Classic Empire Filly Sets Quarter-Mile Mark at OBS

The under-tack show for next week's Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training continued Tuesday with a livelier track that saw six horses break the :10 flat mark and a filly by Classic Empire turn in the fastest quarter-mile work of the week so far.

Working early in the day's first set Tuesday, a chestnut filly from the first crop of juvenile champion Classic Empire (hip 317) zipped her quarter-mile in :20 2/5. The juvenile is consigned by Keiber Rengifo's Golden Rock Thoroughbreds on behalf of breeders Gabriel and Aisling Duignan of Springhouse Farm.

“She worked really well today,” Rengifo, who was aboard for the work, said. “She just repeated what she had been doing the last couple months at the farm where she showed a lot of talent on the dirt. So we weren't surprised by the time she did over here at OBS because she was working unbelievably the last couple months. The way she worked today is the way she was training the last 60 days.”

The filly is out of the unraced Tigress Tale (Tale of the Cat), who is a half-sister to graded winner Stays in Vegas (City Zip). She RNA'd for $37,000 at Keeneland last September.

“I was one of the bidders,” Rengifo said. “I loved the way she was built, she is a nice-looking filly and I loved the way she looked at Keeneland. I bid almost $27,000, but she didn't make it to the reserve and the breeders still own her. We were talking to Spider and Aisling and they gave me the opportunity to train her.”

Golden Rock, which has 21 juveniles consigned to the Spring sale, was also represented Tuesday by a pair of :10 flat workers: a filly by Lord Nelson (hip 368, :10 flat); and a colt by Tiznow (hip 376, :10 flat).

In addition to breezing all his own horses, Rengifo also works horses for Karl Keegan's Lucan Bloodstock, Scott Kintz's Six K's Training and Sales and Juan Centeno's All Dreams Equine.

“The track was a little bit better today than it was yesterday because of all the water from the thunder storms Sunday,” Rengifo said. “There was still a lot of water in the track Monday. I saw a lot of good horses breezing today, it's 100% a better track today. But the fast horses are still going fast. We had a :10 flat in the last set, so it was pretty consistent if you had the right horse.”

While 13 horses shared Monday's bullet furlong time of :10 flat, six broke through that mark to work the co-fastest time of :9 4/5 Tuesday.

Among them was a filly by Into Mischief (hip 288) who worked in :9 4/5 for Mayberry Farm. The bay filly is out of Take Charge (Hard Spun), a daughter of multiple graded placed Hidden Reserve (Mr. Prospector) and a full-sister to multiple graded stakes winner Reload and a half to graded winners Philanthropist (Kris S.) and Defer (Danzig).

The juvenile was purchased for $300,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale by Paul Manganaro, Nice Guys Stable and Steve Hornstock.

“Visually and emotionally pleasing,” Manganaro said of his reaction to the bullet breeze. “She had been under the care of April Mayberry and her team and they had thought highly of her for a long time. So it was nice to see the talent we thought she had come out at the right time. I've been in this business long enough, so I know anything can happen. But it was exciting at the same time. When she crossed that finish line, it was like watching one of your siblings score the winning goal or touchdown in a sports event.”

Of the filly's appeal at last year's September sale, Manganaro said, “The head of our selection team was the legendary John Williams. So the main attraction was John liked her physically. Then obviously being by arguably the hottest stallion in the world right now in Into Mischief sealed the deal. And she's from a wonderful deep family.”

The initial plan was for the partners to race the filly, but high praise from Mayberry convinced them to test the market.

“We bought this filly and a Gun Runner filly at the Keeneland sale last year without any intention of pinhooking, but April's reports were that she was a very talented filly,” Manganaro said. “When we saw the demand for Into Mischief in the marketplace, we decided, if she can bring us there, let's test the market. She brought us to this point, so we are very happy with that.”

Manganaro, Nice Guys Stables and Hornstock do have a horse to look forward to at the racetrack in impressive maiden winner Defeater (Union Rags).

“We have a few horses together,” Manganaro said of the partnership. “We have a pretty nice 3-year-old colt who was with Tom Amoss named Defeater. We were just starting to get Derby fever with him and he got a slight injury, but he'll be back soon.”

A colt from the first crop of Midnight Storm (hip 264) also shared the co-fastest :9 4/5 furlong time for G.W. Parrish's Parrish Farms.

“He prepped really well, so I was expecting him to work well,” Parrish said of the colt.

Parrish and his wife Karen purchased the dark bay colt for $34,000 at last year's Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

“My wife picked him out, so she was very happy,” he said with a chuckle. “He had a nice head and a nice eye. I did the bidding, but she liked him, so I kind of listened to her–happy wife, happy life.”

The juvenile is out of Summer of Joy (Sky Mesa), a full-sister to multiple graded placed Spectacular Sky.

Also sharing the bullet furlong time Tuesday were: a colt by Speightstown (hip 232, :9 4/5) consigned by Centofanti Thoroughbreds; a colt by Cairo Prince (hip 253, :9 4/5) consigned by Wavertree Stables; a colt by Twirling Candy (hip 262, :9 4/5) consigned by Grassroots Training & Sales; and a filly by Daredevil (hip 395, :9 4/5) consigned by Eddie Woods.

The under-tack show continues through Saturday and commences each day at 8 a.m. The Spring sale will be held next Tuesday through Friday with bidding beginning each day at 10:30 a.m.