Agents John Kimmel and Nick Sallusto extended to $725,000 to secure the bid on a bay colt from the first crop of McKinzie early in the fourth and final session of the Ocala Breeders' Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training April 19.
The colt, consigned as Hip 995, was purchased on behalf of Sean Flanagan and will be sent to trainer Chad Brown. Offered by Caliente Thoroughbreds, agent, the Kentucky-bred colt is out of the winning Bernardini mare Bernadreamy and descends from the family of grade 1 stakes winner Dream Empress. Hip 995 breezed a quarter-mile in :21 during the under tack preview.
"We've been following McKinzie since the yearling market," said Kimmel. "They did pretty well. We were quite impressed with a bunch of them that breezed here, but this colt actually did something that you don't see very often. A horse with his kind of fluid action, for him to go out the way he did; he went :21, but he also went out in :44 4/5 and out another eighth in under :59 (for five furlongs).
"And the thing about it is the way he did it. He looks like a horse that has such fluid motion we were surprised that he actually did that. He doesn't look like he's going that fast.
"Then you go back and look at the physical, and then you check all the boxes there," Kimmel added. "And the horse actually passed all the technical stuff. Those are the kinds of horses we try to buy. I thought the price was stiff, but I think Mr. Flanagan gets a legitimate horse."
Sallusto added: "The horse has all of the qualities mentally and physically. His characteristics kind of give you chills being around him. It's a little uncanny how cool of a customer he is."
Kimmel has liked what he's seen from the McKinzie foals.
"They look like good physicals. They have good, powerful bodies. We've seen them breeze very well. (McKinzie) is by a horse that won the (Kentucky) Derby in Street Sense. I think he has a legitimate chance to jump up there on the freshman sire list."
Bred by Rigney Racing, the colt was a $260,000 acquisition out of the Denali Stud consignment at the 2023 Fasig-Tipton July Sale by G.S. Inversiones Hipicas, a partnership formed by Saul Marquez of Caliente Thoroughbreds.
"I'm blessed to be around good people that trust me," said Marquez between high-fives with supportive onlookers. "I can't express how happy I am.
"(Hip 995 is) an impressive colt. He does everything well. He is obviously a two-turn horse, (he's) well-minded. He was busy all week long. He had a great gallop out, and I think the sky is the limit for this colt."
On selecting the colt as a yearling, Marquez recalled, "He was impressive. I took a little risk. I was coming off a good year and I said, 'I have to throw it in again.' That's the only way I think I can keep going."
When asked his plans for the upcoming yearling sale season, Marquez responded, "Go again."
Earlier in the session, another juvenile by McKinzie, Hip 974, brought $675,000 from Bradley Thoroughbreds. The filly, consigned by Julie Davies, agent, breezed an eighth in :10 at the under tack preview.
