Bacon bred and campaigned Dancin Renee's six-time stakes-winning daughter Risky Rachel (Limehouse). Risky Rachel produced stakes-placed Risky Mischief (Into Mischief), as well as $1-million Fasig-Tipton March 2-year-old Yale (Scat Daddy).

“He was a great friend and I always enjoyed getting a phone call from him during training in the morning because it was always an interesting conversation, to say the least,” said Steve Venosa, whose SGV Thoroughbreds consigned the seven-figure juvenile to the Gulfstream sale in 2018. “He was definitely one of a kind and there will never be another one like him.”

No services had been announced as of Sunday afternoon.

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“He's a very fast horse,” McCrocklin said Tuesday. “I was not surprised to see him work like that. He showed up here and breezed very well.”

The bay colt is out of Cash Reserve (Distorted Humor) and is a half-brother to stakes-placed Reckling (Dialed In) and Campy Cash (Race Day).

“I literally recall telling Michael Sucher that I thought he was the best horse in the [OBS] sale,” McCrocklin said.

Asked if he was surprised by the colt's final price last fall, which made him the most expensive of eight yearlings by his sire to sell in 2022, McCrocklin said, “It was just a very difficult year to buy yearlings. If you had a nice physical horse there was plenty of money out there to buy them. So I wasn't terribly surprised. And it kind of felt like we were going to buy the horse–it didn't feel like a huge stretch. It wasn't one of those 'it was my last bid' stories.”

With the absence of the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Sale from the calendar this year, the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May sale and the inaugural Midlantic June sale next month in Timonium are the only major juvenile auctions to feature works over a dirt track. The appeal of that surface led McCrocklin to take a 33-horse consignment to Maryland.

“I think buyers like it because they race on dirt predominately,” McCrocklin explained. “I think it gives them a little more confidence. You saw from the times today, it takes a very fast horse to go :10 flat here. Where at OBS on the synthetic racetrack, it's not unusual to see :10 flats all over the place.”

Of the 10 juveniles to work a quarter-mile Tuesday, a colt by Flameaway (hip 15, video) consigned by LG, agent, and a colt by Nyquist (hip 126, video) consigned by Top Line Sales shared the bullet time of :21 3/5.

Top Line Sales also sent out a juvenile by Lookin at Lucky (hip 89) to share the session's second-fastest furlong time. The New York-bred colt, a homebred for Top Line's Torie Gladwell and Jordan Wycoff, turned in a flashy :10 1/5 work during the day's second set.

A bay filly by City of Light (hip 174), who is a half-sister to graded winner The Tabulator (Dialed In), powered through her :10 1/5 work for Steve Venosa's SGV Thoroughbreds.

Becky Thomas's Sequel Bloodstock, which was responsible, not just for last year's $3.55-million May sale topper, but also for GI Kentucky Derby winner Mage (Good Magic), sent out a filly by Munnings (hip 160) who worked the furlong in :10 1/5 in the day's third set.

A pair of juveniles from the first crop of Maximus Mischief shared the second-fastest furlong time Tuesday, with Bryan Ford Training Stable sending out a filly (hip 69, video) and Cary Frommer sending out a colt (hip 125, video) by the graded stakes winner.

The day's six :10 1/5 works also included a filly by Uncle Mo (hip 186). Consigned by Pick View, LLC, the bay is out of Gabriellestoblame (Blame), a half-sister to GI Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist (Uncle Mo). She was bred by Bridlewood Farm.

The under-tack show continues through Thursday with sessions beginning each day at 8 a.m. The Midlantic May sale will be held next Monday and Tuesday. Bidding commences at 11 a.m. for both sessions.

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Bregman Family Racing made its debut on the racetrack a winning one just last May when the first horse to carry the family's colors, Cadillac Candy (Twirling Candy), graduated at Churchill Downs.

The family's focus will still be on racing, according to Ciaran Dunne, whose Wavertree Stables preps Bregman's horses in Ocala, but the reoffered lots reflect a slight adjustment for the three-year-old stable.

“Alex made the decision to sell a few colts to try to finance his racing stable,” Dunne said. “I think he's decided that racing fillies is probably, in his grand scheme of things, going to be a better plan. He wants to develop a broodmare band and sort of have a long-term plan of action. By selling the colts, it helps finance some of the racing stable and the broodmare band. That's not to say he won't race a colt going forward, but, if he races fillies, he wants to own them 100% and he'll partner on colts with the hope of making a stallion. We have three in the sale for him here and if the right people with the right plan came along, I am sure he would be more than willing to stay in and be a partner.”

Hip 332, an Irish-bred son of No Nay Never, was purchased on behalf of Bregman by bloodstock agent Mike Akers for €180,000 at last year's Arqana August Yearling Sale. He is the first foal out of group winner Etoile (War Front), who is a full-sister to group winner and multiple Group 1-placed Ancient Rome.

“We got him in October or November sometime,” Dunne said of the colt. “It took him a little while to get his feet underneath him. It's a long process between shipping and quarantine and everything else. But ever since, he's been a really straightforward horse. His works have been more than solid coming into this. So we went in there with high expectations and I think he delivered. He's just a really solid colt by probably one of the top stallions in Europe.”

On behalf of the Bregman family, Wavertree will also send out a colt by Twirling Candy (hip 402) to work Tuesday and a son of Omaha Beach (hip 617) to work Wednesday.

“He absolutely loves the horse business,” Dunne said of Bregman. “It will be bittersweet for him. Racing is his first love. Pinhooking is probably going to be very hard for him. But we've had the discussion, 'look if you bring them over, you have to sell them.' So I think he will. But, like I said, if someone were to come along, I think he would be more than happy to stay in.”

Four horses shared Monday's fastest furlong time of :9 4/5. A filly by Flameaway (hip 177, video) worked the bullet for David McKathan and Jody Mihalic's Grassroots Training and Sales just minutes after the session's 8 a.m. start time. Out of Cinnamon Girl (Meadowlake), the chestnut filly was purchased by Grassroots for $15,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale.

Consignor Marcial Galan sent out a colt by Jimmy Creed (hip 239, video) to share the fastest furlong time Monday around 10:30 a.m. Out of Days Like This (Congrats), the juvenile was bred by Jason Hall, Stephen Baker, Herschel Martindale and Mike Riordan.

A colt by Triple Crown winner Justify (hip 299, video), who is out of D'Wildcat Speed (Forest Wildcat) and is a half-brother to multiple Group 1 winner Lady Aurelia (Scat Daddy), gave Jonathan Navas's Navas Equine its first :9 4/5 work when he hit the track around 10:40 a.m. Monday morning.

“I am very fortunate to have such a nice individual under my care,” Navas said. “He is an easy colt to work with. He is that kind that goes out there, puts in a lot of effort in training, does his best in the morning, and then comes back to the stall. Rest and repeat.”

Navas picked the well-bred colt out of the back ring at Keeneland last September and purchased him as part of a pinhooking partnership for $50,000.

“I saw him in the back ring, but I didn't inspect him at the barn,” Navas said. “His page is obviously really strong. And I liked the way he was taking everything in at the sale. We liked what I thought I could polish and develop a little bit more with training.”

Asked if he was surprised to get the colt at that price last fall, Navas said, “Yes, to be honest, it was a little bit surprising. With that pedigree, I would have thought I would have had to extend my budget a little bit more. He didn't look as athletic as he does now. He had a belly and he was a little bit narrow as a yearling. But with the time and training, he became a better-looking athlete. That's what I visualized last year and I think that's what we have right now.”

From a racing family in Venezuela, Navas launched his consignment in 2020. He was represented by a Shackleford filly who worked a quarter-mile bullet in :20 3/5 at the 2021 OBS June sale. Purchased for $7,500 at the 2020 Keeneland September sale, the filly sold for $70,000 that June. Now named Join the Dance, she resold for $110,000 at last year's Keeneland Horses of Racing Age Sale and is two-time stakes-placed.

“This is my third year consigning and I had never had a :9 4/5 before,” Navas said of hip 299's work Monday. “He was able to put up this great workout for us and am I very happy with it. It was pretty impressive.”

A colt by Twirling Candy (hip 192, video), consigned by Steve Venosa's SGV Thoroughbreds, completed the quartet of bullet workers shortly before noon Monday. Out of Conquest Babayaga (Uncle Mo), the dark bay was bred by St. Elias Stables and RNA'd for $120,000 at Keeneland September last fall.

The colt was the second from the SGV Thoroughbreds to turn in a :9 4/5 work this week at OBS. A filly by Flameway (hip 37, video) hit that mark for the consignment Sunday.

The final sets of Sunday's initial session of the under-tack show had horses working into a headwind, but it was the earlier sets Monday that had to deal with the wind, according to Dunne.

“All the way through the first set and through the second set, there was a pretty good headwind and then it seemed to get quieter towards the end of the day,” Dunne said. “We had a horse go :10 1/5 in the last set, so I think the track has been consistent the whole way through, which is all we can ask.”

The under-tack show continues through Saturday with sessions beginning daily at 8 a.m. The Spring sale will be held next Tuesday through Friday. Bidding commences each day at 10:30 a.m.

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“My dad worked for Dr. Pug and Susie Hart. I grew up at their farm from when I was seven years old,” Loya said. “I've known Dr. Hart for 30 years now. I have this horse for them and they've given me an opportunity to go out on my own. So it's all come full circle.”

Despite his early immersion in the Thoroughbred world, Loya initially had other career plans.

“I did a stint in the military,” Loya, who was stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, explained. “I did four years in the military.”

After four years, Loya decided it was time for a new direction.

“When I got out, I went to work for [Ocala horseman] Steve Venosa,” Loya said. “He pretty much took me under his wing. He gave me the opportunity. That's when I knew that I loved the horses.”

In addition to Venosa, Loya said he gained valuable experience from his late mother-in-law, Brenda Jones, who passed away in 2018.

“Brenda Jones was a great, great horse buyer and pinhooker,” Loya said. “Getting to be around her taught me a lot.”

Loya spent 16 years working for Venosa before deciding to head out on his own last year.

Asked what had prompted the decision, Loya chuckled and said, “I had a newborn.”

He continued, “We have a farm here in Ocala. So we can train and be self-employed. My wife travels to the sales, too, so now I can travel with her. And I can spend more time with my family.”

As he headed into the under-tack show last week, Loya admitted to some anxiety.

“I think there is always nerves when you do anything you love and are passionate about,” Loya said. “But it was more excitement, I would say. Especially about this filly.”

“This filly,” is the daughter of Mitole out of Olive Branch (Speightstown), a graded-stakes placed mare and half-sister to graded winner Moonlight d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro). Loya had to wait until the fourth and final session of the under-tack show to unleash the filly, who worked a furlong in :9 4/5 last Friday.

“We raised her,” Loya said of the filly. “I was very high on her since the farm and my expectations [for her Friday] were very high. She has a great disposition. She is very light on her feet and she is an athletic, smart filly.”

Of the filly's work, Loya said, “She proved me right. To myself.”

Loya's connection to the Harts and their faith in him make the filly's stellar work even more meaningful.

“When I decided to go on my own, they were the first people to say, 'We will give you a horse,'” Loya said. “And they gave her to me.”

The sales scene is nothing new to Loya. But what was it like to have horses working under his own name?

“I did it for 16 years for Steve–and he had a lot of fast horses– and you have expectations about what it's going to be like. But to hear your name? It's definitely different.”

Looking back at his first under-tack show as a consignor, Loya said, “I think I had a very good breeze show. They all showed up and did what I thought they would. And I thought their gallop outs were excellent.”

For his first sales season, Loya expects to concentrate on the upcoming OBS sales.

“We own our own horses and we take outside clients,” he said. “I will end up traveling, but this being my first year, I will have horses at April and a few in June.”

With two days left before sales time, Loya has been pleased with the activity at the OBS sales barns.

“I think it's very vibrant,” he said. “All of the top people that you can think of are here on the sales grounds now. There is just a really good feeling in the air.”

The OBS March sale begins Monday and continues through Wednesday with bidding commencing each day at 11 a.m.

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With the end of the sweltering conditions which punctuated the last week in upstate New York, activity was high at the sales barns on a picture-perfect Saturday morning as a mixture of end-users, pinhookers and locally based trainers perused the 584 yearlings catalogued for the two-day auction.

“It's been very strong, we've been busy, busy, busy,” said Derek MacKenzie, whose Vinery Sales consignment will offer 22 yearlings over the next two days. “Across the board, we are seeing everyone, but I think we are seeing more New York trainers this year than we have the last year or two.”

Among the trainers shopping Saturday morning were Christophe Clement, Mark Hennig, George Weaver, and Tom Morley, while pinhookers Eddie Woods, Raul Reyes, Steve Venosa, Niall Brennan, Paul and Sarah Sharp, Ciaran Dunne, and Barry Berkelhammer were all busy on the sales grounds. WinStar Farm's Elliott Walden was on hand, as were bloodstock agents Liz Crow and Pete Bradley.

Francis and Barbara Vanlangendonck's Summerfield consignment produced strong results at the select sale, with three of three through the ring selling, including a $950,000 son of Speightstown. The operation will look to build on that momentum with a 21-horse consignment at the New York-bred auction.

“Like everybody, we had a great sale,” Francis Vanlangendonck said of last week's results. “We were lucky enough to have some nice horses and we got rewarded for it. So it was really good.”

Vanlangendonck is seeing many of the same faces who shopped the select sale staying in town for the second auction.

“There hasn't been a big drop off on the people looking, there are a lot of holdovers from the last sale and it's been that way for several years,” he said. “This sale has transferred into a little bit better sire power and those guys recognize that they can buy a good horse anywhere. So they will come in here and scope it out and try to find the good individuals. A lot of the same guys will come in here and look. Which is why a lot of times, we will put a horse in this New York-bred sale and not in the first sale and kind of get that momentum working on our side. So we are hoping that's going to pay off here.”

Of pre-sale activity at his barn, Vanlangendonck said, “We showed a little over 1,000 times yesterday and they've been scoped out pretty good. Now they are starting to pick them apart and come looking at the short list. We have been busy since 7:30 this morning.”

Colin Brennan will be offering his first consignment at the New York-bred sale when he sends five yearlings through the ring during Monday's second session of the auction.

“I've consigned with others the past couple of years, but I wanted to take a shot out on my own,” Brennan said. “This is my first full year out on my own from my father's operation. I have had the yearling consignment for about four years now and I'm trying to get more aggressive and get better quality and attend most of the sales.”

Brennan has been active on the buying side of the ledger at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Fall Sale, so selling at Saratoga in August made sense.

“We've had a lot of luck and I enjoy coming up here in October and shopping the fall sale–it's been getting better and better with pedigrees and the horses that come and we have had luck pinhooking out of it,” Brennan said. “I've put some pinhooking partnerships together and I love the New York-bred program. So naturally from shopping there, it's a great idea to come back here to sell. It's always my first choice to come back to the New York-bred sale, but they seem to be well-received just as a whole commercial market.”

Brennan has seen a trickle down of buyers from the select sale ahead of the New York-bred sale.

“Especially this year, there is a lot of rollover from people who attended the first sale,” he said. “And why not? You're already here. Just stay and enjoy Saratoga. Fasig has done a great job as always. I couldn't be more happy with the faces we have seen. You are getting the normal sales faces, but also the trainers and owners that you wouldn't normally see at most sales. So that's great. I'm really looking forward to it. And it's always a fun weekend with the Fourstardave–it's just fun to be here.”

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   LEXINGTON, KY–Yearling sale season started with a bang Tuesday at Fasig-Tipton's July Selected Yearling Sale. The auction house saved the best for last with the final horse through the ring, a son of Curlin (Hip 302), topping the day on a $600,000 bid from the Green family's DJ Stable. Last year's leading freshman sire Gun Runner accounted for the day's second-highest seller, a $430,000 colt (Hip 153) sold to de Meric Sales. Both colts came from the Gainesway consignment, which was responsible for four of the top 10. Antony Beck's operation sold a total of nine youngsters for $2.335 million.

The sale kicked off with the freshman sire showcase, which proved popular as always. This year's new class of sires was led by MGISW Omaha Beach, whose daughter (Hip 90) brought $400,000 from Solis and Litt. Other popular first-crop stallions included Audible, Vino Rosso and Mitole, who all had yearling sell for over $200,000.

“We got excited about it when we're seeing them on the farms,” Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning said of the freshman sires. “Vino Rosso was a tremendous racehorse. We saw him put his head down in the [GI Breeders' Cup] Classic and refuse to lose. Omaha Beach was a horse who had tremendous talent with an amazing pedigree.”

“I think there was great anticipation for horses like that, but it's also really rewarding and I think it shows you the strength of the marketplace when you see Flameaways sell really, really well and you see horses like Copper Bullet and Maximus Mischief sell really well on modest stud fees. So it shows you that the marketplace is really looking for quality, and they respect the really strong individuals, which is kind of the trademark of our July sale.”

A total of 189 yearlings sold Tuesday for a gross of $21,763,500. The average was the second highest of the sale's history at $115,151 with the highest being $115,954 in 2006. It was a record median at $90,000, tying that 2006 sale. There were 59 horses who failed to meet their reserves.

In 2021, 208 youngsters brought $21,608,500 with an average of $103,887 and median of $80,000. There were 69 RNAs.

“It was a terrific start to the 2022 yearling season,” Browning said. “We're very happy with the activity across the board today. Average was up about 12% medians up 12%, certainly a respectable RNA rate for the first yearling sales for the year and I think there's a sense of relief. You know, despite what we tell everybody on the pre-sale prognostications and how great it's going to be and how optimistic we are, there's always a little uncertainty. We've certainly seen some changes in the financial marketplace in the last six months. Overall, we were confident. We've seen plenty of interest and we saw the 2-year-old folks had a really good sales season.”

Gainesway's Brian Graves was equally pleased with what he saw in the market Tuesday.

“The market is alive and well,” he said. “You know, there were some hesitations, but it looks like it's the same as last year. I haven't seen the final numbers, but the appetite to buy horses is the same at least whether it's up or down a little bit. I don't know. I'm just happy that people want to trade.”

Donato Lanni said there was a horse for everyone, which was represented in a deep a diverse buying bench. Each of the top 10 lots were purchased by individual buyers and were a mix of end users and pinhookers.

“The good ones are standing out and separating themselves,” Lanni said. “It's a very good sale. There are a lot of people here. There are horses here for just about everybody.”

Fasig-Tipton moves to Saratoga next for the highly anticipated Saratoga Selected Yearling Sale Aug. 8-9.

Late Fireworks for Curlin Colt

The final horse through the ring at Tuesday's Fasig-Tipton July sale brought the day's biggest fireworks when selling for $600,000 to the Green family's D J Stable. By Curlin, the colt (hip 302) is out of Four Sugars (Lookin at Lucky) and is a half-brother to multiple Grade I-placed Gronkowski (Lonhro {Aus}).

“When you come to a sale like this, you want to try to take a shot at a stallion prospect, which obviously he is, being a half to Gronkowski and by Curlin,” Jon Green, who did his bidding in the balcony alongside bloodstock agent Kim Valerio, said. “It's just the kind of family we look for. We just wanted to take a full swing at a horse like this because they don't come along all that often. We've been doing this a long time and I can honestly say you don't have a horse who checks all the boxes like this colt.”

It wasn't the first member of the family the Greens have bid on. “We were outbid on the half-sister, the Nyquist filly, a little while ago,” Green said.

The sale-topper was consigned by Gainesway on behalf of his breeder, Adam Bowden's Diamond Creek Farm, which purchased Four Sugars, carrying that Nyquist filly for $375,000 at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton November sale. The filly sold for $200,000 at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton October sale.

“We knew that we had a chance to top the sale,” admitted Gainesway's Brian Graves. “We brought him here to try to be one of the best colts in the sale. You know how that sometimes works out, sometimes it doesn't. But it worked out in this case. So, yeah, it's a good one when it goes as planned.”

Of plans for the yearling, Green said, “He'll go to Gainesway and rest and relax there for a couple of weeks and then we will send our first yearling group down to Mark Casse in Ocala and he will break them down there. We just have to think of a good stallion name for him now.”

DJ Stable purchased four yearlings at the July sale, going to $200,000 for a colt by Bolt d'Oro (hip 206); $100,000 for a filly by Mucho Macho Man (hip 292); and $50,000 for a colt by Preservationist (hip 227).

“We bought a couple of other horses, but this horse was always on the radar,” Green said. “He was the last horse in the sale and we were going to stay until the bitter end. That was literally our last bid, so I am glad we did get him. Anytime you raise your hand for a four-legged animal at this level, it's always nerve-wracking, but I feel like if he fufills his potential, he's going to be a stallion. And that's why we do this, to try to race the great ones on the First Saturday in May.” @JessMartiniTDN

Gun Runner Colt in High Demand at Fasig

It was no surprise to see a fury of bidding when the only offering by last year's leading freshman sire Gun Runner entered the ring. When the dust settled it was de Meric Sales' Tristan de Meric left holding the winning $430,000 ticket on Hip 153.

“He is for a pinhooking group,” de Meric said. “We love the horse. He was our pick of the sale. We knew we'd have to stretch on him. I'm just happy to have the horse.”

Bred by Fern Circle Stable and consigned by Gainesway, Hip 153 is out of SW Perfect Wife. Fern Circle retained his full-sister Runaway Wife, who finished second in last weekend's GIII Indiana Oaks for trainer Ken McPeek.

“The sire speaks for himself,” de Meric said. “It is unbelievable what he has done with his first crop. We think the horse is a top individual, beat mover in the sale. Hopefully, he goes the right way for us.”

The de Merics were quite busy Tuesday, acquiring a total of four yearlings. Their other purchases were:

Hip 133, Into Mischief colt, $260,000

Hip 185, Into Mischief colt, $235,000

Hip 47, Audible filly, $70,000

—@CDeBernardisTDN

Arrogate Filly Headed to Her Sire's Former Stomping Grounds

A filly from the final crop of the late champion Arrogate (Hip 247) will walk a shedrow familiar to her sire next year when she is ready to join Bob Baffert's barn after being purchased by bloodstock agent Donato Lanni for $400,000. He was acting on behalf of an undisclosed client.

“I love the sire,” said Lanni, smiling ear-to-ear as he signed the ticket outside of the pressbox. “We have been looking for a really good Arrogate. I am happy that we found a nice Arrogate at this sale. She was really a good representation of Arrogate. She's nice.”

Consigned by Wynnstay Sales, Hip 247 was also bred by Tim and Nancy Hamlin's operation in partnership with Donna Moore and Jim Richardson. Out of Attempt to Name (Consolidator), she is a half-sister to MSW Gray Attempt (Unbridled's Song).

“The sibling was on the Derby trail for a while,” Tim Hamlin said. “When Arrogate came to be, they called and said, 'We would love to have your mare to breed to Arrogate.' So, we did and this is the result.”

He continued, “Everybody loved her on the farm. You didn't even know she was there really. She was just always class. She kept herself out of trouble and did everything right always.”

Hip 247 is from the third and final crop of four-time Grade I winner Arrogate, who died in June 2020 at age seven after a sudden illness. His top runners this year include GI Kentucky Oaks winner Secret Oath and 'TDN Rising Star' Artorius. —@CDeBernardisTDN

Omaha Beach Filly to LNJ Foxwoods

A filly by Omaha Beach (hip 90) attracted the highest bid for a first-crop sire when selling for $410,000 to bloodstock agents Jason Litt and Alex Solis, acting on behalf of the Roth family's LNJ Foxwoods, at Fasig-Tipton Tuesday.

“Omaha Beach was a great racehorse. I wasn't looking exactly for one, but we were looking for a really good filly in the sale,” Solis said. “I thought she was one of the top fillies in the sale. The mare could run, a graded stakes winner, who had speed and was an early type. That's kind of what everyone is drawn to lately.”

Consigned by Woodford Thoroughbreds on behalf of her breeder, Spendthrift Farm, hip 90 is the second foal out of GIII Beaumont S. winner Gas Station Sushi (Into Mischief). Spendthrift purchased the mare for $675,000 at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton November sale.

Gas Station Sushi's first foal, a colt by Lord Nelson, sold for $200,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale and was acquired for $80,000 at this year's OBS March sale. Now named Wasabi Boy, he has opened his career with two runner-up efforts at Belmont Park and Monmouth Park.

“It was a filly we would have been very happy to keep,” Spendthrift's Ned Toffey said. “She is really a nice filly, but we wanted to showcase the stallion, so we brought her out here so breeders could see what Omaha is capable of doing.”

Of Tuesday's result, Toffey said, “That was probably a little bit beyond what we were thinking coming out here, but she was placed here because we felt like she could be a standout in the sale. And it looks like that was borne out.”

Spendthrift hit a homerun last year with first-crop sire Bolt d'Oro and the operation's first-crop sires look to be carrying on from those results with a strong showing at the July sale.

Omaha Beach had five yearlings sell Tuesday for an average of $236,000, while sprint champion Mitole had five sell for an average of $108,400 and GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner Vino Rosso had 11 sell for an average of $135,455.

“I am really pleased with how all of our first-year stallions have done so far,” Toffey said. “Vino has three horses over $200,000, one of which we bought and we were happy to get for that. Mitole's gotten off to a great start, he had a $250,000 filly and we also sold a $140,000 filly, hip 2. You always worry about being that early in the sale, but that was a fair price for her, we thought. So we are really, really happy with how the first-year horses are doing.” @JessMartiniTDN

Lanni In Action for Glassmans

Bloodstock agent Donato Lanni, bidding on behalf of Karl and Cathi Glassman, went to $400,000 to acquire a colt by Uncle Mo (hip 193) from the St George Sales consignment Tuesday in Lexington.

“I like the sire and he looked like a good Uncle Mo,” Lanni said of the yearling's appeal. We were looking for a two-turn looking Uncle Mo. That's what the clients wanted.”

Bred by T. F. VanMeter, hip 193 is out of multiple stakes winner Super Saks (Sky Mesa).

Of immediate plans for the yearling, Lanni said, “He will go to Barry Eisaman [in Ocala] and will hang out there for a bit.” @JessMartiniTDN

Legion Reputation Continues to Grow

The burgeoning Legion Bloodstock, formed just last year by partners Travis Durr, Evan Ciannello, Kristian Villante and Kyle Zorn and already represented by eight 2-year-old winners, hit a homerun in the sales ring Tuesday when selling a colt by Bolt d'Oro (hip 214) for $240,000 to Lynnhaven Racing. The bay had been purchased by Villante for $20,000 as a short yearling at this year's Keeneland January sale.

“We have a weanling-to-yearling pinhooking partnership with Legion,” Villante explained. “We bought him for that and pieced him out to partners that always support us through the pinhooking. They each bought a leg of him.”

The colt, consigned by Stuart Morris, is out of Ultimate Prize (Smart Strike), a half-sister to stakes winner Goin to the Window (Tapit).

“He was a big, immature framed horse that was kind of backward,” Villante said of his impressions of the colt in January. “As soon as we got him back home, he just started to blossom and fill out. He's always been a beautiful horse and very straightforward. I was surprised to get him for $20,000. I didn't think we would be able to get him for that.”

With freshman sire Bolt d'Oro already proving a success in the sales ring and on the racetrack, the group decided to send his yearling son through the ring at the July sale.

“With Bolt d'Oro being on a tear right now, we figured the market really loves him and he's off to a great start,” Villante said. “We've bought a number of Bolt d'Oros that we like ourselves. Fasig does a great job, so we figured this would be a good spot to bring him and let the market appraise him.”

Among Legion Bloodstock's early success stories is Song Parody (Practical Joke). Purchased for $25,000 at last year's OBS October sale, the filly was a first-out winner for Matt Hand, Dick Nicolai and Bob Hahn and trainer Kelly Breen before selling for $360,000 during Monday's Fasig-Tipton Horses of All Ages Sale.

Of Tuesday's pinhooking score, Villante said, “It was awesome. We are very happy with that. Hopefully, he goes on and proves everyone right.” @JessMartiniTDN

Stoneriggs Hits the Ground Running with First Consignment

Robert Slack's Stoneriggs Farm was making their sales debut at Fasig-Tipton July with a two-horse consignment and they came out of the gate running with their Audible colt (Hip 4) summoning $220,000 from Pete Bradley.

“We are really happy,” said Stoneriggs General Manager Martin Keogh. “We knew coming up here that we had a really nice colt. He definitely exceeded expectations. He was really popular at the barn, had been vetted a lot. He was just a horse that spoke for himself. He did not miss a beat the whole few days here. Every day he came out and just marched up and down.”

When asked his impressions of the first crop of GI Florida Derby winner Audible, Keogh said, “We are big fans of the stallion. When we were looking in November, we short-listed a lot of them, but I kept telling the boss I thought we had a better one at home. He is very typical of his sire, Into Mischief.”

Hip 4 is out of I'm Guilty (Verrazano), a half-sister to GSW Ready To Please (More Than ready), who is the dam of Japanese GSW Nac Venus (Daiwa Major).

Stoneriggs other offering was also by a first season stallion in champion Vino Rosso (Curlin). Their homebred daughter of that GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner brought $45,000 from James Connors. Hip 53 is out of the Hard Spun mare Twisted Adage.

“We have 30 yearlings this year and have 60 mares to foal next year, so we are going to keep building,” Keogh said. “We are going to be a commercial operation. We are going to evaluate all them and decide whether to sell them as foals or keep some for yearling sales. We are going to do a bit of it all.” —@CDeBernardisTDN

Venosa Well-Armed at Fasig-Tipton

Three yearlings by Darby Dan's first-crop stallion Copper Bullet sold during Tuesday's Fasig-Tipton July sale and Steve Venosa's SGV Thoroughbreds went home to Ocala with two of them.

“You can never have too many bullets,” the pinhooker quipped after signing the ticket on hip 64 at $160,000.

Consigned by Darby Dan Farm, the colt is out of Amazement (Bernardini), who is also the dam of multiple Grade I winner Colonel Liam (Liam's Map).

Earlier in the session, Venosa paid $80,000 for hip 32, a son of Quite a Secret (Liaison) bred by Outfoxed Farm and consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency.

“They look very balanced, very athletic and they look like they are going to be very precocious,” Venosa said of his impression of Copper Bullet's first yearlings.

Copper Bullet (More Than Ready) won the 2017 GII Saratoga Special S. and was second in the 2019 GIII Razorback H. He stands at Darby Dan for $7,500.

Ciaran Dunne's Waves Bloodstock purchased the third Copper Bullet to sell Tuesday, going to $48,000 to acquire hip 11 from Stuart Morris's consignment.

Asked his impression of other first-crop yearlings, Venosa said, “It looks like the Vino Rossos, across the board, seem like they are a consistent bunch. It looks like he is really stamping his babies.” @JessMartiniTDN

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“It's been very steady,” consignor Steve Venosa of SGV Thoroughbreds said as he watched his popular Practical Joke filly (hip 63) head out for another show Tuesday morning. “We started with our first show roughly around 8 a.m. and it's been non-stop for the last three hours. The usual faces are here and there are a few new ones, which is always pleasant to see.”

Venosa said the Gulfstream sale, which will be held in the track's paddock beginning at 2 p.m. Wednesday, is always a major stop on the calendar for his consignment.

“I think this is the best place to sell a 2-year-old in the world,” Venosa said. “It's a great surface and Fasig-Tipton is a world-class company. The weather is beautiful and I think the sale has been well-received with the amount of people that are here. This is the most important horse sale that I go to. Every year.”

Of the absence of some key consignors, Venosa added, “I am surprised. Because I think, by the amount of people who were here at the breeze show yesterday, and with the state of the market, people want to buy and it's unfortunate they didn't show up. But hopefully the people who are here are going to be rewarded for their efforts.”

Torie and Jimbo Gladwell, whose Top Line Sales had a seven-figure sale at the OBS March sale two weeks ago, will look to keep the momentum going with a three-horse consignment at  Gulfstream.

“We always try to bring five or six to Gulfstream,” Torie Gladwell said. “A couple of clients had a few cross-entered into March and April and we lost one or two. And we ended up with three down here. So it's a typical consignment for us.”

Following Monday's breeze show, consignor Ciaran Dunne of Wavertree Stables described the importance of the Gulfstream sale with its South Florida backdrop and proximity to high-class racing both encouraging buyers to dream big.

“We're selling the dream,” Dunne said.

Gladwell echoed those sentiments Tuesday.

“I think we definitely need to continue this sale down here,” she said. “It's such a great market. A lot of these buyers that come from overseas just really like the atmosphere here and come down with big clients and big owners. It's a sale that we need to continue. Boyd and the Fasig team do a great job entertaining and offering all the hospitality.”

Top Line Sales was represented during Monday's breeze show with a colt by City of Light (hip 100) who worked the furlong in a co-second fastest :9 4/5.

“The track was great yesterday,” Gladwell said. “Horses seemed to go a little faster. They were getting across it a little easier than in previous years. The gallop-outs were faster and they came back not blowing and not as tired.”

Of activity at the barns Tuesday, Gladwell said, “It's been steady. The majority of the big buyers are here. There are some middle-market buyers who are showing up, so I think it's going to be a good market overall. The trainers haven't shown up yet, but I expect they'll come after training hours later today.”

Among the trainers at the barns late Tuesday morning were Bob Baffert, along with bloodstock agent Donato Lanni, as well as Simon Callaghan and agent Ben McElroy, Dale Romans and Gustavo Delgado. Representatives from Stonestreet, Spendthrift and WinStar Farms and major buyer Larry Best were busy shopping, as were agents Pete Bradley, Deuce Greathouse, Fabricio Buffolo, John Dowd, Dennis O'Neill, Jaime Hill, Conor Foley, Justin Casse, Raime Lightner, Joe Brocklebank and Patrick Lawley-Wakelin.

Hoby Kight was enjoying the view from the Hartley/de Renzo Thoroughbreds consignment as a Medaglia d'Oro colt (hip 88) he purchased for $225,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale made repeated trips from the barn to shows Tuesday morning.

“According to my consignors, they said he's been very popular and he's been out all morning,” Kight said with a smile.

Of the colt's appeal as a yearling, Kight said, “I loved his angles. As a 2-year-old guy, you want to buy a horse that you are able to see something that in the future is going to be good, something that for whatever reason, the big guys didn't go for. That's what we do. Everybody sees the obvious horse, but we have to buy the potential.”

The dark bay colt, who worked a furlong in :10 flat Monday, is the second horse Kight has bought for clients Marvin Boyd and Charlie Allen.

“They bought one a couple of years ago and it turned out good,” Kight said. “So this is the second horse they've had with me to do this. I bought the horse [hip 88] and they bought him from me within five minutes.”

Kight agreed the Gulfstream sale was an important stop on the juvenile sales season, particularly because of the Hallandale oval's dirt track.

“It's phenomenal,” he said of the sales results. “You look at all the great horses who have come out of this sale, per number, it's unbelievable.

He continued, “First of all, it's the dirt. There isn't any faking it. They are what they are. It separates them out. I have a couple of other horses for people scattered around because I am a full-fledged supporter of a good dirt horse sale. I believe in it. For what I do, I buy a horse who is always going to be a Corvette. At OBS, they all go fast. On the dirt, you can't do that.”

Danzel Brendemuehl's Classic Bloodstock consignment at Gulfstream includes a colt by Nyquist (hip 62) who worked a furlong in :9 4/5.

“It's been pretty busy,” Brendemuehl said of activity at her sales barn Tuesday. “Especially with just two horses, it's been steady and I've gone through most of my cards already. All of the right people are here. This sale has been a good sale and Boyd and Fasig have taken care of us over the years. We come because of that. The right buyers are always here. They did a great job on the breeze show. They kept the track in great shape. We were lucky the wind died down and we didn't have to deal with that like we did last year.”

Susan Montanye of SBM Training and Sales saw plenty to be optimistic about ahead of Wednesday's sale.

“It looks like there are a lot of people here,” she said. “I think everybody who needs to be here is here. It's beautiful weather and it looked like it was a great breeze show. The track was great. So I think it will be a successful sale for a lot of people. Just from the looks of it, people are here to buy.”

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Steve Venosa, SGV Thoroughbreds

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“It was unbelievable,” Midlantic Sales Director Paget Bennett said at the close of business Monday. “The activity in the barn area over the weekend was strong and all of the people you want to see at a 2-year-old sale were here. So we just hoped that everything would line up. And then this morning, the people just kept coming and coming. The pavilion was full of folks and the infield was full of cars.”

For the session, 170 head sold for $15,826,500. The average was $93,097–ahead of the record figure of $90,104 set in 2019–and the median was $45,000.

During last year's pandemic-delayed sale, 152 head sold during the auction's first session for a total of $12,632,500. The average was $83,109 and the median was $40,000.

“The consignors were here with top horses and people reconized that and they battled for them and it made for a great day,” Bennett said.

Of the 284 catalogued juveniles, 210 went through the ring. With 40 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate was 19%.

For Bennett, Monday's results were a continuation of the demand for horses at all levels at last month's OBS Spring sale.

“From what I was hearing at OBS, people were just excited to be back for sales and wanting to buy horses,” Bennett said. “I heard so many people didn't get their orders filled in Ocala. We are the next stop and here we are. We are thilled we had a great catalogue to give them and the horses matched up.”

The Midlantic sale continues with a final session beginning at 11 a.m. Tuesday.

“We are certainly going to give it our best,” Bennett said when asked if the hot results would continue Tuesday. “I certainly hope so. From what I am hearing, we have a lot of really nice horses tomorrow, so we will hope for the same result. If we can keep on today's pace, I am thinking it will be another great day.”

A 'Proper Horse' For West Point

West Point Thoroughbreds' Terry Finley knew he'd have to dig deep to secure a handsome colt by Quality Road (hip 211) and, armed with the backing of a new partner, he saw off a determined Amr Zedan to secure the juvenile for $1.5 million Monday in Timonium. The colt, who worked a furlong in a co-bullet :10 flat last week, was consigned by Eddie Woods on behalf of Jon Clay's Alpha Delta Stables. He will be trained by Dallas Stewart.

“I talked to Eddie and he said this was a proper horse,” Finley said after signing the ticket on the youngster. “These Irish guys, when they throw that term out, that's a pretty good indication. They'll say, 'He's a nice horse.' But when they push it to the next level and talk about him being a proper horse, I take notice. And the fact that he's a big strong horse that worked in :10 flat (see below), you take a look at him and he's not supposed to work that fast, but he did it the right way.”

Of West Point's partner on the million-dollar baby, Finley said, “We have a brand new guy who took 50% of him. He's a West Pointer who is a little bit older than I am. He hasn't had a lot of success in the business and he called me a couple of days after the Kentucky Derby and he said, 'I want to compete in the big races.' So I told him I would give him my best effort. That's what we did.”

While Medina Spirit (Protonico)'s high-profile positive test following his GI Kentucky Derby victory two weeks ago tumbled the sport into turmoil, Finley said he believes the newly passed Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act will help to reassure and attract new investors.

“The last week has been turbulent, but up until then, I think people were really starting to look at the Horse Racing Integrity Act as something that in a short period of time is really going to help our business,” Finley said. “I just ask everyone in the horse business to get behind it because I think it will attract people and investors. I think it will present all of us a level playing field. I've always been a big fan of the Horse Racing Integrity Act, but especially now. I think we all need to get behind it and try to push it across the line.”

Finley did his bidding standing at the back of the pavilion. Just a few rows up, Medina Spirit's owner Amr Zedan was sitting with advisors Gary Young and Charlie Boden, as well as lawyer Clark Brewster. Zedan would ultimately bow out of the bidding and Finley said the difference was the bidding power inherent in partnerships.

“This is our 30th year, so we've been doing this a long time and you can't be intimidated when you walk onto a sales ground,” Finley said of the bidding war. “If you do, you're going to get intimidated very quickly. Because there is a lot of money. But I think that's the power of the partnership–the ability to make some calls and tell people, 'Look I have a very good prospect. I think he could be a special horse. And I'd love for you to take a part of him.' And I think this is one of those horses.”

For his part Woods, who also consigned the day's second-highest priced juvenile, was asked to define his 'proper horse' observation.

“A proper horse is a horse who has all the attributes of being a very good horse, both mentally and physically,” Woods said. “The way they move and the way they handle themselves. When you saw this horse up here in the back ring, he'd walk beside you without a shank on him. He's been like that since he came to us. Every time we worked him, we wished they were all like that.”

Clay purchased the juvenile's unraced dam Stormy Welcome (Storm Cat) for $600,000 as a 9-year-old at the 2015 Keeneland November sale. The mare, who is also the dam of stakes-placed Welcoming (Tapit), is a half-sister to Guest House (Ghostzapper), the dam of graded winner Guest Suite (Quality Road). The colt's third dam is Weekend Surprise (Secretariat), dam of A.P. Indy and Summer Squall.

Alpha Delta traditionally offers most of his foal crop at the yearling sales, but the decision was made to give this colt more time to mature last fall.

“This horse was very backward as a yearling and they weren't happy with the way he was coming into the sale, so they scratched him,” Woods said. “Then when they were giving him time, they said give him a lot of time. We discussed it and decided we'd go to the Timonium sale. He was always pointed for Timonium and it was a great plan because it came together.”

Of the colt's monster bullet work, Woods added, “I was nervous because I expected him to work really, really good. And it doesn't always happen, as you well know. But he nailed it and he galloped out fantastic. When I came back and watched the video, I couldn't believe it. He's the best video I've had on a horse in five or six years. I couldn't stop watching it. He just nailed it. And that's why he brought what he brought.”

Malibu Moon Colt Heads West

A colt by Malibu Moon (hip 164), who worked the furlong in a co-bullet :10 flat during last week's under-tack preview, will be joining the Southern California barn of trainer Simon Callaghan after selling for $700,000 to bloodstock agents Alex Elliott and Ben McElroy. The two agents were bidding on behalf of a partnership.

“He was the horse we really honed in on,” Elliott said. “It's an old line, but when they tick all the boxes and jump through all the hoops, you know they are good horses. He looks like he can take us all the way.”

Hip 164 is a son of the unraced Seeking Atlantis (Seeking the Gold) and is a half-brother to graded placed Seeking Her Glory (Giant's Causeway). His second dam is multiple graded winner Atlantic Ocean (Stormy Atlantic).

“For a big horse on a tight track like this, he was so smooth and he had a great gallop out,” Elliott said. “He's a very hard horse to fault. He was an absolute king in the back ring. We are both delighted to get him. Ben and I work together here and in Europe, so it's good to hook up with him and get a horse that we wanted.”

Bred by Castleton Lyons and Kilboy Estate, the colt was consigned by Eddie Woods on behalf of Bill Harrigan's Miacomet Farm, which purchased him privately after he RNA'd for $135,000 at Keeneland last year.

“He was a beautiful colt,” Harrigan said of the colt's appeal last year. “I liked everything about him then. I was surprised that he RNA'd and the next day I bought him. But that horse has an exceptional demeanor. He has a tremendous stride and he's very athletic and smooth.”

Asked if he was surprised by the big colt's bullet work, Harrigan said, “Not really. We don't ask them to go that fast at Payson Park, but he had shown us that he was very talented.”

Classic Empire Filly Draws a Crowd

Bloodstock agent Jacob West got the best of a bidding war to acquire a New York-bred filly from the first crop of champion Classic Empire (hip 72) for $550,000 on behalf of Robert and Lawana Low Monday in Timonium. The bay filly, who worked an eighth of a mile last week in :10 1/5, was consigned by Sequel Bloodstock on behalf of breeders Chester and Mary Broman. Out of Newbie (Bernardini), she is a half-sister to multiple stakes winner Newly Minted (Central Banker).

“She's a nice filly who breezed well on this track here,” West said. “This filly breezed incredibly quick here and she galloped out big. She did it on the racetrack that's not the easiest to do that on. The New York-bred status was just an added bonus. She could have been foaled on the moon and we would have bought her. She is a beautiful filly. She'll go to Todd [Pletcher] and we'll keep our fingers crossed.”

The Lows have been among the many owners who have had success with Bernardini as a broodmare sire. The couple campaign GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational S. winner Colonel Liam (Liam's Map) and Friday's GIII Allaire DuPont Distaff winner Spice is Nice (Curlin).

“We have had luck buying out of Bernardini mares,” West said. “We have two graded stakes winners this year.”

Hip 72 is the highest-priced juvenile so far for Classic Empire, who won the 2016 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile and returned in 2017 to win the GI Arkansas Derby and finish second in the GI Preakness S. The Coolmore stallion was represented by a $450,000 colt at OBS April and a pair of $410,000 juveniles.

“He was an incredible racehorse himself, so it should be no surprise that he is getting good-looking stock,” West said. “And now we see them on the track at the 2-year-old sales. It's not a surprise that they are fitting the bill of what we are looking for. It's not very often you are champion 2-year-old and come back and win a big graded stakes at three like that. [Trainer] Mark Casse was always very high on him. You have a lot of confidence when you can buy one like that.”

Sequel Bloodstock's Becky Thomas has plenty of experience with the filly's family.

“We're incredibly happy with that result,” Thomas said. “We are happy with the trainer and the buyers. I have trained for Mr. Broman for a long time and been part of his program. I trained the mother and I have the family. This filly was beautiful and fast and smart.”

Broman, a major player in the New York breeding industry for decades, began aggressively selling three years ago as part of what he called, “estate planning.” The planning included the $2-million OBS March topper Chestertown (Tapit) in 2019.

“Mr. Broman started doing his estate planning very aggressively a couple of years ago,” Thomas said. “He's kind of relaxed a bit. He is enjoying participating in the New York program and participating in breeding. Even though he may race a horse or two, he's trying to keep the numbers to where it makes a little better sense for him. We will have some horses to sell for him as yearlings and some as 2-year-olds. I think he is enjoying a different kind of action. And he will continue to race, too.”

Rosenblum Secures Munnings Colt

Sheila Rosenblum, bidding alongside bloodstock agent Kerri Radcliffe, secured a colt by Munnings (hip 260) for $460,000 late in Monday's first session of the Midlantic sale. Out of Tweet (Medaglia d'Oro), the dark bay worked a co-bullet furlong in :10 flat. He was consigned by Ciaran Dunne's Wavertree Stables. Dunne purchased the colt for $55,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale.

“We had our eye on him from the day he breezed,” Radcliffe said. “After he breezed, they couldn't pull him up. And Munnings is flying right now.”

Rosenblum said the colt would be trained by Steve Asmussen.

“He was at the top of our list,” Rosenblum said before adding with a laugh, “There was a Quality Road that was quite nice, too, but my financial brains took over.”

Asked if she was done shopping, Rosenblum said, “We don't know yet.”

Besecker Stays Busy at Fasig Midlantic

Prolific owner Joe Besecker, who was busy on both sides of the ledger early during Monday's first session of the Midlantic sale, capped a blitzkrieg buying spree with the $425,000 purchase of a son of Gormley (hip 56).

“When I saw this horse yesterday, I was there for about 45 minutes, and it's a very bad thing to fall in a horse, but I fell in love with this horse,” Besecker said. “Luckily, I will have some partners on him. This is way above my pay grade. I usually stay in the middle range. But I have a couple of partners and we decided we wanted to get one–ONE–expensive horse.”

The chestnut colt, from the first crop of GI Santa Anita Derby winner Gormley, is out of Mott N Hester (Super Saver) and is a half-brother to stakes placed Nicky Scissors (Mission Impazible). He breezed a furlong last week in :10 1/5 for consignor Robert Brewer. Ronnie Edmondson purchased the chestnut for $140,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale. He had sold for $77,000 at the Keeneland January sale.

“We vetted him twice, we had two or three vets on him,” Besecker said. “He's a late foal and he looks like a 3-year-old. I thought personally–I don't care what any of these other horses sell for–I will tell you in the last three years going to Kentucky, going to Florida, to my eye and I'm not really good at it, but to my eye that was the best looking horse I've seen in three years.”

Asked who would train the youngster, Besecker said, “I just had four of my trainers come up to me. We have to talk about it.”

Hip 56 was the ninth purchase of the young sale for Besecker. He paid $67,000 for a colt by Not This Time (hip 2) and $60,000 for a filly by Holy Boss (hip 55). He also sold a filly by Goldencents (hip 7)–purchased for $15,000 at last year's Fasig Midlantic October Sale–for $110,000 to bloodstock agent Larry Zap.

“I'm done for a little bit,” Besecker said. “We had that run and I sold one earlier today for a lot more than I thought I would. So I have to add it all up. I've blown my budget, so I need to see if I want to partner on one or two of these others.”

“A little bit,” didn't last all that long, as Besecker returned later in the session to secure an additional four juveniles. He ultimately signed for 13 head for a total of $859,000 and an average of $66,077.

Keen Purchase for Venosa

Steve Venosa may be buying more yearlings in the name of his young son Dylan in the future after scoring a second big pinhooking score of the spring with a colt purchased last fall in the name of Big D Stables. Venosa purchased a colt from the first crop of GI Travers S. winner Keen Ice (hip 171) for $57,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton October sale and sold the juvenile Monday in Timonium for $225,000 to the bid of Gervais Racing and West Point Thoroughbreds.

“I bought him out of the October sale,” Venosa said of the colt. “He was selling up at the tents, and I wasn't specifically looking for that sire, but I saw him in a group of horses and he really stood out.”

The chestnut colt is out of Sheisinitttowinit (Student Council) and Venosa admitted the pedigree had him momentarily hesitating last fall.

“I opened my catalogue and cocked my head a little bit and turned the page a couple times,” Venosa said. “And then I closed the book and said, 'You know what, I like the horse.' We had left the sale and we were in the car coming back from the airport and I said, one more bid.”

Of the colt's progress as a 2-year-old, Venosa said, “He's a big horse, but he's very light on his feet and very athletic for a horse that size. He is still kind of filling out in the right way. That's why we held him back for the later sale.”

Dylan Venosa's 2021 pinhooking successes also include a colt by Valiant Minister who sold for $350,000 following a bullet :20 3/5 work at the OBS Spring Sale. The colt had been a $40,000 purchase at last year's OBS October sale.

“He's had a great year,” Venosa said of his son's success. “I think when I go back, I'm going to have to hit him up for a loan.”

Asked if the profits would be going into a college fund, Venosa quipped, “College fund? He might be able to buy a college after the year he's had.”

Gun Runner Colt a Score for Pike

Champion Gun Runner is off to a flyer with his first crop to hit the racetrack, already represented by a pair of winners, and consignor Al Pike capitalized on the stallion's quick start when selling a colt (hip 160) for $225,000 to Kim Valerio, agent for DJ Stables, Monday in Timonium. Pike had purchased the youngster for $45,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton October sale.

“He was a Gun Runner with a lot of family,” Pike said of the colt's appeal last fall. “Tom Hamm from Three Chimneys contacted me when I was in the back ring and explained to me he was a foal share, which piqued my interest. So I went up there to see what he would sell for and I was fortunate enough to buy him.”

The Midlantic sale wasn't originally in the cards for the colt, who is out of Secret Jewel (Bernardini), a half-sister to GI Breeders' Cup F/M Turf winner Shared Account, the dam of GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner and 'TDN Rising Star' Sharing (Speightstown).

“I bought him with the intention of taking him to Texas,” Pike said. “I thought he'd be a really nice horse to take to Texas and maybe top the sale there. But then we got to training him and we liked him enough to think we could bring him up here to be competitive here. And he showed up and did his job, so we were very happy.”

The colt worked a furlong in :10 2/5 during last week's under-tack preview. Since his purchase last year, his half-sister Twenty Carat (Into Mischief) won the Apr. 2 GIII Beaumont S.

“On the racetrack, he thinks he is Godzilla,” Pike said. “The farther he goes, the better he gets. And I think that's what attracted a lot of people to him. He just looked like he could keep going and going. I think he has a bright future.”

Of Gun Runner's early success, Pike added, “I think we all didn't know what to think about them, but they've come out running and everyone seems to be very excited about them. And he had a timely update, so that helped a lot, too.”

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“I remember Valiant Minister when he sold here,” said SGV Thoroughbreds' Steve Venosa, who consigns Hip 996. “Eddie Woods had him and he topped the sale. He went out to Bob [Baffert] and unfortunately the horse only had one race, but he ran tremendous.”

Donato Lanni purchased Hip 996's dam La Nonna (Unbridled's Song) on behalf of Baoma Corp. for $72,000 at Keeneland January. This colt is her first foal and Venosa snatched him up for $40,000 at the OBS October Sale.

“I came into the October Sale at OBS and Lisa McGreevy at Abbie Road Farm had him,” Venosa said. “I went to look at all of the Select horses and I really loved this colt. He was the only horse I wanted to buy and I bought him for my partnership.”

The horseman continued, “He was always very forward from the first day we put the tack on him. He did everything right and had a great mind about him.”

Venosa was very pleased with the colt's sharp work Friday (video).

“You never know until you lead one up there,” Venosa said. “The track has been interesting this week. The first day was canceled because we had a lot of rain. Then Monday the track didn't look like it's normal self early, but it righted itself the second day. It's been kind of crazy. I think the wind yesterday really affected a lot of horses.”

He continued, “We were watching the weather and monitoring the rain coming. We had two going today and crossed our fingers the weather would cooperate. We were going back and forth between working a quarter or an eighth, but we figured we'd go ahead and send him a quarter. He is plenty fit enough. We knew he'd go up there and perform and he did.  Everybody back at the barn was excited. We have a great team and you are only as good as your team.”

The other :20 3/5 worker Friday was Hip 925, a colt by Not This Time, from the Pick View consignment.

“We were expecting a really good work out of him,” said Pick VIew's Joe Pickerell. “He is a big, strong, mature, classy colt, who has been one of our fastest horses on the farm all year. We were pretty confident he would work well if he duplicated what he has been doing all year.”

There were also five fillies to work a bullet eighth in :9 4/5: Hip 866, a daughter of Temple City (video); Hip 889, a filly by Outwork (video); Hip 917, an Uncaptured filly (video); Hip 955, a daughter of Practical Joke (video); Hip 975, a filly by Fury Kapcori (video).

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