of Wednesday's top five lots, was the session's leading consignor.

Following a season of polarized results at the 2-year-old sales, the June figures were no surprise to Wavertree's Ciaran Dunne.

“It's not anything we didn't expect,” Dunne said. “For what are perceived to be the top-end horses, there are plenty of people there. For everything else, we are just fighting over scraps. The attendance is probably a little disappointing, but I think that is reflective of small fields and super trainers. It's harder for the smaller trainers to drum up clients, so it makes it even harder for them to come here and buy. A thousand horses is a lot of horses in the June sale. I think they are doing very well to have the clearance rate they have.”

The OBS June sale concludes with a final session beginning at 10 a.m. Thursday.

Scherer Takes the Blame

A colt by Blame (hip 430), who worked a co-bullet quarter-mile in :20 3/5 during last week's under-tack show, will be joining the barn of trainer Brad Cox after bloodstock agent Clay Scherer signed the $485,000 ticket to acquire the youngster on behalf of an undisclosed client Wednesday at OBS.

“He was a big, strong colt who worked fast, did everything like you want to see here and he acted fresh every day,” Scherer said of the juvenile's appeal.

The dark bay colt is out of Soul Spirit (Quality Road), a daughter of multiple Grade I-placed Soul Search and a half-sister to graded winner Journey Home (War Front). He was purchased by Ciaran Dunne for $210,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale and was making his first trip through the sales ring this year with Dunne's Wavertree Stables consignment.

“He's big, tall and long legged,” Dunne said following the colt's bullet breeze last week. “He looks like a horse who will go two turns easily. So the fact that he has that speed makes you think he's going to be very dangerous going long.”

Of the colt's yearling price tag, Dunne admitted, “It did seem like a lot, but he was a beautiful yearling. The trend at the 2-year-old market is that they want big, two-turn horses and if you can get a horse like him who looks like he'll go long to show the kind of speed he showed, then you're going to get paid, more so than with the ready-made spring 2-year-old types. So it was a lot of money for him, but he was a beautiful horse.”

Scherer said the June sale has become an increasingly reliable source of good horses, pointing to 2021 graduate and multiple graded winner Adare Manor (Uncle Mo) who won Saturday's GII Santa Margarita S. at Santa Anita.

“Every year, people have been putting good horses in June and good horses have come out of June every year,” he said. “Adare Manor just ran off the screen. There is always a good one here.”

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At the close of business Tuesday, 192 juveniles had sold for a gross of $7,110,400. The average of $37,033 was up from the 2022 session's final average of $34,431–which included post-sale transactions–but was down from the end-of-session figure of $38,628. The median of $20,000 dipped from the final figure of $22,000, as well as from the end-of-session figure of $25,500. With 74 horses reported not sold, the session's buy-back rate was 27.8%.

Before the inclusion of post-sale transactions, last year's opening session of the June sale saw 184 head sell for a gross of $7,107,500. The average was $38,628 and the median was $25,500. With 90 horses reported not sold at the fall of the day's last hammer, the 2022 opening-session buy-back rate was 33.1%. That figure improved to 20.7% as a further 33 horses sold post-sale, bringing the final gross to $7,756,400.

Midway through Tuesday's session, Frank Fletcher, bidding alongside agent Donato Lanni, went to $450,000 to acquire a son of Hard Spun from the de Meric Sales consignment. Late in the day, Fletcher returned to acquire the day's second-highest priced offering, going to $230,000 to acquire a colt by Malibu Moon from Gene Recio's consignment.

The session-topper led a day of mixed-bag results for de Meric Sales, which sold all 10 of its horses through the ring for $988,700 and was the session's leading consignor. The consignment had results everywhere from the session-topping $450,000 price tag down to $3,700.

“We saw a little bit of everything today,” admitted Tristan de Meric. “It's definitely a little spotty at best, but there is still some demand for the more quality horses. There is a bit of action in the lower-middle, but not as much as we'd all like to see for the number of horses here. I think it's basically typical of the June sale, but maybe a little more magnified this year.”

The Hard Spun colt was making his first sales appearance of the year, an angle which has worked well for the consignment in the past, according to de Meric.

“He was sent down to Florida and started in January and we always thought of him as a horse for this sale,” de Meric said. “We've found that a fresh horse in this sale can stand out. People always like to see one for the first time. And that horse stepped up and did everything right. We have done well with horses like him at this sale and, even this year in a spottier market, we are happy with this result and best of luck to Frank Fletcher and Donato.”

The OBS June sale continues through Thursday with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m.

Fletcher Gets His Hard Spun Colt

Frank Fletcher flew down to Ocala Tuesday morning with the specific intention of purchasing a colt by Hard Spun and the Arkansas native did not go home disappointed, securing hip 130 for $450,000 from the de Meric Sales consignment midway through the first session of the June sale.

“I just flew down this morning and Donato Lanni showed him to me,” Fletcher said. “He liked his work, he likes the way he's built and he likes his speed.”

Bred by Reiley McDonald's Athens Woods, the chestnut colt is out of stakes-placed Mine All Mine (Belong to Me) and is a half-brother to stakes-winner Athens Queen (Majestic Warrior). The juvenile worked a furlong last week in a co-bullet :9 4/5.

SESSION TOPPER @OBSSales!

Hip 130, a #HardSpun colt that worked in a blistering :9 4/5ths, sells to Frank Fletcher Racing Operations for $450,000!

Consigned by de Meric Sales, Agent, the juvenile is out of a Stakes-placed mare who is also the dam of Astoria Stakes winner… pic.twitter.com/L8ujAtTTQX

— Darley in America (@DarleyAmerica) June 13, 2023

“We are always looking for 2-year-old colts,” Fletcher said. “And it's exciting to get him. I always like coming down here. I love this city and I love this sale. I've been coming here for 25 years.”

Fletcher famously names all his horses with some form of Rocket or Rockette in their names. Does he have a name already picked out for this colt?

“He will be something rocket,” Fletcher said with a laugh. “I had a horse down here earlier this year in the sale and she worked so well, I withdrew her from the sale and I named her Almost Gone Rocket.”

Fletcher had to see off a determined internet bidder to secure the colt, but said he never had a doubt that he was going to come out on top.

“We were going to get him one way or another,” he said. “I flew down for him. So I'd be very sad if I was going home without him.”

Fletcher said no trainer had been picked out for the youngster.

Goodman Has High Hopes for First Pinhook

Billy Goodman, whose involvement in racing started almost by accident and evolved into a full-on passion, is hopeful his first foray into the juvenile pinhooking market proves just as successful when he and partner Caio Caramori send a colt by American Pharoah (hip 1030) through the OBS sales ring with the SBM Training and Sales consignment Thursday.

Goodman purchased the colt for $100,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale. He is out of Jeweliana (Smart Strike), a daughter of multiple graded winner Roshani (Fantastic Light) and the dam of $775,000 juvenile Nile River (American Pharoah).

“He just had all the right parts,” Goodman said of the colt's appeal last fall. “He was a May 5 foal and a little immature, but I kind of looked at him like, if he just expands exactly as he is right now, he's going to be an absolute beast of a horse. He had an incredible walk and an incredible mind on him. And all of those things came to fruition with him. He blossomed into this incredible specimen and he's got a mind on him like a 4-year-old stakes horse.”

Goodman had never even touched a horse when he decided to make a major pivot in his life some 12 years ago.

“Back in 2011, I was managing an Irish pub in Miami for a childhood friend,” he explained. “Things just weren't going well and I didn't enjoy it, so I decided to stop. I got a license at Gulfstream and went on the backside and asked for a job. I got a job walking hots.”

Goodman, who began working for trainer Peter Gulyas in Florida, eventually made his way to Kentucky and the barn of trainer Todd Pletcher.

“I worked for Todd for six years as a groom,” Goodman said. “I was a hotwalker and then a groom and within two months we had two horses in the Derby and My Miss Sophia was second in the Oaks.”

Of his experience with horses before that, Goodman admitted, “None. Zero. Never touched a horse. I always knew that I would at some point. Horses were in my system. I was 45 and I said, 'All right, it's time to do this.'”

Goodman purchased his first horse, Eternal Heart, for $50,000 at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic October Sale. Now six, the West Virginia-bred mare is still in his care.

“I was just bathing her when you called,” Goodman said of Eternal Heart. “This is going to be her last year racing. I bought this filly and gave her to my friend Caio Caramori, who is a trainer. I went to the barn to help out and I wound up working for him. And I'm still working for him and still buying horses.”

Goodman purchased a few weanling-to-yearling pinhooks and enjoyed success on a small scale before deciding to put together a partnership to make his six-figure investment in an American Pharoah colt last year.

“This is the first decent horse that we put a little money together and bid $100,000 on him,” Goodman said.

The colt was originally targeted at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May sale, where he was to sell under the Goodman Caramori banner, but the partners decided to call an audible earlier this year.

“We broke him and trained him at the Classic Mile right there in Ocala,” Goodman said. “We spend the winters down there. We were going to consign himself ourselves at Timonium, but he just got shins. I was battling shins because we got a late start on him. I could have brought him there, but I didn't think it was right for the horse. So we backed off on him a little bit and sent him to Susan Montanye. She's got him now because I had to go back to Lexington. We have 45 horses here.”

The colt proved the extra time was worthwhile with a :10 flat work at last week's under-tack show.

“Susan took care of his shins and didn't do too much with him and he went over there and went :10 flat, :20 3/5 and :33 2/5,” Goodman said. “He's just a beast of a horse. He really didn't train all that much and did that. It was kind of freakish what he did.”

Goodman expects to be back in action at the upcoming yearling sales.

“I am going to be buying in July, hopefully, and go to New York and September,” he said. “We will probably have 40 horses down there in Ocala, total, but we will probably put together four or five [to pinhook] with this group, if this horse sells the way we think he will. And I'll try to build a little business from there, buy our own and do it like that.”

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