TUESDAY, JULY 14, 2020 LIVELY TRADE AT TIME TO TIGHTEN JOCKEY COVID PROTOCOLS? FASIG JULY HORSES OF by Dan Ross Have saddle, will travel--a well-worn aphorism. But is it a wise RACING AGE SALE one to emulate in this time of the coronavirus? Within the past week, Flavien Prat, Victor Espinoza, Eduard Rojas Fernandez, Luis Saez and Martin Garcia have all tested positive for the virus--a chain of events that can be traced back to Los Alamitos over the July 4 weekend, said Derek Lawson, Prat=s agent. AThere=s no question that that=s where it happened,@ he said, of Prat=s infection occurring at the Southern California facility. But against a broader surge in coronavirus infections and hospitalizations in several parts of the country, cautionary voices industry-wide appear to be growing in volume, raising questions about the safety standards racetracks nationwide have instituted to protect the riding community. Cont. p6 IN TDN EUROPE TODAY County Final | Fasig-Tipton photo THE WEEKLY WRAP: BLUE IS THE COLOUR Godolphin and Shadwell were prominent in stakes results in by Jessica Martini the past week, as Emma Berry pens the latest The Weekly Early action seemed tepid, but bidding picked up noticeably Wrap. Click or tap here to go straight to TDN Europe. throughout leading to a lively day of business at the Fasig-Tipton July Horses of Racing Age Sale in Lexington Monday. AThere was lots of activity at all price ranges and a lot of horses got moved and found new opportunities with new buyers,@ said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. AThe sale was well- attended. Veterinary activity, which is one of the things that I always look at to kind of evaluate pre-sale interest, was higher this year than last year. We have now had two sales in a row that should provide some confidence in the marketplace.@ The 2-year-old County Final (Oxbow), coming off a runner-up effort in the GIII Bashford Manor S., achieved the night=s highest bid when selling to West Point Thoroughbreds for $475,000. The gray colt was one of six to sell for $200,000 or over on the night. AIt=s rational, but it=s a legitimate marketplace,@ Browning said. AIt is a balanced market that is equitable for buyers and sellers alike.@ From 182 catalogued lots, 81 sold for a total of $5,072,000. The average was $62,617 and the median was $30,000. There were 38 horses reported not sold for a buy-back rate of 31.9%. 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 Managing Editor Tuesday, July 14, 2020 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 Assistant/Dir. Of Distribution Rachel McCaffrey Advertising Assistants Amie Newcomb Kristen Lomasson Photographer/Photo Editor With the return of live racing on July 27, horses head out to the track Monday Sarah K. Andrew @SarahKAndrew [email protected] morning on the first day of training at Colonial Downs. | Photo courtesy Colonial Downs Social Media Strategist OBS JULY STARTS TUESDAY 7 Justina Severni The sale action continues Tuesday with OBS’s rescheduled Director of Customer Service July 2-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age Sale. Jessica Vicki Forbes Martini previews. [email protected] Marketing Manager Alayna Cullen @AlaynaCullen TDN DERBY TOP 12 FOR JULY 14 9 Three new faces are featured in this week’s edition of the Director of IT/Accounting TDN Derby Top 12 presented by Fasig-Tipton. Ray Villa [email protected] [email protected] TODAY’S GRADED STAKES EST Race Click for TV WORLDWIDE INFORMATION 8:00a Prix du Lys-G3, LCH -------------- ------- International Editor Kelsey Riley @kelseynrileyTDN 8:35a Prix de Malleret-G2, LCH -------------- ------- [email protected] 10:25a Prix Maurice de Nieuil-G2, LCH -------------- ------- 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 | 732-747-8955 (fax) TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 3 OF 17 • THETDN.COM TUESDAY • JULY 14, 2020 Fasig July cont. from p1 smaller version of what he looked like today. He was a top Monday=s auction, coupled with positive results from Fasig- physical with a professional look to him and a great walk. I=m sad Tipton=s Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale two weeks ago, to see him go, but it=s something we=ve got to do.@ should help to stabilize the market ahead of the fall yearling Asked about the colt=s bargain basement price last year, Ennis sales, according to Browning. said, AOxbow, unfortunately, is not that commercial and in the AAll in all, I am certainly much more encouraged today than I sales ring, especially with yearlings, they want to buy was three weeks ago because we=ve demonstrated with these commercial sires. With my budget, buying inexpensive yearlings, two sales that there is a viable, legitimate marketplace that I have to go on physicals.@ Cont. p4 exists,@ Browning said. Ennis Scores by a Country Mile Trainer John Ennis heads into the yearling sales each fall working on a strict budget and hoping to take home a yearling who will have success at the track before returning to a horses of racing age auction. The Irishman worked his plan to perfection with County Final (Oxbow) (hip 166), purchasing the colt for just $9,500 at last year=s Keeneland September Yearling Sale and selling him Monday at Fasig-Tipton for $475,000 to West Point Thoroughbreds. In between sales, the gray colt broke his maiden over the turf at Churchill Downs and finished second over the main track in the June 27 GIII Bashford Manor S. AIt was easy to like him really,@ Ennis said after watching County Final go through the sales ring Monday. AHe looked like a John Ennis | Fasig-Tipton photo TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 4 OF 17 • THETDN.COM TUESDAY • JULY 14, 2020 Ennis was happy to see the colt sell, but he and his partners winner, even though he is four.@ were prepared to take him home if the price wasn=t right. Per Capita joins an operation already stocked with older AI had a couple of other partners on him and they didn=t mind graded stakes performers, led by multiple Grade I winner Mind if we kept him,@ he explained. AThey would have happily taken Control (Stay Thirsty), Grade I placed Bal Harbour (First him home and taken him to Saratoga and places like that Samurai), and graded placed King for a Day (Uncle Mo). because he=s a runner. They put a high reserve on him and we thought we probably wouldn=t get that because the market didn=t seem that strong. But it was fantastic. I=m over the moon.@ Ennis said the yearling sales-to racetrack-to sales ring route can sometimes be more profitable than pinhooking yearlings to the 2-year-old sales. AIt=s very hard to pinhook yearlings to 2-year-old sales,@ Ennis said. AYou only get one shot at going a furlong in :10 flat or whatever you need to do and the X-rays have to be super correct at the sales. I feel like, if you buy an inexpensive yearling who looks like a runner and if you win a maiden special weight at some place like Churchill or Keeneland and improve on the next run, no matter who he=s by, they will come and buy him. For me, with my budget, that=s the only way I can do it. I=d love Per Capita | Fasig-Tipton to keep the horse, but this is what I do every year. I love the horse and he=s a fantastic horse. But now it=s back on to AWe are trying to buy some racing horses to fill some gaps in September.@ our stable,@ Sacco said. AWe have some good older horses and County Final will be transferred to the barn of trainer George we are just trying to fill some gaps. This horse came up with all Weaver with plans to run at Saratoga, according to West Point=s of the curb appeal of the pedigree and then, when I dug into it a Terry Finley. little bit more, with the sheet figure that he ran and his physical- AI hope he ends up as a runner, but he=s shown he has a lot of -he=s a very powerful-looking horse.@ talent,@ Finley said. AEverything just fell into place with him and As for where the colt may start next, Sacco said, AI would say he vetted well. We are going to take a shot. We find that our we will most likely come back in an a-other-than at Saratoga as partners are very open to horses like this that have shown a the next progression. We haven=t decided who is going to train good bit of ability. It=s very exciting that he ran so well on dirt the horse yet. We wanted to get our hands on him first and then and turf.