OBS April

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency                                                         1st-BAQ, $95K, Msw, 2yo, 6f, 1:00 p.m. The third-highest price at the OBS April Sale this year (:20 4/5), SIGNATOR (Tapit) makes his debut after bringing a final bid of $1,700,000 from Lane's End Racing & West Point Thoroughbreds. Now racing for Woodford Racing LLC, Lane's End Racing, Phipps Stable and Ken Langone out of trainer Shug McGaughey's...

Sent off right at his morning line of 8-1, Packs a Wahlop (Creative Cause) worked out a nice trip beneath Hall of Famer Mike Smith and exploded away from his rivals in the final eighth of a mile to capture Sunday's GIII Del Mar Juvenile Turf at the seaside oval and become a leading U.S. candidate for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile the first weekend of November. Away alertly from the nine hole, the $27,000 Keeneland September yearling turned $270,000 OBS April (:10 flat) acquisition showed good speed and rolled...

In this continuing series, TDN's Senior Editor Steve Sherack catches up with the connections of promising maidens to keep on your radar. A week before unveiling Justique (Justify) to a jaw-dropping 'TDN Rising Star' performance at Del Mar--more on her in a bit--Lee Searing's C R K Stable and John Shirreffs debuted another 2-year-old with plenty of upside at the seaside track. Skinner (c, 2, Curlin--Winding Way, by Malibu Moon), a $40,000 Keeneland September yearling turned $510,000 OBS April breezer (:10 1/5), came rolling home to finish an encouraging fifth...

Sent off the 1-2 chalk on the strength of a 2 1/4-length debut victory going five furlongs July 24, Mike Pegram, Karl Watson & Paul Weitman's Havnameltdown (Uncaptured) was made to work for it, but in the end proved too classy for his rivals in Sunday's GIII Best Pal S., coming away late to take it by open lengths. Drawn widest of all, the $16,000 OBS October Yearling turned $200,000 OBS April breezer (:9 4/5) pinged the stalls and showed good early speed to get down into the three path,...

Some of the most highly anticipated races during the summer racing season are the 'baby' races during the boutique meetings at both Saratoga and Del Mar and at Ellis Park, which attracts its fair share of high-priced offspring from a variety of top national outfits. Summer Breezes highlights debuting 2-year-olds at those meetings that have been sourced at the breeze-up sales earlier in the year, with links to their under-tack previews. Already this year at Saratoga, City Man (Mucho Macho Man), Mo Strike (Uncle Mo) and Empress Tigress (Classic Empire)--each...

Some of the most highly anticipated races during the summer racing season are the 'baby' races during the boutique meetings at both Saratoga and Del Mar and even at Ellis Park, which attracts its fair share of high-priced offspring from a variety of top national outfits. Summer Breezes highlights debuting 2-year-olds at those meetings that have been sourced at the breeze-up sales earlier in the year, with links to their under-tack previews. Already this year at Saratoga, City Man (Mucho Macho Man), Mo Strike (Uncle Mo) and Empress Tigress (Classic...

Mo Strike (Uncle Mo) was the second 8-1 shot to win a graded event at Saratoga Saturday, taking his record to two-for-two with a victory in the GII Sanford S. Away in good order from the six-hole, the bay rushed up to contest the pace alongside Curly Jack (Good Magic) with 'TDN Rising Star' Andiamo A Firenze (Speightstown) to his outside through a :22.59 opening quarter. They ran three abreast on the backstretch run, registering a :45.94 half-mile. Great Navigator (Sea Wizard) tried to break through that trio in early...

Having been scratched from the GIII Soaring Softly S. last weekend, 'TDN Rising Star' Haughty (Empire Maker) was re-routed for Friday's $150,000 Penn Oaks at Penn National and may have been a touch ring-rusty, but proved far too classy for her four overmatched rivals. A bit hesitant to load and on edge waiting for the gates to spring, the 2-5 chalk was tugging for her head as they raced under the wire with a circuit of the soft-rated turf course to travel as 60-1 outsider and turf debutante Irie Empress...

by Jessica Martini & Christie DeBernardis OCALA, FL--Action started off measured at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale's third session Thursday, but picked up noticeably throughout the day, capped by a $1.7-million Tapit colt purchased by Lane's End Racing and West Point Thoroughbreds. Hip 885 was the fourth seven-figure seller of the sale so far. There were a few new faces buying in the top end Thursday with Christine and Phil Hatfield's CHP Racing purchasing a $870,000 son of Into Mischief (Hip 844); trainer Cherie DeVaux securing a $685,000...

by Christie DeBernardis & Jessica Martini OCALA, FL--A son of Coolmore's super-sire Uncle Mo (Hip 206) topped the opening session of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale Tuesday, summoning $2.3 million from Gary Young, who was acting on behalf of Amr Zedan's Zedan Racing Stables. It was the first $2-million sale since 2017 when a colt by Tiznow brought a record-breaking $2.45 million. Purchased by Scott and Evan Dilworth for $250,000 at KEESEP, Hip 206 was consigned by the Jimbo and Torie Gladwell's Top Line Sales. "April is a...

The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training kicks off a four-day run Tuesday with sessions beginning at 10:30 a.m. daily. The sale comes on the back of a very strong OBS March Sale where 378 juveniles summoned $49.941 million, including four seven-figure sellers. "The March Sale was very good," said OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski. "There was a lot of activity at all levels in March and we anticipate that strength to carry over into April." There was a high level of activity on the...

A half-dozen juvenile colts and fillies shared the bullet furlong time of :9 4/5 at the first of seven under-tack preview shows for the upcoming OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training Sunday. The first to shade 10 seconds in their one-eighth breeze was Hip 87, a filly by Tapiture out of the unraced mare Youngnflashy (Flashy Bull) consigned by Grassroots Training & Sales. The filly was bought for $25,000 at Fasig-Tipton October. Three more fillies posted :9 4/5 time shortly thereafter--Hip 121, by Speightster, consigned by Randy Miles and...