New York- and South Florida-based bloodstock agent Joe Brocklebank purchased the muscular chestnut for New York resident Jeff Singer, a newcomer to racing who is in the advertising business. Todd Pletcher will train Zounds.
"I liked everything about him -- his conformation and the way he moved on the racetrack," Brocklebank said. "He's an excellent mover and has very fluid action."
Brocklebank had to go higher than he expected to get the colt.
"We thought he would bring $400,000 to $450,000," he said.
The immediate underbidder was New York bloodstock agent Billy Badgett.
Danzel Brendemuehl of Florida-based Classic Bloodstock consigned the colt. He sold for $175,000 to Thornton Racing at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co.'s August yearling sale. The consignor was Summerfield, agent. At the time Brendemuehl sold him at Fasig-Tipton Midlantic, he was owned by a seven-member partnership of she was a member with a small interest.
"I'm so thrilled I can't stand it," she said.
The colt is out of the 16-year-old winning World Appeal mare Hasty Appeal. He is a half-brother to Dr. Park (by Honor Grades), winner of the Will Rogers Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Hollywood Park and a division of the Oceanside Stakes at Del Mar in 1991.
Prior to the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic auction, the Zounds breezed a quarter mile in :21 4/5 seconds without any urging from rider Andro Price's whip during the move.
The results for Fasig-Tipton Midlantic's opening session were up from last year's figures. The 183 horses sold grossed $9,827,000. The average price was $53,699, and the median price was $32,000. The gross was up 8.8% from a year ago. The average and median rose 15.3% and 4.9%, respectively. Last year's results were 194 horses sold, a gross of $9,035,500, an average of $46,575, and a median of $30,500. The buy-back rate advanced from 24.5% last year to 27.4% this year.
"Obviously it was a good sale; we're very pleased with today," said Boyd Browning, Fasig-Tipton's executive vice president and chief operating officer. "The horses we felt would sell well sold well. The market was very consistent."
A Silver Deputy colt sold for the session's second-highest price of $425,000. Sobhy Sonbol, representing Egyptian brewing mogul Ahmed Zayat, purchased the colt from Florida pinhooker Murray Smith, agent.
"He's a nice little colt, nicely put together, and he's fast," said Sonbol, who signed the sale ticket for Zayat. "This colt has a very good temperament and a very good attitude about things. He's just nice horse."
The roan or gray colt worked a quarter mile in :21 3/5 prior to the auction. He is a half-brother to Strong Contender (by Maria's Mon), who has finished third in this year's Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I) and Peter Pan Stakes (gr. II). Their dam, the 9-year-old winning Dynaformer mare Kopenhagen, finished second in the Green River Stakes at Keeneland and the Hollywood Wildcat Stakes at Calder Racecourse in 1999.
Smith bought the Silver Deputy colt for $60,000 from Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent for Haras Santa Maria de Araras S.A., at the 2005 Keeneland September yearling sale after selling Strong Contender for the sale-topping price of $800,000 earlier in the year at the Keeneland April select sale of 2-year-olds in training. The Silver Deputy colt originally was scheduled to be offered at this year's Keeneland April auction, but Smith scratched him.
"I took him to Keeneland and like the third day there going to the track he stepped on a stone and he bruised the bottom of a foot a little bit, not bad," Smith said. "But he's too good a horse. He wasn't 100%, and I didn't breeze him (in the first under tack show). I trained him the rest of the week, and then it poured down rain and I did not like the track conditions. Keeneland was great about understanding me withdrawing him from the sale. I did the right thing by the horse, and, therefore, he did the right thing by me. He is so smart. I showed him 150 times a day, and he showed just as good the 150th time as he showed the first time. He got to the point where I think I could have just turned the shank loose and he would have gone down and back and stood by himself. He's that smart."
The Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale's second and final session is scheduled for Tuesday, beginning at 11 a.m. (EDT).
