A swift son of A.P. Indy brought $425,000 a little after 2 p.m. EDT during the first session of the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. March select sale of 2-year-olds in training March 13. He was the second most expensive horse that had been sold at that point.
Trainer Mark Casse, agent, purchased the dark bay or brown juvenile March 13 in Central Florida. He made his offers over a telephone from the office of OBS general manager Tom Ventura.
Casse declined to reveal the name of the colt’s new owner, but one of the trainer’s major clients is big spender John Oxley.
“Obviously, he had the strongest pedigree in this sale,” said Casse of the colt. “I thought for an A.P. Indy to go (an eighth of a mile) in :10 flat (in the auction’s under tack show) was quite impressive. That was a good price.”
The colt is the first foal out of Sharp Susan (by Touch Gold), who captured three added-money events, including the Lake Placid (gr. IIT) and Herecomesthebride (gr. IIIT) Stakes in 2007. Sharp Susan is a half sister to grade I winners Spring At Last (by Silver Deputy) and Sharp Lisa (by Dixieland Band).
“He wasn’t probably big enough (in size) for some of the buyers like (trainer) Bob Baffert,” Casse said. “But we really liked his pedigree and we liked the way he moved on the track. Hey, if you look at Hansen and Awesome Feather, they’re not very big. This horse has got good enough size and we always like to buy something that we think is going to have some sire potential.”
Asked how big the colt is, Casse replied: “I had him at 15.2 (hands), 15.2 and a half. But I could see him being just shy of 16 hands when the dust clears, and that’s plenty big. If size meant anything, a rabbit couldn’t outrun a cow.”
Hartley/De Renzo Thoroughbreds, agent, consigned the colt. Hartley/De Renzo acquired him for $60,000 from Three Chimneys Farm, agent, at the 2011 Keeneland September yearling auction.
“I think Randy (Hartley) and Dean (De Renzo) did well,” Casse said.