OBS March

The third 'Rising Star' to come out of the freshman sire class in just 24 hours, Midland Money (Shancelot--Magnolias In Bloom, by Flatter) became his sire's (by Shanghai Bobby) second overall winner Friday with a gate to wire win at Santa Anita. A $650,000 OBS March buy for CSLR Racing Partners LLC, the colt worked a quick furlong in :9.4 in Ocala to become the most expensive 2-year-old buy from his sire's first crop. He'd already shown his propensity to be quick in the mornings, putting up back to back...

Florida-based stallion Win Win Win (by Hat Trick {Jpn}) could not have kicked his second career off any better, earning a first winner and first 'TDN Rising Star' Thursday as Nooni (Win Win Win--Unanimity, by Union Rags) lived up her billing in a winning debut at Santa Anita. After blitzing a quarter-mile in :20.1 at OBS March, Nooni caught the eye of Zedan Racing Stables and trainer Bob Baffert who went to a sales-topping $1,800,000 to secure the filly from her sire's first crop. Hammered down to 1-5 in the...

3rd-Churchill Downs, $89,625, Msw, 6-13, 2yo, 5f, :58.48, ft, 2 lengths. SPIRALIZER (c, 2, Twirling Candy--Jotown, by Speightstown) sold earlier this year for $550,000 at OBS March for Wathnan Racing and jumped as the 8-5 favorite facing a field of fractious rivals in the pre-race lead up. Once settled and in the gate, the favorite was ridden for the lead from his rail draw and always looked the winner, traveling confidently along the fence and coming home unchallenged to win by two lengths. Asleep At Eight (Frosted) beat home a...

1st-Churchill Downs, $114,375, Msw, 6-6, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 1:05.77, ft, 1/2 length. CONQUERING CAT (c, 2, Game Winner--Coy Cat {MSW, $247,755}, by Hold That Tiger) had to settle for second on his debut over course and close to distance May 16 but came back Thursday to do one better, becoming the first winner for his freshman sire (by Candy Ride {Arg}). The 2-1 favorite raced mid pack from an outside draw but slowly began to reel in loose leader The Toner (Union Rags) around the far turn. With a strong...

6th-Tokyo, ¥14,880,000 ($95,336), Allowance, 5-18, 3yo, 1600m, 1:36.2, ft. ASSURBANIPAL (c, 3, Arrogate--Georgie's Angel {GSW, $129,564}, by Bellamy Road), the year-younger full-brother to Cave Rock, MGISW, $748,000, opened his account impressively at first asking over this course and distance last November and was just beaten by Authentic (Into Mischief)'s brother Bushin when last seen under these conditions at this venue Apr. 20. Sent off as the $1.10 (1-10) mortal, the dark bay was away fairly, and found himself in a forward position for the run down the back straight. Racing...

Prominent owner Mike Repole dipped a toe into Japanese public sales for the first time Friday, paying ¥33 million ($211,794) for a 2-year-old filly by the outstanding Orfevre (Jpn) at the Chiba Thoroughbred Sale. Foaled on Valentine's Day in 2022, the bay was bred by Shadai Farm and is out of Unlimited Budget (Street Sense), making this something of a full-circle moment for the owner. "We've been studying the Japanese pedigrees for months now. We recently purchased two Deep Impact (Jpn) mares," Repole explained. "This purchase was just another opportunity...

7th-Belmont The Big A, $90,000, Msw, 5-10, 3yo/up, 1m, 1:35.57, my, 6 1/4 lengths. UNMATCHED WISDOM (c, 3, Cairo Prince--Glide On By, by Pure Prize), a $25,000 KEESEP yearling turned $450,000 OBSMAR breezer, kicked off his career with a sharp debut score going a one-turn mile in the Aqueduct mud. Overlooked at 6-1, he forced the issue from an outside second through early fractions of :23.26 and :46.53. He turned up the heat on the far turn, kicked for home as the one to catch and had 6 1/4 lengths...

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 Tokyo and Kyoto Racecourses: Saturday, May 4, 2024 9th-TOK, ¥34,200,000 ($223k), Allowance, 3yo, 1600m SONIC STAR (c, 3, Into Mischief--Carolina Bertie, by Speightstown), a debut winner over nine furlongs last September, was only 11th in the Cattleya S. (allowance) over...

Delayed a day due to severe weather in central Florida, the under-tack show for the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training got back underway Friday with a colt from the third crop of Spendthrift stallion Bolt d'Oro (hip 787) setting the high mark at :9 3/5. Consigned by Top Line Sales, which continued to be well-represented Friday after posting five of the top 18 fastest furlong works during Wednesday's session, the juvenile was purchased as a yearling by Cash Bloodstock at Keeneland September last year for...

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 Fukushima, Nakayama and Hanshin Racecourses. The colts' Classics kick off Sunday at Nakayama in the G1 Satsuki Sho (Japanese 2000 Guineas), with champion Jantar Mantar (Jpn) (Palace Malice) squaring off against Sottsass's sales-topping full-brother Shin Emperor (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) from...

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis OCALA, FL - With a $1-million Authentic colt early in the session and a $1.8-million Win Win Win filly late in the day, the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's March Sale of 2-Year-Olds matched its 2023 number of five seven-figure juveniles and the auction concluded its three-day run Thursday with another strong renewal. "Overall, it was a terrific sale and we are looking forward to April," said OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski. Through three sessions, 446 horses sold for $66,437,600. The average of $148,963...

WinStar will launch four new stallions with first two-year-olds in 2024: Global Campaign, Improbable, Promises Fulfilled, and Tom's d'Etat, and it's Improbable who has come out swinging first at the sales. At OBS March, four of his colts brought six figures, selling for $475,000, $400,000, $300,000, and $250,000 and a first-crop filly fetched $140,000. The $400,000 colt, out of Libby's Tail, who breezed in 9.4 for Eddie Woods-one of three Improbables to hit that mark--was purchased in partnership by David Hanley, the Senior Vice President of Bloodstock Services at WinStar...