BY BROCK SHERIDAN
OCALA, FL – A Florida-bred filly by Ocala Stud’s first crop sire Win Win Win electrified the Ocala Breeders’ Sales pavilion Thursday afternoon when bloodstock agent Donato Lanni went to $1.8 million to purchase her for Amr Zedan Racing Stable. Consigned by Ocala Stud as Hip 788, the filly topped the three-day March Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training that saw five juveniles exceed seven-figure price tags. Lanni said the filly will be sent to Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert in Southern California.
The striking bay filly drew the attention of potential buyers last Saturday when she worked a quarter-mile in an OBS record-tying :20.20 during the final under tack show.
“She’s just a cool filly and every time we went to see her, she was always out of her stall,” Lanni said. “To [breeze like] she did was pretty remarkable. [Bob Baffert] loved her. He looked at her after the breeze show and loved her. She’s easy to like.
“I knew she was one of the best. The price does not surprise me. Nothing at this sale surprises me. The people here, if they want one, they’ll keep trying.
“I’m just happy we got her. She is just one of the kind that we try to come home with and we were just lucky to get her. We’re happy and confident and we’re pretty excited.”
The bay filly is out of the Florida-bred Union Rags mare Unanimity, a half-sister to The Shady Lady, the dam of recent Holy Bull (Grade 3)-winning Florida-bred Hades. Unanimity is also a half-sister to Grade 3-placed, stakes-winner Courtesan, stakes-winning, stakes-producer Chary and stakes-producer Lady Carlotta.
“We’ve been involved in 2-year-old sales a long time and she has just been a spectacular filly,” Ocala Stud’s David O’Farrell said. “She performed every time we sent her to the racetrack and she always came back beautifully and the sky’s the limit with her.
“We’re super excited about [Win Win Win]. We love what we’re seeing and we have more to come in later sales and later crops and we think he has a huge future. [Win Win Win progeny have] just a ton of athleticism. Super versatile and good looking horses with big rear ends. Very smart.”
Win Win Win was bred in Florida by Charlotte Weber’s Live Oak Stud and raced under her Live Oak Plantation banner. The son of Hat Trick (Jpn) won the Grade 1 Forego, was second in the Toyota Blue Grass (G2) and third in the Lambholm South Tampa Bay Derby (G3). He set a track record at Tampa Bay Downs while winning the 2019 Pasco, covering seven furlongs in 1:20.89.
Thursday’s star filly was bred in Florida by Ocala Stud, Joseph M. O’Farrell III, David O’Farrell, et. al. and is eligible for the $1.2 million Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ and Owners’ Association Florida Sire Stakes series of 2-year-old stakes to be run this summer and fall at Gulfstream Park.
Everybody knows Ocala Stud and they have been around a long, long time,” Lanni said. “Everybody is familiar with their program and the horses they produce. They do a great job.”
Earlier Thursday at OBS, Resolute Bloodstock paid $1,000,000 for Hip 601, a chestnut colt by first crop sire and Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (G1)-winner Authentic out of stakes-placed Ruby Trust, by Smart Strike. Consigned by Hartley / DeRenzo Thoroughbreds LLC as agent, the colt’s second dam is Grade 3-winner Queen Of the Catsle and he worked an eighth-mile in :9.80 at the under tack show.
Hip 613 sold for $875,000 to Speedway Stables LLC out of the consignment of de Meric Sales as agent. The bay filly is by Bernardini out of the Grade 2-placed, stakes-winner Salamera, by Successful appeal, a half-sister to stakes-winning, stakes-producer Vivaldi Girl; and stakes-placed, stakes-producer Adore You.
Japanese trainer Hideyuki Mori purchased Hip 617 for $800,000 from the consignment of Scanlon Training & Sales, agent. The chestnut colt is by Constitution out of the Footstepsinthesand mare Sand Puce (Arg), a multiple Grade 2-winner in Argentina and a half-sister to Argentine stakes-winner Stormy Publisher (Arg) and graded stakes-producer Stormy Purposeful.
OBS sold 125 head during Thursday’s session for gross sales of $18,912,600 and an average of $151,301. That compares to 153 head that sold for $24,069,000 and an average of $157,314 on the final session of the OBS March Sale last year. The median Thursday rose 6.7% from $75,000 a year ago to $80,000 Thursday. The buyback rate Thursday was 29.7%.
The cumulative totals for the March Sale saw 446 head generate $66,437,600 in gross sales for an average of $148,963 and a median of $75,000. Last year’s March Sale sold 464 juveniles for $71,473,500 for an average of $154,038 and a median of $75,000.
Cumulatively, de Meric Sales led all consignors with 40 head selling for $6,595,100 while Ciaran Dunne’s Wavertree Stables sold 14 head for $4,960,000. Hartley / DeRenzo Thoroughbreds LLC sold five 2-year-olds for $4,700,000.
Hideyuki Mori of Japan led all buyers, signing the tickets for 10 horses for a total of $2,695,000. Donato Lanni as agent for Zedan Racing purchased two head for $2,500,000 while Resolute Bloodstock purchased five juveniles for $2,375,000.
The next auction at OBS is the April Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training on April 16-19. The under tack programs for the April Sale will run April 7-13, starting each day at 8:00 a.m. EDT.