During the under tack show for the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-olds in training sale, one of the more eventful eighth-mile workouts was turned in by Hip 25, a New York-bred daughter of Alpha .
Although she was timed in :10 4/5, well off the fastest workout time of :10 for the three-day breeze shows, observers were impressed that she was able to overcome a series of obstacles to even finish the work.
"The rider almost fell off, she switched to her left lead, got back into the middle (of the track), switched to her right lead and finished her work," said consignor Kenneth Lejeune. "It was remarkable."
Buyers thought so too as the filly was hammered down to agent Marette Farrell, acting on behalf of Ryan Exline and Justin Border's Exline-Border Racing for $150,000 during the sale's May 21 first session at the Maryland State Fairgrounds near Timonium. Farrell said the filly will be trained by Peter Eurton, who also conditions multiple grade 2-winning New York-bred Giant Expectations for Exline-Border.
"We just thought she was phenomenal," Farrell said of the workout. "We really liked that she didn't turn a hair with that, and she stayed focused and she knew what her job was. She galloped out really well."
Farrell said she was also impressed with the filly's female family, which traces back to grade 1 winners such as Home At Last and Starry Dreamer, as well as grade 2 winner and prominent sire War Front . Produced from the winning Ecton Park mare We There Yet, the Alpha filly is a half sister to Sun River Jet, an 11-race winner in Venezuela.
"I love old families like that," Farrell said. "Being a New York-bred is huge for us."
Bred by Dr. and Mrs. A. Leonard Pineau, the filly is from Alpha's first crop, and one of five 2-year-olds for her sire to be sold at auction this year, averaging $148,000. The son of Bernardini out of Munnaya, by Nijinsky II, stands at Sequel Stallions in New York for a 2018 fee of $5,000.
The $150,000 price represents a healthy return on Lejeune's $35,000 purchase price when he bought the filly from Eaton Sales at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October yearling sale.
"She had a really great walk, showed well, and had a good attitude about her," the consignor said of the filly as a yearling. "Every expectation I had was there and more."
Lejeune said his initial disappointment with the work was overcome as buyers started looking at sale horses. "She was popular. She was never in her stall."
