Four Juveniles Post Fastest Times in Under Tack Finale

It was another hot, sticky day in the Baltimore area May 18 as the three-day under tack show in preparation for next week's Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale of 2-year-olds in training came to an end.

Despite the 93-degree temperature and high humidity levels, the weather did not faze the horses as four juveniles shared the fastest time of :10 for an eighth-mile and a Tiz Wonderful filly zipped the quarter-mile in :21 2/5. Both times matched the fastest at the respective distances over the fifth-eighths mile track at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium, Md.

The sale takes place May 22-23, with sessions beginning at 11 a.m. EDT daily.

Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning Jr. said the breeze shows went smoothly.

"The racetrack was good from beginning to end, and the track crew did a fantastic job of keeping it consistent and safe," the executive said. "Consignors have brought a lot of nice horses and they have previewed well, worked well, and we now look forward to Monday."

Two of the Thursday bullet workers were well-bred 2-year-olds from Hartley/De Renzo Thoroughbreds, as agent.

Hip 388, a chestnut son of Curlin  —the most expensive pinhook entered in the sale—was purchased by his consignor for $475,000 from St George Sales at last year's Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July yearling sale. Bred in Florida by Miller Racing, the colt is out of the winning Stormin Fever mare Franscat, who has also produced two stakes winners and is from the family of grade 1 winner and sire Ogygian.

The colt had been entered in the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Park selected sale in March but was withdrawn after a poor workout hampered by bucked shins, according to Randy Hartley.

"He's amazing," Hartley said, adding that the yearling price was more than he and partner Dean De Renzo planned to spend. "We stretched on him because when we all saw him, we all loved him. He's a beautiful horse, but he's tough and he's very smart."

The other fast worker for Hartley/De Renzo was Hip 79, a Smart Strike filly who was initially scheduled to breeze Tuesday but had her work postponed after nicking her left hind leg.

Named Smart Response, the filly bred in Kentucky by Craig Singer was produced from the stakes-winning Cozzene mare Salty Response, a half sister to grade 3 winner Salty Strike. She was also a pricey yearling at $275,000 from the Lane's End offerings in last year's Fasig-Tipton August selected yearling sale at Saratoga.

"She's the fastest horse I think we've had in a long time," Hartley said. "She looks like a sprinter, but she's stretchy and muscled and her pedigree says she can go long. She cost a lot of money as a yearling but with fillies like that, I don't mind paying that."

The :10 work by a filly from the first crop of Jimmy Creed   evoked an emotional response from Penny Lopez, who with her husband, Angel, consigned the bay miss as Hip 390 under the banner of their Endswell consignment.

"She's just silly fast and you don't get those kind every day," Lopez said, choking back tears. "We just brought her up here and crossed our fingers. We knew she was special and I was hoping she would show up."

Out of the unraced Harlan's Holiday mare Freedom Fire, the filly is from the female family of grade 1 winner Flat Fleet Feet.

Bred in Kentucky by Spendthrift Farm, the filly was bought by Denholtz Stables for $25,000 from Vinery Sales at the Keeneland September sale.

Rounding out the furlong workers was Hip 487, a Shackleford   filly consigned by Ciaran Dunne's Wavertree, agent. Out of a winning daughter of Latent Heat who is a half sister to two stakes winners, the filly bred in Kentucky by Copper Penny Stables was purchased by Rayben Stables for $92,000 from St George Sales as a Keeneland yearling.

The Tiz Wonderful filly with the day's top quarter-mile in :21 2/5 was consigned by Susan Montanye's SBM Training and Sales as Hip 481.

The Oklahoma-bred filly is out of a half sister to four multiple stakes winners and is owned by SBM with breeder Scott Pierce.

"She did exactly what I thought she would do," said Montanye, a horsewoman who exercises her own horses. "She's all class and does it effortlessly. In my opinion, she has a ton of ability."