Tapit colt tops day one of OBS June Sale

Mickey Gonzalez of M Racing had no intention of buying a horse on Wednesday.

Having recently purchased a farm in Ocala, Florida, the longtime resident of Las Vegas planned to wait until the fall when he could travel to Kentucky before adding any horses to his farm or his racing stable.

That plan did not last long.

At 5.30am on Wednesday, Gonzalez's friend and bloodstock agent Christina Jelm told him he needed to watch the breeze video of hip 277, a colt consigned to the Ocala Breeders' Sales June Two-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age Sale. Breezing a solid eighth-mile in :10 1/5, the son of Tapit made Gonzalez think twice about waiting.

"Christina convinced me to see the workout of the horse, and I really loved the horse," said Gonzalez. "I was not going to buy any horses until the Keeneland sales. So I'm here last minute having a hamburger and I bought the horse, and it wasn't my intention originally."

After leaving his lunch behind to enter the bidding war, Gonzalez was declared the winner when the colt was hammered down for $400,000, the highest price paid during the opening session of the sale.

View sale results and buyers

Consigned by Pick View, the colt was purchased by Joe Pickerell of Pick View as a yearling under the name Slate Mills when he was consigned by Gainesway to the October Sale, Fasig-Tipton's fall yearling sale in Lexington. Pickerell bought the colt on a final bid of $190,000 and was astonished he was able to acquire a horse with his depth of pedigree.

Bred in Kentucky by Emory A Hamilton and the Tapit Syndicate, the colt is out of the Giant's Causeway mare Enchanted Rock, best known as the dam of multiple Grade 1 winner Verrazano, along with fellow Graded stakes winner El Padrino.

"He was a beautiful physical and he had a great walk to him, and he was a big colt," said Pickerell. "We felt like he was going to do good throughout the winter. And, obviously, with his pedigree, we didn't think we'd be able to get him in the fall, but we got lucky and it worked out.

"At the October Sale, you have to pick your posts and you have to be aggressive, because a lot of people, that's the last stop for the yearling sales. We had a tough time getting horses bought at Keeneland, so we fortunately still had a little bit of a budget going into October."

Sent through the ring at The Gulfstream Sale, Fasig-Tipton's select sale of two-year-olds in training, the colt went unsold on a final bid of $325,000.

"He worked a lot better here," said Pickerell. "He's really changed a lot since that sale. We're just really glad that all the buyers agreed with us on how nice of a horse we thought he was all year. He's going to a good spot, and we're happy.

"I think the market is good. We brought seven up here and sold six through the ring and maybe have something going on the other one, so there are people here to buy horses on all levels. OBS did a good job getting the buyers here. We were a bit unsure about bringing a horse with that kind of pedigree and physical here. OBS did their part and got people here to look at him."

"I think I bought a really great horse," said Gonzalez, who will send the horse to train with Jerry Hollendorfer. "I talked to him and told him, 'I'm going to send you some more,' so he's really happy."

Gonzalez was born in New York and raised in Puerto Rico before returning to the United States, where he works in insurance. A racing enthusiast for over 43 years, he first began buying horses in 1971 and has achieved success in several graded stakes, including wins in the 2014 Oklahoma Derby with Tonito M and the 2009 Generous Stakes with Who's Up.

Gonzalez said the decision to leave Las Vegas for a farm in Ocala was partly due to health reasons but also to allow him more time to focus on his racing and, hopefully one day, breeding operations.

"I am moving from the metropolis to a quiet place to relax and take care of my health," said Gonzalez. "My passion all my life has been horses. Now I am going back to my farm to rest and put my pajamas on."

A total of 187 juveniles from 263 offered were purchased during the June sale's opening session for gross receipts of $6,199,500. The average was $32,725 and the median was $20,000. The 76 that went unsold represented an RNA rate of 29 per cent. During the same session last year, 179 horses from 218 offered changed hands for gross receipts of $6,641,000 at an average price of $37,101 and a median of $18,000. The 39 horses that went unsold last year represented an RNA rate of $18 per cent.

"It's a spotty market to begin with in June, but I believe the buyers are just showing up and it should get better within the next couple days," said Jimbo Gladwell of Top Line Sales, which sold two horses for gross receipts of $275,000. "They definitely have a small target they're aiming at in terms of the quality of horses, and if you miss that bull's-eye at all, you're having trouble getting horses traded. Definitely you have to work hard to get it done.

"I think you get a whole new set of buyers that come here, and they're on a different budget. They assess the horses by their pedigree, how they work, and how they move. There are a lot of horses in here for reasons unknown to us, whether it be vet issues, purchase prices, or minor setbacks earlier in the year. People come in here hoping to get deals, and it's the last spot for all of us to sell horses, so we're usually a lot more easy to get along with and it's easier to move horses and sell them. We're more motivated."

The second-highest price of the day went to hip 254, a Distorted Humor colt consigned by De Meric Sales. Bred in Kentucky by Russell L Reineman Stable out of the Forestry mare Driven, the two-year-old was purchased for $290,000 by Team Casse. Overall, De Meric Sales sold seven individuals for receipts of $667,500.

The highest-priced filly of the day was hip 256, a daughter of Constitution consigned by Potrero Stables. Bred in Kentucky by Calumet Farm, the filly is out of the Grade 1 Vinery Madison Stakes victress Dr Zic, a daughter of Milwaukee Brew. Phil and Christine Hatfield paid $280,000 for her.

"Typical June market and typical of the trend we've seen here over the past couple of years," Tristan de Meric said. "It's definitely similar to what we've seen in the past. There are still buyers for the good horses, and I think there are still good horses to come. I'm happy overall."

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