OBS March

Shah Bringing His 'Best' to Del Mar

Kaleem Shah went to $1.8 million to acquire a pair of powerful-looking :9 4/5 breezers from the OBS March 2-Year-Old Sale earlier this spring. Both are expected to be in action this summer at Del Mar. Arman (Bolt d'Oro), a $600,000 OBS March graduate and the first of the highly regarded duo to make the races, debuted with a visually impressive 'TDN Rising Star' performance at Churchill Downs June 23. Named after Shah's son, the bay is being aimed at the GIII Best Pal S. Aug. 14. Shah, ahem, clearly...

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Summer Breezes: July 23, 2022

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...

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Bolt d'Oro Firster Tops Loaded Churchill Maiden

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 5th-CD, $120K, Msw, 2yo, 5f, post time: 6:56 p.m. ET ARMAN (Bolt d'Oro) has drawn widest in what appears a very salty field of 12 as he looks to become a seventh first-crop winner for his Spendthrift-based stallion. Bought back on a bid of $52K at the 2021 OBS October sale, the Jan. 25 foal one of just four horses to breeze a furlong in :9 4/5 at this year's OBS March sale and was hammered down to Kaleem Shah for $600K, one of seven...

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Bolt d'Oro Colt Overcomes Early Trouble, Gets Up Late at Santa Anita

2nd-Santa Anita, $68,000, Msw, 6-12, 2yo, 5f, :59.77, ft, 1 length. AGENCY (c, 2, Bolt d'Oro--Queen of May, by Bernardini) broke poorly and appeared beaten for much of the stretch, but came alive with a flying finish in the last sixteenth to get up and become the fourth winner for his freshman sire (by Medaglia d'Oro) Sunday at Santa Anita. A $100,000 Keeneland September yearling turned $400,000 OBS March 2-year-old after breezing a quarter-mile in :20 4/5, the dark bay showed five works over this track, most recently going five...

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Expensive West Coast Colt Gives Sire First Winner

Carolyn Wilson's Fit to Fly (West Coast), a $570,000 OBSMAR acquisition, lived up to his name with a dominant 7 1/4-length score, becoming his freshman sire (by Flatter)'s first winner. Hammered down to even-money favoritism for this debut, the bay went straight to the front and never looked back, clear at every call to win for fun over stablemate Rivzonaroll (Good Samaritan). A $155,000 FTKJUL yearling, he more than tripled that price as a juvenile after breezing in :21 flat for Eddie Woods. Fit to Fly is a half to...

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Sunday Insights: Quick and Pricey Bolt d'Oro Colt Debuts

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency QUICK & PRICEY BOLT D'ORO COLT DEBUTS 2nd-SA, $67K, Msw, 2yo, 5f, 4:30 p.m. Mark Glatt unveils $400,000 OBSMAR purchase AGENCY (Bolt d'Oro) in this juvenile test. The dark bay breezed in a snappy :20 4/5 over the OBS synthetic. His dam is a half-sister to MGSW & GISP Tizaqueena (Tiznow). TJCIS PPs

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Devious Dame a First Black-Type Winner for Girvin in Astoria

John Oxley's Devious Dame (Girvin) ooked to be making hard work of it while consigned to an imperfect trip in Thursday's $150,000 Astoria S. at Belmont Park, but the 2-5 favorite on the strength of a 5 1/2-length debut success on Churchill debut May 5 leveled off nicely when asked to claim pacesetting Alexis's Storm (Race Day) passing the eighth pole and glided clear to become the first black-type winner for her freshman sire (by Tale of Ekati). Away only fairly from the five hole, the $240,000 OBS March breezer...

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Notable US-Bred and -Sired Runners in Japan: May 15, 2022

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this Sunday running at Chukyo and Tokyo Racecourses. Featured on the 12-race program at headquarters is an intriguing renewal of the G1 Victoria Mile for female turfers, which has drawn the likes of fan-favorite Sodashi (Jpn) (Kurofune), G3 1351 Turf Sprint heroine Songline (Jpn)...

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Girvin Represented by First Winner at Churchill

2nd-Churchill Downs, $71,943, Msw, 5-5, 2yo, f, 5f, :58.09, ft, 5 1/2 lengths. DEVIOUS DAME (f, 2, Girvin--The Shady Lady, by Quality Road) was sent off the 21-10 second choice just a handful of weeks after fetching $240,000 at the OBS March and became the first winner for her freshman sire (by Tale of Ekati) with a powerful 5 1/2-length debut success Thursday at Churchill Downs. The Florida-bred jumped away well and showed good early speed, but favored Empire of My Own (Classic Empire), herself a $170,000 OBSMAR purchase, speared...

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Tuesday Insights: Well-Related Goldencents Firster Right To the Races

3rd-Parx, $42K, Msw, 2yo, 2f, post time: 1:49 p.m. ET Less than six weeks after selling to owner Richard Malouf for $100,000 at the OBS March Sale, FERRARI KID (Goldencents) looks to recoup some of that investment in the first race of the season for the 2-year-old males. A :21 1/5 breezer in Central Florida during his Mar. 11 under-tack preview, the bay son of Catch the Flag (A.P. Indy) is a half-brother to SW Checkered Past (Smart Strike), whose 'TDN Rising Star' MGSW/GISP son Messier (Empire Maker) is set...

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A Pinhook to Justify Parrish Principles

You can do all those other things, if you like: expensive supplements and therapies, scans and samples. But none of it will do the slightest good unless your horse can trust its weight to the soles of its four feet. Last September, veteran horseman G.W. Parrish was as usual scouting the later books at the Keeneland September sale for yearlings to pinhook through the small farm he operates at High Springs, Florida, along with wife Karen and daughter Kristin. In the Gainesway consignment, he came across a gray colt by...

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Notable US-Bred and -Sired Runners in Japan: Mar. 19-20, 2022

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend running at Chukyo and Nakayama Racecourses: Saturday, March 19, 2022 11th-CKO, Falcon S.-G3, ¥76,000,000 ($642k), 3yo, 1400mT DUGAT (c, 3, Practical Joke--Untraveled, by Canadian Frontier), a $190K purchase by trainer Hideyuki Mori out of last year's OBS March Sale, has compiled an...

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