Although the two top-selling horses at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Winter Mixed Sale were sent to the breeding shed, the third-highest priced horse, the Street Boss filly Lady Edith, continued her racing career and added another stakes victory to her resume for her new connections. Acquired by Abbodanza/Omar Aldabbah for $370,000, the now 5-year-old Lady Edith placed in the Caress Stakes (G3T) at Saratoga Race Course before capturing the $150,000 Floral Park Stakes at Belmont Park.
Lady Edith’s 2022 success should encourage buyers to keep a watchful eye on turnkey racing prospects coming out of this year’s Winter Mixed Sale. From a robust catalog of 532 horses, there are several standouts, three of which will be led through the ring on Day 2 of the sale, Feb. 7.
The fleet-footed Quick Munny, offered as Hip 341 from the Grovendale consignment, looks like the individual best suited to follow in the hoofsteps of Lady Edith. The 5-year-old daughter of Munnings enters the ring off a career-best performance in a Jan. 14 second-level allowance optional claimer at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots for owners Franklin Ave Equine and Jonathan Green.
Shotgunning from the gates, Quick Munny dashed to the lead and never looked back en route to a 2 1/2-length tally going six furlongs on the dirt. She earned an 81 Equibase Speed Figure for the effort and collected her third win from 11 trips to the post.
“Speed like that is pretty deadly,” said Brian DiDonato, founder and managing partner of Franklin Ave Equine.
DiDonato and his partners had set their sights on black-type glory with Quick Munny after the filly scored decisively in a 5 1/2-furlong turf allowance test last summer at Ellis Park.
“When the Oaklawn (Park) condition book came out and we saw that new stakes race (the Poinsetta), we thought that was a good target for her,” DiDonato said. “She was training exceptionally well before that race at Oaklawn. She shipped over there and we figured out she didn’t really care for that track. So, we regrouped from there, sent her to a track she likes in Fair Grounds, put blinkers on her, and told jockey James Graham ‘take no prisoners’ and that’s what she did.”
DiDonato initially took notice of the speedy filly in the 2020 Ocala Breeders' Sale Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training after she blazed a bullet eighth of a mile in :9 4/5. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, DiDonato and his partners were able to snatch up Quick Munny for $100,000. By a proven sire in Munnings, Quick Munny is the second foal out of the Tiznow mare Quick Click, who hails from the family of the prolific stallion Tapit .
“If we weren’t trying to dissolve this partnership, I think we’d be looking for other stakes opportunities throughout the year for her,” DiDonato said. “There’s a lot of partners in on her and we’ve been toying with the idea of liquidating for a while; we were just looking for a good exit point. I’m also focusing on winding down the syndicate part of Franklin Ave and focusing on syndicating through Edge Racing. So the sale was kind of a good opportunity in that regard as well.”
DiDonato is also the head of operations for the Myracehorse syndicate Edge Racing, which began in 2020.
Two other racing or broodmare prospects set to sell on Day 2 include Silver Currency (Hip 387) from Four Star Sales and Cerchi (Hip 570) from the Brookdale Sales consignment.
Silver Currency is another that brings winning form with her to the ring. The 4-year-old daughter of Triple Crown hero American Pharoah is offered following a dominating maiden special weight win at Sam Houston Race Park Jan. 8 for owner Tom Durant and trainer Bret Calhoun.
Purchased by Durant’s brother Jerry for $320,000 as a yearling at the 2020 Keeneland September Sale, Silver Currency placed twice in maiden special weight company before her 8-length romp traveling a mile on the dirt in her fifth career outing.
Silver Currency is produced from the stakes-winning A.P Jet mare Avery Hall, the dam of six winners from eight foals to race, including the grade 3 victress Sheza Smoke Show, who in turn begat the grade 1-winning juvenile Princess Noor. An earner of over $363,000 before her racing career was cut short by injury, Princess Noor commanded $2.9 million in foal to Into Mischief at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Mixed Sale.
Cerchi is the last and youngest of the prospects to go under the hammer on Tuesday. The 3-year-old filly is by three-time leading stallion Into Mischief and out of the stakes-placed Quiet American mare Quiet Hour. As is typical for most Into Mischiefs, Cerchi is adept at both surfaces, placing on both the dirt and the turf against maiden special weight company.
In her most recent start, Cerchi was a runner-up at Fair Grounds Dec. 9. Although winless in two starts for trainer Brad Cox, the filly has been actively breezing in the mornings, her last move being a five-furlong drill in 1:02 2/5 Jan. 22 in New Orleans.
