Gormley

Coming late in the proceedings, Hip 353, a daughter of Bolt d'Oro, realized the top price of $135,000 during the opening session of the OBS October Yearling Sale in Ocala Tuesday. Offered by agent Richard Kent's Kaizen Sales, the half-sister to recently stakes placed Yatta (Yoshida {Jpn}) is out of Final Reward (Arch), a half-sister to MSW Leadem in Ken (Sky Mesa), SW Prissy (Unbridled's Song) and GSP Hint of Roses (Tapit). The filly was purchased by de Meric Sales, who also led the session as its leading buyer. An...

8th-Keeneland, $100,000, Msw, 4-24, 3yo, 7f, 1:27.05, ft, 11 1/4 lengths. B DAWK (c, 3, Gormley--Mott N Hester, by Super Saver) closed to get up for third debuting at five furlongs on the Del Mar turf Nov. 14 and improved a spot switching to dirt at Santa Anita on New Year's Eve. Bombing at 1-2 when sixth switching to Tapeta at Golden Gate, he ran a distant third behind impressive High Connection (Connect) back on the Arcadia main track Mar. 26 and was dispatched at 44-5 shipping in for this...

So finally we come to a group of stallions that has at least offered some initial indication of their competence actually to produce a runner. Not that the market tends to enjoy this process! Its nervousness about sires at this stage of their career makes it easy to see why so much investment is instead concentrated in that period of grace when they haven't yet been exposed in such heartless fashion. Yes, the one or two that are prompt to seize their chance are instantly on their way: their second...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 3rd-DMR, $70k, Msw, 2yo, 5fT, post tme: 4:30 p.m. ET Spendthrift Farm's Gormley (Malibu Moon) has gotten off to a flyer at stud, with 18 first-crop winners to his credit, and B DAWK will look to add to that total Sunday 'where the turf meeets the surf. A half-brother to SP Nicky Scissors, the May 21 foal was a $77,000 short yearling at Keeneland January last year before improving into a $140,000 KEESEP purchase. Joseph Besecker signed the ticket on the chestnut at $425,000 at...

2nd-Indiana Grand, $34,000, Msw, 9-20, 2yo, f, 5 1/2f, 1:04.86, sy, 3 1/4 lengths. AWESOMELY SHY (f, 2, Gormley--Awesome Story, by Awesome Again) was pegged at morning-line odds of 9-2, but was completely friendless in the market and was off at 12.50-1 for a high-percentage outfit based south and east at Belterra Park. Straightened out after breaking a bit to her right, the homebred cut out a decent pace on the front end, increased her advantage in upper stretch and was punched out to best even-money Abuela's Humor (Distorted Humor)...

While it's obviously an extremely poignant day to be reflecting on a breakout success for one of the youngest stallions at Spendthrift, then at least those now mourning the farm's owner know that his own legacy to the breed could scarcely be more secure. For the same cannot quite be said of the horse who started it all for B. Wayne Hughes, Malibu Moon, whose loss earlier this year has now obtained a tragic symmetry. Between the farm's consecutive bereavements, there's no denying that the equine patriarch cannot yet match...

High Oak was let go at double-digit odds off a narrow victory downstate June 26 that earned just a 57 Beyer Speed Figure, but he took a serious step forward Saturday to become freshman sire Gormley (Malibu Moon)'s first black-type winner. Having signaled his readiness with a :48.11 bullet breeze last week on the Oklahoma Training Track in company with his older Grade I-winning stablemate Casa Creed (Jimmy Creed), who would finish third in the GI Fourstardave H. one race later, the bay stalked out wide behind splits of :21.82...

Generally well-represented at most sales venues throughout the yearling season, Spendthrift Farm offers a sextet of homebred youngsters, dominated by the offspring of a trio of the nursery's fledgling stallions, at the Fasig-Tipton July sale, set to take place July 13. And while the operation has reached great heights with its marquee stallions--the late Malibu Moon and Into Mischief--the basis of Spendthrift's program has been largely built upon the continuous replenishment of young stallions offered at affordable fees. "We want breeding to work for everybody involved," explained Spendthrift General Manager...

I noted on Steve Byk's "At the Races" radio show last Wednesday that some stallions that enter stud for between $10,000 and $20,000 occasionally punch above their weight and find lasting success. The in-your-face examples of this are Into Mischief, Tapit, and War Front, three of the best and most expensive horses at stud, but others that have fit the profile through the years include Distorted Humor, Candy Ride (Arg), Elusive Quality, Munnings and Twirling Candy. Twirling Candy, a son of Candy Ride, was recently profiled in this space along...

2nd-Keeneland, $59,524, Msw, 4-23, 2yo, 4 1/2f, :51.75, ft, 2 1/4 lengths. HEADLINE REPORT (c, 2, Gormley--Green Eyed Cat, by Tale of the Cat) was pounded into debut odds of 30 cents on the dollar and did his best work through the wire to become the first winner for his freshman sire (by Malibu Moon) Friday at Keeneland. Off slowly beneath John Velazquez and immediately under the pump, the bay quickly made up for lost time and was on even terms with La Belleza Negra (Cairo Prince) as they hit...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 1st-KEE, $60K, Msw, 2yo, 5 1/2fT, post time: 1:05 p.m. ET NAPA SPIRIT (IRE) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) sports a flashy worktab for trainer Wesley Ward, including a trio of bullets over the Palm Meadows turf, for this debut run. Agent Ben McElroy paid £420,000 on behalf of Stonestreet Stables for the bay at last year's GOFSEP Yearling sale. Joel Rosario has the call on the even-money morning-line favorite, who hails from the extended female family of G1 Golden Jubilee S. winner Malhub (Kingmambo). Ward and...

By the time a stallion's fourth book opens, the team behind him is usually pulling out all their stops to fill those pages. But perhaps no marketing technique in their repertoire can have quite the same effect as just one big price tag when the stallion's first crop of juveniles go to market. At last week's OBS March Sale, three first-crop juvenile sires were represented by youngsters that surpassed the $500,000 mark in the sales ring, and representatives from each of their respective farms said the phone has been ringing...