Midnight Storm Filly Flashes Speed at OBS Breeze Show

Ocala Breeders' Sales kicked off its five-session under tack preview June 2 with Hips 1-185 breezing for prospective buyers ahead of the OBS June Sale of 2-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age June 9-11 in Ocala, Fla.

A filly from the first crop of Taylor Made Stallions' Midnight Storm   (Hip 107) set the bar in the opening session, breezing the fastest eighth-mile in an eye-catching :09 4/5. Consigned by Scanlon Training & Sales, agent, the bay filly is produced from the Afternoon Deelites mare Ava G and is a half sister to undefeated stakes winner Miss My Rose , by Magician . Ava G is the dam of eight foals of racing age, and of the five that have raced, all are winners. This is also the family of stakes winner and multiple grade 1-placed Winter Treasure , the filly's third dam.

The filly was bred in Kentucky by Alex Venneri Racing. Venneri also co-bred Midnight Storm along with Marjorie Post Dye and campaigned the multiple graded stakes-winning millionaire with Little Red Feather Racing.

"Alex has been a longtime client of ours and we have had everything out of the mare the last couple years," said David Scanlon. "Alex takes his time with his horses, and he sent this one to us a little later on because she was a little later-developing foal. We were thinking about going to Maryland, but we thought an extra month wouldn't hurt her, so we just took our time and ended up here in June. We got rewarded (with her breeze performance).

"Since she has not been through a previous sale, we didn't want to rush her," Scanlon added. "It's especially gratifying for Alex, not just because the mare is really nice, but also being the breeder of Midnight Storm. We're really excited about the filly and excited to see the good things to come from Midnight Storm."

Scanlon also noted that the filly shares similar traits with her accomplished siblings.

"She is a very straightforward filly," Scanlon said. "Everything out of the mare is like that. They are honest, straightforward, they breeze well, and they all go on to be very nice, professional horses. It's always good to see a mare go 2-for-2 (winners). It's really hard to go 5-for-5 like she has, so we have pretty good expectations for everything she produces."

A pair of juveniles—a filly by Uncaptured  (Hip 5) and a colt by Candy Ride   (Hip 18)—each breezed the fastest quarter-mile of the session, getting the distance in :21 1/5.

Hip 5, bred and consigned by Ocala Stud, is produced from the winning Concorde's Tune mare Valid Concorde, a full sister to stakes winner Rocky River . The Florida-bred filly is a half sister to stakes winner Seismic Jolt .

"We're very, very happy with her breeze," said Ocala Stud's David O'Farrell. "She has been a nice filly all along. She comes from a nice family, an Ocala Stud foundation family. I know she sells early in the sale, but she's coming into the sale really well and is an awful nice filly."

Hip 18, consigned by Ciaran Dunne's Wavertree Stables, is a bay colt out of the winning Malibu Moon mare Viva Malala, a half sister to multiple stakes winner Icabad Crane  and to stakes winner Our Golden Dream . Bred in Kentucky by JSM Equine, the colt was a $30,000 RNA for Wavertree Stables at The Gulfstream Sale, Fasig-Tipton's select 2-year-olds in training sale at Gulfstream Park, March 31.

The fastest time at three furlongs was Hip 61, a filly by Cupid   named Cupids Dream who sped the distance in :33 2/5. Bred in Florida by Stonehedge and consigned by Dynasty Thoroughbreds, agent, the filly is produced from the winning Bodemeister   mare About a Dream, a half sister to multiple graded stakes winner and millionaire Leah's Secret  and to graded stakes winner Bear Tough Guy .

The under tack preview continues June 3 beginning at 7:30 a.m. ET with Hips 186-370 slated to breeze.