Checking In On: High Priced Fasig-Tipton Florida Sale Graduates

With 16 horses selling for $500,000 or higher at last night’s Fasig-Tipton Florida Sale, I decided to look back and see what horses who sold in that price range at this sale the last two years are doing these days.

A combined 25 horses sold for $500,000 or higher at the 2015 and 2016 editions of this sale with 19 making at least one start. The 2016 graduates are led by Grade 2 Risen Star third place finisher Local Hero while 2015’s class includes stakes winners Annual Report, Mor Spirit and Zulu (Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist also sold here in 2015 but brought a final bid of $400,000). Learn more about what all the Florida Sale's high priced horses have been up to since they went through the ring as 2-year-olds.

2016 Fasig-Tipton Florida Sale

Tapit had the highest priced horse at this sale last year

South Beach (Tapit x Bethan – Giant’s Causeway) – A $1.2-million RNA at the Keeneland September Sale in 2015, South Beach returned to the ring as a 2-year-old where he sold for the sale topping price of $1.8-million to Woodford Racing and Robert LaPenta at last year’s Florida Sale. South Beach hasn’t yet raced and doesn’t have any works currently recorded on Equibase.

’14 Five Star Dream (Uncle Mo x Five Star Dream – Two Punch) – The second highest priced colt at the 2016 Fasig-Tipton Florida Sale when selling to Stonestreet Stables and Coolmore for $1-million, this colt has yet to be named. However, in a good sign for his connections, he has been breezing every week since late January at Palm Beach Downs.

Dabster (Curlin x On a Roll – A.P. Indy) – Selling for $1-million to Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, Dabster was first past the line in his debut in late December but disqualified to fourth. A few weeks later, he made his second start where he won by half a length to officially break his maiden. So far, the colt has made back $35,640 of his purchase price in two starts.

Todd Pletcher

Egyptian Hero (Pioneerof the Nile x Faith in Me – Mr. Greeley) – Another one of the $1-million horses at the sale in 2016, Egyptian Hero broke his maiden on Feb. 11 by four lengths in his second start. Todd Pletcher trains the colt for Coolmore, who have made $13,400 from his two starts.

Dre Dan (Union Rags x Touched – Touch Gold) – Another high priced Bob Baffert trainee, Dre Dan was bought for $975,000 at the 2016 Florida Sale by Baoma Corp. He’s only made one start in his career so far, finishing fifth on Dec. 31, 2016 and earning $1,080. He has no current works recorded on Equibase.

Tap It All (Tapizar x Yawkey Way – Grand Slam) – An $800,000 purchase last year, Tap It All took a while to break her maiden (nine starts) but has really come into her own in the last few months. She was third in the Blue Norther Stakes on Dec. 29 and won her first stakes race when taking the California Oaks Stakes by 1 ¾ lengths on Feb. 11.

Speedmeister (Bodemeister x Blossomed – Deputy Minister) – Owned by John C. Oxley and trained by Mark Casse, Speedmeister looked promising when winning a Keeneland maiden race over future stakes winner Warrior’s Club (Warrior’s Reward) in October. The colt hasn’t lived up to that promise so far, finishing fifth in the Street Sense Stakes and fourth in an allowance optional claiming race in early January. He hasn’t worked since January 15.

Cedartown (Candy Ride x Talkin and Singing – Songandaprayer) – Bought for $620,000 by Godolphin, Cedartown has not yet started and has no works published on Equibase. He is a half-brother to Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes winner Danzing Candy (Twirling Candy), who won the race days after this colt sold.

Bronze Age (Mineshaft x Gasp – Hennessy) – A $600,000 purchase by Moustapha Fostock and owned by Juddmonte Farms, the colt broke his maiden in his third start only a few weeks ago by 1 ½ lengths for trainer Bob Baffert. According to the Daily Racing Form, Bronze Age now joins the Derby trail.

Local Hero (Hard Spun x Liam’s Dream – Saint Liam) – Sold for $500,000 at this sale last year, this colt is owned by e Five Racing Thoroughbreds and trained by Steve Asmussen. Breaking his maiden by 7 ¼ lengths in his third start – and first as a 3-year-old – Local Hero recently finished third to Girvin in the Grade 2 Risen Star Stakes.

The Great Scatsby (Scat Daddy x W W American – Quiet American) – Another e Five Racing purchase, The Great Scatsby hasn’t yet made a start and hasn’t worked in the last 60 days according to Equibase. His dam is a stakes placed half-sister to Grade 1 winner Sean Avery (Cherokee Run) and the dam of multiple graded stakes winner Pretty N Cool (Scat Daddy).

2015 Fasig-Tipton Florida Sale

’13 Alittlebitearly (Scat Daddy x Alittlebitearly – Thunder Gulch) – Bought by Coolmore for a sale topping $1.4-million, Bayern’s (Offlee Wild) half-brother has not yet raced. He also has no works in the last 60 days according to Equibase and does not have an export on file, which is always a possibility with Coolmore owned horses.

'13 Alittlebitearly's half-brother, Bayern

Zulu (Bernardini x Temporada – Summer Squall) – Tied as the second highest priced horse at the 2015 edition of this sale at $900,000, Zulu was bought by Stonestreet Farm and Coolmore. He has fared better than Coolmore’s sales topper, winning his first two starts before finishing second in the Grade 2 Xpressbet.com Fountain of Youth Stakes last year. After a 12^th place finish in the Grade 1 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, Zulu took eight months off and returned to win the Tamarac Stakes in December. The Bernardini 4-year-old recently finished fifth in the Grade 2 Hardacre Mile Gulfstream Park Handicap on Feb. 11.

M.V. Magnier with American Pharoah

Kismet’s Heels (Tapit x West Coast Swing – Gone West) – A $900,000 purchase by M.V. Magnier, who is usually associated with Coolmore, Kismet’s Heels never raced for that operation. Instead, he debuted for JSM Equine in December of that same year when he finished second. The colt had three second place finishes in maidens and two off the board finishes in stakes before he finally won in late October at Keeneland by 3 ¼ lengths after transferring from Pletcher to Mark Casse. Since then, Kismet’s Heels has two seconds and a third in three allowance/allowance optional claiming starts.

Better Not Blink (Hard Spun x Swaythisaway - Scat Daddy) – Better Not Blink turned out to be a pinhook success for Crupi’s New Castle Farm, who bought her for $175,000 as a yearling and sold her to Let’s Go Stable for $850,000 at this sale. She raced three times with her best finish being a third in a Monmouth Park maiden race last June. She then visited the ring again, where she sold for $37,000 to Thomas Clark Bloodstock, agent at last year’s Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. She has not raced or worked since.

Stormin In (Smart Strike x My Miss Storm Cat – Sea of Secrets) – A full brother to champion My Miss Aurelia, Stormin In was purchased for $800,000 by Live Oak Plantation. The colt has not yet started and hasn’t had any recent works.

Songwriting (Giant’s Causeway x Embur’s Song – Unbridled’s Song) – Purchased for $800,000 by Katsumi Yoshida, this filly was exported to Japan where she’s raced eight times. In two of those starts, she finished on-the-board, both on turf. Her last start was on Sept. 14, 2016 when she finished fourth.

Global Event (Pioneerof the Nile x Lady Bonita – Smart Strike) – A $685,000 purchase by Bob Baffert, Global Event has one win and one second in seven races. Now a gelding, Global Event has went through a few trainers since that purchase. He was claimed from Baffert and owners Karl Watson, Mike Pegram and Paul Weitman in his second start (his first off a 14 month layoff) by Doug O’Neill and two starts later moved to Golden Gate under the care of trainer Efain Miranda. He has continued racing at Golden Gate, making four starts at the track with his first win two starts back.

Mor Spirit

Mor Spirit (Eskendereya x Im a Dixie Girl – Dixie Union) – Another stakes horse to come from this sale, Mor Spirit was also another successful pinhook. The colt sold for $85,000 at the Fasig-Tipton October Yearling Sale then came back five months later to sell for $650,000 at this sale to Bernard Schiappa and Michael Lund Peterson. Trained by Bob Baffert, Mor Spirit broke his maiden in his second start then finished second in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes. He ended his season with a Grade 1 win in the Los Alamitos Futurity and looked like a threat on last year’s Derby trail with a Grade 3 win to start the year and two seconds in California Kentucky Derby preps. He finished 10^th in the Derby, returned nearly eight months later to finish fourth in the Grade 1 Malibu and most recently finished second in the Grade 2 San Antonio to stablemate Hoppertunity (Any Given Saturday).

Opening Remark (Harlan’s Holiday x Invitation – Vindication) – From the second-to-last crop by Harlan’s Holiday, Opening Remark was a $625,000 purchase by Maverick Racing. The colt broke his maiden in his second start for WinStar Farm and Todd Pletcher but was claimed for $25,000. Since then, he’s been running in claiming and allowance races with a few off-the-board stakes starts as well. He is currently owned by RCC Racing Stable and Realm Racing Stables, trained by John Mattine and has one win and one third in 13 starts for $24,676 in earnings.

Annual Report (Harlan’s Holiday x Pension – Seeking the Gold) – Bought by Darley at this sale for $600,000, Annual Report won the Grade 2 Futurity Stakes as a 2-year-old in his second start. After finishing fifth in the Grade 2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes, he was off for nine months and has been running in allowance optional claiming races in his last six starts. He mostly recently ran on Feb. 1 when he finished eighth. He is still under the Darley umbrella, running for Godolphin and trained by Kiaran McLaughlin.

Mr Louise (Uncle Mo x Call Mariah – Dixie Union) – A $600,000 purchase here, Mr. Louise made a belated debut last week at Gulfstream. It didn’t go as planned with the colt being pulled up by Roberto Alvarado Jr., the chart indicates he was walked off the track.

Bella Posa (Tapit x Livin Lovin – Birdstone) – Purchased by Haruya Yoshisa for $575,000 at this sale, Bella Posa races in Japan. She won her second start on June 4, 2016 and has raced two times since with off-the-board results. Her last race was on Jan. 28, 2017 after a layoff of a little over seven months.

Joannie (Smart Strike x Christies Treasure – Belong to Me) – Sold to Zayat Stables for $525,000, Joannie is still working on breaking her maiden. The filly made her debut at Belmont Park in July of 2016 with her best finishes being a pair of fourths for trainer Bill Mott. She is a half-sister to Grade 3 winner Sacristy (Pulpit).

Tricked Up (Distorted Humor x Satans Quick Chick – Sky Mesa) – Bought by Third Street Stable for $500,000, Tricked Up was a half-length maiden winning last summer at Saratoga in his second start. The colt has only finished off the board once in his five race career, that coming on Feb. 18 of this year when he finished sixth at Gulfstream Park. He is trained by Chad Brown and owned by Robert LaPenta and Sheep Pond Partners.