$1.8 Million OBS March Sale Topper Cruises in Santa Anita Maiden Special Weight
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Ocala Stud’s freshman sire Win Win Win was represented by his first winner on Thursday when Florida-bred Nooni turned heads in winning a maiden special weight over five furlongs at Santa Anita Park in her highly anticipated career debut. Bred in Florida by Ocala Stud, Joseph O’Farrell, David O’Farrell, et al, Nooni is no stranger to generating headlines. She topped this year’s OBS March Sale, selling to Zedan Racing Stables for $1.8 million after breezing a co-record quarter mile in :20.20 at that sale’s under tack preview.
“At the sale she was pretty spectacular,” Baffert said. “These young stallions, you never know. Sometimes a freak will come out of the woodwork.”
Ridden by Juan Hernandez, Nooni, the prohibitive favorite, broke on top and immediately opened a clear advantage on her rivals. She cruised into the stretch and won in hand by nine-and-a-half lengths without ever being asked for her best. After rolling uncontested through fractions of :22.07 and :45.44, she stopped the clock in :58.21 geared down in the end. The Bob Baffert trainee is produced from the Union Rags mare Unanimity, and she hails from the family Grade 1-winners Discreet Cat and Discreetly Mine.
“She’s classy and has a great mind,” Baffert said. “We were able to go on with her right after the sale. Sometimes you have to give them a little break, but when she got here, she hit the ground running.”
Classically bred with record-setting speed, Win Win Win proved an impressive winner of the Grade 1 Forego presented by America’s Best Racing at Saratoga in his final career start. All told, he banked $601,600 in a stellar racing career. In his sophomore bow, Win Win Win set a new track record at Tampa Bay Downs in winning the $75,000 Pasco. He drew off powerfully in that seven-furlong fixture, stopping the clock in 1:20.89. He also won the $100,000 Manila at one mile on turf at Belmont Park, getting the distance in 1:31.56, just one-fifth of a second off the course record set by Oscar Performance.
A Live Oak homebred, Win Win Win is by champion miler and Grade 1-winner Hat Trick (Jpn) and is a descendant of the Halo sire line. The Florida-bred hails from a deep Live Oak family and his dam is the winning Smarty Jones mare Miss Smarty Pants, a half-sister to graded stakes winner and multiple graded stakes-placed Unbridled Humor.
Win Win Win’s first 2-year-olds have been well-received at public auction. In addition to Nooni, Win Win Win also had a $310,000 filly purchased by Champion Equine at the OBS Spring Sale. He has had eight of 12 first 2-year-olds sell in the auction ring for an average price of $325,875.
