Pricey OBS Speightster Colt Returned to Consignor

The sale of a Speightster  colt to Larry Best's OXO Equine for $1.1 million at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training earlier this month has been voided under the Conditions of Sale.

Best said he voided the purchase of the colt from Tom McCrocklin, agent, after personnel at Taylor Made Farm reported the juvenile was a cribber and that the condition was not announced when the horse went though the ring.

Consigned to the auction as Hip 1312, the speedy son of WinStar Farm's Speightster was purchased by Best via phone.

The colt was consigned by McCrocklin on behalf of Solano Beach Sales, in whose name he will now be raced with Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert.

"I took the horse back to Taylor Made and asked them to take a hard look at the horse," Best said June 29. "After a couple of days they concluded that the horse was a pretty serious cribber. They took videos of the horse cribbing and they sent them to OBS at my request. I requested the return of the horse."

Best said he notified OBS that he did not want the horse about a day before the seven-day window for horses to be returned closed.

"Everybody knows that when a horse is a cribber, it has to be announced," he said. "As an owner or a trainer how did they not know that horse was not a cribber. It's clearly a cribber."

According to The Horse magazine, "cribbing is when a horse places its front teeth on a horizontal surface, arches its neck, and pulls backwards. This behavior is usually associated with a grunting noise as the horse gulps air, and is often referred to as wind sucking or aerophagia."

After doing some research on cribbers, Best said he became aware that some have raced with good success but that he did not want to take a chance of the habit impacting the colt's health, especially not at the colt's seven-figure purchase price.

The prominent owner has purchased several high-priced horses from McCrocklin over the years including grade 1 winner Instilled Regard for $1.05 million.

McCrocklin said all the Conditions of Sale were followed with the colt, and there was no indication at the time he went through the ring that he was a cribber so there was no need for an announcement.

"I am not going to run a cribber through the ring at that price and not announce it," McCrocklin said. "He had the right to return the horse and he did under the Conditions of Sale."

The consignor said Solano Beach Sales partners are glad to have the horse in training.

"Once it all sunk in and we had other offers, they are ecstatic to have the horse," McCrocklin said.

Bred in New York by Danzel Brendemuehl Classic Mares, the colt is out of the multiple stakes-placed Indian Charlie mare Auspicious, a half sister to Bashford Manor Stakes (G3) runner-up Flatter Than Me. McCrocklin paid $110,000 for the youngster when he was consigned by Royal Bloodstock Sales to last year's Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearling Sale in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

During the under tack show, Hip 1312 breezed a quarter-mile in :20 4/5.