Lane's End Horses Excel in Weekend Stakes

The Saturday afternoon horse.

It is the goal of nearly every shopper at every Thoroughbred auction to find one, an athlete that will land them in the winner's circle on racing's biggest days.

For Lane's End Farm and some of its customers, those aspirations were fulfilled in a big way March 2 when horses consigned by the farm at auction won two graded stakes at Gulfstream Park—including a sweep of all three top spots in the Xpressbet Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2)—and another was victorious in grade 3 company in Japan.

Topping Lane's End's success Saturday was the Fountain of Youth victory by Code of Honor, who was offered at auction but failed to attain his reserve price and was bought back by breeder William S. Farish. Code of Honor has now won two of four starts, with one second, and earned $384,820 for the founder of Lane's End. With his victory at Gulfstream, the colt trained by Shug McGaughey took a big step forward on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

Finishing behind Code of Honor, who also has the distinction of being the first stakes winner for Lane's End's promising young stallion Noble Mission , were Bourbon War, a son of Tapit  sold by Lane's End as a weanling for $410,000, and Vekoma, a $135,000 yearling acquisition from Lane's End. The three 3-year-olds are among 21 Lane's End sale graduates (the term is applied to those that were sold as well as bought back) nominated to this year's Triple Crown series.

Also at Gulfstream, A Thread of Blue, sold by Lane's End for $150,000 as a yearling and re-sold by Niall Brennan Stables as a 2-year-old for $430,000, won Saturday's Palm Beach Stakes (G3T) for owner Leonard Green and trainer Kiaran McLaughlin. Meanwhile, at Japan's Nakayama Racecourse, Mozu Superflare, a 4-year-old Speightstown  filly sold by Lane's End as a yearling for $125,000, won the Yukan Fuji Sho Ocean Stakes (G3).

While Lane's End graduates are seen in the winner's circle on a regular basis, Saturday was an exceptional day, according to Bill Farish.

"It's amazing," Farish said. "To be 1-2-3 in the Fountain of Youth, I don't know the last time I've seen that happen. It's a huge result for our stallion Noble Mission and satisfying even more so for dad (William S. Farish) to race the first stakes winner and first graded stakes winner by him."

Code of Honor races for his breeder only because the colt from the first crop of his sire, who was produced from Farish's homebred grade 3 winner Reunited, was passed over by buyers when he went through the sale ring during the third session of the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. He returned home on a final bid of $70,000, which was short of the reserve price.

"A lot of times when we have a colt like that it's because we didn't get for it what we wanted as a yearling and decided to race him," the younger Farish said. "He was a colt dad was really high on and liked physically, so he was more than happy to keep him and race him."

As a son of top Coolmore's top international stallion Galileo and a full brother to the top runner and emerging leading European sire Frankel, Noble Mission's lengthy resume included victories in three group 1 races on grass in England, leading to the belief his runners would be more predisposed to turf racing.

Victory by a colt from his first crop on dirt in a grade 2 race on the Derby trail shows his offspring have the potential to be versatile.

"Sometimes those European turf families benefit from a dose of American speed, and that is certainly the case with Code of Honor's pedigree," Farish said.

While it's gratifying for Farish to have a homebred like Code of Honor impress on one of racing's big weekends in the spring, it is just as important for horses the farm sold to others excel in that arena.

"To have results like that gives buyers a lot of confidence and it's what it's all about," Farish said. "You can't go along and not have positive results and expect people to want to continue shopping at your consignment."

Having excelled at Gulfstream last weekend, Lane's End, the Farishes, and their affiliated Woodford Racing partnership are looking forward to the March 9 program at Santa Anita Park where the San Felipe (G2) for 3-year-olds with classic aspirations is headed by the Bob Baffert-trained duo of Game Winner and Improbable—both Lane's End sale grads.

Game Winner, the Candy Ride  colt who was crowned champion 2-year-old male of 2018, was purchased by agent Ben Glass on behalf of owners Gary and Mary West for $110,000 at the 2017 Keeneland September yearling sale. Grade 1 winner Improbable was sold by Lane's End as a weanling for $110,000. Taylor Made Sales Agency pinhooked the colt into the following year's September sale, where he fetched a $200,000 winning bid from Maverick Racing and China Horse Club.

Also on the Santa Anita card Saturday, the field for the Santa Anita Handicap presented by San Manuel Casino (G1) could include Gift Box, a son of Twirling Candy  bought by W. S. Farish for $135,000 as a weanling, and Dabster,  a colt sold by Lane's End as a yearling for $430,000 who was pinhooked by Wavertree Stables for $1 million as a 2-year-old. Woodford Racing's Catapult, sold by Lane's End for $350,000, is expected to go in the Kilroe Mile (G1T) on the card.

"It's got the makings of a very exciting year for our breeding and sales program," Farish said.