By Jessica Martini
Three colts and one filly shared the furlong bullet time of :9 4/5 during the final session of the under-tack show for the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's June Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training Sunday. The quartet all took to track within the first half-hour of the session, with a colt by Tapiture (hip 993) getting the day started with his bullet work for Navas Equine. The colt is out of Union Queen (Union Rags) and his third dam, Above Perfection (In Excess {Ire}), produced GI Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming.
Next up, Top Line Sales sent out a colt by Practical Joke (hip 945) to put up his :9 4/5 work. The bay colt is out of Mo's Song (Uncle Mo), a half-sister to multiple stakes winner She's My Gem (Into Mischief). He was a $185,000 Keeneland September purchase.
A colt by Honest Mischief (hip 906) joined the :9 4/5 parade some 10 minutes later. The juvenile was bred by Robbie Harris and is consigned by his Harris Training Center.
“We felt he would work good,” Harris said. “I bred and raised him. He was foaled in New York and he came to the farm [in Williston] after he was weaned. He's been a real straightforward horse. We had him in one of the earlier sales, but we hit a little bump in the road, nothing major, but we felt like we needed to give him more time, so we did and it's paid off for us.”
The colt is out of Memories of Mom (Include), a mare Harris purchased for $9,000 at the 2015 Keeneland September sale.
“I didn't give anything for her,” Harris said of the purchase. “She could really run. I ended up partnering up with Mr. [Alex] Lieblong on her. She got hurt in her second or third start and he told me he would give me his half back.”
The colt is from the first crop of Honest Mischief (Into Mischief). The stallion, who stands at Sequel Stallions for $6,500, has had 15 juveniles sell this year for an average of $104,200. The group is led by a filly who sold for $310,000 at the OBS March sale and includes a colt who sold for $260,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May sale.
“[Sequel Stallion's] Becky [Thomas] talked me into him,” Harris said of the decision to send the mare to Honest Mischief. “Becky is a dear friend and she told me I really needed to breed to him. I just listened to her. She's pretty sharp. So we bred the mare to Honest Mischief basically because of Becky.”
Memories of Mom died shortly before her Honest Mischief colt was weaned.
“We lost the mare, so he will probably go on and win the Kentucky Derby or something,” Harris said with a wry chuckle.
With the loss of Memories of Mom, Harris has just one broodmare.
“I'm down to just one,” he confirmed. “I've got one in Kentucky. I had as many as eight or nine over the years, but we've been scaling back and scaling back.”
A filly by Complexity (hip 996) became the last of the under-tack show to work the furlong in :9 4/5. Consigned by Old South Farm, the bay is out of Will Ye Go Lassie (Trappe Shot), a half-sister to graded winner Venus Valentine (Congrats). The youngster was purchased by Greg James for $70,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton October sale.
Through the six-session under-tack show, 11 horses worked the furlong in :9 4/5.
A filly by Munnings (hip 1009) turned in the fastest quarter-mile work of Sunday's session, covering the distance in :21 flat. Out of stakes-winner Desert Duchess (Hard Spun), she is consigned by Hoppel LLC and was purchased for $130,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton October sale.
From the horses of racing age section, Just a Gem (Court Vision), an unraced 3-year-old filly (hip 1115) worked the fastest three furlongs Sunday, covering the distance in :33 4/5. She is consigned by Silvestre Chavez Thoroughbreds.
The OBS June sale will be held Wednesday through Friday. Bidding begins each day at 10 a.m.
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