Lothenbach Dispersal Draws Special Attention at OBS

The second phase of the complete dispersal of Robert Lothenbach's distinguished stable will continue at the Ocala Breeders' March 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale March 12-14.

Forty-one Lothenbach 2-year-olds—a mix of homebreds and auction purchases—have been divided between consignors Tom McCrocklin, de Meric Sales, Niall Brennan Stables, and Ocala Stud. The Lothenbach horses will sell without reserves.

"We are saddened by the events that caused this dispersal to happen but certainly appreciative of the high quality of horses that it adds to our March sale," said OBS director of sales Tod Wojciechowski.

Because the juveniles were added so late, they are only galloping at the under tack shows March 6-9.

"The estate made the decision to disperse everything, but the call to go to OBS was made just a few days before the March sale went to catalog," consignor Niall Brennan said. "None of these horses were going to a 2-year-old sale, so it wouldn't be fair to ask them to breeze. My feeling is people will appreciate that.

"It's a legitimate dispersal, and of course buyers love that. Some of these horses could be very nice, and they're not beat up in any form."

Chad Stewart trained for Lothenbach in the 1980s and '90s, and he and his veterinarian wife Laurie have been working with Lothenbach's yearlings since 2008. The Stewarts trained the dispersal horses at their Grace Full Oaks farm in Ocala, Fla.

"We were blessed to have Bob all these years," Chad Stewart said. "Mr. Lothenbach bred a lot, but he also has been buying at sales. It's a really nice bunch of horses, and there are some really pretty pedigrees.

"We had a lot of people come out to watch the horses train. People were coming out for weeks, watching them all gallop. Everybody has been very positive. It's a really neat group of horses. There's hardly any that I think the market won't like."

While gallopers aren't known for bringing big money at 2-year-old sales, dispersals typically attract extra attention. In addition to end users, it is likely pinhookers will be looking for value within the Lothenbach group, with the option of training them for speed and coming back at a later-season auction such as the OBS June 2-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age sale.

Stewart said quality runs deep in the group, but he identified two colts he believes are standouts on pedigree, conformation, and movement.

Hip 104 is a colt by freshman stallion Authentic   out of a very live female family. His dam—the To Honor and Serve  mare Call to Service —is a half to grade 2 winner Isotherm  , grade 3 winner Giant Game , grade 1-placed Gio Game , and the dam of grade 3 winner Skelly , who most recently finished second in the Riyadh Dirt Sprint (G3) in Saudi Arabia.

Furthermore, Call to Service's first foal is The Wine Steward , a New York-bred Vino Rosso   colt who has won two stakes and finished second in the 2023 Breeders' Futurity (G1) at Keeneland. An early Triple Crown nominee, The Wine Steward has recorded three recent workouts at Gulfstream Park for trainer Mike Maker.

Stewart said Call to Service's Authentic colt is an impressive individual.

"(Hip 104) is a big, strapping, well-made, very athletic colt," Stewart said of the $300,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase, to be consigned by de Meric Sales, agent.

Stewart also had glowing words for Hip 173, a Tapit   colt out of Distorted Music , by Distorted Humor . The Lothenbach homebred is a half to the grade 3-winning Bernardini daughter She Can't Sing , who earned $883,558 in 39 starts.

Tom McCrocklin, who will consign the gray/roan colt at OBS, has been extremely impressed.

"He's a first-class colt. He will bring as much money as a horse can bring at a 2-year-old sale without breezing. He's that kind of horse," McCrocklin said. "He's classy, correct, has beautiful conformation and he moves like a cat."

Brennan said a number of the Lothenbach juveniles caught his eye when he visited Grace Full Oaks. His short list included three from his consignment:

• Hip 20, a filly by Maclean's Music   out of the grade 3-placed winner Ambusher , by Stephen Got Even.
• Hip 194, a filly by Volatile   out of Dying to Dance , by Street Cry. Hip 194 is a half sister to 2017 Del Mar Juvenile Turf Stakes winner Encumbered  (by Volatile's sire Violence  ) and grade 3-placed Your Only Man .
• Hip 198, a filly by More Than Ready  out of grade 2-placed multiple stakes winner Eden Prairie , by Mizzen Mast .

Hip 198 is a full sister to Minnesota Ready , who sold for $380,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Digital Lothenbach Dispersal of Horses of Racing Age sale in early February. Minnesota Ready paid immediate dividends when he won the Colonel Power Stakes Feb. 17 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots for new owner Richard C. Colton and trainer Tom Amoss. Stewart added that hip 198 looks just like Minnesota Ready did as a younger horse.