After the Auction: Jake's Magic Hat

As an avid fan of sales with possible aspirations to become an adviser/bloodstock agent, auctions are one of my favorite topics to write about on Past the Grandstand. This is the twelfth edition in a blog series called “After the Auction” that will feature horses I selected in sales that have found success after the sale. *Note: If an “After the Auction” features a two-year-old, it will also be listed as a “Juvenile Spotlight.”

The average sale price at the 2013 OBS March Sale was $158,632. For nearly $70,000 less than that, one could have acquired Jake’s Magic Hat – a colt that, less than four months later, would earn nearly half of his purchase price in his very first start, proving to be a smart buy.

Catching my eye with a 10 3/5-second breeze in the preview show for the sale, Jake’s Magic Hat joined my auction selections due to the athleticism he displayed in that work. Just over three months later, the bay two-year-old made his debut, contending with five other juveniles in a five-furlong maiden special weight at Belmont Park.

After breaking in the air and making contact with the horse to his outside, the tall bay was asked by jockey Jose Lezcano to move closer to the front. The colt responded, finding a position just behind the leaders as he tracked the pace. He and the leaders widened their lead on the others and near the end of the far turn, Lezcano guided Jake’s Magic Hat to the outside, allowing the colt to begin his rally.

As a result of running greenly, Jake’s Magic Hat required straightening by Lezcano, but the colt commenced his run nonetheless, striking to the lead in late stretch. Without much effort, the flashy, blaze-faced bay drew away from his competitors, taking the race by 2 ¼ lengths in a good final time of 57.57 seconds.

Jake’s Magic Hat is a son of the young Tiz Wonderful, whose offspring have impressed many, especially in terms of looks. Since entering stud in 2009, Tiz Wonderful has sired the likes of the graded stakes-winning My Happy Face, the group stakes-placed Tiz Tremendous, and the stakes-placed runners Scammony and Tiz Fitting. Tiz Wonderful is a son of two-time Breeders’ Cup Classic (GI) victor Tiznow, who has concluded three of the past five years with a top twenty ranking among the best sires in North America.

The dam of Jake’s Magic Hat, Tico Breeze, is sired by Carson City, thus providing Jake’s Magic Hat with the same broodmare sire as the grade one winners Barbaro, Havre de Grace, Lear’s Princess, and Rail Trip. The Tiznow/Carson City sire line cross on which Jake’s Magic Hat was bred has proven successful, as it is the same one that produced the grade one-winning Bullsbay, as well as the stakes-winning Lady Chace and the graded stakes-placed horses Big Tiz and Tiz to Dream.

Jake’s Magic Hat descends from a strong Maryland dam line, which includes his fifth dam, Golden Spike. A daughter of Secretariat’s half-brother, Sir Gaylord, Golden Spike is the dam of the multiple grade one-winning Track Barron. Jake’s Magic Hat’s eighth dam is La Chica, a brilliant broodmare whose progeny include the champion El Chico, who was unbeaten as a juvenile. Thus, Jake’s Magic Hat’s tail female line is the same one that produced the legendary champion Native Dancer, as the Hall of Famer and influential sire’s third dam is La Chica.

Becoming my first official selection from a 2013 two-year-old sale to garner a victory, Jake’s Magic Hat appears to have a very promising future. With a pedigree geared toward early success, bigger and better things could be waiting on the horizon for this colt.