Aptly Named Quick Tempo Off to Fast Start

It's a ubiquitous part of the 2-year-old sale process.

"You can go right to the races with him," is the oft-stated sales pitch from many consignors after a youngster flashes speed in its pre-sale under tack show breeze and then passes the veterinary inspection.

It's uncertain whether Raul Reyes uttered those words when showing a speedy son of the ill-fated stallion Tapizar  to potential buyers at this year's Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. But the colt, purchased by Dare to Dream Stable Management for $75,000 from Reyes' Kings Equine, and later named Quick Tempo continued to show his precociousness with a front-running victory in the Sugar Bowl Stakes Dec. 19 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.

Taking the six-furlong test in final time of 1:10.12, the colt trained by Christopher Davis improved his record to three wins from five starts, with a second-place finish in the Nyquist Stakes on the Nov. 6 Breeders' Cup undercard at Keeneland also on his résumé.

"He's been pretty forward since we got him," said Michael Faber, who with his brother, Allen, operates Dare to Dream. "He is just very fast and he naturally does it. He is not a runoff either. He has a quick, long stride and he does it easily. Speed is a weapon, and if you get it in a horse you have more options."

Bred in Kentucky by Albert Bell and Joyce Bell, Quick Tempo had been acquired by Kings Equine for $20,000 from Terrazas Thoroughbreds at last year's Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearlings Sale.

Aptly-named Quick Tempo was quick out of the gate for Dare to Dream, the Illinois-based partnership group that has a long track record of stakes success with horses bought at auction for less than six figures. Included in that group are grade 1 winner Spiced Perfection, a $50,000 auction buy, and stakes winner Embolden, acquired for $95,000.

A little more than two months since he went through the ring at the OBS sale held in June after being rescheduled from its original April spot on the calendar due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Quick Tempo broke his maiden at first asking, winning a maiden special weight at Arlington International Race Course, displaying the potential he had shown when breezing an eighth-mile in :09 4/5, co-second-fastest during the pre-sale workouts.

Faber said Quick Tempo made the cut for Dare to Dream's team at OBS, which included trainer Davis, based on criteria similar to many other juvenile sale buyers.

"We have a process we go through at the 2-year-old sales, not unlike a lot of other people," he explained. "When the book comes out, we eliminate a good chunk of horses we're not going to be able to afford or are not spending the money it's going to take to buy. … When the workouts come out, we go through all those that are still on our 'long list' and watch the videos and eliminate a bunch more there. We all watch the videos and whittle it down even more. Then we physically inspect the horses that make the workout, grades, and some end up being out or there is something wrong like a vet issue. When it gets down to another shorter list that made the medical grade on paper we try to find a handful we want to bid on. We'll vet five or six we might want to go for on a particular day and have our vets go over. Then we go through the bidding process and see what happens.

"We have never bought a horse for more than $100,000 at public auction," Faber continued, noting Quick Tempo is the best to date of the five 2-year-olds the group bought at auction this year. "Typically, we buy in the $50,000-75,000 range and have bought some for $90,000-95,000."

Faber said Quick Tempo's pedigree passed the muster and that he and his brother liked that the colt was sired by Tapizar, a son of leading sire Tapit  who was off to a fast start at stud thanks to the achievements of his Eclipse Award-winning daughter Monomoy Girl. Tapizar was euthanized earlier this month following a stall accident at Gainesway, where he was in quarantine prior to being shipped to Japan to stand at stud in 2021.

Sing Dixie Sing, the colt's dam, is a stakes-winning daughter of Dixie Union and from the female family of five-time graded stakes winner Megans Bluff.

By the time the delayed sale took place, the colt had recovered from a shin problem that he had developed but which Dare to Dream did not believe would be a factor in his race ability.

"We knew the history of this particular horse," Faber said. "I think those shins needed a little extra time. We liked the sire, who was a little under the radar even with Monomoy Girl. Everything else on him was good. Our vet looked at him and the film (radiographs) and he was confident there wasn't going to be any issues going forward. He was just fast and had an efficient stride that we just loved.

"We knew the reserve wasn't going to be outside our comfort zone," he said. "We liked the horse and it was with a consignor we had bought from before. Chris (Davis) had sent some 2-year-olds to him to break so they have a relationship as well."

Reyes said one of Quick Tempo's assets, in addition to his speed, was his build, with a very large hind end.

"For him to win first time out and to win this stake it gives people more confidence in buying from us," Reyes said. "Tapizar got a little cold when I bought him and then he got hot again."

"He had a big butt," Reyes added of Quick Tempo. "We called him J-Lo, after (actress) Jennifer Lopez."

While Dare to Dream is enjoying the ride with Quick Tempo's early success, they have no delusions about the colt's limitations.

"So far, so good. We're keeping our fingers crossed," Faber said. "We think he can go long. We don't know how long, but we think he can get a mile. I'm not sure about 1 1/4 miles. Maybe 1 1/16 miles is where he will top out. 

"We're going to try him in the (one-mile) Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn Park next and go from there," Faber continued. "There are great opportunities for milers and we think he can do that. We'll see where that takes us. If not, there is money to be made sprinting as well."