War Front Filly Lights Up OBS Bid Board
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Photo: Joe DiOrio
Justin Casse buys the only War Front juvenile entered in the OBS June sale.
Bidding by phone from Royal Ascot in England, Justin Casse, as agent, bought a well-bred War Front filly for $425,000 to get the second session of the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co.’s sale of 2-year-olds in training and horses of racing age off to a rousing start June 15.
The filly was the only War Front offered at the OBS sale and was the new sale topper. During the under tack workout show, the filly breezed an eighth of a mile in :10, the co-second-fastest time during the six days of workouts.
Casse observed the filly during the under tack show before going to England, where his brother, Mark Casse, saddled Tepin to win the Queen Anne Stakes (Eng-I) on Royal Ascot's opening day June 14.
“She was impressive for her whole breeze and down the backside,” said Casse, adding that he was wearing the traditional Royal Ascot hat when he did his bidding. “She looks very much like the sire. She has a nice girth and is very classy. She was our pick of the sale.”
Casse, who said he could not identify the buyer, noted that after seeing the soft market during the June 14 OBS opener he thought he might be able to get the filly for about what he paid.
“Earlier in the week, I thought maybe she would bring closer to $600,000 but as I was getting word there was a lack of money at OBS I thought I might get her for that. I was not entirely surprised but you never know when you’re dealing with a War Front filly that breezed :10 flat what it could take.”
Named Black Canary and consigned as Hip 316 by Woodford Thoroughbreds, as agent, the filly bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm, is a half sister to stakes-placed Joe Tess and is out of the stakes-placed Gold Fever mare Forty Moves. Second dam Dance Moves, by Capote, is the dam of grade I winner Cat Moves and is the granddam of Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (gr. IT) winner Hootenanny.
“She brought what she deserved to bring,” said Woodford Thoroughbreds general manager Matt Lyons, adding that the purchase price was “comfortably above” her reserve. “She is by a super sire. It was a fair price.”