Consignor Ciaran Dunne routinely says there is no hiding a good horse on the sale grounds. Sure enough, during the fourth day of the under tack show for the Ocala Breeders' Sales June 2-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age Sale, some promising members of Dunne's Wavertree Stables consignment were anything but incognito.
Amidst clear skies and slightly breezy conditions, Dunne's protégés repeatedly showed their potential during Friday's session, including Hip 634, a bay colt by Nyquist , who worked an eighth in :09 3/5 to post the fastest time at the distance.
The Nyquist colt is the lone horse to go in :09 3/5 thus far during the under tack show and his outing helped validate the patience shown to him by Dunne and breeder Cypress Creek Equine. Out of 2016 Chilean champion female sprinter and stakes winner Paquita Coqueta, by Scat Daddy, the colt was an immature type when he first came to Wavertree last fall but has steadily blossomed—physically and mentally—ahead of the June exercise.
"We got him in October/November and he was a little bit backwards as a yearling," Dunne said of the colt. "Just because of his immaturity, we waited for this sale. But he's always been a nice horse who has done everything right. We went up with high expectations today and he didn't disappoint. He had every right to do what he did, and it takes a good horse to do what he did."
The Nyquist colt is a half brother to the Laoban filly Colder Weather, who is stakes-placed in Venezuela.
In addition to having the day's top time with the Nyquist colt, Wavertree also had two youngsters work in :09 4/5 in Hip 572, a bay colt by Bolt d'Oro out of the Smart Strike mare Missile Belle, and Hip 564, a gray or roan filly by Liam's Map .
The filly is out of the winning Bertrando mare Mindfully, a daughter of grade 1 winner Key Phrase from the female family of 2017 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) winner Bar of Gold.
"The Liam's Map filly is a very typical Unbridled's Song," Dunne said, referencing Liam's Map's sire. "She's a beautiful filly, very leggy. She was originally slated to go to the races, but a few little things happened, and they decided to reroute her here.
"The Bolt d'Oro colt is a big horse," Dunne continued. "We had him slated for April but it was coming a little too quick for him. We always felt he was a nice horse and decided to give him a little extra time in hopes that he was as nice as we thought he was. Again, he proved to be worth the wait."
The Bolt d'Oro colt and Liam's Map filly were among nine horses who worked in :09 4/5 Thursday. Others who posted that time were:
- Hip 554, a gray or roan filly by Twirling Candy consigned by Golden Rock Thoroughbreds. The filly, who is a half sister to graded stakes-placed Our Moonlight, is out of the winning, graded stakes-placed Unbridled's Song mare Mannerly, who is out of a full sister to grade 1-placed stakes winner Spring Awakening.
- Hip 563, a bay colt by Practical Joke consigned by de Meric Sales. The colt is out of the Drosselmeyer mare Midnight Girl, a half sister to multiple grade 1 winner Midnight Lucky.
- Hip 577, Machine Gun, a bay colt by Liam's Map consigned by Adios Amigos. The colt is out of the grade 1-winning Game Plan mare Mistical Plan and is a half brother to multiple stakes winner Patriot Spirit, an OBS grad who ran second in the May 3 Knicks Go Overnight Stakes at Churchill Downs.
- Hip 589, a gray or roan colt by Liam's Map consigned by Top Line Sales. The colt is out of multiple Peruvian champion Morena, by Privately Held, and is a half brother to 2016 Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Creator.
- Hip 644, a dark bay or brown filly by Win Win Win consigned by Champions of the Future. The filly is out of the winning Majesticperfection mare Perfect Prediction and is a half sister to multiple stakes winner and graded stakes-placed Surly Furious.
- Hip 653, a bay colt by Runhappy consigned by Nice and Easy Thoroughbreds. The colt is out of the Maclean's Music mare Platinum Artist, who is out of a full sister to graded 2 winner Paved in Gold.
- Hip 654, a bay filly by Bolt d'Oro consigned by Woodside Ranch. The filly is out of the winning Elusive Quality mare Platonic Love and is from the female family of grade 1 winner and producer Toussaud.
Three horses worked a quarter-mile in :20 4/5:
- Hip 538, a chestnut colt by Catalina Cruiser consigned by Thorostock. The colt is out of the winning Quality Road mare Madison Avenue and is from the female family of multiple graded stakes winner Woke Up Dreamin.
- Hip 697, a bay colt by Tunwoo consigned by LF Horse Training and Sales. The colt is out the Distorted Humor mare Ribbing and is a half brother to stakes-placed Always Angels.
- Hip 705, a bay filly by Omaha Beach consigned by Hoppel. The filly is out of the Karakontie mare Romy, who is a half sister to graded stakes winner Wells Bayou.
The OBS June under tack show wraps up June 14 beginning at 7:30 a.m. ET with hips 706-833, supplements 834-873, and horses of racing age 901-903 st to be on the track. The sale itself takes place June 17-18 with sessions beginning at 10 a.m. each day.
All under tack sessions are streamed live on the OBS website, as well as the BloodHorse website. Full results of the under tack show can also be found on the OBS website.
This press release has been edited for content and style by BloodHorse Staff.
