Thursday, March 13, 2025
Tops OBS first session . . .
    A bay colt by freshman sire Maxfield consigned by Ciaran Dunne’s Wavertree Stables, Inc. Agent was the first to break the seven-figure barrier at the 2025 OBS March Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale when he elicited a final bid of $1 million to top the opening session March 11.

    Out of OBS graduate and multiple stakes-winning and graded stakes placed mare Eyeinthesky, by Sky Mesa, Hip 119 sold to Japan-based trainer Mitsu Nakauchida. The youngster flaunted his ability when he overcame a strong headwind to breeze an eighth in :9 4/5 during the first under-tack session – tying for the fastest time of the day at the distance - and he continued to put every foot right during his outings before potential buyers.

    “He worked sensational on a day when horses were struggling to work and he showed himself well all week,” Dunne said. “It’s not rocket science. He jumped through all the hoops and as cliché as it is, he vetted well, and he worked great. When they do that, it’s easy.”

    Nakauchida said the plan was to take the colt to Japan where he will race.

    “He breezed really good. Physically he looks really strong,” said Nakauchida, who trained Liberty Island, winner of the Japanese filly Triple Crown. “His movement was really smooth and nice, and I just liked everything about him. Hopefully we get lucky with him.”

    The second highest price of the session came when Hip 81, a dark bay or brown colt by Army Mule, sold for $950,000 to St. Elias Stable. Consigned by de Meric Sales, Agent, the colt breezed an eighth in :10 flat during the first under-tack session and is the out of the Violence mare Diplomatic Miss, who is out of multiple graded stakes winner Miraculous Miss.

    “He’s a lovely colt, beautiful horse, and we love Army Mule,” said Monique Delk, who signed the ticket on behalf of St. Elias Stable, which owned and campaigned Army Mule. “To be able to support this stallion and to buy a horse that we love, we’re very honored. He’ll get some time off from here, he’ll go to the farm for a bit and regroup and then we’ll make decisions (on who will train him) from there.

    “It was pricey, but I think he’s a quality horse and we were willing to go that extra for him to make sure we obtained him.”

    Tristan de Meric of de Meric Sales said the colt had been one of the most popular members of their consignment and cited his strong mind among his top attributes.

    “We knew he would probably do very well, everyone on the grounds wanted him I believe,” de Meric said. “He was just one of those horses that is really fun to lead up there because you really don’t have a clue how much he was going to bring; you just knew he was going to do well. He did everything right all year, we were just lucky to have him in the barn. You can’t teach the mind that he has. And he has all the angles, he has the leg, he had all the parts to be a really nice horse. Everyone here saw it, and he showed it on the track.”

    Hip 212, a chestnut son of Not This Time that is full brother to OBS graduate and Grade 1 winner Cogburn, brought the day’s third highest price when he sold to Katsumi Yoshida’s Northern Farm in Japan for $650,000. Consigned by Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds LLC, Agent, the colt is out of the stakes-winning Saintly Look mare In a Jif and breezed a quarter in :21 1/5 during the under tack show.

    “The way he worked was very nice and when we inspected him, the way he walked was very nice. So, we really liked him,” said Shingo Hashimoto, manager of internal affairs for Northern Farm. “We’re going to take him back to Japan and hopefully he’ll do well. He looked pretty fast – like his brother.”

    Added consignor Randy Hartley, “He’s a beautiful horse who did everything he was supposed to do. He’s the dream horse to train. He’s so light on his feet.”

    In addition to selling the Maxfield colt, Dunne also consigned the session’s highest priced filly in Hip 65, a bay daughter of Vekoma out of the graded stakes winning Wildcat Heir mare Daring Kathy. The filly sold to Leland Ackerley for $425,000 after breezing an eighth in :10 1/5.

    A total of four horses sold for $400,000 during Tuesday’s session:

    Hip 4, a bay colt by OBS March graduate Into Mischief out of the Candy Ride (ARG) mare Candy Drawer. The colt was purchased by Terry Stephens Racing from the Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds consignment after breezing in :10 1/5.

    Hip 40, a bay filly by Charlatan out of the War Front mare Confidently, who is a half-sister to champion Uncle Mo and a full sister to Group 1 placed Could It Be Love. The filly sold to Ackerley out of the White Lilac (Katie Miranda) consignment after breezing in :10 2/5.

    Hip 131, a bay filly by Constitution consigned by Niall Brennan Stables, Agent who breezed in :10 2/5. The filly was purchased by Marquee Bloodstock, Agent and is out of the winning Uncle Mo mare Fashion Mo, who is out of Group 3 winner and Grade/Group 1 placed Theyskens’ Theory.

    Hip 133, a dark bay or brown filly by Uncle Mo out of the stakes winning mare Feel That Fire, by Lightnin N Thunder, who breezed a quarter in :21 2/5. Consigned by Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds, Agent, the filly was purchased by Terry Stephens Racing and is a half-sister to multiple Grade 1 winner Mind Control.

    Three horses sold for $375,000:        

    Hip 134, a bay filly by Tiz the Law consigned by Eddie Woods, Agent who was purchased by Donato Lanni, Agent for Frank Fletcher Racing Operation. The filly, who breezed in :21 3/5, is out of the Lion Heart mare Feline Flatline and is a half sister to stakes winner Mihos.

    Hip 170, a bay filly by Upstart consigned by Top Line Sales LLC, Agent and purchased by Katsumi Yoshida. The filly, who breezed in :10 flat, is out of the Harlan’s Holiday mare Great Family and is a half-sister to stakes winner Backtohisroots.

    Hip 176, a bay colt by Charlatan, out of the winning stakes-placed Tapizar mare Hang a Star. Consigned by Top Line Sales, Agent, the colt is from the family of champion Rushing Fall and was purchased by JWS Racing after breezing in :9 3/5.

    Tuesday’s session generated total gross receipts of $15,902,000 from 117 head sold, down from the $21,859,000 generated by 167 sold during the opening session in 2024. The average of $135,915 was up compared to $130,892 last year while the median also saw a healthy boost, jumping from $60,000 in 2024 to $85,000 this year.

    "We're pleased to see that the average and median were up,” said OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski. “The good news is we still have two days of some really nice horses to sell. It's kind of hard to compare session to session, year to year. But it was a good start, and we look forward to more good horses tomorrow and the next day.”

    The leading consignor by gross for the session was de Meric Sales with nine sold for $1,920,000. Leland Ackerley topped all buyers with four purchased for a total of $1,175,000.

    A total of 53 horses failed to meet their reserve for an RNA rate of 31.2. Last year’s RNA rate was19.4% adjusting for post sales results.
Monday, March 10, 2025
Scores at Santa Anita, Tampa and Gulfstream . . .
    Speedway Stables’ Cavalieri (Nyquist-Stiffed, by Stephen Got Even) remained unbeaten in four starts when she ran down stablemate Richi (CHI) to take the $300,000, Gr. I Beholder Mile at Santa Anita Park on March 8, becoming one of three OBS graduates to earn graded stakes wins this past weekend.

    Trained by Bob Baffert, Cavalieri surged past Richi inside the sixteenth pole to win by three-quarters of a length and notch her first career top-level triumph. “We always knew she would be a superstar,” Baffert told the Santa Anita publicity team.

    The 4-year-old dark bay filly was purchased by Speedway for $900,000 from the Wavertree Stables consignment at the 2023 OBS Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training after she breezed in :20.2. 


    At Tampa Bay Downs, Daniel Alonso’s Skippylongstocking (Exaggerator – Twinkling, by War Chant) defended his title in the Gr. III, $125,000 Challenger Stakes for the third consecutive year when he surged through the stretch for a 1 ¼-length victory in stakes and track-record time of 1:41.20 for the 1 1/16-miles. The Saffie Joseph-trained earner of more than $3.4 million was purchased by Alonso for $37,000 out of the Top Line Sales consignment at the 2021 OBS Spring Sale after breezing an eighth in :10.2.

    At Gulfstream Park, Stephen Rousseau’s Nic’s Style (Uncaptured – Sense When, by Street Sense) put in a winning stretch drive to take the $165,000, Gr. III Hurricane Bertie. The Bill Mott-trained daughter of Uncaptured scored her seventh victory in eight career starts. She was purchased by Rousseau for $25,000 out of the Summerfield consignment at the 2021 OBS October Yearling Sale.


At Aqueduct, Our Blue Streaks Stable, SGV Thoroughbreds and trainer George Weaver’s Soontobeking (King for a Day - Swayed, by Freud) rallied to get his nose down and take the $125,000 Gander Stakes with fellow OBS graduate Mo Plex third. Soontobeking was purchased by J U Racing Stables for $80,000 at the 2024 OBS March Sale from the SGV Thoroughbreds consignment after breezing in :10 flat.
Friday, March 7, 2025
Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance is the recipient . . .
    HALLANDALE BEACH - Break out the clubs and participate in one of the best charity golf tournaments at one of Florida’s top rated public golf courses.

    The Florida Derby Charity Golf Tournament, considered one of the finest run charity events, will tee off Monday, March 24 at Plantation Preserve Golf Course & Club and will benefit Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (TAA)
.

   The fun-filled day will include raffles, food and beverages, gift bags, sponsored golf holes and awards. Tee time is 12 P.M.

   Players can register at https://fevo-enterprise.com/event/Floridaderby2. Sponsorship packages are available. For more information contact [email protected].
Tuesday, March 4, 2025
Poor weather expected . . .
    OCALA - The Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company announced that Wednesday’s Under Tack Show for the March sale has been cancelled due to rain and high winds forecast to hit the area that day.

    The Under Tack show will now be consolidated to three days and take place March 6-8. Horses will breeze according to their corresponding sale day with Hips 1 – 272 going Thursday, Hips 273-544 going Friday, and Hips 545-814 breezing on Saturday. Each Under Tack session will start at 8 a.m.

    The sale will take place as scheduled March 11-13 with sessions beginning at 11 a.m.
 
Sunday, March 2, 2025
Nicoletti hits on $129 ticket . . .
    HALLANDALE BEACH - A mandatory payout of the 20-cent Rainbow 6 jackpot pool yielded multiple payoffs of $1,209 today at Gulfstream Park. The multi-race wager had gone unsolved for 10 days since the last mandatory payout of $164,292 on Feb. 15.

    A total of $3,606,081 was wagered into the Rainbow 6 today on top of a $447,538 carryover from Saturday’s spectacular Fountain of Youth program highlighted by Sovereignty’s dramatic victory over previously unbeaten River Thames in Gulfstream’s final prep for the $1 million Curlin Florida Derby on March 29.

    Bulldoze ($5), the 3-2 favorite, captured the Race 11 finale to complete the winning 6-9-4-1-7-9 combination. Other winners in the sequence were Tiffany’s Gold ($4.40) in Race 6, Bringer of Rain ($10.80) in Race 7, Table Flirt ($9.60) in Race 8, Dilger ($4) in Race 9 and Corruption ($16.80) in Race 10.

    Gulfstream Park handicapper Ron Nicoletti solved the Rainbow 6 with a $129.60 ticket (2-3-6/4-9-10/2-4/1-2-7/7-8-11-13/5-9-12).