By Christie DeBernardis
Mike Recio's broad smile may not be on display at Fasig-Tipton's Saratoga Sale, but he will be well represented by his South Point Sales team as they forge ahead with the consignment at the summer's premiere yearling sale. While Recio continues his battle with sepsis in the ICU at Central Baptist Hospital in Kentucky, South Point sales coordinator Justina Severni and longtime team member John Fahey will pick up the torch.
“These are some of the best yearlings South Point Sales has ever sold,” Severni said. “We are going to help Mike and his family the best way we can by selling these horses as well as we possibly can. We spoke to the owners and they were all on board, so we just want to thank them for having faith in us to do right by their horses. We are very grateful to them for sticking by us. Hopefully we have a great sale.”
South Point's Saratoga consignment is comprised of eight yearlings this year. One of the standouts based on pedigree is Hip 171, a colt by Hard Spun. The bay is out of the unraced Perfect Note (Elusive Quality), who is a daughter of MGISW Music Note (A.P. Indy) and a half-sister to G1 Dubai World Cup hero Mystic Guide (Ghostzapper) and GSW Gershwin (Distorted Humor).
“He is a PA-bred with a great physical and an amazing pedigree,” Severni said. “He is out of a half to Mystic Guide. We sold the half-brother by Nyquist last year for $510,000 at the Fasig [Yearling Showcase] Sale.”
Recio's company offers two yearlings from the first crop of Bolt d'Oro, a filly out of Scenic Road (Quality Road) (Hip 186) and a colt out of Mary Edna (Pioneerof the Nile) (Hip 144).
“We have two Bolts who are good on paper, but physically are just absolute standouts,” Severni said. “They are two different types of horses, but both are beautiful. For a first-crop sire, we think Bolt will do really well up here. The Bolts all look a lot like him. They have long toplines, beautiful shoulders, great hind ends and good walks. They also have great minds and have settled in well up here.”
The other freshman sire represented at the South Point barn is Mendelssohn. A son of the regally bred Coolmore sire out of MSP Ghost Flower (Ghostzapper) is catalogued as Hip 104.
“He is a May foal, but he has really grown into himself and has shown well up here,” Severni said.
Rounding out the consignment are a Gun Runner colt (Hip 24); a daughter of Union Rags (Hip 60); a filly by More Than Ready (Hip 136); and a Munnings filly (Hip 143).
“The outpouring of support we have gotten from the industry has just been absolutely incredible,” Severni said. “People from all over the country have offered their help for this sale and the upcoming sales and it really means a lot to the entire South Point family. We are grateful to the team at Fasig-Tipton, who have done an incredible job helping us along the way and giving us any support we need. I think we are going to be ready for a pretty good sale.”
Click here to donate to a GoFundMe to benefit the Recio family.
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