Gross Sales, Average Prices up As Violence Colt, Munnings Filly Top First Day of OBS March
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facebook.com/thefloridahorse FLORIDA’S DAILY SALES DIGEST • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 2021 Published by Florida Equine Communications Inc. FTBOA.COM Gross Sales, Average Prices Up as Violence Colt, Munnings Filly Top First Day of OBS March BY BROCK SHERIDAN More horses generated more gross sales and sold for higher aver - age prices as business and attendance were brisk at the first day of the Ocala Breeders’ Sales March Sale. “It was very good day,” OBS president Tom Ventura said. “Going in today there was a lot of activity in the barns and it wasn’t top ended or top heavy. So we had a gut feeling going in that there were a lot of buyers here in different price ranges and that turned out to be true. “I think we’re at a point in time where everybody is ready to get back to business and there is a light at the end of the tunnel here. It’s almost like people were happy to say goodbye to cabin fever and get out and start doing things they enjoy. You could feel the energy. There was a lot of action on all of the horses and people were glad to just get back to business.” Tuesday’s auction ring saw 160 head sell for $18,482,500 a 42% jump compared to the first day last year when 145 juveniles went for $12,994,500. The average also increased 28.89% percent from $89,617 to $115,516 while the median price increased to $62,500 from $50,000 last year. Hip 48, a dark bay or brown colt by Violence went for $550,000 to Spendthrift Farm LLC. Consigned by Kirkwood Stables as an agent the colt is out of the Florida-bred mare Lemon Belle, by Lemon Drop Kid, a half-sister to Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic (Grade 1) multiple graded stakes-winner and stakes-producer Unrivaled Belle and stakes- producer Xs Belle. She also caught the attention of potential buyers with a :9.80 eighth-mile work at the under tack show. Hip 216 went to agent Donato Lanni while also generating a final bid of $550,000. A filly by Munnings out of the Florida-bred mare Show Me, by Lemon Drop Kid, she was consigned by Eddie Woods as an agent and worked :10 flat at the under tack show. Show Me is a See on page 2 Hip 48, Colt out of Violence – Lemon Belle/ OBS SERITA HULT PHOTO www.facebook.com/thefloridahorse WWW.FTBOA.COM • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 2021 • 2 OBS from page 1 half-sister to Grade 3 stakes-winner Aegean and stakes-winner Light Bringer. Carolyn Wilson went to $530,000 to acquire Hip 163, a dark bay or brown colt from the first crop of sire Unified and is out of the stakes-winning Florida-bred mare Promise Me a Cat, by D’wildcat. Consigned by Ciaran Dunne’s Wavertree Stable Inc., the colt worked :20.40 at the under tack program. Hip 202 went to Southern California-based trainer Ron Ellis who signed the ticket for $525,000 on a bay colt by War Front out of the stakes-winning Florida-bred mare Serene Melody, by Street Cry (Ire). Serene Melody is also a half-sister to Group 1 Coronation Cup-winner Sophisticat, Group 2 Dubai Duty Free second-place finisher Grade Reward, Grade 2 Gulf - stream Park Handicap (G2)-winner Harlington, Grade 3 John B. Connally Turf Cup Handicap-winner Schramsberg, stakes- winners Serena’s Tune, stakes-placed Arbitrate and stakes- producer Night and Day. Consigned by Eddie Woods, the bay colt worked an eighth-mile in :10 flat at the under tack show. Narvick International went to $525,000 each to purchase two juvenile colts in Hips 188 and 243. Hip 188 is a dark bay or brown colt by Cairo Prince out of the stakes-placed Florida-bred mare Sadie Be Good, by the late Florida-bred champion Big Drama. The colt was consigned by Harris Training Center LLC as an agent and worked an eighth-mile in :9.80. Hip 243 is a gray or roan colt by Liam’s Map out of the stakes-placed mare Starlet O’Hara, by Discreetly Mine making the colt a half-brother to stakes-placed Delia O’Hara. Starlet O’Hara is also a half-sister to multiple Grade 3-placed, stakes- winner Trend and stakes-placed Number Five. The colt was timed in :20.60 at the under tack session. Eddie Woods was the top consignor with six juveniles bringing $2,127,000 while Japan’s Yuji Hasegawa was the leading buyer signing for three 2-year-olds totaling $1,500,000. Narvick International purchased five head for $1,440,000 to be the second leading buyer. Hip 216, Filly out of Munnings – Show Me/ SERITA HULT PHOTO C Z Rocket Ends Whitmore’s Domination in Ho t Springs Florida-bred becomes Millionaire With Victory BY BROCK SHERIDAN C Z Rocket snapped one of the more distinguished winning streaks in recent thoroughbred racing Saturday when the Florida-bred gelding defeated Whitmore by neck in the Hot Springs Stakes at Oaklawn Park—a race in which the latter had won four consecutive times dat - ing back to 2017. The $200,000 Hot Springs had assembled an im - pressive field of seven sprinters, 4-years-old and older, Florida-bred C Z Rocket/ See C Z Rocket on page 3 COADY PHOTO www.facebook.com/thefloridahorse WWW.FTBOA.COM • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 2021 • 3 C Z Rocket from page 2 who went six furlongs and also allowed C Z Rocket to avenge his loss tions of Whitmore on having this horse ready to rock and roll. to Whitmore after finishing second to the 2020 Eclipse Award cham - “Going down the stretch, I thought we were going to get there,” pion sprinter in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Keeneland on Nov.7. Miller said. “It was tough. He was a little further back than I’d thought The Breeders’ Cup Sprint also stopped a five-race winning streak he would be, honestly. I did see pace was hot. [Florent Geroux] knows for C Z Rocket going back to a $50,000 claiming race at Churchill what he’s doing. Horse runs really well for him. Pace was fast, so we Downs in May and ending with victories in the Grade 2 Pat O’Brien were where we were supposed to be and it worked out.” Stakes at Del Mar on Aug. 28 and the Grade 2 Santa Anita Sprint Cham - C Z Rocket, the Florida-bred champion older horse and champion pionship on Sept. 27 just prior to the Breeders’ Cup. sprinter of 2020, is trained by Peter Miller, who claimed the now 7-year- Whitmore and C Z Rocket were adjacent in posts six and seven re - old for $40,000 at Oaklawn last year in April for owner Tom Kaelgle. spectively in the Hot Springs and both started even with the field. Fire - Kaegle has since partnered with Madaket Stables LLC and Gary Barber crow, the longest shot on the board at 34-1 and a Whitmore stablemate on the ownership team that has seen C Z Rocket win six of seven starts from the Ron Moquett barn, sprinted to a one length lead in the run since the claim down the back stretch as Whitmore galloped along in sixth, four lengths C Z Rocket now sports a record of 10 wins, two seconds and two from the front and two lengths better than a trailing C Z Rocket. thirds from 24 starts and the $120,000 first-place check made him the After a first quarter-mile in a rapid :21.65, Mr. Jagermeister moved 175th member of the Florida-bred millionaires club with $1,011,641 in closer and to the outside of Firecrow around the turn as Whitmore career earnings. began to pass horses while three wide with C Z Rocket still a length- C Z Rocket is by City Zip out of Successful Sarah, by Successful and-half behind him. Appeal and was bred by Farm III Enterprises. He was a $800,000 pur - Firecrow turned for home a half-length front after a half-mile in chase by Frank Fletcher Racing Operations out of the Stephens Thor - :44.69 but Whitmore was suddenly among a wall of six sprinters—all oughbreds consignment at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Open Sale in with a chance—while C Z Rocket still lagged in last on the far outside. June of 2017. Whitmore accelerated to the lead in upper stretch but C Z Rocket Successful Sarah has also produced Great Success, by Verrazano, quickly found his best stride past the sixteenth pole to draw even and who was second to Jackson in the 2019 Ocala Breeders’ Sales Sopho - those two fought in the final 100 yards to the finish. more Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs on Florida Cup Day. C Z Rocket and jockey Florent Geroux completed the six furlongs in He won his first three career races before finishing sixth in the Grade 1:09.04 on the fast track with Whitmore second, a length-and-a-half 1 Malibu won by City of Lights at Santa Anita in his four start. He won ahead of Flagstaff in third. Firecrow, Boldor, Engage and Jr. Jagermeis - the 2018 Kelly’s Landing Overnight Stakes at Churchill Downs in June ter completed the order of finish. of 2018 but would not win in his next 11 starts until the $50,000 claim - C Z Rocket paid $7.20 to win.