Delgado Continues Buying Spree

Venezuelan trainer Gustavo Delgado signed for a $750,000 Bernardini colt and $250,000 Speightstown filly during Monday’s opening session (story), and was back at it yesterday as he scooped up a Tapit filly (hip 314) for $700,000 and a Tiznow colt (hip 361) for $300,000. Both yearlings were consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency. 
Dominant in his native country, Delgado surfaced at Gulfstream Park in March and is leading trainer at the current stand. He is in the process of upgrading his and his group of partners’ stock. 

“He’s putting together a racing partnership to develop a nice group of 2-year-olds,” explained Off the Hook LLC’s Carlos Morales, who is serving as an advisor to Delgado alongside partner Joe Applebaum. “He has already broken all the records there. He was champion in a smaller city eight times in 14 years. Then he moved to the big city, and in 18 years he was champion three times and had all the best horses.” 

While Delgado’s first sales splashes have been made in the deep end, Morales said the conditioner will likely be active throughout the sale. 

“He has all kinds of partnerships,” Morales explained of Delgado. “There’s a group that’s focused more on having a very good horse or broodmare or future sire–that kind of horse. Then he has another group for which he’s going for racy horses–good bodies, less pedigree, but racy.” 

Of the influx of South American money into American bloodstock in recent years, Morales, a Venezuelan native and former trainer himself, offered, “They love horses in South America. It could be that they see opportunity. The market was down, and they began to come more. And they tell their friends that they’re having fun, and they keep coming for that.” 

Taylor Made consigned hip 314 on behalf of her breeders Aaron and Marie Jones. The Jones’ purchased the light grey’s unraced dam Sweet Marriage (Forestry), a half-sister to 2014 Hall of Fame inductee Ashado (Saint Ballado) and GISW Sunriver (Saint Ballado), for $600,000 at the 2009 Fasig-Tipton November sale while she was in foal to Unbridled’s Song.

 “She’s a really, really good filly,” said Taylor Made’s Frank Taylor. “She has a great mind, great physical and plenty of pedigree. She sold well and we were happy with it.” 

Hip 361 is a half to a pair of Grade I winners in Overanalyze (Dixie Union) and Meadow Breeze (Meadowlake). He was bred by Gerald Ford’s Diamond A Racing, which purchased his dam Unacloud (Unaccounted For) for $400,000 at the 2006 Fasig-Tipton November Sale.