Medaglia d'Oro Colt Among Hips to Watch at OBS

John Stephens doesn’t mind having a one-horse consignment at a major horse sale, especially when the individual is as nice as the Medaglia d'Oro   colt he will be sending through the ring during the March 15 second session of the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company’s sale of 2-year-olds in training.

Bred in Kentucky by Ben Walden Jr. and Larry Taylor, the colt named Apostle and cataloged as Hip 345 is making his first trip through the sales ring. The Jan. 26, 2015, foal is a half brother to three stakes winners, including grade 3 winner Carve.

"I try to have a standout and not 'just a horse,'" Stephens said of his philosophy while sitting outside Barn 8 during a lull in showing the colt. "You want your horse to be in the top 10 horses of a sale, so we've changed the way we enter sales.

"We basically have a horse here with no limits. It's fun. He is a great physical horse, great minded horse. He just checks all the boxes. He breezed well within himself (eighth of a mile in :10 2/5) and galloped out good. I'm very excited having him here. He's a good physical, strong on the racetrack, and very good-minded for a young horse. You can train hundreds of horses and not have one like him."

Also selling Wednesday are two colts from Cary Frommer, the super pinhooker whose sales consignments have been on a roll.

A More Than Ready   colt cataloged as Hip 462 sizzled an eighth of a mile in :09 3/5 in his pre-sale workout, the fastest time at the distance during the three under tack shows.

Bred in Kentucky by Joseph W. Sutton, the colt was bought back on a final bid of $220,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling sale.

“He’s just a super nice horse,” Frommer said of the colt who has plenty of pedigree to back up his talent. Produced from the grade 3-placed Gone West mare Cowgirl Mally, the colt descends from the female family of grade 1 winner Teddy’s Promise and successful California sire General Meeting.

Also from Frommer is Hip 498, an Into Mischief   colt from the family of grade 1 winner Her Smile. Produced from the winning Polish Numbers mare Doolittle, the colt bred in Kentucky by D. C. Goff was bought by Frommer for $115,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Midlantic yearling sale.

Frommer said her business partner Barry Berkelhammer “thinks he’s as good of a horse that we’ve ever had. He’s been high on him for quite a while. I’m a Into Mischief fan.”

A Wednesday horse with a significant upgrade in its family since the catalog was published is Hip 637, a gray daughter of Tapit   consigned by Ciaran Dunne’s Wavertree Stables. Produced from the multiple grade 3-winning millionaire Keertana (by Johar), the filly is a full sister to Ticonderoga, who won the March 4 Palm Beach Stakes (G3T) at Gulfstream Park for trainer Chad Brown.

Dunne said both the filly and her full brother were late developers.

"She is reminiscent of what he was as a 2-year-old," he said. "She is racey and like him, a late developer."

Another Tapit filly with considerable residual value is Hip 349 from Tom McCrocklin, agent. The chestnut filly bred in Kentucky by Robert and Lawana Low is out of the grade 2-placed Giant’s Causeway mare Arienza, a daughter of Horse of the Year and Hall of Famer Azeri.

"She is beautiful, with as good of a pedigree as there is in the sale," McCrocklin said. "She worked extremely good (quarter mile in :21 2/5) under tough conditions during the second under tack show when there were headwinds."

McCrocklin said buyers had also shown a lot of interest in an Arch colt (Hip 515) who is out of a daughter of champion and grade 1 producer Heavenly Prize.

"He has just been a nice horse throughout the process," the consignor said of the colt purchased privately from breeder KatieRich Farms after failing to sell on a final bid of $110,000 at the Keeneland September yearling sale.

One of the highest-priced previously purchased horses in the sale is Hip 603, a Giant's Causeway   colt consigned by Crupi’s New Castle Farm. A son of stakes-placed Hot Trip, who is a full sister to grade 1 winner R Heat Lightning, the colt was bought for $330,000 as a weanling from the complete dispersal of his breeder, Regis Farms, at the 2015 Keeneland November sale.

Eisaman Equine has a Curlin   colt (Hip 465) from a female family replete with black-type winners such as Miss Creeker, Canyon Run, Thatcher Street, and Kettle Hill, among others. Bred by Phil Needham, Judy Needham, and James Blackburn, the colt was bought back for $45,000 at the Keeneland September sale.

Hartley/De Renzo Thoroughbreds' consignment includes a Bernardini   colt (Hip 503) bought for $260,000 from Mineola Farm at the Keeneland September sale. Bred by Mineola, James W. Hirschmann, Silent Grove Farms, and Darley, the colt is a half brother to stakes winner and grade 3-placed Sushi Empire and is out of the winning Danzig mare Dowell House. Dowell House is a daughter of multiple graded stakes winner Pico Teneriffe and is a half sister to Canadian champion Marchfield.

Rounding out the list of hips to watch March 15 is a Smart Strike filly out of the Harlan’s Holiday mare Holiday Fashion, who is a half sister to graded stakes winners Anthony's Cross   and Fugitive Angel. Offered as Hip 595 by Eddie Woods, the filly was bred by Fred W. Hertrich lll and John D. Fielding.