Union Rags Filly Works Quickly at Midlantic Breeze Show

A Union Rags   filly consigned by Tom McCrocklin, agent, breezed the quickest quarter-mile May 12 during the second of three days of an under tack show preceding the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale.

Working on dirt at Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium, Md., the bay filly out of the stakes-winning Northern Afleet  mare Afleet Lass  was timed in :21 2/5, two-fifths faster than the next quickest work at the distance on Wednesday. Her clocking matched the swiftest time from May 11 by a More Than Ready   colt (Hip 166) during the first day of the breeze show.

"She galloped out very well and she trained very well at the farm," said McCrocklin. "By the time you get to this point, not too many of these things are a big surprise. You kind of know who can run and who can't run as much. We were real pleased. I thought it was a beautiful (workout) video. I struggle to find a prettier breeze than what she had today."

Consigned as Hip 295, the filly is a half sister to stakes winner Honor the Fleet  (To Honor and Serve ). Her dam also has two other winners from four others to race.

Horses under the second dam of her pedigree fully complete her pedigree page. Among those runners are three stakes-placed half siblings to Afleet Lass.

Bred in Kentucky by Gainesway Thoroughbreds, Hip 295 was a $20,000 purchase by McCrocklin for John Fox at last year's Keeneland September Yearling Sale from the breeder's consignment.

"It was a little bit of a head-scratcher when I bought her, because it was one of those, what-did-I-miss moments," McCrocklin said. "Very sound filly and obviously talented, and she vets very well. So I'm not quite sure what I missed, but at this point, it doesn't look like I missed much of anything. We were fortunate to get her bought for that. I hope she'll be popular. She's a beautiful filly and super classy."

Of those that worked a furlong, five 2-year-olds shared the fastest time Wednesday of :10. They included Hip 211, a Quality Road   colt consigned by Eddie Woods, agent; Hip 260, a Munnings   colt consigned by Wavertree Stables, agent; Hip 264, a de Meric Sales-consigned Tom's Ready  colt; Hip 337, a son of American Pharoah   from consignor Kings Equine, agent; and Hip 340, a Race Day  filly consigned by Grassroots Training and Sales, agent.

Hip 211 is a half brother to the stakes-placed Welcoming  (Tapit  ) out of the unraced Storm Cat  mare Stormy Welcome . His third dam is Weekend Surprise, the 1992 Broodmare of the Year, producer of classic winners and stallions A.P. Indy and Summer Squall.

Hip 260, out of the Medaglia d'Oro   mare Tweet , is related to three winners from as many foals from the dam to race. His second dam is the stakes-winning Lost Code  mare Courtly Kathy , an 18-time winner who excelled in Minnesota-bred stakes at Canterbury Park.

Hip 264 also is the produce of a mare whose starters have all been victorious. One of the mare's two winners, Midtown Rose  (Gary D ), has eight victories and earnings of $282,910. 

Hip 337 has grass bloodlines in his family, hailing from the Theatrical  mare Baroness Aamoura , producer of Madam Aamoura  (Zensational ), who ran third in the Oak Tree Juvenile Fillies Turf Stakes at Del Mar in 2014. Hip 337's second dam is Anguilla , a Seattle Slew mare that was a multiple graded stakes winner on turf.

Hip 340 has no black type in her first two dams but is the first foal out of Battle Tux , a daughter of 2019-20 leading sire Into Mischief   and a winner of $134,664.

The under tack show resumes May 13 at 8 a.m. ET. The auction takes place May 17-18, timed to closely follow the May 15 Preakness Stakes (G1) held at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore.