Fireworks at the Top at Fasig Gulfstream
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THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2021 FIREWORKS AT THE TOP THE TDN KENTUCKY OAKS TOP 10 FOR APRIL 1 by Bill Finley AT FASIG GULFSTREAM The picture for the GI Kentucky Oaks might look a lot different late Saturday afternoon than it does at the present. There are four races on tap--the GIII Gazelle S., the GI Ashland S., the GIII Fantasy and the GII Santa Anita Oak--that will feature more than a dozen serious candidates for the last Friday in April. Five horses among our top 10 are slated to go. Meanwhile, last weekend=s action featured a win in the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks for Crazy Beautiful (Liam=s Map) and a strong showing for runner-up Millefeuille (Curlin), who rebounded off a poor effort the in the GII Davona Dale S. At Turfway, the loaded Brad Cox barn had Adventuring (Pioneerof the Nile) primed for a winning effort in the Bourbonette Oaks. Cont. p14 Hip 28, $2.6-million topper by Nyquist | Fasig-Tipton IN TDN EUROPE TODAY ‘SATURDAY HORSES’ SEIZE THE DAY by Jessica Martini & Christie DeBernardis Demand proved high at the Tattersalls March Sale on The Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Sale returned from its one-year Wednesday, with the top two lots coming from Juddmonte hiatus with plenty of fireworks at the top of the market as a and Shadwell. diverse buying bench competed with enthusiasm for the upper- Click or tap here to go straight to TDN Europe. end offerings in the track=s paddock Wednesday afternoon. A colt by Nyquist, who had breezed the bullet furlong in :9 4/5 during Monday=s under-tack preview, brought the boutique auction=s top price when selling for $2.6 million to Coolmore. The Irish operation returned to secure a colt by Nyquist=s sire Uncle Mo for $1.3 million. Both colts were consigned by Ciaran Dunne=s Wavertree Stables. A son of Gun Runner purchased by Amr Zedan rounded out the trio of seven-figure transactions when selling for $1.7 million from the consignment of Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds. Nyquist and Uncle Mo combined represented five of the auction=s top 10 prices. AIt was a good start to the 2021 2-year-old sale season for us,@ Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning, Jr. said at the close of business Wednesday. AWe are thrilled to be back at Gulfstream Park. I think it was a typical 2-year-old sale, great demand and great interest at the top of the marketplace for what are perceived to be the quality offerings. The most encouraging thing in that regard was the diversity of buyers across the board. There were lots of bidders willing to spend plenty of money.@ A total of 67 horses sold at the Gulfstream sale Wednesday for an aggregate of $25,360,000. Cont. p3 PUBLISHER & CEO Sue Morris Finley @suefinley [email protected] SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT Gary King @garykingTDN [email protected] EDITORIAL [email protected] Editor-in-Chief Jessica Martini @JessMartiniTDN Senior Contributing Editor Thursday, April 1, 2021 Alan Carasso @EquinealTDN Senior Editor Steve Sherack @SteveSherackTDN Racing Editor Brian DiDonato @BDiDonatoTDN Deputy Editor Christie DeBernardis @CDeBernardisTDN Associate Editors Christina Bossinakis @CBossTDN Joe Bianca @JBiancaTDN News and Features Editor In Memoriam: Ben Massam (1988-2019) ADVERTISING [email protected] Director of Advertising Alycia Borer Advertising Manager Lia Best Advertising Designer Amanda Crelin Advertising Project Manager Rachel McCaffrey Advertising Assistants Amie Newcomb Kristen Lomasson Coverage from the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Sale of Selected 2-Year-Olds in Training continues on page 3. | Fasig-Tipton Photographer/Photo Editor Sarah K. Andrew @SarahKAndrew [email protected] NYQUIST COLT TO COOLMORE 4 Social Media Strategist A colt by Nyquist (hip 28) who lit up the racetrack with a bullet Justina Severni furlong work in :9 4/5 during Monday's under-tack also turned heads in the sales ring at Gulfstream Wednesday when selling Associate Producer Katie Ritz for $2.6 million to Coolmore. The youngster was consigned by Wavertree Stables. Director of Customer Service Vicki Forbes [email protected] GUN RUNNER COLT SPARKS LATE FIREWORKS Marketing Manager 7 Alayna Cullen @AlaynaCullen Just three hips before the conclusion of the sale, a colt from the first crop of Horse of the Year Gun Runner sparked a furious round Director of IT/Accounting of bidding in the Gulfstream paddock. When the dust settled it was Ray Villa bloodstock agent Gary Young left holding the $1.7-million ticket on [email protected] [email protected] behalf of Zedan Racing. WORLDWIDE INFORMATION International Editor Kelsey Riley @kelseynrileyTDN [email protected] European Editor Emma Berry [email protected] Associate International Editor Heather Anderson @HLAndersonTDN Newmarket Bureau, Cafe Racing Sean Cronin & Tom Frary [email protected] 60 Broad Street, Suite 100 Red Bank, NJ 07701 732-747-8060 | www.TheTDN.com TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 3 OF 20 • THETDN.COM THURSDAY • APRIL 1, 2021 Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream cont. from p1 The average was $378,507 and the median was $300,000. In 2019, 59 head grossed $29,115,000 for an average of $493,475 and a median of $375,000. AOverall, I think it was a healthy marketplace,@ Browning said. APeople want quality horses and I think it bodes well for the rest of the 2-year-old sales and gives us encouragement for the yearling sales starting this summer.@ But the margin between perceived quality and the lower-end offerings was razor thin. Of the 186 juveniles catalogued, 105 went through the ring and 38 of those failed to sell. AThe 2-year-old game is still a game of performance and vetting,@ Browning said. AThere are even more hoops to jump through than there used to be. You have to breeze well in a good time, gallop out well, make a good video and the veterinary scrutiny increases every year.@ Coolmore has been a major presence on the Gulfstream buying bench for the last several auctions and Wednesday was the second sale in a row the operation purchased the auction=s topper. But after the tickets were signed, Coolmore=s Michael Tabor issued a warning salvo aimed at The Jockey Club=s impending cap on number of mares bred to stallions born after 2020. AThe Jockey Club stallion cap will reduce the value of these horses from next year, so it=s hard to imagine prices like this being repeated unless the horse is to go abroad,@ Tabor said. A number of pinhookers recorded impressive scores during the auction. Wavertree=s $2.6-million Nyquist colt had been purchased for $160,000 as a yearling and the consignment=s $1.3-million Uncle Mo had been purchased for $335,000. Dean DeRenzo and Randy Hartley had purchased the $1.7-million Gun Runner for $140,000 last fall. THE JOCKEY CLUB STALLION CAP WILL REDUCE THE VALUE OF THESE HORSES FROM NEXT YEAR, SO IT’S HARD TO IMAGINE PRICES LIKE THIS BEING REPEATED UNLESS IT IS TO GO ABROAD. Michael Tabor TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 4 OF 20 • THETDN.COM THURSDAY • APRIL 1, 2021 not every horse, but we are grateful to be out and moving ahead.@ Bloodstock agent Jacob West saw familiar trends in the sales results. AGood horses are selling,@ West said. AThe ones that miss the mark aren=t. Unfortunately that=s just the reality of our business. We are all looking for the same thing. And when you offer it up in the market, if you have what everybody wants, you get overpaid. And if you miss the mark even by a little bit, the buying bench is pretty harsh on you. But quality sells. And what=s deemed as not quality doesn=t.@ Nyquist Colt to Coolmore A colt by Nyquist (hip 28) who lit up the racetrack with a bullet Becky Thomas | Fasig-Tipton furlong work in :9 4/5 during Monday=s under-tack also turned heads in the sales ring at Gulfstream Wednesday when selling AIt=s so strong for certain horses, but overall it=s very, very for $2.6 million to Coolmore. The youngster was consigned by thin,@ said Becky Thomas, who consigned a filly by Uncle Mo on Wavertree Stables. behalf of Cody Autrey who went from $380,000 yearling to Bloodstock agent Jamie McCalmont signed the ticket for the $825,000 juvenile. ABut there were fireworks. I think it was great youngster, who will be trained by Bob Baffert. for our whole horse economy. Hoby [Kight]=s horse ($650,000 AHe is by Nyquist who looks like one of the best young stallions Frosted) was a home run, Randy and Dean=s horse was just a around right now,@ McCalmont said. AHe breezed in :9 4/5, very massive home run, Eddie [Woods], Ciaran, everybody had some few horses went :10 flat, let alone :9 4/5. He did a good gallop really good home runs. We had a solid sale. Unfortunately, for out, he came out of the work good. He trained well in the week TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 5 OF 20 • THETDN.COM THURSDAY • APRIL 1, 2021 Michael Tabor | Fasig-Tipton before. He=s a very nice horse.@ Michael Tabor, who had been leading the Coolmore team around the sales barns Tuesday, said he was happy with the purchase, but he sounded a warning note for future sales. AI was just saying to the boys that The Jockey Club stallion cap really reduces the value of these horses,@ Tabor said. ANext year, it is hard to imagine that these horses will be as high. Unless these horses go abroad.@ Coolmore is one of three farms involved in a lawsuit against The Jockey Club over the mare cap.