10 Share Bullet at Fasig

Fasig-Tipton, which sold 2015 juvenile champion Nyquist (Uncle Mo) during its inaugural 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale at Gulfstream Park a year ago, returned to South Florida Monday with an under-tack show conducted under a sun-dappled sky and temperatures in the low 70s. Ten juveniles consigned to Wednesday's renewal of the Florida Sale shared the day's fastest furlong time of :10 flat during a breeze show that produced consistent times throughout the day.

“I thought it was a very good group of horses that we saw perform today,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning, Jr. “There was a great crowd here and great weather. The racetrack seemed to be very fair throughout. It was a very, very positive day.”

The auction, previously conducted at Calder, had a three-year sojourn at Palm Meadows and was held two years ago at Adena Springs South in Williston. Browning thinks its new home at Gulfstream Park provides buyers and sellers an ideal environment.

“It is a legitimate racetrack, it's a fair representation for virtually every horse that works there,” Browning said. “It gives buyers the opportunity to evaluate every horse. It has to be an advantage for buyers to evaluate horses working on a racetrack of this quality.”

Browning continued, “This is a great place to have a 2-year-olds in training sale to breeze in late February, early March. People like coming here. When you get off the plane from Kentucky or from up east, there is just a little extra bounce in your step. This has got to be the greatest environment to come watch an under-tack show.”

First-crop sire Bodemeister was represented by a pair of colts to share the bullet furlong time Monday.

Hip 133, a son of the WinStar stallion who finished second in the 2012 GI Kentucky Derby, is out of Blossomed (Deputy Minister). The dark bay colt is consigned by McKathan Brothers.

“When I brought him down here, I thought they wouldn't outrun him and they didn't,” said Kevin McKathan after the colt's :10 flat breeze . “I think he is fancy. He's special. He's the kind you want to end up with at the end of the day.”

The McKathans also sent out one of three juveniles by last year's leading freshman sire Uncle Mo to work in :10 flat Monday. Hip 121 is out of Aguilera (Unbridled's Song) and is a half to multiple stakes winner and graded stakes placed Bluegrass Singer (Bluegrass Cat).

“The Uncle Mo is a beautiful filly and does everything like you want,” McKathan said.

The McKathan Brothers sent out three horses to work at Gulfstream Monday. In addition to the two co-fastest workers, the consignment also included a first-crop daughter of The Factor, hip 96, who worked in :10 2/5.

“I was here last year and the track was a little deeper and heavier,” McKathan commented. “The surface was kinder to us today. We put more water on it–we doubled up the water tanks. They are used to watering every 30 minutes and now they have to hold for an hour and a half. It's hot and it dries out fast. But the track was great today. They put on a great show, I think. Everything went well. I'm really happy with it.”

Also featuring a pair of bullet breezers Monday was Crupi's New Castle Farm. Hip 154, another son of Bodemeister, turned in a :10 flat breeze despite jumping a shadow nearing the wire.

“I think he is a freak,” Jim Crupi said of the gray out of Exceptionally (El Prado {Ire}). “He is a runner. He galloped out in :33 and change.”

Crupi also sent out hip 112, one of two juveniles by Speightstown to share the :10 flat bullet time. The gray filly is the second foal out of graded stakes winner Well Monied (Maria's Mon).

“I think the track was fair to everyone,” Crupi said. “It's not like OBS where they go :9 4/5 or 3/5. But I think it was fair for everybody and I was happy with my breeze show. Being at Gulfstream works really well for me. I love it.”

The under-tack show's fourth session of workers got off to an adventurous start when a horse got loose just as hip 67, a daughter of Divine Park from Crupi's consignment, was completing her breeze in :10 2/5. The loose horse, hip 19, a full-brother to this year's GIII Sham S. winner Collected (City Zip) and consigned by Hidden Brook, returned later in the set. With Fasig announcer Terence Collier explaining to the crowd, “The consignor wants you to know the two-mile gallop is this colt's normal warm-up routine and now he'll breeze a nice eighth for you,” the chestnut turned in a :10 2/5 work of his own.

The Fasig-Tipton Florida Sale at Gulfstream begins Wednesday afternoon at 4 p.m.