Thursday, June 19, 2025
Gus King pays $975,000 . . .

    As the final moments of the 2025 OBS June Two-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age Sale wound down, consignor Randy Miles couldn’t stop moving, darting from inside the pavilion to the back ring and back again, accepting all means of congratulatory wishes along the way.

    By the time Miles paused to take his whirlwind of a 15 minutes in, history had once again been made as one of the more productive juvenile sale seasons in OBS history came to a triumphant close.

    With both the OBS March and April auctions rewriting chapters in the sales company’s record books this year, the OBS June Sale wasn’t to be left out when it came to adding to the annals. In the last hour of the two-day exercise, Hip 850, a chestnut filly by Curlin consigned by Caliente Thoroughbreds, established a record price for the June sale when she sold for $975,000 to Miles on behalf of owner Gus King while the overall average and median also established new marks for the final 2-year-old sale of the year.

    Minutes after signing that lofty ticket, Miles was hustling to be part of more fireworks as he consigned Hip 857, a gray or roan filly by Gun Runner that brought the sale’s second highest price when she went for $525,000 to representatives of My RaceHorse.

“It was a very busy 15 minutes,” Miles said.

    The lone offspring by Curlin selling during the June auction, the chestnut filly is out of the graded stakes winning Tapit mare Mufajaah, who is a daughter of multiple graded stakes winner Carolyn’s Cat. During her star turn in the ring, she bested the previous all-time June mark set in 2019 for $900,000.

    The new high mark also continued a trend of market strength during this juvenile sale season. The OBS March sale posted year-to-year gains in gross and average while the April exercise produced year-over-year gains in gross and a record average. The OBS March auction also sold a sale-record seven horses for $1 million or more, including a son of Gun Runner – now named Brant – who hammered for a record $3 million.

    When the dust settled on June, the average of $51,172 had bested the previous sale record of $43,433 set in 2021 and the median of $25,000 topped the prior record of $23,500 established in 2022. This year’s sale was held over two days compared to last year’s three-day exercise.

    “We certainly saw the same pattern that we saw in the 2-year-old market all year and I’m glad that it held all the way to June,” said Tod Wojciechowski, Director of Sales for OBS. “This time of year, you worry about buyer fatigue but a lot of that was just worry. The market proved its resiliency again. Lots of records this year, it was an excellent season. We’re grateful to the buyers that came, grateful to the consignors who bring the quality horses they bring.”

    Bidding on behalf of King, a client of his for a handful of years now, Miles stayed diligent in his pursuit of the Curlin filly as the bidding opened at $25,000 and steadily jumped up from there. Though he stretched beyond the limits of past June sales, Miles said King was determined to do what was needed in order to own the youngster, who had breezed in :10 flat during the under-tack show.

    “Gus really just wants top quality,” said Miles, who added the filly was headed to the barn of Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen. “He had Publisher in the (Kentucky) Derby this year and really wants to continue that line with really top-quality horses, and we felt the Curlin was the best horse in the sale.

    “We thought the horse could be bought for a little bit less, but we were not going to stop. We wanted to give it our all to get that horse bought. We didn’t want to spend that much money but to get that kind of horse, you have to spend that money. And Gus was very willing.”

    Saul Marquez of Caliente Thoroughbreds, no stranger to selling high-quality prospects with multiple Grade 1 winner and OBS grad Chancer McPatrick among those on his honor roll, happily found himself at a loss as he tried to describe his latest commercial success.

    “The first time we saw this filly we fell in love with her. She’s always done everything right,” Marquez said. “She’s been smart, loves what she does, she’s just a racehorse. We brought her in April but my whole idea was pointing her here in June. I was confident in her. But…right now I don’t even have words.”

    Miles had to find adjectives for both of the top horses in the sale as his Gun Runner filly out of Grade 1 winner Restless Rider gained her share of attention when she hit the ring moments later. When she breezed in :10 flat during the under tack show, Miles knew the stage would be set for her to have her own wave of suitors.

    “She was just amazing. She came in here really light on training and what she did on her breeze show was remarkable to me,” Miles said of the Gun Runner filly. “We came into Ocala thinking we may gallop her because she was so far behind. What she did had nothing to do with anything we did. She did all of it. It was a real shock; it was a pleasant shock.

    “My RaceHorse bought her and it’s going to be a fun road to watch. I love watching my babies go on and do well.”

    After Hip 104, a dark bay or brown colt by Grade 1 winner and OBS June grad Yaupon, topped the first day of the June sale when he sold to trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. for $300,000 from the consignment of Julie Davies, a total of seven horses sold for $300,000 or more during Wednesday’s session.

    On a day when consignor Ciaran Dunne was at Royal Ascot to witness OBS and Wavertree graduate Crimson Advocate score by 1 ¾ lengths in the Group 2 Duke Of Cambridge Stakes, an effort that came after fellow OBS and Wavertree grad Lennilu finished a game third in the Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes, his program notched another triumph when Hip 572, a bay colt by Bolt d’Oro sold to Gary Young, agent for $425,000.

    Though Lennliu, who is owned by a partnership that includes Amy Dunne and Caitlin Dunne, came up just short in her Royal Ascot try, the Bolt d’Oro colt provided a boost by justifying the patience and faith shown to him by his connections. Bred by Gil Masters, the colt is out of the Smart Strike mare Missile Belle, who is from the female family of graded stakes winner Fugitive Angel, and was earmarked for the June sale when it became evident his strong bodied frame would benefit from added time.

    “It’s the age-old story, you can’t hide a good one and he exceeded expectations,” Dunne said by phone from England. “But the way he performed; we weren’t surprised. He was a bit big and backwards early on. We had initially targeted April, but it was coming a little too soon, so we decided he was worth waiting a little bit longer for to give him the time to show himself at his best.”

    The colt first rewarded that patience during the under-tack show when he breezed in :9 4/5, catching Young’s eye with the way he was able to gather himself and finish up down the lane.

    “In his preview, he left the pole on his left lead, and he took about 7 or 8 strides to figure things out,” said Young, who purchased the colt on behalf of an undisclosed client. “But once he got into his stride and got over to his right lead, I thought he was a machine. We figured that there would be people on him, and we figured right about that (price) range is where we would have to go.”

    The day’s fourth highest price came when trainer George Weaver went to $375,000 for Hip 471, a son of OBS grad Into Mischief from Steven Venosa’s S G V Thoroughbred consignment who breezed in :10 flat. The appeal of six-time leading sire Into Mischief needs no justification as the Spendthrift Farm stallion continues to dominate both in the commercial arena and with his offspring on the track.

    “You see an Into Mischief that you like, and they look athletic and have a good look to them, you can’t go wrong,” Weaver said from Saratoga. “He’s a homerun type sire and has been for several years now. We’ll be glad to (have the colt) in the barn.”

    Out of the multiple stakes winning Kafwain mare Kadira and a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Paola Queen, the Into Mischief colt added to an already standout year for Venosa, who sold the two highest priced horses at the OBS April sale.

    “He’s a horse we held back specifically for this sale. He’s a late May foal so we gave him the time that he needed,” Venosa said of the Into Mischief colt. “And he did everything right here and on the farm. The horse was slated for an earlier sale, but we felt like it wasn’t his time. To me the most important thing is to do right by the horse.”

Other top prices included:

    Hip 563, a bay colt by Practical Joke consigned by de Meric Sales who sold for $350,000 to Donato Lanni, agent on behalf of Frank Fletcher. The colt, who breezed in :9 4/5, is out of the Drosselmeyer mare Midnight Girl, a half-sister to multiple Grade 1 winner Midnight Lucky, who is out of a full sister to Grade 1 winner and producer Hookedonthefeelin.

     Hip 654, a bay filly by Bolt d’Oro consigned by Woodside Ranch who sold for $325,000 to Legion Bloodstock, Agent. The filly, who breezed in :9 4/5, is out of the winning Elusive Quality mare Platonic Love and is from the female family of Grade 1 winner and producer Toussaud.

    Hip 734, a bay colt by Maclean’s Music consigned by de Meric Sales, who sold for $310,000 to Jeff Kresnak. The colt, who breezed in :10 flat, is out of the winning Mineshaft mare Sengekontacket, who is a full sister to stakes winner and OBS grad Wolf Man Rocket.

    Hip 512, a bay colt by Modernist consigned by Omar Ramirez Bloodstock who sold for $300,000 to Bill Childs. The colt, who breezed in :9 4/5, is out of the winning Sidney’s Candy mare Lila Ruth and is from the female family of multiple Grade 1 winner Win.

    Total gross receipts for the June sale saw $25,688,500 generated from 502 head sold, up from last year when up from last year when 592 2-year-olds sold for $21,702,300. The average soared past the $36,659 established in 2024 while the median also bested the $20,000 put up a year ago.

    The leading consignor by gross was de Meric Sales who sold 14 horses for $1,494,000 while King’s purchase of the Curlin filly made him the leading buyer.

    “This ended up being a really good sale,” Miles said. “We’re looking forward to next year and the yearling owners are happy to see this was a vibrant market because it will carry over. We just need to keep it going.”

    A total of 101 horses failed to meet their reserve, resulting in an RNA rate of 16.8% compared to 18.5% a year ago.

    The next sale on the OBS calendar is the October Yearling Sale taking place Oct. 7-8. Entries for the October sale close Aug. 5.

Wednesday, June 18, 2025
Sells to Saffie Joseph for $300,000 . . .

    Six years after his sire stepped foot in the OBS sales pavilion and set his high-level career into motion, a son of Yaupon took his own turn in the ring at the 2025 OBS June Two-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age Sale - and departed with a highlight moment of his own.

    The opening session of the OBS June sale showcased both market strength and the demand for one its most famous graduates. Hip 104, a dark bay or brown colt by Grade 1 winner and Spendthrift stallion Yaupon, sold to trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. for $300,000 to lead the first day of the final major 2-year-old sale of the year, which posted gains in average and median.

    With a stakes winner already to his credit, Yaupon – who sold at the 2019 OBS June Sale - has gotten off to hot start in his burgeoning stud career. The same precocity he showcased as a juvenile has shown itself in his offspring thus far with the session-topping colt the latest example of such.

    Out of the winning mare After the Party, by OBS grad Into Mischief, the Yaupon colt was originally entered in the OBS March Sale where he breezed in :9 4/5 but had a minor ankle issue. He duplicated that effort during the under-tack show for June, covering an eighth in :9 4/5 once more for consignor Julie Davies.

    “We came up here expecting him to sell well,” said Davies. “How well, you don’t know but he did have plenty of action. A lot of people liked his breeze and liked him on the shank. He’s very classy so he came out like he owns the place. He’s got a good mind to him, and he just presents himself well.”

    From the female family of Grade 1 winners Callback, Girolamo, and Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Super Saver, the Yaupon colt first caught Joseph’s eye back in March and the Grade 1 winning trainer was grateful for the opportunity to add him to his barn.

    “If I like them, I buy them and then I worry about selling them after,” Joseph said. “I had seen this horse in March and obviously, he worked fast there. He came back and duplicated it and for me, if he can duplicate that time, that means you’re pretty good.”

    The opening session got off to a strong start when Hip 35, a bay son of Constitution consigned by Cortez Racing & Sales, sold for $280,000 to Sleeper Thoroughbreds & Full of Run Racing LLC.

    Out of the Medaglia d’Oro mare Traffic Blimp, the colt is a half-brother to graded stakes-placed winners Allworthy and Miss Mattie B and is from the female family of multiple Grade 1 winner Bellafina. The colt galloped during the under-tack show.

    “He’s a super nice horse. We brought him here in April and he bruised his foot in a workout,” said Alex Cortez of Cortez Racing & Sales. “But everyone was on him. I did the right thing for the horse, I gave him time off and he came over here and I told everyone about him. Thank God everyone listened. (The price) was not surprising, because I know how good he is.”

    Two youngsters posted the day’s third highest price: Hip 120, a chestnut colt by Munnings consigned by Paul Sharp, and Hip 410, a bay colt by Twirling Candy consigned by Tom McCrocklin, both of whom sold for $250,000. The Munnings colt, who breezed in :10 1/5, was purchased by trainer Dallas Stewart on behalf of John Hall. The colt is out of the Tapit mare Amagansett and is a half-brother to Grade 1 winner and OBS grad Tenma.

    The son of Twirling Candy, who worked in :20 4/5, was purchased by Case Clay Thoroughbred Management. He is out of the Speightstown mare Brooke and Emory, who is out of multiple Grade 1 winner Hard Not to Like.

    Hip 421, a dark bay or brown colt by Charlatan consigned by Wavertree Stables, elicited the next highest price when he sold for $240,000 to JPM Bloodstock. The colt, who breezed in :10 flat, is out of the winning Scat Daddy mare Elandess, who is a half-sister to graded stakes winner Peace Achieved.

    Hip 399, a chestnut colt by Gun Runner consigned by Top Line Sales, brought the session’s fifth highest price when he was purchased for $220,000 by Salli Foushee. The colt, who breezed in :10 flat, is out of the graded stakes winning After Market mare Volcat and is a half-brother to graded stakes placed winner Dream Friend, an OBS grad.

    The session saw a total of 11 horses sell for $150,000 or more including:

    Hip 390, a chestnut colt by Midshipman consigned by Top Line Sales who sold for $170,000 to Sean S. Perl Bloodstock LLC. The colt, who breezed in :10 flat, is out of the Gemologist mare The Girls, a half-sister to multiple stakes winner Wink. The colt is a three-quarter sibling to Wink.

    Hip 50, a bay colt by Vekoma consigned by Envision Equine who sold for $160,000 to Robert Hess Jr. The colt, who breezed in :10 1/5, is out of the Yes It’s True mare Twelve Jewels, a half-sister to Canadian champion Inglorious and graded stakes winner Dixie Strike.

    Hip 174, a chestnut colt by Tiz the Law consigned by Navas Equine who sold for $160,000 to D. J. Stable. The colt, who breezed in :10 flat, is out of the winning Bernstein mare Blake’s Magic, who is a half-sister to Canadian champion Mobil.

    Hip 16, a dark bay or brown colt by Caracaro consigned by Global Thoroughbreds who sold for $150,000 to Tonja Terranova, agent. The colt, who breezed in :10 flat, is out of the Purge mare Texas to a Tee and is a half-brother to graded stakes winner Mississippi Delta.

    Hip 125, a dark bay or brown colt by Rock Your World who sold for $150,000 to Jim Divito. Consigned by Cardozo’s Brothers, the colt, who breezed in :10 flat, is out of winning, stakes-placed Tribal Rule mare Anniversary Kitty.

    The strong returns yielded by the 2-year-old market this season added another notch to its belt Tuesday. The overall gross came in at $9,758,500 from 222 head sold while the average improved from $37,755 last year to $43,957 this session. The median came in $26,000, up from $20,000 one year ago.

    The sale is being held over two days compared to last year’s auction which took place over three sessions.

    “Good solid day,” said Tod Wojciechowski, Director of Sales for OBS. “It felt like horses were moving and changing hands and there was good depth of buyers. Given the strength of the market coming in, we were hopeful and we’re looking forward to tomorrow.”

    Top Line Sales led all consignors by gross with 12 head sold for $832,000. C.H.P.R was the leading buyer with 32 purchased for $422,500.

Monday, June 16, 2025
Each worth more than $47,000 . . .
    HALLANDALE BEACH - There were 25 winning tickets in Gulfstream Park’s mandatory payout of the 20-cent Rainbow 6 on Sunday, with each ticket worth $47,670.

    There was $1,356,903 of new money wagered into the Rainbow 6 which started the day with a carryover of $129,340.

    The sequence began in Race 4 when Granka, trained by Antonio Sano, led gate-to-wire at odds of 30-1. The winning sequence:

              Race 4: Granka - $64

              Race 5: Three Zero - $7

              Race 6: Nana’s Corn Muffin - $19.20

              Race 7: Lace Up - $10.40 

              Race 8: Beach Gold - $3.20

              Race 9: Try to Make Cents - $12.80

              Frosted Punk was the only single going into the last race. There were 301 live tickets.

Live racing resumes Thursday with a nine-race program. First race post is 12:50 ET.
Tuesday, June 10, 2025
Earns berth in BC Dirt Mile . . .
    Following a victory in the Group 2 Godolphin Mile, Yuesheng Zhang and Craig Dado’s Raging Torrent (Maximus Mischief-Violent Wave, by Violence) added to his impressive resume in his stateside return with a gate-to-wire victory in Saturday’s Gr. 1, $1 million Metropolitan Handicap on Belmont Stakes Day at Saratoga Race Course, becoming one of two OBS grads to earn graded wins on the day.

   With the victory, Raging Torrent was awarded a berth in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile in November at Del Mar as part of the “Win and You’re In” Challenge Series.

    Trained by Doug O’Neill, the 4-year-old son of Maximus Mischief asserted himself over a formidable group that included champion Fierceness. The win was Raging Torrent’s sixth in his last seven outings and gave him his second Gr. 1 triumph to go along with his victory in Santa Anita Park’s Malibu in December.

    Raging Torrent increased his career bankroll to $1,797,400. He was purchased by Mark Davis for $75,000 out of the 2023 OBS April Sale from the consignment of Randy Bradshaw after breezing in 10 flat.

    At Santa Anita, Bob Baffert-trained Cash Call (McKinzie - D'fashion, by D'wildcat) outbattled stablemate Howin in the stretch to win the $100,000, Gr. III Summertime Oaks in her first start around two turns. Cash Call races for owner CSLR Racing Partners. She was purchased from the consignment of Eddie Woods by Bill Childs for $600,000 at the 2024 OBS April Sale of 2-year-olds in training after breezing in :20 1/5
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Friday, June 6, 2025
Leinster filly is 2-for-2 . . .
    HALLANDALE BEACH - Undefeated in two career starts, Lennilu has given trainer Patrick Biancone confidence that the gray 2-year-old filly is ready to take on Royal Ascot. “I think we have the right horse to do that,” Biancone said Wednesday.

    Lennilu earned a stakes berth at the Royal Ascot meeting (June 17-21) with her 3 ¾-length romp in the May 10 Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies at Gulfstream Park. 

    The daughter of Leinster had debuted April 6 at Keeneland with a length victory in a 4 ½-furlong maiden special weight race on dirt. In the five-furlong Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies, in which she prompted the early pace before taking over and drawing clear, Lennilu took to the turf in a big way to earn her trip to England.

    “She’s doing good. Everything is going perfectly. She will be leaving the 10th for Newmarket and will run June 18 at Ascot,” Biancone said.

    Lennilu returned to the work tab at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream’s satellite training facility in Palm Beach County, last Friday with an easy half-mile breeze in preparation for a planned start in the Group 2 Queen Mary June 18. Like the Royal Palm Juvenile Fillies, the Queen Mary will be contested at five furlongs on turf.

    Lennilu, who is owned by Amy Dunne, Caitlin Dunne, Brenda Miley, Jean Wilkinson, Hoffman Family Racing, Tranquility Lake Farm, Maury Harrington and Christopher Harrington, will not be accompanied by stablemate Squire to Royal Ascot. Squire, a son of Leinster who won at first asking April 18 at Gulfstream, finished second in the May 10 Royal Palm Juvenile, in which he dueled for the lead before weakening late.

    “Squire, we gave him a break. He wasn’t mature enough mentally to go to Ascot,” Biancone said. “He went back to the farm to relax a little bit for a month and come back in a month.”

    Leinster, a son of Majestic Warrior who stands at Pleasant Acres Stallions, was a multiple graded stakes- winner on turf who closed out his career with a third-place finish in the 2020 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1) at Keeneland and a victory in the 2021 Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint (G3). Biancone said all offspring of Leinster have one thing in common. “They’re all fast,” he said.

    Biancone-trained Emerald Ember, who lost his recent debut by a nose, and Jose D’Angelo-trained Monster, who graduated in his turf debut last week by nine lengths for Arindel, were also sired by Leinster, the nation's leading a first crop sire.