Pair of $1.2M Juveniles Headline FT Gulfstream

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL–The 2-year-old market was strong in Florida Wednesday at Fasig-Tipton's Gulfstream Sale, which produced numbers largely on par with last year's figures. The auction was topped by a pair of $1.2-million juveniles: a filly by Medaglia d'Oro (hip 9) purchased by Stonestreet Stables and a colt by Into Mischief (hip 77) bought by Larry Best.

A total of 61 horses sold for $23,495,000, compared to 2017 when 74 juveniles grossed $25,115,000. The average was up 13.5% from $339,392 last term to $385,164 and the median increased 9.3%, from $270,000 to $295,000.

“It was an extremely strong marketplace on the upper end with tremendous competition,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “There were multiple bidders on the horses that performed well, vetted well and made good videos. We continued to see selectivity in the marketplace. A lot of nice horses did not get sold today or were scratched due to lack of interest and that is the same environment we have lived in in recent years. All in all, I thought it was a strong, strong horse sale. Average was up. Gross was down because the RNA rate was higher, plain and simple.”

Thirty horses failed to sell from 91 offered out of 166 catalogued for an RNA rate of 33%, compared to 2017 when 13 returned to their owners for an RNA rate of 14.9%.

“This is more similar to what you will see in an upper-end 2-year-old sale,” Browning said of the buy-back rate. “A lot of them will get sold privately in the next 24-48 hours, some of which will go through us and some of which will go through the consignors. There is demand for horses, but you need to be realistic in your evaluation and with yourself on how your horse performed and vets. The market is healthy.”

In addition to the two toppers, a Scat Daddy colt brought a cool million from Coolmore for a total of three seven-figure sales, which was the same as last year's sale. Sixteen other horses sold for $500,000 or more.

“The market is not in any way, shape or form down from last year, in my opinion,” Browning said. “The top might have changed a little bit, not dramatically, from last year. There are a lot of people who will give you $500,000 or $750,000 for a horse. If you get north of that, it gets a little thinner, as we have seen in recent years. Overall, it was a successful exercise and bodes well for our sale at Timonium in May.”

Stonestreet Strikes Early for Medag Filly

The late Jess Jackson and Barbara Banke's Stonestreet Stables enjoyed quite a bit of success with a daughter of Medaglia d'Oro in Hall of Famer Rachel Alexandra. Banke and advisor John Moynihan fought off all challengers early in Wednesday's sale to take home another filly by the Darley sire (hip 9) for a co-sale-topping $1.2 million.

“I like Medaglia d'Oro fillies,” Banke said. “I've had very good luck. I actually have two really good ones back at our training center, one out of Kauai Katie and one out of Fully Living, and this will be the third. I love them to race and I love them as broodmares.”

As for the price, Banke said, “I knew it was going to be a tough one. There were a lot of horses that didn't make the process and didn't pass the vet. This was our pick. We came, we did it early and now I am going to go have something nice to eat.”

At the moment, Stonestreet is the sole owner on the dark bay filly, but Banke said she may take on one of the underbidders as a partner if they were still interested.

“Jaime Roth [of LNJ Foxwoods] was in for a little bit of the time, so we will see if she wants a piece,” Banke said. “We have been talking about owning a horse together for years, but haven't done it. So, we will see if she wants to and if not, that's fine, too.”

Bred by Don Alberto Corporation, hip 9 is out of the Distorted Humor mare Mi Vida. Her third dam is MGISW millionaire Dream Supreme (Seeking the Gold), who produced Grade I-winning sire Majestic Warrior (A.P. Indy).

Purchased by Hades Stable for $200,000 at Keeneland September, hip 9 breezed in :10 flat for her consignor Niall Brennan.

“She's just like a machine on the racetrack,” Brennan said. “We knew everybody loved her. She was just very, very popular and jumped through all the hoops as they say. I didn't know how much she'd bring. I just knew she'd be well up there. You never know if they can bring $1 million. There were a lot of people on her. I hope she is as good as we think she is. I hope she's a very, very good filly for Stonestreet and a broodmare down the road.” —@CDeBernardisTDN

Best Back in Action at Gulfstream

Larry Best, whose OXO Equine LLC, purchased two of three seven-figures lots at last year's Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream sale, was back in action in the track's paddock Wednesday, going to a co-sale-topping $1.2 million to acquire a colt by Into Mischief. Consigned by Eddie Woods, hip 77 is out of Assets of War (Lawyer Ron), a daughter of graded stakes winner Added Asset (Lord at War {Arg}). The youngster shared the bullet furlong time of :10 flat during Monday's under-tack preview.

“I just bought a horse,” Best, surrounded by reporters after signing for the sale-topper, said with a chuckle and a shrug of his shoulders. “Other people thought he was a nice horse, too. I don't make the market. The market drove the price because the individual was thought to be a quality prospect. I think he was one of the better colts at the sale. And I actually wasn't surprised at the price.”

Best's seven-figure purchases a year ago included the $1.05-million OBS March graduate Instilled Regard (Arch), who became the owner's first graded stakes winner when he captured the GIII Lecomte S. That success on the Derby trail has not changed Best's approach to the sales.

“I don't get hung up on the Kentucky Derby trail,” Best said. “My goal is to win graded stakes races over the long term and, if a horse takes you to the Derby, you should feel blessed.”

After doing his bidding alongside advisor John Dowd, Best made his way over to hand the ticket to Jerry Hollendorfer and the owner confirmed the youngster would join that trainer's California stable.

Of Instilled Regard, who most recently ran fourth in the Feb. 17 GII Risen Star S., Best said, “Great shape, great horse. Is he good enough? We'll find out, but in my business life, I never feared failure, so why not go up against the best?”

The $1.2-million transaction was a pinhooking score for Eddie Woods, whose Quarter Pole Enterprises purchased the colt for $190,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July Yearling Sale.

“I knew he'd sell well, but I didn't think he'd go past a million dollars,” Woods said. “He showed like a man all week. He breezed fantastic, he vetted really well and he's by a stallion who is doing phenomenally well. Everyone was on him and that's what it takes.”

Woods said the colt had done a lot of maturing over the winter.

“He has grown up a lot,” he explained. “In July, they are very babyish. And you have to look through that a lot, but he had all the right parts and everything. He had one little issue when we bought him and it's still there today, very, very minor behind. Everyone lived with it–it's just common sense.”

Woods's Gulfstream sale got off to a slow start, but his results turned around with a one-two punch that started with the $825,000 sale of a Pioneerof the Nile colt (hip 76) to trainer Mark Casse and was followed immediately by the sale topper.

“I was one for four until a few minutes ago and now I'm three for six,” Woods said. “Two big ones in a row. I was really happy.”

Later in the one-session auction, Woods sold a colt by Uncle Mo (hip 116) for $650,000. The youngster, a half-brother to Gronkowski (Lonhro {Aus}), was a $140,000 Keeneland September Yearling sale. Woods sold six of nine to go through the ring for an average of $560,000. —@JessMartiniTDN

Coolmore Wins Out on Scat Daddy Colt

It was only fitting that Todd Pletcher signed the $1-million ticket on behalf of the Coolmore contingent for a popular colt (hip 31) from the final crop of Scat Daddy Wednesday afternoon in Hallandale. The late Ashford sire was Pletcher's first GI Florida Derby winner and Coolmore has enjoyed a plethora of success with Scat Daddy outside of their stallion barn, having campaigned several of his top offspring such as Caravaggio, No Nay Never, Acapulco and Mendelssohn.

“He's by a world-class stallion Scat Daddy, who is one of my all-time favorites having trained him,” said Pletcher after signing the ticket on behalf of M.V. Magnier, who was in attendance along with the rest of the Coolmore sales team. “It's nice to see him have so much success. It was a big loss to the industry with him going too soon. The colt is a beautiful horse and beautiful moving horse. He is one that we kind of had on the radar for a while. He was training really well in Ocala. He came in here, had a super breeze and came out of it in good order. He's a nice horse. He will get a little break and then we will decide where he is going to go.”

Scat Daddy died unexpectedly of what appeared to be a heart attack while walking out to his paddock in 2015, making this his final crop of 2-year-olds.

When asked if he thought the limited remaining quantity affected the price, Pletcher said, “I think not only does the [fact it is the] last crop [affect the price], but also the tremendous success he's had. He gets [runners] on turf and he gets them on dirt. This horse was a beautiful representation of Scat Daddy.”

Consigned by Steven Venosa's SGV Thoroughbreds, the :10 flat worker was bred in New York by Sanford Bacon. The bay is the first foal out of MSW Risky Rachel (Limehouse), who is a daughter of GSW Dancin Renee (Distinctive Pro). This is also the family of MGSW Say Florida Sandy.

“I've never had a horse sell for $1 million, but I've had a horse that has won $2 million,” Bacon said. “I am so glad because I called Todd Pletcher before and said if you get one of your clients to buy it, I'd like to do a deal for a piece of him. He couldn't work it out, but he got Coolmore. Risky Rachel has an Into Mischief who is absolutely gorgeous and is a few days away from delivering a Tiznow.” —@CDeBernardisTDN

SGV Team Shines at Fasig

Steve Venosa's SGV Thoroughbreds's five-horse consignment enjoyed one of the most consistent days on the track during Monday's under-tack preview of the Gulfstream sale, with a co-bullet :10 flat work and four :10 1/5 workers. Venosa's team was rewarded in the sales ring Wednesday when hip 31, a colt by Scat Daddy who worked in :10 flat, sold for $1 million to Coolmore. SGV offered the youngster on behalf of breeder Sanford Bacon.

The successes continued throughout the evening, with hip 83, a colt by Speightstown, purchased for $225,000 as a Fasig-Tipton October yearling, selling for $650,000 to China Horse Club International. Hip 122, a filly by Malibu Moon purchased by SGV for $285,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale, brought a final bid of $500,000 from John McCormack. And hip 6, a $160,000 Keeneland September yearling filly by Yes It's True, sold for $250,000 to Steve Young.

“It was a great day,” Venosa said at the close of the sale Wednesday. “I was talking to [Fasig-Tipton president] Boyd Browning before the sale and we were going through the horses we brought down here. We thought they were a really good fit for this sale. We were very happy with the horses. They performed very well and showed very well and we were rewarded with the way they sold.”

Venosa was quick to share the consignment's success with his team.

“The most important thing is that I have a great team,” he said. “Without my team, I couldn't do what I do.” @JessMartiniTDN

Another Pinhooking Score for Solana Beach

Solana Beach Sales, a pinhooking partnership spearheaded by Little Red Feather's Billy Koch and Gary Fenton now in its third year, enjoyed another stellar result in the sales ring Wednesday when Donato Lanni, bidding on behalf of the Chu family's Baoma Corp., signed the ticket at $900,000 for a filly by Orb (hip 54). Out of Taboo (Forestry), the chestnut had turned in the fastest quarter-mile breeze of :21 flat Monday at Gulfstream. She was consigned by Tom McCrocklin, who purchased the filly on behalf of Solana Beach for $130,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale.

“We expected her to sell well,” McCrocklin said. “She showed a lot, she showed well. She breezed well, vetted well. She did everything she was supposed to do. We were expecting a good sale, but you really never know how much. It was well above our reserve and we thought they would compete after that. That's really what we want to do. We don't want to buy them back. We want to give a fair reserve and let them figure it out after that.”

The Solana Beach partnership started its first year with six prospects and increased to 11 juveniles last year and will offer 17 this spring.

“We doubled up our investment this year, bought a lot more horses and spent a lot more money,” McCrocklin said. “We're just getting started–this is just our second horse through the ring this year so far.”

The partnership had back-to-back scores at OBS April, turning a $105,000 Broken Vow yearling into a $1.2-million sale topper in 2016 and a $100,000 Creative Cause filly into a $850,000 juvenile last year. The group also pinhooked future graded stakes winner Instilled Regard (Arch), who RNA'd for $110,000 at the 2016 Keeneland September sale before selling for $1.05 million at OBS last March.

“We sold Instilled Regard last year to Mr. [Larry] Best and obviously we are excited about seeing if he can get to the Kentucky Derby,” Koch said. “And we are just so excited about this filly. We know Donato bought him and we think she's going to Bob Baffert, which is great for us because we're in Southern California, so we'll get to see her all the time. We are so excited for the partners.” —@JessMartiniTDN

Uncle Mo Colt to Speedway

Speedway Stable's Peter Fluor, sitting alongside bloodstock agent Marette Farrell, signed the ticket at $850,000 to acquire a colt by Uncle Mo (hip 21) during Wednesday's Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream sale.

“We loved his breeze,” Farrell said of the youngster who worked in :10 1/5. “I thought it was amazing; very powerful and efficient. As soon as he walked out of his stall and came out in front of me, he blew me away. I just thought he was incredible.”

Out of graded stakes placed Potra Clasica (Arg) (Potrillon {Arg}), the bay colt was consigned by Crupi's New Castle Farm, which purchased him for $300,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale.

“I thought he was terribly efficient in his breeze and he has a wonderful pedigree, I liked the family and he was quick,” Fluor, who operates Speedway with K.C. Weiner, said. “Marette Farrell liked him a lot. So we looked very hard at him and K.C. and I are pleased to have him.”

Speedway, which has about 10 horses in training, has been represented on the racetrack by Grade I winners Collected (City Zip), Hard Not To Like (Hard Spun) and Noted and Quoted (The Factor).

Of the colt's final price, Farrell added, “I said to Peter, 'You know if we just buy this horse and this horse only, I'm happy to go home.' You always want to buy them for a little less, but it was a tad beyond where we had slotted him. He was worth it. I think he's amazing.” —@JessMartiniTDN

A 'Superfine' Pinhook

Ronald Fein of Superfine Farms had a very nice pinhooking score at Gulfstream thanks to a colt from the first crop of Fed Biz. Fein purchased hip 62 for $160,000 at Keeneland September and sold him to trainer Linda Rice for $725,000 Wednesday. The colt is the highest-priced offspring to sell by the young WinStar sire thus far.

“He's the nicest horse that I've ever trained,” Fein said of the :10 flat breezer. “He just glided over the ground like he was on air. He was just absolutely sensational and [consignor] Ciaran [Dunne of Wavertree Stables] did a fabulous job with him.”

Fein, who named Superfine Farms after his wife's nickname, added, “The price was about where I thought. I thought between $600,000 and $700,000. He was one of the best horses that there was here at the sale and people just loved him.”

Bred by Moreau Bloodstock International and White Bloodstock, hip 62 is the second foal out of Virtuously (Congrats) and hails from the family of Panamanian champion Edubai Del Ocho (E Dubai) and SW and GISP Appleby Gardens (A.P. Indy). The dark bay was purchased for $65,000 by Northface Bloodstock as a weanling at Keeneland November and Fein picked him up the following September.

“When I bought him as a yearling, he was just beautiful, athletic and good moving,” Fein said. “Also, I was helped by Olin Gentry, who was there when we bought him. Just a beautiful, beautiful horse.” —@CDeBernardisTDN

Shah Picks Up 'Quality' Filly

California owner Kaleem Shah tried to keep a low profile standing along a wall on the side of the Gulfstream paddock, but he soon put himself in the spotlight when going to $800,000 to secure a daughter of red hot stallion Quality Road (hip 68), who sired a pair of champion fillies in 2017 in Abel Tasman and Caledonia Road.

“Simon [Callaghan] liked the filly a lot,” said Shah, who was standing alongside the conditioner when he signed the ticket. “He thought she was well put together, so based on his recommendation I bought the filly. It was a little bit higher than what I wanted to pay, but I guess for the good ones, you have to pay a little bit more. Hopefully, she gets us our money back by winning us a Grade I, so we will see what happens.”

When asked what attracted him to the filly, Callaghan said, “She is a typical Quality Road, a very stretchy filly who I think will be a two-tun filly down the road. I have been lucky with the stallion. The stallion couldn't be any hotter than he is at the moment and she ticked all the boxes.”

Callaghan trained the aforementioned Abel Tasman to a victory in the 2016 GI Starlet S.

Hip 68 breezed in :10 flat for Ciaran Dunne's Wavertree Stables, who consigned five horses that brought over $500,000 Wednesday. A $220,000 RNA at Keeneland September, the bay was bred by JSM Equine and is out the stakes-placed Akron Moon (Malibu Moon), who is also responsible for stakes winner Diamond King (Quality Road). Her second dam is MSW and MGSP Akronism (Not For Love). —@CDeBernardisTDN

Kight Flying High After Pinhooking Score

Hoby and Layna Kight scooped up a colt by Union Rags (hip 117) for $120,000 at Keeneland September and were rewarded handsomely at Gulfstream Wednesday when he sold for $750,000 to bloodstock agent Donato Lanni, who was bidding on behalf of Sheikh Bin Khalifa al Maktoum.

“You never know,” said Kight when asked if he expected that kind of price. “You buy a really good horse and he works good and everybody likes him and that is the ultimate goal.”

The horseman added, “He was massive and looked fast [as a yearling]. I love the sire. I think he is going to get another big horse.”

Bred in Florida by Wind Hill Farm, the :21 1/5 breezer is a half-brother to stakes winner Renaissance Frolic (Paynter). His dam Frolic's Appeal (Trippi) is a half-sister to MGSW and GISP millionaire Smok'n Frolic (Smoke Glacken), dam of Canadian champion Hunters Bay (Ghostzapper); and the unraced dam of GSWs Mokat (Uncle Mo) and Frolic's Dream (Smoke Glacken) and SW Frolicing (Royal Academy).

The Kights had another pinhooking score Wednesday with hip 108, a Medaglia d'Oro colt purchased for $210,000 at Keeneland September and sold to John Oxley for $450,000 in Hallandale. The dark bay, who worked in :21 3/5, is out of a daughter of Hall of Famer Silverbulletday (Silver Deputy).

The Kights broke even on a Bernardini colt (Hip 157), a $150,000 KEESEP purchase who brought the same price from Lee Lewis Wednesday. They also sold a Gio Ponti colt, purchased by Cabby for $5,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Turf sale, to bloodstock agent David Meah, who was bidding on behalf of Rockingham Ranch, for $65,000. —@CDeBernardisTDN

Galloping Success for Kirkwood

Kip Elser's Kirkwood Stables bucked the trend for speed at the under-tack preview Monday and instead offered five juveniles specifically purchased as yearlings with the intention of only galloping prior to the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream sale. Three of the five sold Wednesday, with a colt by Noble Mission (GB) (hip 2) starting off the afternoon selling for $120,000 to Caves Farm. Bloodstock agent Dennis O'Neill purchased the final offering from Gulfstream Gallop LLC when he bid $100,000 to take home a filly by Blame (hip 137). In between, a filly by Data Link (hip 26) brought $65,000 from Martin Racing Stable. Colts by Exchange Rate and Liaison were bought back.

Elser purchased all five as yearlings last year on behalf of an undisclosed client.

“I think we had a good solid day,” Elser said after congratulating O'Neill on his purchase. “It was an experiment. We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for a very brave man who wanted to try something, I won't say completely new, but certainly something that hadn't been tried recently. He's brave. He doesn't cry when he loses, he doesn't crow when he wins. He just loves the game. I think it was a very worthwhile experiment and I think we can build on in it from here. I think we'll do it again next year.”

Edward Graham signed the ticket on the Noble Mission colt, a $27,000 purchase at last year's Fasig-Tipton Turf Showcase sale, on behalf of Caves Farm.

“These are guys who have steeplechase horses and flat horses,” Graham explained of the buyers. “I like distance turf horses and [hip 2] kind of sticks out for what I want. And he is a PA-bred, so that is my area.”

Of the colt's gallop, Graham said, “I loved his gallop. I knew that was what they kind of what they wanted to do. And I quite like that better than the breezes. It was perfect for what I wanted.”

O'Neill has had plenty of success buying at 2-year-olds sales. He purchased subsequent GI Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist (Uncle Mo) for $400,000 at the Fasig-Tipton sale in 2015 and paid $35,000 for 2012 Derby winner I'll Have Another (Flower Alley) at the OBS April Sale.

After signing the ticket on the galloping Blame filly, who was a $30,000 purchase at the Fasig-Tipton Turf Showcase, O'Neill said, “It goes back to how they move. She moved really good down the lane and I really liked the way she galloped, as strange as that might sound. We probably stretched a little bit. We were thinking $70,000 or $80,000. But she's a really pretty filly and we've had luck with Blame fillies. So we thought we'd give it a shot.”

O'Neill continued, “Kip let them roll a little bit–it wasn't like it was a nice easy gallop. They were going pretty good. So you got to see how they were going to go. Which is the big thing for me, just to see their action. She was rolling pretty good down the lane.”

Of the concept of skipping furlong breezes in favor of gallops, O'Neill added, “I have mixed feelings on that. I tend to feel like an eighth of a mile at this point, is not going to hurt them. We bought two Derby horses that worked a decent eighth and they never took a bad step in their whole career. We've had a lot of success buying at the 2-year-olds sales and had very few problems out of it. I don't think an eighth of a mile is that much to ask.”

Elser said he has received plenty of positive feedback on the idea.

“There have been a tremendous number of people who have wished us luck and said, 'I hope it works for you because it might help us broaden our market down the road.'” —@JessMartiniTDN