The Fasig-Tipton Florida select juvenile auction offers the fanciest pedigrees of any of the major sales of 2-year-olds in training, and all that blue blood creates the potential for seven-figure prices. Following is a list of horses that buyers and consignors believe could be among the most expensive offerings March 2 at Calder Casino and Race Course in South Florida:
Hip No. 16, a colt by Empire Maker – Bank Audit, by Wild Rush. Consigned by Murray Smith, agent. This bay juvenile is the first foal out of a grade II winner. A $150,000 Keeneland September sale yearling in 2009, he worked an eighth of a mile in :10 3/5.
Hip No. 22, a colt by Sky Mesa – Boardroom Scandal, by Fusaichi Pegasus . Consigned by Hartley/De Renzo Thoroughbreds, agent.
“He is a big, two-turn horse that went across the track like silk,” said Hartley/De Renzo’s Dean De Renzo. “He broke off little late, which everybody noted, and when he switched leads, he was like a train. He just got better and better (as he covered an eighth of a mile in :10 3/5).”
Hip No. 30, a colt byTapit – Cherished Trick, by Phone Trick. Consigned by Sequel Bloodstock.
“He’s a New York-bred and a beautiful mover,” said Sequel’s Becky Thomas. “He’s a big, tall, stretchy colt that is exactly my kind of horse, and he has a good hip. He has real pretty extension.”
Hip No. 46, a filly by Pulpit – Distant Roar, by Storm Cat. Consigned by Sequel Bloodstock, agent.
“I think she’s the best filly that I’ll have all year,” Thomas said. “She’s out of Storm Cat mare and is by Tapit, so you would think she would be on the hot side, but she’s not. She has a great personality. She’s very, very professional.”
Her second dam, Wilderness Song, was a champion in Canada and a grade I winner in this country.
Hip No. 53, Somewherebeautiful, a filly by Cozzene – Echo Harbor, by Boston Harbor. Consigned by Hayden Thoroughbreds.
“She is a very nice filly,” Hayden Thoroughbreds’ Rebecca Hayden said. “She worked really well; she went (an eighth of a mile) in :10 2/5. She is a half-sister to (grade III winner) Western Smoke, so her pedigree is some upside for her. She’s got very nice angles and big, strong walk on her. Everything you ask her to do, she puts it together really nice.”
Hip No. 58, Miss September, a filly by Forest Wildcat – Feature Article, by Seattle Slew. Consigned by Hayden Thoroughbreds, agent. This dark bay or brown juvenile is a half sister to added-money winner Plagiarist. She worked an eighth of a mile in :10 3/5.
Hip No. 60, a colt by Henny Hughes– Flapper Dancer, by Fappiano. Consigned by Hartley/De Renzo Thoroughbreds, agent.
“He’s a gorgeous mover, and he does everything right,” De Renzo said. “He looks like he’s ready to race right now, and he looks just identical to his daddy.”
Hip No. 65, a colt by Unbridled's Song – Forestier, by Forestry. Consigned by Leprechaun Racing, agent. This colt is out of an added-money winner that is a half sister to grade III winner Unbridled Hope (by Unbridled’s Song’s sire, Unbridled)
Hip No. 86, a colt by Street Cry – Holiday Gold, by Touch Gold. Consigned by Niall Brennan Stables, agent.
“He’s a beautifully balanced horse and very well-made – a very, very good Street Cry,” Niall Brennan said. “He’s an efficient colt with great movement about him.”
Hip No. 90, a filly by Dixie Union – Icy Demeanor, by Allen's Prospect. Consigned by W.D. North Thoroughbreds, agent.
“She has explosive speed, and she’s really thriving,” W.D. North said of this dark bay or brown juvenile, who worked an eighth of a mile in 10 1/5, sharing the fastest time for that distance with two other horses. “She’s very sound. She’s a real runner, and I think she’ll be a graded-stakes horse.”
Hip No. 110, a colt by Medaglia d'Oro – Let’s Toast, by Miswaki. Consigned by SGV Thoroughbreds, agent.
“He’s a tremendous horse physically,” SVG’s Steve Venosa said of this bay half brother to stakes winner Kitty Knight. “He’s well-balanced and has a great hind leg. He’s a big horse, and he has such a quick turn of foot. He has a lot of presence about him. Since he has been (at Calder) for the sale, he has done nothing but thrive and he has been very forward.”
Hip No. 117, a colt by First Samurai – Lucky Lavender Gal, by Carson City. Consigned by Niall Brennan Stables, agent.
“I think he’s a monster,” Brennan said. “I’ve been around this horse all winter, and he’s got so much presence. He’s a big, strong colt, and he’s unbelievably talented, but he’s so laid back. He’s very mature; he’s a 2-year-old in a 4-year-old’s body.”
Hip No. 130, colt by Bernardini – Miss Kate, by Storm Cat. Consigned by Scanlon Training Center, agent.
“He’s by a first-year sire that everybody’s really excited about, and we broke his father, so we’re very high on Bernardini,” Scanlon Training Center’s David Scanlon said of this bay half brother to stakes winner Katerbug. “He has been a real solid, real precocious, early horse since he got to the farm. He’s not a big horse, but he’s built real well and still has good size. He’s well-balanced, and he’s a very good mover.”
Hip No. 136, a colt by Speightstown – Motel Lass, by Bates Motel. Consigned by BC3 Thoroughbreds. This bay juvenile is a half brother to stakes winner Stormin Lyon and is from the family of grade I winner Mitterand, grade II winners French Deputy and Old Fashioned, and grade III winner Collect Call.
Hip No. 145, a filly by Medaglia d'Oro – Numero Uno, by Afleet. Consigned by Niall Brennan Stables, agent.
“She is beautiful physically,” Brennan said. “She’s a very pretty filly that everybody seems to love. She has just a great demeanor about her. She has a lot of class and she’s showing herself tremendously. She’s very sound and correct, and she’s obviously by the right sire.”
Another filly to watch out for in his consignment, Brennan said, is Hip No. 147, who is “a very elegant” daughter of Henny Hughes out of Open Window. Also among Brennan’s horses is a Bernardini half sister to grade I winner and successful sire Tapit (Hip No. 212).
Hip No. 150, a colt by Grand Slam – Page Dancer, by Hennessy. Consigned by Off The Hook, agent.
“He’s a half-brother to (stakes winner) Congressional Page, who ran second to Munnings last time out in the Gulfstream Park Sprint Championship Stakes (gr. II),” Off The Hook’s Joe Appelbaum said. “He’s pretty big and broad-shouldered. His pedigree suggests he’ll be good on turf in addition to dirt, and we’ve had a lot of Japanese and European interest in him. He went (an eighth of a mile) in :10 2/5, and for a big old sucker like that, that’s pretty impressive.”
Hip No. 155, a colt bySpeightstown – Personal Glory, by Danzig. Consigned by Nick de Meric, agent.
“He’s a fast, big, strapping, rugged colt, and he’s been awfully well-liked by the buyers,” de Meric said of this half brother to Norfolk Stakes (gr. II) winner Supremo and stakes winner Personal Love.
Other horses to keep an eye on in his consignment, according to de Meric, are Hip No. 40, a War Front – Crescent Moon colt and Hip No. 85, a Stormy Atlantic – Hi Tech Honeycomb colt.
Hip No. 163, Steal the Dance, a filly by Tapit – Purloin, by Forest Wildcat. Consigned by Cary Frommer, agent. This gray or roan filly is from the family of grade II winner Caller I. D. and stakes winners Pirate of Penzance, Copying, Bold Noordeen, and Northern Flag. She worked an eighth of a mile in :10 3/5.
Hip No. 166, a colt by Henny Hughes – Refugee, by Unaccounted For. Consigned by Breaking Point Farm.
“One of the best things about him is his mind; he’s a really laid-back horse,” said Breaking Point’s James K. Chapman. “He has taken to the sale and all the activity really well. He’s just a big, kind, nice horse.”
Hip No. 175, a filly by Sky Mesa – Saintly Magic, by Saint Ballado. Consigned by Off The Hook, agent.
“She went really, really fast (working a quarter mile in the fastest time of :21 2/5),” Applebaum said. “She’s a lovely filly, and we kind of expected her to go fast, so it wasn’t a surprise. She’s real pretty and well-balanced, and she probably has more of a rear end than most Sky Mesas. They tend to be a little thinner and more front-end loaded.”
Hip No. 179, a filly by Sharp Humor – Secret Hills, by Secret Hello. Consigned by Scanlon Training Center, agent.
“She has a lot speed, and she’s been real tough and real consistent,” David Scanlon said of this dark bay or brown juvenile. She worked an eighth of a mile in :10 1/5, sharing the fastest time for the distance with two other horses.
Hip No. 186, a colt by Giant's Causeway – Smok’n Frolic, by Smoke Glacken. Consigned by McKathan Bros., agent.
“I’ve always loved him,” said Kevin McKathan of McKathan Bros. “He just has a presence about him. He’s a big horse and definitely looks like a two-turn horse. He has a beautiful way of moving and is really well put together. I think he’s what everybody is looking for.”
Hip No. 190, a colt by Smart Strike – Southern Swing, by Dixieland Band. Consigned by Eddie Woods, agent.
“He has got a lot of class, a lot of style, and a lot of presence,” Eddie Woods said of this bay half brother to stakes winner Mr. Pee Vee. “He’s a beautiful mover, and he’s everything a nice horse is supposed to be.”
Hip No. 197, a filly by Awesome Again – Stop the Lights, by Storm Cat. Consigned by Harris Training Center, agent.
“She has been well-received,” said Harris Training Center’s Robert Harris. “She still belongs to the breeder, and this is her first sale. She has a lot of balance.”
Hip No. 202, a colt by Candy Ride – Sun Luck, by Conquistador Cielo. Consigned by Off The Hook, agent.
“He has tremendous stride length,” Appelbaum said of this half brother to stakes winner Tahoe City. “When you watch the video (of his workout), you see that he does it such an easy manner, and that’s really what’s getting people excited. He just gobbles up the ground. His time wasn’t the fastest time (:22 for a quarter mile), but it was good enough, and when you watch the video, it’s very impressive because he’s seemingly doing it effortlessly. People say they want two-turn horses, and that’s what he is.”
Hip No. 218, a colt by Distorted Humor – Tomisue’s Delight, by A.P. Indy. Consigned by Two Beaches.
“He’s a wonderful, good-minded individual,” Stacy Yagoda said of this chestnut colt, who is out of a grade I winner and is a half brother to grade I winner Mr. Sidney. “I’ve been proud to own him (in partnership with Jill Julian) and to be able to train him. He’s amazing. He’s smart and classy.”
Hip No. 220, a colt by Storm Cat – Turko’s Turn, by Turkoman. Consigned by King’s Equine, agent.
“He’s really been showing a lot of talent all the time since we were breaking him,” said King’s Equine’s Raul Reyes of this half brother to Horse the Year and dual classic winner Point Given . “His half brother was a big horse, and this horse is also a big horse.”
Hip No. 225, a colt by Indian Charlie – Uncommon Queen, by Seattle Slew. Consigned by Eddie Woods, agent.
“He’s a lovely horse,” Woods said. “He’s out of a Seattle Slew mare, and he’s not your typical Indian Charlie. He’s got just a hair more length to him, and he gets that from the Seattle Slew influence. That will be a good thing in an Indian Charlie because it will give him another dimension. He’s going to go a bit farther.”
Hip No. 227, a filly by Yes It's True – Val Marie, by Coronado's Quest. Consigned by Scanlon Training Center, agent.
“She’s very quick and very precocious,” David Scanlon said of this bay half sister to stakes winner Grand Adventure. She worked an eighth of a mile in :10 1/5, sharing the fastest time for the distance with two other horses.