Originally posted by the TDN by Christie DeBernardis
Claiborne Farm will take a shot at selling racehorses with a strong group of 11 making up the operation’s first consignment at the Fasig-Tipton July Horses of Racing Age Sale Monday. The prestigious farm will offer one of their own horses, six Phipps Stable homebreds, two horses from Waterford Stable and two owned by Bass Stables.
“Daisy [Phipps] came to us earlier in the spring and said she needed to sell some horses,” Claiborne President Walker Hancock said. “That is how it started and we began going through [her stock]. Daisy, Shug [McGaughey], Bernie [Sams], my dad and I went through and figured out which ones would be good candidates to sell, in order to cut down the number of racehorses she has. Steve Young gave us four more to sell [for Waterford Stable and Ramona Bass] and we are adding one of our own, so that rounds out the consignment.”
The Phipps portion of the consignment boasts six males with big pedigrees, a few of which are stakes quality runners. Out of a daughter of Hall of Famer Personal Ensign, Fire Away (War Front) (hip 443), who is a 6-year-old half-brother to GISW Mr Speaker (Pulpit), won a rained-off renewal of the GIII Dixie S. at Pimlico in May, in addition to a pair of listed stakes at Aqueduct. His 4-year-old half-brother Snap Decision (Hard Spun) (hip 522) and 5-year-old Revved Up (Candy Ride {Arg}) (hip 504), a son of champion Storm Flag Flying, are both Grade III-placed.
The other three Phipps horses to be offered Monday are Bokeelia Island (Medaglia d’Oro) (hip 413), a 6-year-old half-brother to MGISWs Point of Entry (Dynaformer) and Pine Island (Arch); Lead Astray (Malibu Moon ) (hip 468), a 4-year-old son of champion Smuggler (Unbridled); and Myakka River (Giant’s Causeway) (hip 483), a 4-year-old out of MGSW and MGISP Boca Granda (A.P. Indy).
“The Phipps horses have huge pedigrees and I think that alone will attract buyers to come see them,” Hancock said. “I think we have a really strong group. Fire Away is a graded stakes winner and Revved Up and Snap Decision are both graded stakes placed. We have a couple coming out of big wins in their last efforts. We are selling Seize (War Front), who ran really big at Churchill a couple of weeks ago. We have a couple other horses coming off big efforts as well. I think we have a pretty strong consignment from top to bottom and a lot of horses are primed to run big next time out.”
Out of a full-sister to champion Blame (Arch), Claiborne and Adele Dilschneider homebred Seize (hip 515) won a Churchill Downs allowance by 3 1/4 lengths June 23.
Okinawa (The Factor) (hip 556) and Texican (Bernardini) (hip 557) both carried the colors of owner/breeder Ramona Bass’s Bass Stables. A $420,000 OBSAPR buy, the 4-year-old Okinawa has won two of her six starts and was most recently second in a Belmont optional claimer June 3. The 4-year-old gelding Texican is still a maiden, but is a son of MSW and GSP Bag Lady Jane (Devil’s Bag) and a half-brother to GSW Mamma Kimbo (Discreet Cat).
Representing Waterford Stable is 4-year-old Clear N Convincing (Giant’s Causeway) (hip 554), a $370,000 EASMAY purchase who broke his maiden last time at Belmont June 16; and Sum Overture (The Factor) (hip 555), a 3-year-old debut winner at Monmouth in his lone start June 17.
“The sale is well-positioned, right before Del Mar and Saratoga,” Hancock said. “These horses are ready to run and a lot of people may be looking to add another star to their stable. Last year, the sale was strong. It is a great place to buy a horse and to sell one. People can take advantage of selling a horse that may be coming off a big effort.”
He continued, “You have all the right people coming to town to hopefully move these horses along and have some success with them later on in the summer. There is no other sale like it around. It is the only place to sell a horse like this at this time of year. I think that is why it is gaining popularity.
When asked if the horses of racing age consignment would be an annual tradition, Hancock said, “We will have to see. You never know how it will be year to year or what the clients would like to do. It could go into the future.”