Three Share Top Breeze Time at May 13 Under Tack Show

Three juveniles topped the work tab during the third and final session of the Fasig-Tipton's Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale under tack show held May 13 at Timonium Race Track in Maryland, each going a furlong in :10.

James Layden's colt (Hip 477) by Midnight Storm   out of the stakes-placed Lit de Justice mare Freedom Come was the first to hit the high mark.

"That was no surprise," Layden said about the work. "He has shown all year he would be a nice colt. He is just a good solid colt who's good-minded. He's a sensible horse."

Layden bought the colt for $8,000 as a yearling at the Fasig-Tipton October Yearling Sale from consignor Burleson Farm, which bred the colt.

"The Midnight Storms were under the radar so I didn't have to give too much for him, but they are proving to be good horses. I bought him because he just looked fast to me and that's turned out to be the case," Layden said.

Freedom Come has already produced seven winners from as many to race, including grade 1-placed stakes winner Harlem Rocker , a son of Macho Uno  and runner-up in the Hill 'n' Dale Cigar Mile (G1).

Next to go in :10 was Hip 515, a Palace  filly out of the Bluegrass Cat daughter and stakes producer Honky Tonk Angel, who is consigned by Top Line Sales.

"She prepped the fastest of everything we had on the farm," said Torie Gladwell with Top Line Sales. "She's extremely quick and does it easy. She's compact and handled the sharp turns with ease, which helps."

Gladwell noted the filly had one of the top five gallop-out times for the day, which she said can be difficult for horses as big as her.

The filly had been offered previously as a yearling at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Winter Mixed Sale, where Grade One Investments bought her for $8,000 from Vinery Sales. She was bred by Shalom Farm and Ramon Martinez. Honky Tonk Angel is the dam of two winners from three to race, including stakes-placed Tapiz Dream (by Tapizar). The dam is out of the stakes-placed Lemon Drop Kid winner Bitter Lemon, who is a half sister to grade 3 winner Blind Date  and stakes winner Sales Tax .

Ciaran Dunne's Wavertree Stables had the third top work with Hip 524, a colt by Nyquist   and the first foal out of the winning Speightstown   mare In It for the Gold. The mare is out of grade 1-placed stakes winner All Due Respect , who was runner-up in the Santa Anita Oaks (G1).

"He's a grand horse," Dunne said of the colt that was a $60,000 yearling at the 2020 Keeneland September Sale, bought by BRD Racing and consigned by Warrendale Sales. The colt was bred in New York by Fifth Avenue Bloodstock.

"He's a little immature, which is why we came to Maryland with him. We've had to fight our impatience," Dunne continued. "All the way along he's been advertising that he's a pretty nice colt, and he took to the track and showed how athletic he is."

All three consignors said they expected the momentum seen at earlier 2-year-olds in training sales to carry through at the Midlantic sale, which will be held May 17-18. The sale begins at 11 a.m. each day.

"People are anxious to be here because this sale has a record for producing racehorses," Dunne said.

Gladwell said she knows of a few agents that didn't get their orders filled at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale and are expecting to be shopping hard next week.

"Even with the current dark cloud over racing right now, I believe the sale will continue the trend we've seen all year," she said. "There are some quality horses that stepped up and breezed well. I believe it should be another good one."