'He's got nothing but blue sky and green grass ahead of him' - $1.2m Tapit colt tops first session of OBS

West Point Thoroughbreds, D. J. Stable, and CJ, with LEB as agent, combined their purchasing power to secure the $1.2 million bid on Hip 173, a Tapit colt from the Lothenbach Stables dispersal to top proceedings on Tuesday during the first day of the Ocala Breeders’ March Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training.

Robert 'Bob' Lothenbach, a prominent Minnesota-based owner and breeder, died in November after operating a successful racing stable for more than 30 years. His stable ranked in the top ten nationally in 2020 and 2022.

Consigned by Tom McCrocklin, agent for the complete dispersal of Lothenbach Stables, the handsome grey or roan colt, who was bred in Kentucky by Lothenbach Stables, galloped for prospective buyers on the first day of the under tack show. 

“We loved the fact he was big and raw and not honed on,” said West Point Thoroughbreds’ Terry Finley. “I knew [Lothenbach] had a beautiful breeding programme and really ran a great operation. I knew he had a lot of horses in here and I knew there would be an opportunity to buy horses out of a very effective programme.

“When we saw him, we just thought he is the kind we look for and we figured he would bring a lot of money. But I think he has plenty of upside. Obviously, the Tapits can be across the board in their mental disposition, if you will, and he has a really cool mind and acted the right way all week. 

"We all kind of say the same things after we buy an expensive horse, but we keep our fingers crossed and hope they are closer to being what we think they are than end up being horses that cause us to shake our heads and say, ‘Where did we go wrong on that one?’ 

Terry Finley: 'We're hopeful, and it's a good group of owners'Credit: Anne M Eberhardt

"We’re hopeful, and it's a good group. We’ve had a couple of horses with the Greens [D. J. Stables], but this one is by far the best prospect we’ve ever got our hands on together, and we’re excited to go forward."

Produced from the winning Distorted Humor mare Distorted Music, the colt is a half-brother to Graded stakes winner She Can't Sing. The colt hails from the family of multiple Grade 1 winners Music Note and Musical Chimes , and 2021 Dubai World Cup winner Mystic Guide.

Jonathan Green of D. J. Stable is excited about the future of the well-bred colt, who will be trained by Mark Casse.

“The important thing about this colt is the partnership behind the horse,” said Green. “We’ve had a couple of good successes with West Point. Terry and I have been talking the last couple of sales, and we’ve been waiting for the right horse. We felt like this was absolutely the right athlete to go after. We feel like he has two-turn ability and we’re going to take our time with him. 

"The other thing is, you go through these dispersals, and every year, one horse jumps out of that programme. We really feel he was the best horse of the group of Lothenbach horses being offered. The fact he has been galloping and not breezing, especially for a big horse like that, I think is going to be to his benefit, his development.

"The world is his oyster right now. He’s got nothing but blue sky and green grass ahead of him.” 

McCrocklin said of the colt, “All the strong, reputable buyers were on him, and I promoted him as the best horse in the sale — breeze, gallop, walk. If I breed to Tapit, he is what I want, a picture of a horse, a class act. He moves like a cat and is a phenomenal horse. I think they bought a genuinely nice horse. He’s a lovely horse, and I am very appreciative of West Point, and I think they will be really happy with him.

“For those that want to critique fast breezes, you can pay $1.2 million for a horse that galloped. I hope it quiets some of the noise we have been getting about two-year-olds in training sales. I have 50 years of data that refutes everything that has been said about the fast breezes. Two-year-olds outperform weanlings, yearlings, and homebreds in races started, won, black type, everything. I really encourage people to do their own homework and not just read what’s in print. Trust, but verify.”

During Tuesday's opening session, OBS reported 153 horses sold of the 208 through the ring for a gross of $20,904,000, a one per cent decrease over the corresponding session last year. The average dropped 3.6 per cent to $136,627, and the median rose 2.9 per cent to $72,000. 

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