Coming off a strong runner-up performance at Saratoga in his second lifetime start, Helicity (The Factor) will sell in Inglis Digital USA's second online auction since it was rebranded from the Wanamaker platform. The one-horse flash sale closes at noon ET on Tuesday, Aug. 6.
Trained and campaigned by Jack Sisterson in partnership with David Grund and Amanda Oster, Helicity was purchased for $120,000 at the OBS March Sale. Sisterson said he was drawn to the son of The Factor because of the good fortune he has had with another son of the sire, GSW and GISP Bandua.
“He reminded me a lot of the way Bandua looked and moved,” Sisterson explained. “From day one I've always liked him and when we got him back in the barn at Palm Meadows, he was very straightforward. Great mind on him, very athletic. He's got a lot of scope to him. We always had Saratoga in mind for him when we picked him.”
Helicity finished a closing third in his debut at Gulfstream Park on June 7 going five furlongs on the turf. From there, he stretched out to a mile and a sixteenth at Saratoga on July 20. After racing in the three path around the far turn, the juvenile took the lead at the quarter pole and gave way to Cherie DeVaux trainee Without Caution (Without Parole {GB}) in the final strides.
“He was only 50% or 60% fit at Gulfstream,” said Sisterson. “We wanted to give him one run at Gulfstream to give him experience sprinting and get some added fitness in him. In Saratoga we just bumped into a good one of Cherie's, but we were over the moon with the way he ran. We expected him to run a winning race and he just got ran down late. It was his first time around two turns and I think he'll improve again in his third start.”
Sisterson reported that Helicity came out of his last race in good order. The trainer is pointing the colt to the Kentucky Downs meet for his next start, where maiden special weight purses run to $170,000. Helicity could also target the $1 million Kentucky Downs Juvenile Sprint on Sept. 1 or the $1 million Kentucky Downs Juvenile Mile on Sept. 8.
After Helicity's runner-up performance in Saratoga, Sisterson received several inquiries about buying the colt. The partnership decided to present the horse to the market with the thought that since he still has his maiden conditions, Helicity offers a variety of opportunities for potential buyers.
“Obviously I don't want to loose a horse, but it's a business and the majority owners are willing to keep the horse, but they will sell at the right price,” said Sisterson. “He has a bright future, so we'll see how the market values him. He looks like he'll improve again. He's a now horse, but he looks like he'll get better at three as well with some size and scope to him.”
Helicity is currently stabled at Saratoga Race Course in Barn 84 and he will breeze on the Oklahoma track on Saturday, Aug. 3 at 7:30 a.m. weather permitting for potential buyers to watch.
Inglis Digital USA CEO Liza Hendriks said that Helicity's presentation to the market is a perfect example of how digital sales offer sellers the opportunity to use timely updates to their advantage.
“It's great for people to be able to capitalize on that and be able to sell throughout the year,” she said. “Jack Sisterson owns part of the horse himself, so it's great for him to help with cashflow and add liquidity. Really it helps in each different part of the market.”
Last month, Inglis Digital conducted its first sale since the platform re-brand. The auction closed on July 17 and was led by Lucky Girl (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Ire}), a 5-year-old multiple stakes-winner that sold for $235,000 to Beagle Bloodstock on behalf of Australia's Kia Ora Stud. The sale saw 22 horses sell from 50 offered for a gross of $450,000, with an average sale price over $21,000.
Hendriks said that the Inglis busy team has been planning for the future of their digital platform.
“Mark Webster, the managing director for Inglis globally, was just in Saratoga and Lexington and we had a bunch of meetings with clients and we're getting great feedback,” said Hendriks. “People are starting to catch on more and more to the digital way of doing things. People have been really engaged in giving feedback so we've been able to tailor our platform to what our clients are wanting and we will be able to make those changes before our next sale in September.”
Bidding is currently open for Helicity on the Inglis Digital USA website. To learn more and register to bid, visit www.inglisdigitalusa.com.
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