Ghostzapper Filly Fastest at Final OBS Work Session

During a session interrupted briefly by a strong rain shower, the five-day under tack show for the Ocala Breeders' Sales June 2-Year-Olds in Training and Horses of Racing Age Sale concluded June 9.

The sale takes place at the OBS complex near Ocala, Fla., June 12-14, with sessions beginning at 10 a.m. ET daily.

Because OBS' track is equipped with an artificial surface, the midmorning precipitation had no noticeable impact on the track conditions or the workout times, said OBS director of sales Tod Wojciechowski.

"One of the advantages of our surface is the ability to handle those conditions,"  Wojciechowski said. "All in all, it was a very safe and smooth under tack show. The people and horses adapted well to different conditions. The horses performed well, and I thought we saw some nice horses out there."

Two juveniles from the Gayle Woods consignment were among the fastest workers Sunday, as a Ghostzapper  filly (Hip 914) with a nice update zipped three-eighths of a mile in :32 3/5, fastest of the session and co-fastest at the distance over the five days of workouts.

Woods has the filly consigned on behalf of a new client, Eric A. Delvalle, who purchased the filly foaled May 6, 2017, for $67,000 from Lane's End, agent, at last year's Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Produced from the grade 2-winning Tiznow  mare Tizahit, the filly bred in Kentucky by Blue Devil Racing Stable is a half sister to Come Dancing, winner of the Ruffian Stakes (G2) who finished second to Midnight Bisou in the June 8 Ogden Phipps Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park.

"She has always been a classy filly to be around," Woods said. "We were going to an earlier sale, but I wanted to wait for June because she was a May baby. I said, 'I think this filly is going to be way better in June.'"

Woods also sent out a Flat Out  colt (Hip 882) to breeze three-eighths of a mile in :32 4/5, second-fastest during the session. Bred in Florida by Wayne McFarland, the colt is out of the winning Exchange Rate mare Suzy Blue Light, an $85,870 earner who is a daughter of multiple grade 3-winning millionaire Silmaril. Woods purchased the colt for $20,000 from Darby Dan Farm last year at The July Sale, Fasig-Tipton's selected yearling sale in Lexington, Ky.

"He's a nice two-turn horse," Woods said.

Breezing the fastest quarter-mile of the day in :20 4/5 was Hip 881 for Nice and Easy Thoroughbreds, agent, a dark bay or brown gelding from the first crop sired by Bahamian Squall . Bred in Florida by Pamela Edel, the gelding was produced from the winning Posse mare Super Trooper and hails from the female family of graded stakes winners Fire With Fire and Cosmonaut.

Sharing the fastest eighth-mile time Sunday in :09 4/5 were a Lea  colt (Hip 893) and a More Than Ready  filly (Hip 1037).

Named Unconquered Lea, the Lea colt consigned by Harris Training Center, agent, was produced from Tanquerray, a Good Journey mare who won four starts and earned $128,680. The colt was bred in California by Fortuna Ranch Racing and Demetrios Shelie Xanthos.

Supplemented to the sale by McKathan Bros., the More Than Ready filly is out of the group 3-winning Bernstein mare Omaticaya and was bred in Kentucky by Dell Ridge Farm. She was bought by her consignor for $125,000 from St George Sales at last year's Keeneland September Yearling Sale.