Frosted Colt, Nyquist Filly Fastest at OBS Tuesday

A colt by Frosted (hip 449) matched the fastest furlong time of the week so far, while a filly by Nyquist (hip 484) tied the fastest quarter-mile breeze with workouts during the third session of the under-tack show for the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training Tuesday in Central Florida.

Hip 449 worked a furlong in :9 3/5 shortly after 8:30 a.m. for the Longoria Training and Sales consignment. A $50,000 Keeneland September acquisition, the youngster was one of a group of yearlings purchased last year in the first-time partnership of Texas businessman Paul Neatherlin and consignor Jesse Longoria.

“I was very excited about the way the colt worked,” said Neatherlin. “He worked phenomenal, I thought. I was really pleased.”

The bay colt is out of Handwoven (Indian Charlie), a full-sister to stakes-placed Auspicious and a half to graded-placed Flatter Than Me (Flatter).

“He was just a real nice colt with a big hip and a good, sloping shoulder and a huge walk,” Neatherlin, who began pinhooking some 15 years ago with his uncle, the late trainer Mike Neatherlin, said of the colt's appeal last September. “Jesse and I both loved the colt and when we went up to buy him, Jesse told me, 'No matter what this horse brings, don't let him go. Don't miss out on him.' We thought we had a bargain at $50,000.”

Some four hours after the bullet breeze, Longoria and Neatherlin teamed up with another yearling purchase when a colt by Omaha Beach (hip 500) worked a furlong in :10 flat.

Neatherlin, who is vice president of sales for Platinum Pipe Rentals, said he pinhooks six to eight horses a year. He had recently been partnering with Robert Brewer. Among their success was a Cross Traffic filly purchased for $18,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September sale who sold to Bill Parcells's August Dawn Farm for $150,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May sale. Now named Maple Leaf Mel, the filly is undefeated in three starts and a two-time stakes winner.

Brewer and Neatherlin also purchased a Midnight Storm filly for $27,000 at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcased and sold her following a :9 4/5 work for $240,000 at the following year's OBS March sale.

Despite their success, Neatherlin found himself looking for a new pinhooking partner heading into the yearling sales last fall.

“Robert Brewer decided he didn't want to do it this year,” Neatherlin said. “He suggested Jesse and I love Jesse. I've known him for 30 years and he's a good friend of mine. And I know he's a great horseman.”

The partnership got off to a good start at the OBS March sale last month when selling a filly by Vino Rosso (hip 579) for $185,000. The bay had been acquired for $55,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale.

Neatherlin currently has just one horse in training, a filly by Accelerate who RNA'd at the March sale.

“The Accelerate filly caught that big headwind in March and worked :10 2/5, but looked really good doing it,” Neatherlin said. “I turned down $30,000 after the sale and just kept her and I will run her. I've run a lot of horses in my life, but now I am mainly into pinhooking.”

Nyquist Filly Breaks Out of the Pack

Anticipating a spate of fast furlong workers over a tight track Tuesday morning, Jimbo and Torie Gladwell of Top Line Sales hoped their filly by Nyquist (hip 484) would distinguish herself from the pack with a quarter-mile breeze. The filly duly delivered a bullet drill in :20 3/5 right at the start of Tuesday's session as temperatures hovered around a chilly 51 degrees.

“Talking about it this morning, we thought there might be a handful of fast eighth-mile breezes, :9 4/5s, because we thought the track was going to be nice and tight,” explained Torie Gladwell. “So we wanted to separate this filly from all those :9 4/5s. That's why we decided to go a quarter with her.”

Of the end result, Gladwell said, “She prepped really fast and we knew she would have a shot of going the :20 3/5. That wasn't too much of a surprise with her. But we are really happy with it. She showed up.”

The bay filly is out of stakes winner Hi Holiday (Harlan's Holiday), a half-sister to graded winner Dr B (Liam's Map). She was purchased by the Gladwells for $100,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale and Torie Gladwell credited her mother-in-law Martha for landing on the yearling.

Top Line Sales sent out a pair of fillies to work quarter-miles Tuesday. In addition to hip 484, they also sent out a filly by Liam's Map (hip 518) who covered the distance in :20 4/5.

“They are almost complete opposites,” Gladwell said of the two speedy juveniles. “The Nyquist filly is an average-sized filly and tries really hard. The Liam's Map filly is a big filly and it looks like she's just galloping, floating across the track. When the breeze rider jumped off, he said, 'Oh my gosh. I didn't think I was going that fast. She must have a monster stride.' I think she does have a big ground-covering stride. She is a really laid back, cool filly.”

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