Sales Graduates Descend on Belmont Stakes

The June 11 Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) has drawn a field of eight, seven of which passed through the public auction ring en route to their shot at Triple Crown glory.

At seven months old, Golden Glider  showcased all the physical attributes bloodstock agent Justin Casse looks for when buying future racehorses. The $395,000 weanling was purchased out of Book 1 at the 2019 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale from consignor Nursery Place, who bred the colt in partnership with Dicken Equine. He was the highest-priced weanling colt by Ghostzapper   of the sale.

"As a weanling, he was a stunning horse. I remember I outbid Peter O'Callaghan and some of the more successful pinhookers when I bought him," Casse recalled. "He was a well-balanced horse with a tremendous walk being very fluid, pointing his toe—releasing from his shoulder, and he had a nice hip on him."

Casse's brother Mark trains the colt for owners Gary Barber and Manfred and Penny Conrad. The Conrads initially raced the colt before Barber joined in ownership.

Mark Casse has had the colt since he stepped through the sales ring, breaking and starting the promising star. The Conrads sold their grade 1 winner Shamrock Rose  days earlier at The November Sale, Fasig-Tipton's marquee breeding stock sale, for $2.5 million and sought more horses to add to their roster.

"(The Conrads) wanted to come up with another couple of horses after selling Shamrock Rose; they wanted a few babies to race, so that was always the plan with him," Justin Casse said.

Golden Glider made his first start toward the end of his juvenile year, winning on first asking at Woodbine in a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight on Tapeta by one length after rallying from last to first, making a move around the far turn.

"I love buying foals; if more buyers had the patience to buy foals to race, it's a great option," Justin Casse said. "You will have the opportunity to handle and control that horse's life and career path for a much longer stint than say if you purchased a yearling or 2-year-old. Golden Glider had all the parts from the beginning. They brought him along slowly, not rushing him into his 2-year-old year.

"He seems to be getting better and better with each race, and the Belmont seems like it could suit him perfectly. I believe if he had run in the Kentucky Derby (Presented by Woodford Reserve, G1), you would have seen him have a similar running style to Rich Strike . Coming with that kind of pace, he would have had the opportunity to come off it, but that goes along with horses that move like him. Horses with that kind of long, smooth striding action… the further they go, the better."

Belmont morning-line favorite We the People  initially passed through the 2019 Keeneland November Sale with Golden Glider, selling to Machmer Hall for $110,000. They pinhooked the son of Constitution   to the Keeneland September Yearling Sale the following year, where Bradley Thoroughbreds purchased him for $220,000.

The colt next went to Eddie Woods in Ocala to be prepped for The Gulfstream Sale, Fasig-Tipton's select sale of 2-year-olds in training, held in March 2021 at Gulfstream Park.

"We had seen him on the farm at Eddie Woods' and liked his breeze," WinStar's president/CEO and racing manager Elliott Walden recalled. "He didn't breeze quite as well at the sale, but he made enough of an impression on David (Hanley, WinStar general manager) and me at the farm that we went ahead and bought him. We liked his movement; he didn't go as fast as a lot of the sexy 2-year-olds. He was a big, scopey horse. So seeing him a few times, we liked his development from yearling to juvenile year."

During the March 29 under tack preview, We the People breezed an eighth of a mile in :10 3/5 over the dirt track, selling for $230,000 two days later to WinStar.

The lightly raced colt has made four starts this year, winning all but one, including his most recent effort in the Peter Pan Stakes (G3) at Belmont Park May 14 by 10 1/4 lengths over Golden Glider.

"He has improved a lot and always had a lot of talent; he was ready to run as a 2-year-old at the Keeneland fall meet but popped a curb," said Walden, who years before taking his position at WinStar took the 1998 Belmont with Victory Gallop, denying Real Quiet's Triple Crown bid.

WinStar has since won three Belmonts, either solely or in partnership. One of those came in 2016 with Creator, co-owned with celebrity chef Bobby Flay. Flay bought into We the People last week in advance of his Belmont bid.

"He's a horse we got in partnership with Commonwealth and Siena Farm, and it's exciting to bring Bobby (Flay) into the mix. We have done some good things with Bobby over the years; he bought into Creator , which worked out well," Walden said. "The whole team will be here for the race, Kenny (Troutt), Bobby, Commonwealth, and Anthony Manganaro (of Siena Farm)."