Freshman Sires to Watch During OBS March Sale

The 2-year-olds in training sales are the first step onto the proving ground for the progeny of this year's freshman sires.

Runners by sires whose first crop have already attracted attention at previous yearling sales, such as 2020 Horse of the Year Authentic   who has a 2023 yearling median of $235,000, will be in the spotlight. But juvenile sales also provide opportunities for middle-tier sires to break out. A horse's intangibles, such as willingness and heart, that cannot be seen at yearling sales are more apparent once under saddle.

Among the mid-tier freshman sires who progeny have been impressing during their early training and will be represented during the upcoming Ocala Breeders' Sales March 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale are Airdrie Stud's Complexity  , Three Chimneys Farm's Volatile  , and Spendthrift Farm's Vekoma  .

Complexity

"We have a Complexity colt in March that we are really high on," said Ciaran Dunne with Wavertree Stables, the second-leading consignor by gross sales, average, and median in 2023 among those that sold 10 or more. "He is a beautiful horse and looks like he'll have a lot of speed. Hopefully when we ask him, it's there but he has done everything we've wanted him to do."

Consigned as Hip 551, the colt out of the Pulpit mare Praising proved up to the task when he worked an eighth March 8 in :09 4/5.

Torie Gladwell with Top Line Sales said she has a Complexity filly that is one of the prettiest-moving horses at the farm. The filly (Hip 560) is out of the Bodemeister  winner Procuradora. She performed well during the under tack show with a furlong work in :10.

"We have a few others by that stallion and they are keen to train and extremely quick. We really like this stallion's chances and have heard other trainers say the same thing," she said.

Complexity is an 8-year-old son of Maclean's Music   who won the 2018 Champagne Stakes (G1) in his second career start and went on at 4 to win the 2020 Kelso Handicap (G2) and finish second in the Forego Stakes (G1). As for his first book of mares, Complexity ranks among the top 10 of the sire class by the percentage of those mares' other foals that became winners at 2. These other foals included 28% juvenile winners from runners.

Volatile

Volatile did not race at 2 but he has the right pedigree to pass along precocious speed. He is an 8-year-old son of Violence  , winner of the 2012 CashCall Futurity (G1) and Nashua Stakes (G2) during an undefeated season at 2. Violence got injured early during his sophomore campaign. He sustained a sesamoid fracture after finishing second in the 2013 Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) by half a length to eventual Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Orb . Volatile's dam, Melody Lady , was a winner at 2 and stakes-winning sprinter at 3. The mare also is a daughter of multiple grade 1 winner Lady Tak.

Grade One Investments had a Volatile colt out of the Bernardini mare Magic Motion work in :09 4/5 during the second day of the OBS March under tack show and on the same day Dynasty Thoroughbreds had Hip 427, a colt out of the Malibu Moon grade 1 winner Malibu Prayer , work in :10. Three other Volatile juveniles (Hips 80, 95, and 119) all worked in :10 1/5 through March 8. 

Ocala Stud had a pair of Volatile juveniles cataloged for March that have been withdrawn due to minor issues that have since been resolved, so they will now be pointed for a later sale. David O'Farrell with Ocala Stud said they are both nice horse that have bright futures as racehorses.

"Volatile was a fast horse, so I think they'll be precocious," he said. "They act like they have some quickness and have good size and good bone. They just seem like athletes."

Vekoma

Vekoma, a son of Candy Ride  , was a grade 3 winner at 2 and went on to win the 2020 Metropolitan Handicap (G1) and Carter Handicap (G1). His progeny also have been displaying his precocity in their early training.

"They were really good physicals as yearlings and they are really good training horses," said Dunne. "We have a colt and filly in March and the same in April and another one for Timonium. We are very happy with them right now. They are good movers on the racetrack. They have a lot of speed and act like they'll be early."

Wavertree's gray or roan Vekoma filly (Hip 448) out of the Unbridled's Song winner Minnelli fired through her pre-sale work March 8 in :09 3/5, the co-fastest eighth-mile work to that point in the under tack show. Through March 8, the sire was represented by another filly (Hip 235) with a :09 4/5 work, and five other under tack works in :10 (Hips 414, 609, 627, 629, and 630)

Brandon Rice with RiceHorse Stable also has a Vekoma filly (Hip 746) entered in the March sale. The filly is out of the Discreet Cat mare Tamarack Gal, who is a half sister to 2023's second-leading freshman sire Maximus Mischief   (Into Mischief  ). The filly breezed an eighth mile in :10 1/5 March 9.

"The Vekomas are hardy-made, tough-minded, and their speed is evident in their build and motion," Rice said.