FLORIDA 2YO TRAINING SALES: F-T February & OBS March
 

Michael Compton's Florida Sale Hips..

With the under-tack preview, the audition portion of this year's Fasig-Tipton Florida sale of select 2-year-olds in training sale, in the books, prospective buyers stepped out in the South Florida sunshine on the eve of the sale March 3, scouring the sales barns on the grounds of Gulfstream Park in search of racing's next headline maker.

Following are some of the 2-year-olds that consignors are high on heading into the sale, which will get under way at 4 p.m. ET March 4 in the walking ring at Gulfstream Park.

$275k - Hip No. 16, a colt by Uncle Mo —Gentle Words, by Bertrando. Consigned by Secure Investments. "He is a very independent colt," said Tami Bobo of the bay colt who drilled an eighth of a mile in :10 2/5 at the under-tack preview. "He acts more like a 4-year-old than a 2-year-old. He's a neat horse to be around."

$275k - Hip No. 17, colt by Awesome Again —Ginger Brew, by Milwaukee Brew. Consigned by Adena Springs. "This one is no secret," said Jack Brothers of the colt who is out of a Canadian champion. "He has been very popular at the barn. All the right people have pulled him out."

OUT - Hip No. 19, a colt by Galileo—Glass Slipper, by Danehill. Consigned by De Meric Sales, agent. "I have high hopes for him," said Nick de Meric of the Irish-bred colt who breezed in :10 2/5. "He's a big, loose-walking horse in the manner of Galileo. While his future most likely lies on the turf, someone could have a lot of fun with this colt."

$650k - Hip No. 29, a colt by Eskendereya —Im a Dixie Girl, by Dixie Union. Consigned by Wavertree Stables (Ciaran Dunne), agent. "He's a fabulous horse," said Dunne of the colt who breezed an eighth in a lively :10 1/5. "He's one that we've been excited about all winter. It's a joy watching him train. He showed up at the under-tack show like we thought he would. He backs everything up at the end of a shank. He'll be a fun horse to sell."

$685k - Hip No. 34, a colt by Pioneerof the Nile —Lady Bonita, by Smart Strike. Consigned by McKathan Bros., agent.
"He went in :10 2/5 and galloped out as good as anything. He's a big, two-turn, Derby-looking horse," J.B. McKathan. "We trained Pioneerof the Nile, so I have been around a few of them. He's a super nice colt. He is a spitting image of his sire. They look exactly the same."

$110k - Hip No. 39, colt by Ghostzapper —Light Green, by Pleasantly Perfect. Consigned by Adena Springs. "This one shows great," said Adena Springs' Jack Brothers. "He's been popular with buyers."

$575k - Hip No. 40, a filly by Tapit —Livin Lovin, by Birdstone. Consigned by Hartley/De Renzo Thoroughbreds, agent. "She's by a great stallion. She's a May foal, so we really haven't pressed her," said Randy Hartley of the bay filly who worked an eighth in :10 2/5 and did it in hand. "We wanted her to come into it good and come out of it good. She breezed real nice. We told the rider to sit quiet on her. She had a brilliant gallop out. She wasn't tired coming to me on the gallop out; she was still going strong. She's done everything I've asked her to do."

($390) - Hip No. 53, a colt by Kitten's Joy —Mother Russia, by Mayakovsky. Consigned by Kings Equine, agent.
"Everyone is talking about this one," Kings Equine's Raul Reyes said of the colt who breezed a co-bullet eighth of a mile (over the turf) in :10 at the under-tack show. "There's not much more to add to what everyone is saying about this guy. He's a top colt."

$300k - Hip No. 58, a colt by Uncle Mo—Naughty Mambo, by Kingmambo. Consigned by McKathan Bros., agent.
"He's been an absolute no-nonsense horse from the very beginning," said J.B. McKathan of the colt who breezed a co-bullet eighth of a mile (on dirt) in :10 at the under-tack preview. "We weren't surprised at all that he went that fast. We let him go up at the farm before we brought him down here and he just flew."

$600k - Hip No. 64, a colt by Harlan's Holiday—Pension, by Seeking the Gold. Consigned by Eddie Woods, agent.
"He is a big, beautiful, elegant horse," said Woods of the colt who breezed an eighth in :10 2/5. "He's a good-moving horse. He could be any kind."

($290k) - Hip No. 65, a colt by Giant's Causeway —Possibly a Ten, by Seeking the Gold. Consigned by Stephens Thoroughbreds, agent. "He's a big, gorgeous colt," said John Stephens of the dark bay or brown colt who worked an eighth of a mile in :10 3/5 at the under-tack preview. "He is a wonderful mover on the racetrack. He trained here for two weeks and has just been phenomenal. He's getting better every day."

($600k) - Hip No. 69, a colt by Cowboy Cal —Refugee, by Unaccounted For. Consigned by Northwest Stud.
"I think he is going to be a great colt," said Northwest Stud's Alfredo Lichoa of the $550,000 yearling acquisition who breezed the lone quarter mile of the preview in :22 and is a half brother to grade I winners Executiveprivilege and Hoppertunity. "He will be a graded stakes winner, no doubt about it."

($195) - Hip No. 72, Busman's Holiday, a colt by Harlan's Holiday —Renaissance Lady, by A.P. Indy. Consigned by Thomas and Casse, agent. "He's a typical Harlan's Holiday," said Becky Thomas of the colt who breezed a furlong in :10 1/5 at the preview. "He's very fast. He's precocious and he has a great mind."

OUT - Hip No. 79, a filly by War Front —Santa Catarina, by Unbridled. Consigned by Wavertree Stables (Ciaran Dunne), agent. "She's a queen, really," Dunne said of the $600,000 pinhook who breezed a furlong in :10 2/5. "She's tall, elegant, and moves well. She has bags of quality."

$400k - Hip No. 87, a colt by Uncle Mo—Seeking Gabrielle, by Foresty. Consigned by Niall Brennan Stables, agent. "He's a beautiful colt," said Brennan of the colt who worked in :10 2/5. "He's a wonderful representation for his sire. He's a smooth colt. He's a tremendous mover on the racetrack and he has a lot of stretch. I expect him to sell very well."

$850k - Hip No. 109, a filly by Hard Spun —Swaythisway, by Scat Daddy. Consigned by Crupi's New Castle Farm. "This filly is a freak of nature," said J.J. Crupi of the dark bay or brown who worked an eighth in :10 1/5. "She does everything right."

($270k) - Hip No. 112, a colt by Super Saver —That's OK, by Not for Love. Consigned by Eddie Woods, agent. "He's a wonderful horse," said Woods of the colt who cost $230,000 as a yearling and breezed an eighth in :10 2/5. "He's a big, leggy horse with stretch. He's done well all along the process."

$150k - Hip No. 115, a colt by Pulpit—Tippecanoe Creek, by Olympio. Consigned by De Meric Sales, agent. "He's a big, strapping colt," said Nick de Meric of the chestnut who worked an eighth in :10 2/5. "He's beautifully put together. He has a strong hip and shoulder; he's nicely balanced and is a good mover on the dirt. He had a huge gallop out at the preview."

$100k - Hip No. 116, a filly by City Zip —Touche de Velours, by Meadowlake. Consigned by De Meric Sales, agent.
"She is very much in the City Zip mold," said Nick de Meric of the filly who worked a furlong in :10 2/5. "She's not super big, but she is very balanced and athletic. She had a terrific breeze over a track that wasn't especially kind to smaller horses."

($160k) - Hip No. 117, a colt by Bluegrass Cat —Unbridled Melody, by Unbridled's Song. Consigned by Kings Equine. "He's been very well received here," Kings Equine's Raul Reyes said of the colt who worked an eighth in :10 1/5. "It looks to me that everyone who wants a nice New York-bred is going to try to get him."

$900k - Hip No. 120, a colt by Tapit—West Coast Swing, by Gone West. Consigned by Thomas and Casse, agent.
"He is one of the most special colts I've ever been around," said Becky Thomas of the bay who drilled an eighth in :10 2/5 at the preview. "He is a beautiful mover, and he's just stunning to look at. He has a beautiful walk and he covers a lot of ground. He had the best gallop out in the sale. He's an incredibly nice colt."

$325k - Hip No. 121, Wildly Distorted, a colt by Distorted Humor --Wild Poppy, by El Prado. Consigned by Wavertree Stables (Ciaran Dunne), agent. "He's a fabulous physical," said Dunne of the gray or roan colt who clocked an eighth in :10 2/5. "He's by a sire of the moment and he's from a strong female family."

$1,400,000 - Hip No. 130, a colt by Scat Daddy —Alittlebitearly, by Thunder Gulch. Consigned by Crupi's New Castle Farm. "This colt is the real deal," J.J. Crupi said of the half brother to 2014 Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) winner Bayern who worked a spirited eighth of a mile in :10 1/5 at the breeze show.

$350k - Hip No. 134, a colt by Malibu Moon —Atlantic Voyage, by Stormy Atlantic. Consigned by Niall Brennan Stables, agent. "He has a stallion's pedigree," said Brennan of the colt who cost $270,000 as a yearling and worked an eighth in :10 3/5. "He's a smoother type Malibu Moon, not a bulky kind. He has a beautiful big stride and looks like a two-turn horse.

$340k - Hip No. 145, a colt by Mineshaft —Chelsea Ballad, by Street Cry. Consigned by Crupi's New Castle Farm. "This colt is all racehorse," J.J.Crupi said of the colt who stopped the timer in :10 2/5 in his eight of a mile breeze.

$400k - Hip No. 146, a colt by Quality Road —Choo Choo Lady, by Giant's Causeway. Consigned by Eddie Woods, agent. "As his sire's name suggests, this horse is all quality," said Woods of the $200,000 pinhook who breezed an eighth in :10 2/5.

$525k - Hip No. 147, filly by Smart Strike—Christies Treasure, by Belong to Me. Consigned by Hoby and Layna Kight.
"I think she's going to do very well," said Hoby Kight of his $100,000 Keeneland September sale graduate who worked an eighth in :10 1/5 at the under-tack preview. "Everybody seems to like her. She looked like a panther as a yearling. She is big and long with a big hip. She has developed the right way."

$250k - Hip No. 151, a colt by Medaglia d'Oro —Crisp, by El Corredor. Consigned by Adena Springs. "He's a big horse with a lot of scope," Adena Springs' Jack Brothers said of the colt out of the 2010 Santa Anita Oaks (gr. I) winner Crisp. "He is the type of horse everyone looks for. He looks like a two-turn horse."

($295k) - Hip No. 154, a colt by Speightstown —Daguerreotype, by Silver Deputy. Consigned by Niall Brennan Stables, agent. "He is a very sharp, quality colt," said Brennan of the colt who got an eighth in :10 2/5. "He looks like a summer 2-year-old. He's very professional and is naturally fast."

$120k - Hip No. 159, a filly by Awesome Again—Dearest Trickski, by Proudest Romeo. Consigned by Adena Springs. "She is a big, pretty filly out of a grade I winner," said Adena Springs' Jack Brothers.

$95k - Hip No. 165, a filly by Awesome Again—Down, by Mr. Greeley. Consigned by Adena Springs. "She is a strong filly," Adena Springs' Jack Brothers said of the gray or roan filly produced from the grade 1-placed mare Down. "She's been popular at the barn."

($290) - Hip No. 166, a filly by Distorted Humor—Downthedustyroad, by Storm and a Half. Consigned by Imagine.
"She's a very forward horse. We really weren't targeting this sale, but she has done so well in her training that we brought her here," said Imagine's Marne Fauber of the filly who breezed an eighth in :10 2/5 at the under-tack show. "She worked great. She has a phenomenal mind and does everything you ask of her."

$800k - Hip No. 172, a filly by Giant's Causeway—Embur's Song, by Unbridled's Song. Consigned by Niall Brennan Stables, agent. "She's the first foal out of a Canadian champion," said Brennan of the filly worked an eighth in :10 2/5 "She has a wonderful pedigree and has the looks to go along with it."

Read more on BloodHorse.com: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-raci...#ixzz3TRUA5V4G

I wonder how high RNA's will be.. Lots of high opinions and extremely high starting points. You buy a yearling for 600k and put 150k in training vetting and etc. into them do you sell that type for less then 1.2?

FASIG-TIPTON STREAM: http://www.fasigtipton.com/fasig-tip...amingVideo.php

DRF COVERAGE/STREAM: http://www.drf.com/news/live-video-2...-year-old-sale

Do tell where you got the 150k training/vet number from?

Assuming a September buy, its 6 months of training, or by your math, 25k a month, or about 833$ per day.

How about 36k, maybe 40k tops? And that is on the high side. I think Eisaman charges about 70 a day for yearling prep and that includes normal vet, that was two years ago.

How did you derive that (inflated) number?

Don't know the market now, but 10 years ago if you were paying over 30K, you had horse issues.

Normal vet / training was typically just under/just over 30K depending on an August/Sept purchase and a Mar/Apr sale. I'd have to assume your number is probably way more correct these days... Freddie's been hanging with the Sheiks apparently.

steve, What is the significance of the two listed in red, 120 and 134?

As others have said, the expenses are more like $20,000-$25,000. With regard to how much money the sellers will want for the horse, that just depends on the seller. Some sellers do not race and they will sell no matter what. They are willing to take losses on horses. There are other sellers that refuse to take a loss and if they don't make at least x amount of dollars profit, they won't sell. There was one east coast guy (he was an owner, not a consignor) a few years back who would only sell if he made an astronomical profit. He would buy a horse for $150,000 and then he would put a $700,000 reserve on the horse. It was absurd. None of his horses would ever sell.

Even though training and vet bills are typically only around $20,000, there are other expenses. The sales company gets 5% and the consignor gets 5%. So if you buy a yearling for $100,000, your breakeven number is probably around $135,000. It may be even higher if you paid the consignor a commission when you bought the horse.

Hip #120 is the horse that many expect to be the sales-topper. Some people are saying that horse will go for a few million dollars. If so, that will be the highest priced 2 year old in the last few years. The horse didn't even work that fast (:10 2/5) but he is a very pretty mover and he had a really strong gallop out. I heard he galloped out 3 furlongs in :34. By the way, the track this week is more than a 1/5th of a second slower (for a 1/8th of a mile work) than what we usually see at these sales. Last year when this sale was at Adena Springs, there were 3 horses that worked :9 4/5 and about 30 horses that worked :10. This year not a single horse worked :9 4/5. Only one horse worked :10. There were only 12 horses that worked :10 1/5. So it was easier to wok :10 last year than it was to work :10 1/5 this year.

Just bought a small slice of HIP22 with my partner.

She's a Stephen Got Even. Second dam popped Macho Uno and Awesome Again. Will run her at PID, or Woodbine as she is a Canadian-bred and she would be eligible for MSW80k races up there.

First 2YO for Hosehead Racing!

Cheers,

Otis

Congrats, and best of luck with her!

--Dunbar

Thanks, Dunbar!

We also purchased another 2yo ON Adena-bred HIP118, who we are really excited about. Sire is Street Boss (Street Cry IRE). Dam is Stakes running sprinter Velvet Moss (Shamardal).

Street Moss??? :)

My family is in Buffalo, so they will hopefully be able to see these horses run at Woodbine or PID. Gives me another reason to go home for a visit. :D

Cheers,

O

Well I think about it as such the generic stuff is easy to figure. BUT you layout 600k for 6 months it costs money regardless if it comes from your checking account or you borrow it. Plus on a 600k horse that you are hoping to sell for 700 plus there is 70k in absolute expense at a minimum. I actually think my example is fair. 70+ in commissions, 30k training/vetting/transporation, and conservatively 20k in borrowing or income loss expense. As such you buy a yearling for 600k with the goal of selling that horse as a 2 year old in training you had better get 750+ to basically break even. Tough way to make a living.

If you race at PID you can hang out with calzone Lord, who is secretly envious of you!

Excellent! Would like the chance to buy him a beer.

Trainer will likely be Nick Caruso at PID.

O

Otis, my man ! - Donald "Boone" Shoenstein

If there wasn't a deluge of rain on Saturday we might have seen no one break 11. Track has been oddly deep at GP though after the rain storm it has tightened back up

I liked this filly. You did well to get her for 35k. If she had breezed she likely would have brought double

'Bama: Shamma lamma ding dong!:)

Cannon Shell: Thanks for the comment. Really glad to hear your positive opinion of this filly! Now we let Nick go to work. And wait. And hope.

Cheers!

Otis

good luck with the new buy!

Love the pedigrees on both of those..........please keep us posted on the development. Best of luck!!

Thanks, Gate Dancer!

Our 2YO fillies have had their names registered:

1) MISTEVIOUS (Stephen Got Even)
2) BOSSY BETTY LOU (Street Boss)

They are in Florida training under Nick Caruso and he said they are doing great. Will be fun to watch them develop! I'll keep you guys posted.

My partner (Mark Polivka) wants to expand his racing stable and asked me to help him with a business plan. It's an exciting enough opportunity that I stepped back after 25 years as International Director at Blistex Inc. to spend more time doing it. (Note I will still do consulting work for Blistex).

My partner is bringing a teaser brochure to Dubai with him to see if anybody wants to help stake us and prove out the model.

He is part owner of Euro Charline and is going to watch her run. Ryan Moore on top.

Amazing series of events in a relatively short period of time. Exciting to be heading toward new horizons. I'm really fortunate I was in a position to do this when the opportunity came knocking. We'll see how it goes!

Cheers,

Otis

Breeze vs gallop
 

Curious what you auction experts think about the Adena offerings only galloping vs. breezing? Normal, significant ...?

Spent a little time in the sales barns Tuesday before auction. really like the Court Vision colt Hip #86

That is how they (Adena Springs) have always done it, dating back to when I first started going to 2 year old sales back in 2005. They never work their horses. They just gallop them. Adena Springs usually has a totally separate sale for their horses. It was unusual for these horses to be in this sale. They didn't belong in this sale. The Fasig Tipton Florida Sale is a boutique sale for select horses. I think this was kind of a one time experiment. I will be extremely surprised if Fasig Tipton allows the Adena Springs horses in the sale next year. For those horses to be in that sale was a travesty. It would be like allowing a couple of dozens golfers who can't break 100 to play in the US Open.

I doubt a single one of those Adena Springs horses could have gotten into that sale if they weren't owned by Stronach. My guess is that he made some type of deal with Fasig Tipton to allow those horses into the sale in exchange for him allowing the sale to be at Gulfstream. That is not to say that it isn't possible for one or two of those horses to turn out to be good horses. Mine That Bird was a $12,000 yearling and he won the Derby. So it would not be impossible for a couple of those horses to end up being good horses.

My partner has a pretty strong opinion that 2Yo's should not be fully exerted until they have the proper physical foundation, which is usually several months from now. So he was only looking at horses who were galloping.

Cheers,

Otis

Boutique sales are dead. FT is trying to compete with OBS by having horses for the "middle" market too and Frank is willing to supply them. The only Boutique sale left is Saratoga

It is much harder to select horses based on galloping than breezing.

While his hypothesis may or may not be correct, in the days where horses made more starts and had longer careers, they were already racing two year olds by this time of the year

Fasig Tipton has horses for the middle market at Timonium in May. That Florida sale is very hard to get into. They don't typically take horses that are going to to sell for $30,000. The average horse at that sale sold for $280,000 in 2014 and the median price was $180,000. In 2013 it was $385,000 and $300,000. We will see if they allow Frank's horses back next year. I doubt it. It cheapens the sale.

It's got to be easier then buying them as yearlings or weanlings. Somebody paid 3 million for a weenie how does that happen

The OBS March Sale is going on right now. One of the first year sires who is looking pretty good so far is Twirling Candy. He had a colt at the Barretts Sale sell for $400,000 and now he just had a colt at OBS sell for $500,000. He's got a few more in this sale who look really good too. I don't think he has a ton of 2 year olds this year either. I think he was only bred to around 70 mares in his first year, unlike Super Saver last year who was probably bred to around 120 mares in his first year.

I notice the Uncle Mo's have generally been selling well. How do they look to you?

It's a bit odd that his yearlings and 2yos have sold well, but his advertised stud fee has gone down.

I think they have looked pretty good so far. They've been selling pretty well and they have worked pretty well.

Sometimes with a first year sire there can be really high demand. Sometimes there is a buzz about a certain sire and a lot of people want to breed to them. I think that was the case with Uncle Mo. His stud fee was $35,000 and I think he was booked pretty full, if not totally full. His yearlings sold reasonably well but not incredible. At the Keeneland Sep Sale his yearling average was $106,000 and the median was $75,000. That is decent for a sire that stands for $35,000 but not incredible.

Super Saver's yearling numbers were more impressive. At Keeneland Sep, his yearling average was $105,000 and his median was $80,000. But his stud fee was only $17,500. That is a much better return on your money. Even with him, his stud fee didn't go up in 2014, not even after his two year olds worked and sold well at the first couple of 2 year old sales. It wasn't until 2015 that his stud fee went up to $35,000, and that is because his progeny won a couple of graded stakes races in 2014. In general, the horses have to produce on the track for the stud fee to go up. With Uncle Mo, his stud fee may not have gone down if his yearlings' median was $100,000-$120,000, but his median was only $75,000 and they looked pretty good, but not great. If his 2 year olds win some big races this year, you will see his stud fee go up in 2015.

OBS MARCH: 15 hips over $500k drive huge Day 1
 

Hip-Breeze-Sex Sire/Dam (Consignor/Buyer) Price

285-21.1-C Bernardini/Misty Hour (SGV Thoroughbreds-Steven Venosa, Agent/Live Oak Plantation) 1,400,000
34-20.4-C Midnight Lute/Circumstance (Eddie Woods, Agent/Donato Lanni, Agent) 900,000
12-9.4-C Smart Strike/Carolyn's Cat (Old South Farm LLC/M. V. Magnier & Stonestreet Stables) 800,000
139-9.4-F Bellamy Road/For Royalty (Northwest Stud, Agent/Solis & Litt) 800,000
239-21.4-C Tiznow/Lasting Appeal (Eddie Woods, Agent/Conquest Stables LLC) 800,000

155-9.3-F Scat Daddy Global Finance McKathan Bros., Agent III M. V. Magnier 750,000
33-21.2-F Congrats/Christie Village (Eddie Woods, Agent/C. F. Farms) 725,000
60-9.4-C Street Sense/Czechers (All In Sales-Tony Bowling, Agent/Mark Casse, Agent) 675,000
162-10.1-C Malibu Moon Goldilocks' Cat (Thomas and Casse, Agent/Mark Casse, Agent) 675,000
61-10.2-C Distorted Humor/Dance Quietly (Eddie Woods, Agent/Spendthrift Farm) 650,000

88-21.1-C Flatter/Dixie Crisp (de Meric Sales, Agent/White Horse Stables, Sheep Pond, Bridlewood Farm) 550,000
68-10.0-C Scat Daddy/Deadly Diva (Bobby Dodd, Agent/Rockingham Ranch, Peter Miller, Agent) 530,000
172-20.4-C Kitten's Joy/Granny Broughton (Eddie Woods, Agent/Conquest Stables LLC) 510,000
62-10.0-C Speightstown/Dance Swiftly (Hartley/DeRenzo, Agent/Live Oak Plantation) 500,000
170-10.1-C Twirling Candy/Gowestforgold (Eisaman Equine, Agent/Alex & JoAnn Lieblong) 500,000

Previewed sale with OBS' Tom Ventura and BH's Michael Compton and as upbeat as the atmosphere was going in, neither envisioned the kind of day posted Tuesday.

Charlotte Weber was the day's leading buyer spending nearly $2.5MM for a quartet of colts and joins me on ATR Thursday..

285-21.1-C Bernardini/Misty Hour $1,400,000
62-10.0-C Speightstown/Dance Swiftly $500,000
201-10.1-C Awesome Again/Im Out First $400,000
131 10.2 C Super Saver/Fly the Colors $180,000

Twirling Candy had 3 more horses sell. They went for $300,000, $630,000, and $310,000. I know that is a pretty small sample but those numbers are great.

What about the auspicious debut of Adios Charlie. Two sold for 600k...

Was a big buzz coming into the sale about what he's going to be as a stallion.