By Jessica Martini
Consignor Tom McCrocklin had already sold the sale-topping daughter of Tiz the Law at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring sale when he decided to purchase another daughter of the GI Belmont S. winner after watching her fail to meet her reserve at that same auction two months ago. The filly (hip 187) went a ways in proving it was a wise decision when she worked a quarter-mile in a bullet :20 2/5 during Wednesday's second session of the under-tack show for next week's OBS June Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training in Ocala.
“I thought it was a beautiful work,” McCrocklin said. “I thought it was efficient, effortless and fast. She did everything right. She was just like a car cruising down the highway.”
The filly is out of Southern Silence (Dixie Union) and is a half to stakes winners Liberate (Gemologist) and Esplanade (Daredevil), who was second in the 2020 GI Spinaway S. The dark bay juvenile was purchased for $80,000 by Mustang Farms out of last year's Keeneland September sale. She worked a furlong in :10 flat before RNA'ing for $190,000 at the Spring sale.
“She is fast and balanced and athletic,” McCrocklin said when asked about his decision to purchase the filly in April. “We had had some success with the other filly and thought it might be a good idea. It's a little risky, but she was mentally and physically very sound. So far, it is working out well.”
Asked if the plan had always been to send the filly to the June sale, McCrocklin said, “I try not to paint myself into a corner. She didn't make her reserve in April and I thought the stallion, and this filly in particular, had a big upside. I think there are opportunities in every sale, whether you are buying or selling. There are horses that are overlooked in every sale and there are horses that bring way more then maybe they deserve to.”
McCrocklin admitted he hasn't had to do a lot of work with the youngster.
“I haven't had her that long,” he said. “She is solid, professional and sound. She really didn't need to change a whole lot. My job in this kind of situation is to just keep the horse happy and healthy and with plenty of flesh. I am a big believer in keeping horses happy with plenty of flesh, feed them well and pay attention. They will talk to you if you pay attention. Just try basic horsemanship. Nothing exotic or fancy.”
McCrocklin purchased a daughter of Tiz the Law out of Moonlight Sky (Sky Mesa) for $170,000 at the Keeneland September sale last fall. The filly blitzed a quarter-mile in :20 1/5 before selling for a sale-topping $1.9 million to Michael Lund Petersen at the Spring sale. The bay worked three times at Los Alamitos in May and had her first work at Santa Anita last Saturday when she went four furlongs in :51.80.
Asked to compare the two fillies, McCrocklin said, “The breezes are eerily similar. They are fast, but they are smooth and effortless. Both fillies are really efficient movers and they cover a lot of ground. The filly in April that we sold was a big, strong and masculine filly. This filly doesn't have that substance. She's not a big, raw filly like that filly was in April, but she is deceptively long in her movement. She has a really big stride and covers a lot of ground with not much effort.”
During Wednesday's under-tack show session, 15 horses shared the day's fastest furlong time of :10 flat: hip 181, a filly by Mr. Money consigned by Whitman Sales; hip 203, a filly by Dosificado (Chi) consigned by Triple J Equine Sales; hip 232, a colt by Thousand Words consigned by Centofanti Thoroughbreds; hip 252, a filly by Gun Runner consigned by Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds; hip 275, a colt by Vino Rosso consigned by Top Line Sales; hip 284, a colt by Maximum Security consigned by Ordonez Thoroughbreds; hip 289, a filly by Liam's Map consigned by Cardozo's Brothers; f2hip 291, a filly by Dominus consigned by Marcial Galan; hip 305, a filly by Justify consigned by Pick View; hip 314, a colt by Unified consigned by Dynasty Thoroughbreds; hip 319, a filly by Twirling Candy consigned by CM Thoroughbreds; hip 334, a colt by Practical Joke consigned by Scanlon Training & Sales; hip 337, a filly by McKinzie consigned by de Meric Sales; hip 343, a colt by Speightster consigned by Sugar Hill; and hip 350, a colt by Gift Box consigned by RiceHorse Stable (Brandon & Ali Rice).
The under-tack show continues through Sunday with sessions beginning each day at 7:30 a.m. The June sale will be held next Wednesday through Friday, with bidding commencing each day at 10 a.m.
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