After the Auction: Mosler

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. “After the Auctions” feature horses I selected in sales that have found success after the sale.

Each year during the largest yearling auction in the world, the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, numerous young Thoroughbreds sell for six-figure prices. But whether these expensive youngsters ever blossom into successful racehorses is a gamble in and of itself. If they ever earn back that large sum is an even greater risk.

As for Mosler, he is progressing toward proving his $1.05 million price tag worthy. One of my selections at the 2012 September Sale, Mosler has earned $49,000 in two starts and although he has a long journey ahead to equal or surpass his purchase price, he exhibits the potential to do so.

A half-brother to the multiple grade one-winning Contested, Mosler debuted on August 10, 2013 at Saratoga, finishing fourth as the second betting choice. Both the runner-up and third-place finisher – Sound of Freedom and Tiznowforamerica, respectively – won their subsequent starts.

Approximately a month later, Mosler made the second start of his career at Belmont, facing six rivals in a one-mile maiden special weight over the dirt. Despite being brushed at the start, Mosler went straight to the lead, setting a steady pace down the Belmont backstretch. He only extended his lead from there, drawing away in the stretch to score by 3 ½ lengths.

In just two starts, Mosler has already exhibited professionalism, which speaks volumes about his potential. What the future holds for this Bill Mott trainee, owned by Adele Dilschneider, is unknown, but it certainly appears bright.

Pedigree Analysis

War Front
Photo by Terri Cage

Mosler is a son of the hottest sire in town, War Front. A graded stakes-winning son of Danzig, War Front has sired fifteen graded stakes winners to date since entering stud at the renowned Claiborne Farm in 2007. Among those fifteen horses are the grade/group one winners Data Link, Declaration of War, Summer Soiree, The Factor, and Warning Flag (Sweet Orange). Not only is War Front capable of producing a quality racehorse, but he has also proven to be a top commercial sire. Currently ranked as the ninth-leading sire of yearlings in the world, War Front is the sire of the current sale topper at the 2013 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, a $2.5 million son of the During mare Blading Gold Ring.

As aforementioned, Mosler is a half-brother to the multiple grade one-winning filly Contested. His dam, Gold Vault, is a daughter of Arch, a sire of seven grade one winners. As a broodmare sire, the grade one-winning son of spectacular dam sire Kris S has yielded the dams of the dual classic-winning champion I’ll Have Another, the multiple grade one-winning champion Uncle Mo, and the group stakes-winning Lines of Battle – the latter of which is bred on the same War Front/Arch cross as Mosler. Gold Vault is a half-sister to the multiple grade one-winning sire Pomeroy and a direct descendant of the Oaks Stakes-winning Imprudence II.