Debut Winner Cynane Likely Royal Ascot-Bound

Cynane (Omaha Beach), who became the first winner for her freshman sire (by War Front) with a front-running, 2 3/4-length debut victory in a five-furlong turf sprint at Belmont Park May 11, will likely make her next appearance in the G2 Queen Mary S. for 2-year-old fillies during the prestigious Royal Ascot meeting, trainer Tom Morley said Friday.

“That's the plan at the moment,” said Morley. “She came out of the race really well and she's got a great mind and really good appetite–she was screaming for her feed tub last night. She jogged sound this morning, so we'll start putting plans in place to go to the Queen Mary.”

A $250,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase, Cynane (pronounced KEE-NAH-NAY) did her early-season prep at Raul Reyes's King's Equine in Ocala, and Morley said the filly has been forward ever since joining his barn in New York in March.

“She has never missed a beat–not only with us, but with Raul Reyes in Ocala,” said Morley. “You only get one shot to go to Ascot with these horses and to get there, you have to never miss a day and be good enough to win on debut. Full credit to her, because she has a wonderful temperament and is good as gold.”

Though she debuted over a minimum trip, Cynane could stretch out in time, as she is out of a half-sister to Cat's Claw (Dynaformer), winner of the Fasig-Tipton Waya S. at a mile and a half on the grass. Third dam Matlacha Pass (Seeking the Gold) produced five-time turf Grade I winner Point of Entry (Dynaformer) and dual Grade I victress Pine Island (Arch).

“She's got a really, really good female family and is from a really good American turf line from the Phipps family,” said Morley. “She has every right to be a good horse and hopefully she can be.”

The filly is named after the Macedonian princess Cynane, a half-sister to Alexander the Great who was a fierce warrior trained in martial arts.

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Ten Share Furlong Bullet at OBS

Ten juveniles shared the furlong bullet time of :9 4/5 during Tuesday's first session of the under-tack show for the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's March 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. Raul Reyes's Kings Equine sent out eight juveniles to work at OBS Tuesday, including three who hit that bullet mark.

“Personally, I thought the conditions were great,” Reyes said. “My horses breezed very well. I can say nothing but nice things about the way the track was today. I think it was very fair.”

Leading the Kings Equine workers Tuesday were colts by Hard Spun (hip 16, video) and Arrogate (hip 24, video), and a filly by Liam's Map (hip 130, video).

The Hard Spun colt, out of a half-sister to multiple Grade I winner Paradise Woods (Union Rags), is being consigned by Kings Equine on behalf of breeder Spendthrift Farm. The colt RNA'd for $190,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale.

“We knew he was a nice horse,” Reyes said of the juvenile. “Spendthrift had a big opinion of him [in September]. They didn't sell him and they decided to give me an opportunity to sell him at the 2-year-old sale. He has matured and gotten stronger since then. He really showed up today.”

Reyes made a timely purchase when he acquired the son of Arrogate out of graded-placed Sensitively (Street Sense) for $50,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton July sale.

“When I bought the horse, Arrogate was really cold,” Reyes said of his purchase last summer. “He hardly had any winners. Two weeks after I bought him, he had a bunch of winners. It was good timing. It's not like I'm a genius or anything. I liked Arrogate, I saw one that was affordable and I bought him.”

Reyes added of the juvenile, “He's very quick and he's very athletic.”

Scott and Evan Dilworth purchased the daughter of Liam's Map out of stakes-placed Tiger Silk (Aus) (All American {Aus}) for $130,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale.

“I can say nothing but nice things about her,” Reyes said of the filly. “She breezed very well, but we knew she was always pretty fast. So it was no surprise.”

The Gladwells' Top Line Sales sent out a pair of fillies to work Tuesday's bullet time: a daughter of Munnings (hip 122, video) and a daughter of City of Light (hip 123, video).

Also represented by a pair of bullet workers Tuesday was GOP Racing Stable Corp., which sent out a filly by Twirling Candy (hip 44, video) and a filly by Khozan (hip 149, video).

A colt by Bernardini (hip 54) worked in :9 4/5 for McKathan Bros. Sales, while a colt by Omaha Beach (hip 161) went in :9 4/5 for Eddie Woods and a son of Mitole (hip 143) hit the :9 4/5 mark for Dynasty Thoroughbreds.

Tuesday's session of the under-tack show began at 8 a.m. with temperatures in the mid-50s and ended just short of 3 p.m. with temperatures in the upper 60s.

Working in the final set of the day, just past 1:30 p.m., a filly by Mo Town (hip 2) turned in the day's fastest quarter-mile work of :20 4/5 for consignor Tom McCrocklin, who purchased her for $3,500 at last year's OBS October sale.

The under-tack show continues through Friday with sessions beginning at 8 a.m. daily. The March sale will be held next Monday through Wednesday. Bidding commences each day at 11 a.m.

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Fasig-Tipton Returns to Santa Anita Wednesday

Fasig-Tipton, which hosted its first Santa Anita 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale in 2019, was forced to cancel the 2020 renewal of the auction due to the pandemic, but the sale returns to the Arcadia track for its second edition Wednesday. Bidding is scheduled to get underway at 1 p.m. PT in the Santa Anita winner's circle.

Raul Reyes's Ocala-based Kings Equine, which sold three of the top four lots at the 2019 Santa Anita sale, returns with a 13-horse consignment in 2021.

“It was an easy decision to come back–it didn't take me too long to think about it,” Reyes said of his return to California, which offers him the chance to mix business and pleasure.

“My mom lives here in L.A., so I always like to come out here,” he explained with a smile.

Four horses from the Kings Equine consignment were among the 11 to share the second fastest furlong time of :10 3/5 during Monday's under-tack show: hip 2, hip 10, hip 42, and hip 88.

“It went well. I am very happy with how it went Monday,” Reyes said of his consignment's under-tack show results.

A total of 115 juveniles have been catalogued for the one-day sale–down from 168 in 2019–and there were 39 horses withdrawn as of Tuesday afternoon.

Of the slimmed down catalogue, Reyes said, “I'd like to see the sale be bigger. It's better for the people who we have horses here with because there isn't so much competition, but for the sale to do well, I'd like to see a bit more horses. But there are trainers and a few bloodstock agents here looking and they are all very positive and wanting to buy horses.”

California-based consignor Bruno DeBerdt had plenty of activity at his Excel Bloodstock consignment Tuesday morning.

“I'm showing three horses as we speak and I've only got six horses in the sale,” DeBerdt said. “I'm very, very happy with the activity and there are serious buyers here, not just looky loos. I'd say it's probably at least 60% trainers and then we have agents and a few owners. I am very happy with the turnout.”

DeBerdt agreed the success of the Santa Anita sale is vital to the industry in California.

“It's very important to have this sale,” he said. “I hope everyone supports it because it's our only outlet. Fasig-Tipton just does a Grade A job. The stabling is good and they have good personnel managing it and it's been very pleasant to be here.”

While the auction's momentum was halted in 2020, DeBerdt looks for a strong sale Wednesday.

“We sold in the first sale in 2019 and we did well,” DeBerdt said. “And then we had a very large consignment scheduled for 2020, which obviously didn't materialize. So this year, we kind of toned it down. But the market is very healthy right now overall. Obviously, your better horses are going to bring good money and the not-so-good horses are going to probably not bring very much money, but I think they'll get sold. It's going to be a polarized sale, in my opinion, but we've got enough buyers here.”

Al Pike is offering his first Santa Anita consignment, with nine horses scheduled to go through the ring Wednesday.

“I had some horses at the March sale that we had lost time with due to the weather at home in February, so we weren't ready for March. So we just opted out of there and put them in this sale thinking that this would be a good spot for them,” Pike said of the decision to sell at Santa Anita. “We got more time with these horses that needed it and I am hoping to be rewarded for waiting.”

Of the activity at his barn Tuesday, Pike said, “We have been awful busy here. I am pleasantly surprised. I didn't know what to expect. This is my first time basically coming to California–coming to Santa Anita was on my bucket list, so I can check that off. It's a beautiful place. We've been treated really well here. Fasig-Tipton always does a great job.”

The fastest furlong of Monday's under-tack preview was :10 2/5 and a pair of Pike Racing juveniles (hip 16 and hip 36) were among the 11 who shared the second fastest time of :10 3/5.

“The breeze show went well,” Pike said. “The horses performed well. The track was not a fast track, it was kind of a deep track, but they got over it well and came home good. I had some people ask me, 'Was it slow horses or a slow track?' I said, 'I can tell you from home, it wasn't slow horses.'”

Pike agreed there was always some concern with attracting buyers to a sale with a smaller catalogue, but he said, “If it's a good horse, it's going to sell well. And there are some good horsemen looking at these horses, so I think it's going to be a good sale.”

Among the 22 juveniles in Andy Havens's Havens Bloodstock Agency consignment are a pair of horses who enter the Santa Anita sales ring off strong efforts at the track last weekend. Ko Olina (Stanford) (hip 17) finished first in her third lifetime start last Saturday, but was disqualified and placed second, while maiden winner Bochombo (Street Boss) (hip 20) finished second behind the freakish Big City Lights (Mr. Big) in Sunday's Fasig-Tipton Futurity.

“Bochombo ran a terrific race breaking his maiden [May 23] kind of coming off the pace,” Havens said. “And then he ran second in that stakes on Sunday to what looks like a special kind of colt. He's a fabulous horse. He's really attractive and looks like he is going to go on rather than win at these short distances. And he's very sound. I think he's a really useful horse.”

Of Ko Olina, Havens said, “The horse they gave the race to–Baffert's Munnings filly [Eda]–cost $550,000 [at OBS March]. She beat her and they were 13 lengths ahead of the third horse, so she showed she could win, but the buyer still gets the condition.”

Havens continued, “We are heading into Del Mar and people are looking for horses like this. I think this is a really unusual opportunity for 2-year-olds. These horses have shown they belong at a really upper level and they are sound. So you have as immediate action as you can get with a 2-year-old. We are getting a whole lot of interest here for both of these.”

While sales horses for the 2019 sale were housed in temporary barns near Santa Anita's seven-furlong chute, the 2021 horses are on the track's backside.

“We have had a terrific amount of interest,” Havens said. “We are on the backside of Santa Anita, so it's really worked out well from that standpoint in terms of interest.”

Havens is hopeful that, after having the sale's momentum interrupted last year, Fasig-Tipton will be able to build on the 2021 results.

“I think it's absolutely essential that we have a 2-year-old sale in California,” Havens said. “I think missing last year really impaired the turnout for this year. Because it has not been a real strong turnout relative to what we used to have. We used to have two sales here. We used to have a March sale and a May sale. When Barretts ended and Fasig took over with this sale in June and then missing 2020 completely, I think it put cold water on people's response to this sale. But they succeeded in getting a number of people from out of town, Florida in particular, and I have a really nice group. So I am very encouraged by that.”

Bloodstock agent Donato Lanni made the highest bid at the inaugural Santa Anita sale in 2019, acquiring subsequent stakes winner Eclair (Bernardini) for $420,000 on behalf of Sarah Kelly. In all, 69 horses sold for $3,769,500 at the 2019 auction. The average was $54,630 and the median was $30,000. With 39 horses not sold, the buy-back rate was 36.1%.

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Union Rags Filly Swiftest in Timonium Wednesday

TIMONIUM, MD – The second of three under-tack sessions ahead of the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds-in-Training Sale got underway minutes after 8 a.m. with chilly temperatures in the mid-40s and a tailwind which remained fairly steady throughout the day's seven sessions at the Maryland State Fairgrounds Wednesday. Five of the day's six fastest times came during the session's first 20 minutes, with a filly by Union Rags equaling Tuesday's quarter-mile bullet time of :21 2/5 and four horses sharing the co-bullet furlong time of :10 flat. It wasn't until the day's fourth set that a fifth juvenile hit that mark.

Consignor Tom McCrocklin sent a filly by Union Rags (hip 295) out to work a quarter-mile in :21 2/5 Wednesday, matching Tuesday's fastest time for the distance.

“She is a super nice filly,” McCrocklin said. “She showed up and I expected her to. She was that way at the farm and she prepped that way here. She's really classy and sound. She galloped out good. She's a lovely filly–probably my favorite horse we had all year.”

The bay filly is out of stakes winner Afleet Lass (Northern Afleet) and is a half-sister to graded placed Honor the Fleet (To Honor and Serve). Bred by Gainesway, she was purchased by McCrocklin for $20,000 at last year's Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

“I'm still not sure how I got her for $20,000, but it was one of those things at Keeneland where you hit a soft spot,” McCrocklin said. “I bought her from Gainesway and I remember walking up there and [Gainesway's] Lakota [Gibson] said, 'No reserve.' That can be good or bad because when you hear no reserve, you never know what to think. But she's been really nice all year.”

The second horse on the track Wednesday, a filly by Race Day (hip 340), equaled Tuesday's bullet furlong time when working in :10 flat for Grassroots Training & Sales. Bred by Dala Farm, the bay filly is the first foal out of Battle Tux (Into Mischief).

Eddie Woods's consignment had its second bullet worker of the week when hip 211, a colt by Quality Road, covered his furlong in :10 flat Wednesday. Bred by Jon Clay's Alpha Delta, the dark bay colt is out of the unraced Stormy Welcome (Storm Cat), a half-sister to graded winner Guest Suite (Quality Road). The colt's third dam is Weekend Surprise (Secretariat), dam of A.P. Indy and Summer Squall.

A colt by American Pharoah (hip 337) shared the :10 flat bullet when working for Raul Reyes's Kings Equine. The chestnut colt is out of Baroness Aamoura (Theatrical {Ire}) and is a half-brother to stakes-placed Madam Aamoura (Zensational). His second dam is multiple graded stakes winner Anguilla (Seattle Slew).

“We were very happy with it,” Reyes said of the work. “He prepped pretty fast and he prepped fast at the farm, so this wasn't really a surprise.”

Bred by Zayat Stables, the juvenile RNA'd for $145,000 as a weanling at the 2019 Keeneland November sale and for $45,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale.

“I bought him right after [the September sale],” Reyes said. “I was looking for an American Pharoah for the right price and he looked kind of fast. He looked a little rough as a yearling, but he has changed a lot. He looks like a more serious, stronger horse. He is big-bodied.”

Kings Equine has sent out 12 juveniles to work through the first two sessions of the under-tack show in Timonium.

“The track here is very consistent,” Reyes said. “You can work good any time. I like that about Maryland. You can come at 4 p.m. and still do good.”

Rounding out Wednesday's first set :10 flat workers was hip 260, a colt by Munnings consigned by Ciaran Dunne's Wavertree Stables. Dunne purchased the dark bay colt, who is a Pennsylvania-bred out of Tweet (Medaglia d'Oro), for $55,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale.

Munnings is a handy stallion. He's one of those middle-range horses. The Pennsylvania-bred thing didn't hurt and the price was right,” Dunne said of the colt's appeal last fall. “We always bought him with Timonium in mind. And we actually stuck to the plan for a change. We'll see how that works out.”

Dunne agreed the track in Timonium has remained consistent throughout the under-tack show's first two sessions.

“We worked a horse in the fifth set that we like quite a bit, a Klimt colt (hip 311) and he worked good, he went in :10 1/5,” Dunne said. “So I think it's been fine all the way through. It was the same for us yesterday. They all worked about like we would have expected them to work.”

Wavertree opened the juvenile sales season with a pair of blockbuster seven-figure pinhooks at the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Sale and Dunne said he was “cautiously optimistic” heading into next week's two-day Midlantic auction.

Turning heads during Tuesday's first breeze show session from the Wavertree consignment was a daughter of Quality Road (hip 46) who worked her furlong in :10 1/5. Out of a half-sister to champion Abel Tasman (Quality Road), the bay filly was a $230,000 purchase at last year's Fasig-Tipton October sale.

“The Quality Road filly that worked yesterday is a really nice filly with a huge pedigree,” Dunne said. “She was also always earmarked for here, being such a late foal [May 22] and coming from the October sale. Our breaking process is like watching paint dry, so it is hard for us to get those horses to the earlier sales.”

Rounding out Wednesday's :10 flat workers was hip 264, a colt from the first crop of multiple graded stakes winner Tom's Ready (More Than Ready). Out of Uno Royale (Macho Uno), the dark bay was consigned by De Meric Sales and was purchased by  Silvestre Avila for $15,000 at last year's OBS October Sale. Avila, an exercise rider for the De Meric operation, has made a habit of turning bargain-priced yearling purchases into pinhooking coups in recent years.

“He keeps buying these $15,000 horses and turning them into $150,000 and then some 2-year-olds,” said Nick de Meric before adding with a chuckle, “We are starting to re-think our whole program. We are just going to give him all our money and let him go do it. He's done great this year, which is really heartwarming. A couple of guys in the barn are partners with him on the horse. So it is really great to see. Hopefully they will all make a little paycheck out of it.”

Tom's Ready won the 2016 GII Woody Stephens S. and GIII Ack Ack S., as well as the 2017 GIII Bold Ruler H.

“I haven't seen a lot of them,” de Meric said of offspring of Tom's Ready. “This guy is kind of built for this track. He's got that More Than Ready look about him and a good strong body type. He's not super big, but very fast and early looking. That type tend to do really well on this track and he was no exception.”

The de Meric family will be looking to turn a quick profit on another juvenile in its Midlantic consignment, having purchased a filly by Bernardini (hip 217) for $40,000 privately after she had RNA'd at the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream sale in March. The first foal out of stakes winner Super Allison (Super Saver) had been part of Kirkwood Stables' Gulfstream Gallops group, which had purchased her for $25,000 at the 2020 Keeneland September sale. She worked a furlong Wednesday in :10 2/5.

“The plan was to flip her here and see if we could turn a dollar,” de Meric said. “To be honest, Tristan [de Meric] was contacted about that filly and went over to see her. She's a typical Bernardini, a lighter-framed kind of filly. She really stepped up here. She had a lot to learn in a relatively short space because she was in that galloping program and hadn't done much breezing. She's really moved forward and she prepped ok here, but she stepped forward on her breeze when it mattered. We are very happy with her breeze.”

De Meric continued, “You never quite dare think you got a bargain until they go through the ring. That's when you find out if you've got a bargain. We thought she was good value. Bernardini is such a good broodmare sire and over the years, he's been good to us. So we weren't afraid to give it a shot. The Gulfstream sale is a boutique sale. If everything aligns and falls into place, it can be spectacularly good, but there isn't much margin for error as we all have learned. She just didn't quite impress enough at the time, but hopefully she'll get it right up here”

Also coming out of Kirkwood's Gulfstream Gallop program is hip 166, a colt by More Than Ready who RNA'd for $115,000 in Hallandale and worked the quarter-mile bullet in :21 2/5 for Kip Elser's consignment Tuesday.

Another Gulfstream Gallop graduate is hip 221, a son of Street Sense who was purchased by the Wycoff family's Three Diamonds Farm for $25,000 in South Florida in March. The colt worked a furlong in :10 4/5 from the Crane Thoroughbred Services consignment Wednesday.

The Midlantic under-tack show concludes with a final session Thursday beginning at 8 a.m. The auction will be held next Monday and Tuesday with bidding commencing each day at 11 a.m.

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