As Ali Rice spoke about both the effort one of her consignment's top fillies delivered on the track and the sentiment the chestnut youngster carried with her, the Florida heat became no match for the emotions that bubbled up.
"I'm getting goosebumps," said Rice, who operates RiceHorse Stable with her husband Brandon. "It's 100 degrees and I'm getting goosebumps."
The inspiration behind the overflow of pride that overtook Rice during the third day of the Under Tack show for the 2025 Ocala Breeders June 2-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age Sale came after Hip 412, a chestnut filly by Leinster , worked a quarter in :20 3/5 to post the fastest time at the distance during the June 12 session.
Out of the winning Cape Blanco mare Cape Trios, who is herself a daughter of stakes winner Trois Aureole, the filly is owned by Aldo De Luca and has been with the RiceHorse team for about a month and a half. Even before throwing down her bullet move, the filly, currently named Elenique, succeeded in making a massive impression on those around her with both her good mind and physical prowess.
"She arrived to us and has done everything right and came into this poised and ready for action," Ali Rice said. "She's so efficient in her stride that it seems effortless when she goes. You never hear her move across the track so ... you never expect :20 and 3 but we knew she was so efficient that she would produce the breeze on the day.
"And I think OBS has done a good job keeping the track fair and nice," Rice continued. "It can get hot and sticky but we're starting earlier, we're breaking often. We're doing the right things so horses can have an opportunity to perform."
Shortly after the filly put in her impressive move, De Luca shared with Rice why the filly was special for reasons beyond the obvious.
"He told me a beautiful story today where his partner in business and his wife passed away within four months of each other," Rice said. "Their little boy is 11 years old, and he came to the farm for a little time away to see the horses and he particularly loved this filly. So, (De Luca) gave the partner in name a piece of this filly.
"And the little boy asked if he could name her, so she is named Elenique after his mother who died of cancer. Sometimes these horses know that it needs to happen."
Two horses worked in :20 4/5 during the session: Hip 369, a bay colt by Global Campaign consigned by Ocala Stud, and Hip 410, a bay colt by Twirling Candy consigned by Tom McCrocklin.
The Global Campaign colt is out of the winning Harlan's Holiday mare Holiday Flare and is a half brother to multiple stakes-placed Restofthestory and stakes-placed Big Effect.
The Twirling Candy colt is out of the Speightstown mare Brooke and Emory, who is out of multiple grade 1 winner Hard Not to Like.
McCrocklin also sent out the lone horse to work in :21 flat, Hip 425, Slovenia Melania, a chestnut filly by Nyquist . The filly is out of the More Than Ready mare Hasnaa, a half sister to graded stakes winner Shagaf.
A total of seven horses worked in :09 4/5:
- Hip 351, Let's Go Barbie, a dark bay or brown filly by Midshipman consigned by New Hope AB. The filly is out of the winning Medaglia d'Oro mare Greek Mythology, a half sister to graded stakes winner and stakes producer Devious Intent.
- Hip 459, a chestnut filly by Charlatan consigned by Top Line Sales. The filly is out of the winning Medaglia d'Oro mare Jade d'Oro, a half sister to multiple grade 1 winner Lord Nelson.
- Hip 476, a dark bay or brown filly by Uncle Chuck consigned by S G V Thoroughbreds. The filly is out of the With Distinction mare Kiana Believes and is from the female family of grade 1 winners Point Ashley and Paola Queen.
- Hip 496, a dark bay or brown filly by Kantharos consigned by Wildheart Thoroughbreds. The filly is out of the winning Twirling Candy mare Last Resort and is a half sister to stakes winner Professors' Pride.
- Hip 503, a bay filly by Maximus Mischief consigned by Harris Training Center. The filly is out of the winning Lemon Drop Kid mare Lemon Drop Kitty, a full sister to multiple stakes winner and graded stakes-placed Candy Kitty.
- Hip 512, a bay colt by Modernist consigned by Omar Ramirez Bloodstock. The colt is out of the winning Sidney's Candy mare Lila Ruth and is from the female family of multiple grade 1 winner Win.
- Hip 528, Unlimited, a chestnut colt by Authentic consigned by Wavertree Stables. The colt is out of the Pulpit mare Lovely, a half sister to multiple graded stakes winner Multiple Choice and from the female family of 2024 champion older dirt male National Treasure .
The OBS June under tack show continues June 13 at 7:30 a.m. ET with Hips 535-705 set to be on the track. The under tack show runs through June 14 with the sale itself taking place June 17-18 with sessions beginning at 10 a.m. each day.
All under tack sessions are streamed live on the OBS website at obssales.com, as well as the BloodHorse website. Full results of the under tack show and more can be found in the OBS June online catalog.
This press release has been edited for content and style by BloodHorse Staff.
