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| Staff Writer |
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The Ocala Breeders' March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training continues to offer top-quality juveniles as it reaches its finale, with siblings to Group One winners among the star attractions on offer today.
A daughter of Good Magic topped yesterday's second session when agents John Kimmel and Nick Sallusto went to US$1.1 million on behalf of Flanagan Racing for Hip 486, who had breezed an eighth of a mile in :09 4/5 during the under-tack show.
"She's phenomenal," Kimmel said of the filly. "She was the highest-graded filly I saw in the sale. The thing about her is that she's just got the look of a real quality filly. I've had many good fillies over the years, and this filly exudes that kind of quality."
Sallusto told BloodHorse that he and Kimmel consulted on purchasing the filly for Sean Flanagan's Flanagan Racing, and the filly came recommended by Flanagan's good friend, trainer Danny Gargan. Chad Brown will train the filly, Sallusto said.
Today's session opens with Hip 558, a grey or roan filly by Twirling Candy out of Special Me, consigned by de Meric Sales, who enjoyed early success by selling an Army Mule colt for US$950,000 on the opening day.
This filly is bred on the same cross that produced Gift Box, winner of the 2019 Gr.1 Santa Anita Handicap , and is a half-sister to three-time Grade One winner Gina Romantica, two-time Grade Two winner Stonetastic, and two-time graded stakes winner Special Forces.
"The pedigree and the filly, I think she could go anywhere and she can run on anything," said de Meric Sales' Tristan de Meric. "There's not very many pedigrees like this that are offered at a 2YO sale, so she's an exciting one to have at the barn. She's definitely been well received."
During the under-tack show, the filly breezed a furlong in :10 2/5.
"She's never been a filly that we put a ton of pressure on, we don't put much on any of our horses to be honest," de Meric said. "She's one we've always taken our time with. On paper, she wasn't a filly that had to have a lights-out bullet breeze to catch people's attention."
Also drawing significant interest is Hip 729, a colt by Munnings out of Amagansett, making him a half-brother to Grade One winner Tenma. Consigned by Paul Sharp, the chestnut breezed a furlong in :10 1/5 under light urging.
"He's beautifully made. Very well-balanced, correct colt," Sharp said. "He's just on the verge of maturing. He's a horse where there's a lot more coming for sure. He's got a great head, great eye on him. A very attractive horse."
His half-sister Tenma, by Nyquist, was an US$850,000 purchase herself at OBS last year and has since compiled a 4-for-5 record, winning the Gr.1 Del Mar Debutante Stakes, Gr.2 Starlet Stakes, and Gr.3 Las Virgenes Stakes . She currently sits sixth on the points leaderboard for the Gr.1 Kentucky Oaks.
"This horse is gonna be developing a little later, I think, but he's got all the right attributes to follow in her footsteps at that level," Sharp said. "He's a little better mover than the average Munnings—not to knock Munnings because he's been very good to us. He's got a lot of good things about him and I think he could be a very top-quality horse without much problem. He just needs to grow up and find his people, find his trainer. He's an easy horse to be around."
Hip 757 offers perhaps the most illustrious sibling connection, being a full brother to 2020 Eclipse champion turf female Rushing Fall. Consigned by Navas Equine, the More Than Ready colt out of Autumnal breezed a furlong in :09 4/5 during the under-tack show.
"He comes from a very strong family, and he's also presenting himself like this family has thrown those (same) genes on him," said consignor Jonathan Navas. "He's a very athletic horse. When you pull it apart, he checks a lot of the boxes for a good racehorse. He's got good shoulders, good conformation, good top line, good hindquarters."
Rushing Fall earned nearly US$3 million in an 11-for-15 career, winning six Group One races including the 2017 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf.
"I believe the horses that actually have the ability to do that (:09 4/5), they're really talented," Navas said. "Based off what I've seen in the past, the ones who have the ability to do it here, they're also going to perform at the track. They have talent. He was able to go :09 4/5, and close the half mile in :45 4/5—which breaking the :46 at OBS is a very, very strong gallout. It's standing out."
Yesterday's session saw 143 horses sell for US$22,998,500, just below last year's figure of US$23,976,000 for 156 lots. The session average was US$160,829 with a median of US$70,000 and an RNA rate of 17.8%.
The highest-priced colt yesterday was Hip 404, by freshman sire Independence Hall, bought by JPM Bloodstock for US$1 million from the consignment of Eddie Woods.