Filly's Sale Almost Too Good to be True for Smith

For Maryland horse owner Larry Smith, the outcome of his first pinhooking venture was almost too good to be true.

A Jimmy Creed  filly that had been purchased by Smith for $1,200, sold for $110,000 during the June 14 second session of the Ocala Breeders' Sales June 2-year-olds in training sale, producing a huge windfall for the former trainer.

Consigned by Mayberry Farm as Hip 534, the filly named Slewgoodtobetrue was bought by Larry Zap, agent for Joseph Ciaglia Jr.

The only juvenile in the sale foaled in South Carolina, the filly was bred by Jim Brinkley and is out of Chiefette, a daughter of Chief Seattle who tallied eight wins and $188,520 in earnings. She is from the female family of multiple stakes winner and $498,090-earner Miracle Wood. The filly breezed an eighth-mile in :10 2/5 during the under tack workouts.

Consigned by Northview Stallion Station as a short yearling to the 2017 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic January sale, the filly was bought by Smith, a most fortuitous purchase because Spendthrift Farm stallion Jimmy Creed's first foals were fast out of the gate in the spring, with Admiral Jimmy setting a track record at Gulfstream Park.

"She is a beautiful, big strong classy filly," said April Mayberry, who had the filly for three to four weeks leading up to the OBS sale. "I would like to have a barn full like her."

Smith, who trained for 14 years before serving in the military for 10 years and is now in the warehousing business, said the filly was the first horse he has ever sold.

"I was cautiously hopeful I would get $65,000-$70,000, but one with a similar pedigree and work had sold at the Fasig-Tipton sale in Timonium (Md.) for $110,000, so I knew that was an outside possibility," said Smith, who has a 20-acre farm near Westminster, Md.

Before being sent to Mayberry in Florida, the filly was in Delaware for 90 days to qualify for that state's incentive program and was in Virginia for six months under the care of horsewoman Diane McClure and the Woodbury Payne at Montpelier Station.

Smith said the back story on the filly's name stems from a comment made by his fiancé, who he will marry Saturday.

"When we were falling in love, she said, 'You're too good to be true,'" Smith said.