OBS March Sale | Horse Racing Free Tips

Mating Plans, Presented By Spendthrift: William S. Sparks

As we approach the opening of the 2024 breeding season, the TDN staff is once again sitting down with leading breeders to find out what stallions they have chosen for their mares, and why.

Today we caught up with Williams S. Sparks of Monroe, Louisiana. Originally from Arkansas where he grew up attending Oaklawn races with his grandfather, Sparks has assembled a band which reflects his philosophy of breeding to race.

“I'm really deeply committed to breeding a sound racehorse who is going to do what they do best–run,” said Sparks. “Regional breeding and racing are the backbone of this business and I love it. I wish I didn't so much, but I do.”

The Monroe dealership owner boards with Sara Patterson of Cedar Run Farm in Arkansas and with Wayne and Cathy Sweezey in Kentucky, and utilizes Ron Moquett as his conditioner.

BESS (8, Mineshaft–Brenda Leigh, by Forest Wildcat) will be bred to Petrov
This is a hard-knocking mare who made almost $300,000 over 38 starts. I bought Bess as a yearling and raced her until she was claimed away. Ron Moquett and I bought her back. She is in foal to Beau Liam and is in the Arkansas breeding program. Like a lot of other folks, I am impressed with the look of these Petrov foals.

Gunite | Sara Gordon

DANCE FOR DADDY (8, Scat Daddy–Dance to the Sea, by Gone West) will be bred to Gunite
I have bred speed into this mare and her last couple of offspring speak to that, including 3-year-old colt Ceepeegee (Army Mule). This colt broke his maiden in September, and my partner Keith Johnston and I are excited about his prospects. I had actually entered him at last April's OBS and once my wife and I saw him there she asked, “why exactly are you selling this horse?”

Dance For Daddy is currently in foal to Volatile. The next move is to send her to Gunite with hopes for a precocious foal. This mare has shown she can get an early runner. Gunite is a grand-looking horse who proved himself a fighter at the races. I hope he passes that on.

FINE FAMILY (5, Upstart–Great Family, by Harlan's Holiday) will be bred back to Girvin
I was fortunate enough to partner with Bret Jones of Airdrie Stud in racing Fine Family. She is in foal to Girvin for this year and I think the plan is to go back to him. Bret obviously knows what he is doing, so I am just following his lead. Girvin is certainly proving to be a successful sire.

MARTZ (12, Scat Daddy–Opulent, by Meadowlake) will be bred to either Complexity, Nashville or Yaupon
Ron Moquett picked out Martz as a 2-year-old at OBS. We raced her and kept her to breed. She is a big, strong mare who throws lovely foals. I have an affinity for Scat Daddy mares. Martz's best foal so far is MSP Sarah Harper (Vancouver {Aus}) who's mating recommendation was the product of John Prather. Martz has big, nice yearling colt by Astern (Aus), and we are going to breed her to speed. I am certainly liking what I am seeing from both Complexity and Yaupon.

MAXINE'S TAP ROOM (8, Bourbon Courage–Sunday In Malibu, by Malibu Moon) will be bred to The Big Beast
This is a stakes-placed mare who was quick, but who unfortunately had an abbreviated racing career. She's in the Arkansas breeding program and alternates between Arkansas and Kentucky stallions. The Big Beast is going to be a super addition to Arkansas and I'm a fan of the good-looking son of Yes It's True.

Fine Family | Coady Photography

SARAH HARPER (6, Vancouver (Aus)–Martz, by Scat Daddy) will be bred to Nyquist or Street Sense
Our plan with Sarah Harper is to have her compete at Oaklawn this spring and then she will head to the breeding shed. She's just been spectacular and nicks well with a lot of stallions. Wayne [Sweezey] and I are talking it over, but Nyquist or Street Sense are our options in that order.

TIPAZAR (9, Tapizar–Tipsy At Midnight, by Midnight Lute) will be bred to The Big Beast
I raced this mare in partnership with my friend Jim Brown. We are breeding Tipazar in the Arkansas program, and the plan is to continue to alternate every other year with that state entity and then with a Kentucky stallion.

TRIP MOM (16, El Corredor–Fifty Mil Short, by Johannesburg) will be bred to either Highly Motivated or Runhappy
Trip Mom, who I have bred and raced in the Arkansas program, was recommended to me by the late pedigree consultant, Les Brinsfield. Upon entering the business, I had the good fortune to meet Les, and also John Prather through friends George Waggoner and Monty Hinton. They provided me with valuable guidance and endless hours of pedigree discussion.

Interested in sharing your own mating plans? Email garyking@thetdn.com.

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Friday Insights: $725k OBS Grad Debuts At Tampa Bay Downs

6th-TAM, $53K, Msw, 3yo, 6f, 3:04 p.m. ET.
Bred by Stonestreet Thoroughbred, ARI'S MAGIC (Good Magic) initially went for $150,000 during Keeneland September. After rolling a :10 flat at last year's under tack breeze show, the juvenile sold for $725,000 at the OBS March Sale. Owned by LSU Stables and trained by Christophe Clement, the newly-minted 3-year-old is out of Ari the Adventurer (Pioneerof the Nile), who Stonestreet bought for $350,000 at the '13 OBS Select 2-Year-Old Sale. TJCIS PPS

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Practical Joke Colt Tops Texas Yearling Sale

GRAND PRAIRIE, TX – A colt by Practical Joke brought $110,000 to top Monday's single-session Texas Thoroughbred Association (TTA) Summer Yearling Sale at Lone Star Park.

By the numbers, a total of 175 yearlings sold for $3,240,000. The figures represented a decrease from 2022 when 161 sold for a record $3,416,000 in gross receipts. This term, the average was $18,542, while the median was $11,000 and 77 horses reported not sold.

Foster Bridewell, Director of Horse Sales for the TTA, said of the auction, “Three of our top five offerings were Texas-breds, so that was good to see,” he said. “This was one of our largest catalogs in the history of this sale and we had buyers from several key quadrants–Kentucky, Ocala, California and across the Lone Star State.”

A Practical Topper For Al Pike

Offered as hip 122, the dark bay was purchased by Al Pike, acting as agent. The Apr. 30 foal is out of SW Jan's Perfect Star (Imperialism), dam of UAE Jebel Ali Sprint hero Road Bloc (Street Sense). The native Texan from Palestine, and his wife Salley, relocated this past summer to Highlander Training Center, outside of Dallas. A regular on the pinhooking scene, Pike frequents a bevy of juvenile sales, including OBS March, Fasig-Tipton Midlantic and the Texas 2-Year-Old In-Training Sale.

Practical Joke colt (hip 122) | Olivia Friesen/TTA Sale

Pike said he saw this yearling as an opportunity.

“This one is for me and partners,” said Pike. “I thought he was a stunning Practical Joke, beautiful horse, and I think he's going to grow to be really special. It's just the Practical Joke that sold it and he had some pedigree too. I just thought he was a beautiful colt. This will be one to pinhook for the spring and we'll probably look to go to OBS March.”

Bred by Michael and Linda Mazoch of Texas, the colt was consigned by Scott Mallory, agent.

“He came from Buena Madera and they always do an excellent job in preparing the horses for the sale,” Mallory said. “And it makes it a whole lot easier when you get to the sale because they are well presented. With the recent success of Practical Joke, we kind of thought he'd be fairly popular with the sale. He vetted good, handled himself well up there. And with Texas coming up with the $40,000 maiden special weights, we knew that would add an extra bid or two. I didn't quite think he'd bring $110,000, but I'm happy about it. We thought he'd sell well–I thought he'd sell for $70,000 or $80,000, but $110,000 is excellent.”

Vekoma Colt Takes Home Silver

Late in the session, hip 260, a chestnut colt by Vekoma, brought $90,000 from pinhooker David Scanlon. Out of Winning Saga (Tale of the Cat), the May 12 foal was raised and prepped at Elm Tree Farm in Kentucky and consigned by agent Scott Mallory, who also consigned the topper.

“This colt just showed well the whole time, he had a great disposition, he just looks like he is going to turn into a really beautiful 2-year-old and he was bred by Dr. Fred Willis from Louisiana,” said Mallory.

Competitive Edge Colt Reminds Asmussen of Ryvit

The third highest-priced yearling of the session was taken home by Steve Asmussen's KDE Equine for $85,000. Hip 24, consigned by Highlander Training, was bred by Valor Farm in Pilot Point, Texas.

Ryvit schooling at Saratoga with Erik Asmussen up | Sarah Andrew

The Feb. 16 foal is the first foal out of unraced Better Than Mo (Uncle Mo), who counts MSW More Than Most (Indygo Mountain), MSW Worldventurer (Wimbledon) and GIII Miss Preakness S. scorer Red Ghost (Ghostzapper) as half-siblings. His third dam MGISP Alysbelle (Alydar) is a full-sister to Horse of the Year Alysheba.

Asmussen indicated Monday's purchase was prompted by another Texas sale graduate, GIII Chick Lang S. victor Ryvit (Competitive Edge).

“A couple of years ago, I got Ryvit out of this sale,” explained the Hall of Famer. “I think that there are blue collar horses and they have to earn their keep. And it had everything to do that he reminded me of Ryvit. Just a very sturdy and athletic-looking horse and, hopefully, we can create a similar circumstance.”

On behalf of his client Whispering Oaks, Asmussen also purchased hip 110, a Louisiana-bred colt by Spun to Run out of SP Hilarious Brown (Big Brown) for $80,000, in addition to a dark bay filly by Competitive Edge out of Conquest Bebop (Scat Daddy) (hip 51), who also brought $80,000.

Complete sales results can be found here.

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Sunday’s Racing Insights: Pricey Munnings Filly Spa Debut

5th-SAR, $136K, Msw, 2yo, f, 6f, 3:27 p.m.
MUNNY ROCKETTE (Munnings) sold to Champion Equine for $450,000 as a yearling at last year's Fasig-Tipton New York Saratoga Select Yearling Sale and went for $1-million when Donato Lanni signed the ticket for Frank Fletcher Racing Operations on the final day of this year's OBS March Sale. Trained by Bill Mott and with Junior Alvarado in the irons, the bay filly's second dam is a half sister to GI Test S. and GI Ballerina H. winner Chaposa Springs (Baldski) and GI Met Mile champ You and I (Kris S.)

Also looking to make her mark first time out, Catherine Wheel (Into Mischief) is an OBS April alum who fetched $725,000. She hails from an extended female family which includes GI Belmont S. winners Rags to Riches (A.P. Indy) and Arcangelo (Arrogate). Joining this pair is Ella Elizabeth (Take Charge Indy), who sold to Gus King for $510,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Old Sale. A full sister to GSW and MGSP Take Charge Paula, the Chad Brown trainee gets the services of Joel Rosario. TJCIS PPS

5th-ELP, $70K, Msw, 2yo, f, 5 1/2fT, 4:37 p.m.
Heading to the Pea Patch, $675,000 OBS April grad Blitz (Uncle Mo) debuts for Gary Barber and DJ Stable. The dark bay filly, out of GSW Customer Base (Lemon Drop Kid), is trained by Mark Casse and will be ridden by Cristian Torres. She drilled :48.00 Aug. 5 at Ellis (4f, 7/49) in preparation for this start.

Also entered is Movin' On Up (Accelerate), who is a well-connected Harvey Clarke Racing Stables homebred. Trained by Brendan Walsh and ridden by Martin Garcia, the gray filly is the first offspring out of Stifle Yourself (Cairo Prince). Second dam Gloria S. (Tapit) produced GI Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup winner Harvey's Lil Goil (American Pharoah) and she counts GI Kentucky Derby victor I'll Have Another (Flower Alley) and MGSW Golden Award (Medaglia d'Oro) as half siblings. TJCIS PPS

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