Coolmore plays strong hand at Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Sale

Cover image courtesy of Fasig-Tipton

Coolmore to the fore

Coolmore has been a major presence on the Gulfstream buying bench for the last several auctions and Wednesday was the second sale in a row the operation purchased the auction's topper.

But after the tickets were signed, Coolmore's Michael Tabor issued a warning salvo aimed at The Jockey Club's impending cap on number of mares bred to stallions born after 2020.

“The Jockey Club stallion cap will reduce the value of these horses from next year, so it's hard to imagine prices like this being repeated unless the horse is to go abroad,” Tabor said.

Later in the Sale, bloodstock agent Jacob West signed the ticket on an Uncle Mo colt on behalf of Coolmore for US$1.3 million (AU$1.72 million). West echoed Tabor's sentiments on the cap, which calls for stallions born in 2020 and later to cover no more than 140 mares.

“There is a significant price change coming through with these colts right now,” West said. “In our belief, this is one of the last times we will see something like this. The mare cap might limit what people are willing to spend. You are seeing the result of that now with what the Coolmore group is doing with these colts that are coming through the ring. You better jump on them now because at the end of the day, they are worried about the regulation coming down and affecting the price of the colts if this mare cap gets pushed through.”

Coolmore is one of three farms involved in a lawsuit against The Jockey Club over the mare cap.

Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning, Jnr was pleased with the day's action.

“It was a good start to the 2021 2-year-old sale season for us,” Browning Jnr. said at the close of business Wednesday. “We are thrilled to be back at Gulfstream Park. I think it was a typical 2-year-old sale, great demand and great interest at the top of the marketplace for what are perceived to be the quality offerings. The most encouraging thing in that regard was the diversity of buyers across the board. There were lots of bidders willing to spend plenty of money.

“Overall, I think it was a healthy marketplace,” Browning said. “People want quality horses and I think it bodes well for the rest of the 2-year-old sales and gives us encouragement for the yearling sales starting this summer.

“The 2-year-old game is still a game of performance and vetting,” Browning said. “There are even more hoops to jump through than there used to be. You have to breeze well in a good time, gallop out well, make a good video and the veterinary scrutiny increases every year.”

But the margin between perceived quality and the lower-end offerings was razor thin. Of the 186 juveniles catalogued, 105 went through the ring and 38 of those failed to sell.

A number of pinhookers recorded impressive scores during the auction. Wavertree's US$2.6 million (AU$3.43 million) Nyquist colt had been purchased for US$160,000 (AU$211,170) as a yearling and the consignment's US$1.3 million (AU$1.72 million) Uncle Mo had been purchased for US$335,000 (AU$442,127).

Dean DeRenzo and Randy Hartley had purchased the US$1.7 million (AU$2.24 million) Gun Runner for US$140,000 (AU$184,770) last fall.

“It's so strong for certain horses, but overall it's very, very thin,” said Becky Thomas, who consigned a filly by Uncle Mo on behalf of Cody Autrey who went from US$380,000 (AU$501,520) yearling to US$825,000 (AU$1.088 million) juvenile.

“But there were fireworks. I think it was great for our whole horse economy. Hoby (Kight)'s horse (US$650,000 (AU$857,860) Frosted) was a home run, Randy and Dean's horse was just a massive home run, Eddie (Woods), Ciaran, everybody had some really good home runs. We had a solid sale. Unfortunately, for not every horse, but we are grateful to be out and moving ahead.”

Bloodstock agent Jacob West saw familiar trends in the sales results.

“Good horses are selling,” West said. “The ones that miss the mark aren't. Unfortunately that's just the reality of our business. We are all looking for the same thing. And when you offer it up in the market, if you have what everybody wants, you get overpaid. And if you miss the mark even by a little bit, the buying bench is pretty harsh on you. But quality sells. And what's deemed as not quality doesn't.”

Nyquist colt to Coolmore

The colt by Nyquist (Hip 28), who lit up the racetrack with during Monday's under-tack also turned heads in the sales ring with bloodstock agent Jamie McCalmont signed the US$2.6 million (AU$3.43 million) ticket for the youngster, who will be trained by Bob Baffert.

“He is by Nyquist who looks like one of the best young stallions around right now,” McCalmont said. “He breezed in :9 4/5, very few horses went :10 flat, let alone :9 4/5. He did a good gallop out, he came out of the work good. He trained well in the week before. He's a very nice horse.”

Coolmore has been a major buying presence at the Gulfstream sale. In 2019, the operation purchased the US$3.65 million (AU$4.81 million) sale topper and four of the auction's six seven-figure juveniles.

Hip 28 was bred by G. Watts Humphrey, Jnr. and is out of Spinning Wheel (USA) (Smart Strike {USA}), a half-sister to multiple Grade 1-placed Ride On Curlin (USA) (Curlin {USA}). The juvenile's third dam is Grade 1 winner Victory Ride (USA) (Seeking The Gold {USA}).

Wavertree's Ciaran Dunne purchased the bay colt for US$160,000 (AU$211,170) on behalf of the Red Wings pinhooking partnership, led by Paul Reddam, who campaigned the colt's G1 Kentucky Derby-winning sire.

“He is part of a pinhooking package that we do with Paul Reddam and obviously Paul has an attachment to Nyquist,” Dunne said. “So any Nyquist is an easy sell for us. He's a beautiful horse. I don't have to say that. He said that for himself in the ring. He comes from a breeder, Watts Humphrey, those families are generational and at the end of the day, those families come through. When you buy a horse off Watts, you feel a little better about it. Between those two connections, he was an easy horse.”

Asked how the colt had progressed over the winter, Dunne said, “I don't know if he's any different than he was as a yearling. He was a beautiful horse, he can just do it on the racetrack now and that's what it all comes down to at the end of the day. He showed up when it mattered and showed up like a champion all week.”

Coolmore strikes again for Uncle Mo colt

The Coolmore team didn't waste any time getting back into the fray going to US$1.3 million (AU$1.72 million) to acquire Hip 67, the colt by its stallion Uncle Mo.

It was the operation's second seven-figure purchase and the second from Ciaran Dunne's Wavertree Stables. Out of Afleet Maggi (USA) (Afleet Alex {USA}), the dark bay colt is a full brother to Grade 1 winner Dream Tree (USA). He worked a furlong in :10 flat during Monday's under-tack preview.

Leaving bloodstock agent Jacob West to sign the ticket on the colt, Coolmore's Tabor confirmed the juvenile will be trained by Todd Pletcher.

“I have had horses with Todd Pletcher ever since I can remember,” Tabor said. “When I had the Derby winner (Thunder Gulch) in 1995, he was working for Wayne Lukas. So we go back a long way.”

Wavertree sold Dream Tree for US$750,000 (AU$989,840) to the bid of bloodstock agent Kerri Radcliffe at the Gulfstream Sale in 2017. The filly went on to win that year's G1 Starlet S. and the following season's G2 Prioress S. for Phoenix Thoroughbreds.

Radcliffe was underbidder on Dream Tree's full brother Wednesday. The agent, who purchased last year's G1 Arkansas Derby winner Nadal (USA) (Blame {USA}) at the 2019 Gulfstream Sale, was bidding Wednesday on behalf of Goncalo Torrealba and George Bolton.

Gun Runner colt sparks late fireworks

Just three hips before the conclusion of the Sale, a colt from the first crop of Horse of the Year Gun Runner (USA) sparked a furious round of bidding in the Gulfstream paddock. When the dust settled it was bloodstock agent Gary Young left holding the US$1.7 million (AU$2.24 million) ticket on behalf of Zedan Racing.

“We liked a few colts in this Sale,” said Young, who did his bidding standing alongside Zedan principal Amr Zedan and trainer Bob Baffert. “We didn't get the (sale-topping) Nyquist. We liked a Classic Empire in the middle too, but we knew this horse would take a lot of money, so we just kind of waited for this horse. I don't know who we were bidding against, but they jogged us pretty good. You could tell it was mano a mano there for quite a while. We liked this horse a lot. I think he looks a lot like Gun Runner and I loved his breeze. See me in six months and I will let you know if we did good or not.”

“He is going to the guy with the white hair. I hear he has quite a future in the game,” Young joked, while nodding in Baffert's direction.

As for the price, Young said, “(Zedan) asked me before and I said US$1 million to US$1.5 million and if someone likes him as much as I do, maybe a tick or two more. So that is about what we thought.”

Coolmore secures Practical Joke filly

The Coolmore team was very active at Gulfstream Wednesday, also buying the auction's highest-priced filly, Hip 117, an US$800,000 (AU$1.055 million) daughter of the operation's freshman sire Practical Joke (USA). Bloodstock agents Jamie McCalmont and Ben McElroy represented the Coolmore contingent on this purchase.

“She was very fast, she had a great breeze, we liked her conformation… what more could you want,” Tabor said.

Bred by Amy Rabanal, Constance Wickes and Highclere. Hip 117 is out of the Speightstown (USA) mare Goforitmrsmiller (USA). North London Bloodstock purchased the dark bay for US$150,000 (AU$197,970) at the Fasig-Tipton Select Yearlings Sale in September.

“She's been extremely popular,” said Steve Venosa, who consigned and prepared the :10 flat breezer under his SGV Thoroughbreds. “She's trained well down here and was well received at the barn. She's been nothing but class the whole time she has been here. We are excited she is going to a good home and I am sure we will hear good things about her down the road.”

Venosa added, “This is the top 2-year-old sale in the world. When you come down here, you better a bring a horse who is going to be able to perform on this surface. This filly was able to do that. We are very blessed that we sold her like that. We are very happy.”