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| Staff Writer |
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Eddie Woods has retired from the juvenile sales scene after more than three decades of selling top-class racehorses, with the Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring Sale on 15-18 April marking his final appearance as a consignor.
The renowned horseman, who trained the early days of numerous champions including Big Brown, Lady Eli and Midnight Lute, announced his decision on 13 March after a record-breaking performance at the OBS March 2YOs in Training Sale.
Woods bowed out in spectacular fashion at the March sale, consigning a colt by Gun Runner (Hip 654) who sold for a record US$3 million to Zedan Racing. The sale made Woods the leading consignor on Day 3 with five lots sold for US$3,277,000, and second overall for the entire sale with 19 horses bringing a total of US$6,448,500.
"I wasn't waiting to go to the top to go out," Woods said. "Ali de Meric, she said 'that's a great mic drop, here you are, equal that boys, I'm out of here' right? That was kind of fun in a way. It's nice to do it, to sell a really nice horse in this place (OBS). This place has been good to me. It's a pleasure for us to do it."
In his 31-year career at OBS, Woods has consigned more than 90 graded stakes winners. Perhaps his most famous graduate is 2008 Gr.1 Kentucky Derby and Gr.1 Preakness Stakes winner Big Brown, whom Woods purchased for US$60,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale in 2006 before selling him for US$190,000 at the 2007 Keeneland April 2YOs in Training Sale.
When asked if he had a favourite graduate, Woods said: "No, but I suppose in a way Big Brown, because we bought him and we owned him, and he won the (Kentucky) Derby. The Derby is the race. We've got three boards out there, and it still doesn't carry all the names."
Other notable graduates from Woods' programme include:
• Left Bank, 2002 champion older horse
• Lady Eli, 2017 champion turf female and winner of the 2014 Gr.1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf
• Midnight Lute, 2007 champion sprinter and back-to-back winner of the Gr.1 Breeder's Cup Sprint in 2007 and 2008
• Spring in the Air, a Group One winner in the United States and 2012 champion 2YO filly in Canada
• Union Rags, winner of the 2011 Gr.1Champagne Stakes at 2 and the 2012 Gr.1 Belmont Stakes at 3
Woods concluded his selling career with a fitting finale at the April OBS Sale. His final horse through the ring was Hip 1177, a son of Twirling Candy out of multiple graded stakes-winning mare Irish Jasper, which sold to Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Sabby Racing for US$560,000.
"It's great. It was fantastic how he sold," an emotional Woods said after his final consignment. "He was a beautiful horse. I expected him to sell well, and it was neat for a really nice horse to be my last horse and not some US$5,000 horse. And he's going to a good spot."
His success continued throughout his final sale week when he consigned Hip 833, a bay colt by the late Uncle Mo who topped Thursday's session, selling for US$1.3 million to Marquee Bloodstock.
Woods reflected on his time at OBS saying: "I think my favourite OBS memory is that we had the first horse ever to work in :10 flat back in the day. That was when :22 flat was still a good time and :10 1/5, you were high-fiving everybody. The first horse to work :10 flat, that was notable. And then we sold a horse for an awful lot of money here.
"We had some great days; we've had some bad days here. It's just part of it," Woods continued. "But our record here has been very good for the number of horses we have. I've been on the board a long time here and we've developed this whole thing from nothing. To be part of that development has been really good, very proud of that too."
Looking ahead, Woods plans to remain in the industry as a consultant, helping clients purchase horses – something he says he hasn't had time to do whilst running his busy consignment business.