After the Auction: Jimmy Connors

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. *Note: If an “After the Auction” features a two-year-old, it will also be listed as a “Juvenile Spotlight.”

Jimmy Connors – the human – won eight Grand Slam singles titles and two Grand Slam doubles titles. Jimmy Connors – the horse – has won a Monmouth Park maiden special weight. But he, too, possesses immense talent.

A two-year-old chestnut colt by Yes It’s True, Jimmy Connors was one of my selections at last year’s Fasig-Tipton July Sale, selling for just $20,000. He debuted at Monmouth Park on July 27, going five and one-half furlongs on the dirt. After tracking the pace from third, he was guided to the outside around the far turn as he aimed for the lead. Finding his best stride, Jimmy Connors coasted past the leaders in mid-stretch, drawing away to a 4 ¼-length victory.

Bred for precocity, Jimmy Connors displayed just that in his debut. The opportunities are endless for the colt and although he likely won’t reach the same level of brilliance in racing that the tennis player attained in his own sport, he could easily garner accomplishments of his own.

Pedigree Analysis

Jimmy Connors is among the talented army of Yes It’s True juveniles that have accumulated a large amount of wins this year, leaving him as the international leading sire of two-year-olds. Jimmy Connors shares his sire with the graded stakes winners Actin Good, Aikenite, Chantrue, Off Duty, Nordic Truce, Proud Accolade, Yesbyjimminy, and Yes He’s the Man.

The pedigree of Yes It’s True is rather understated, but also lined with indicators that he would become the successful sire he is. His sire, Is It True, only produced a pair of grade one winners – including Yes It’s True himself – but is by Raja Baba, the leading North American sire of 1980. Raja Baba was a fairly productive sire of sires, producing not only Is It True, but Royal Ski and Well Decorated.

The dam of Yes It’s True, Clever Monique, was a profitable producer, also yielding the multiple stakes-winning Honest Deceiver. Intriguingly, Yes It’s True’s seventh dam is Dancing Date, the dam of Terrang, who captured a record ten stakes events at Santa Anita. Yes It’s True is a descendant of American family one, the same female family that has yielded the grade one victors Gato Del Sol, Germany, and Tizway.

Yes It’s True’s broodmare sire is Clever Trick, who was also the damsire of such grade one winners as Came Home, Elegant Fashion, Nothingtolose, and Victors Cry. Clever Trick’s sire is Icecapade, a half-brother to the great Ruffian. Interestingly, Yes It’s True only has one trace of Native Dancer in his pedigree, which comes through Shenanigans – the dam of Icecapade and Ruffian.

Jimmy Connors’ dam has also produced the black-type-placed Elle Tish Slew. She is a half-sister to the graded stakes winners Canadian Frontier and Seeking Slew, as well as the multiple black-type-winning and graded stakes-placed Slewfoundmoney. Jimmy Connors comes from a prosperous dam line and has Bertrando as his broodmare sire, providing him with the same damsire as champion Unrivaled Belle. This Yes It’s True/Relaunch cross is the same that produced the graded stakes-winning Off Duty.

Part Two: 2013 Fasig-Tipton July Sale

Hip 4 in the sales ring
Photo by Terri Cage

Horse after horse strolled through the back ring at Fasig-Tipton’s Newtown Paddocks in Lexington, Kentucky as a crowd of prospective buyers lined the rail. As a yearling’s time to sell neared, the young horse would leave the back ring for the alley behind the sales ring. Once in the sales ring, each yearling would take in the peculiar sight of the auditorium as buyers placed their bids on the regally bred Thoroughbreds. For the first time ever, I watched this action happen before me, at the Fasig-Tipton July Sale.

Of the 17 selections I made (which you can read about in Part One), 14 sold for a total of $1,345,000, averaging $96,071. This average was nearly $7,000 higher than the sale’s average, which increased by 10.45% from last year. Among my selections was the sale topper (hip 51), who sold for $460,000 – $85,000 higher than last year’s sale topper.

Listed below are the horses featured in Part One, listed with their sire and dam, buyer, and price:

Hip #4: Summer Bird – Gold N Shaft; Arch Kingsley, Agent;­ $60,000

Hip #7: Tiz Wonderful – Greer Lynn; Kings Equine; $30,000

Hip #17: Midshipman – Home Run Kiss; RNA ($19,000)

Hip #21: Notional – House of Soviet’s; Hubert Guy Bloodstock; $30,000

Hip #28: Zensational – Indigene; Rick Greenberg, Ken McPeek, Agent; $50,000

Hip #33: Line of David – Just for You; Paul Sharp; $50,000 (Private Sale)

Hip #45: Tiz Wonderful – Lakefront; Triple SSS Stables; $40,000 (Private Sale)

Hip #51: Desert Party – Lil Cozette; Regis Farms; $460,000 (Sale Topper)

Hip #54: Super Saver – Lungargal; Hartley/De Renzo Thoroughbreds; $165,000

Hip #58: Tiz Wonderful – Major’s Girl; RNA ($48,000)

Hip #69: Majesticperfection – Miss Tippins; Triple SSS Stables; $35,000

Hip #70: Majesticperfection – More d’Amour; Bradley Thoroughbreds LLC; $135,000

Hip #109: Desert Party – Rokeby Rosie; Ciaran Dunne; $90,000

Hip #110: Old Fashioned – Romantic Romance; Big D Stable; $67,000

Hip #164: Majesticperfection – Touch of Joy; Kenneth McPeek, Agent; $48,000

Hip #176: Discreetly Mine – Untarnished; Rise Up Stables; $85,000

Hip #179: Old Fashoned – Varilla; RNA ($24,000)

Also catching my eye were these hips: 35 (who sold for $80,000) and 139 (who sold for $50,000).

Part One: 2013 Fasig-Tipton July Sale

Last year, the Fasig-Tipton July Sale served as the first yearling auction I ever covered. This year, it has become the first one I have ever attended. The day prior to the sale, I spent the first half of the day viewing and studying dozens of yearlings at Fasig-Tipton’s Newtown Paddocks in Lexington, Kentucky.

As the warm morning sun shone over the barns, I approached numerous consignments, selecting the yearlings I wanted to view from each consignment prior to analyzing their conformation and walk. Making notes as I studied these young horses, I noted the horses that impressed me most. Listed below are my top 17 yearling selections for the July Sale, which will begin tomorrow (July 15) at 10:00 AM Eastern Time.

Hip #4: A member of champion Summer Bird’s first crop and the second foal out of the unraced Mineshaft mare Gold N Shaft, hip 4’s graded stakes-winning granddam produced four black-type horses, including the black-type-winning Precious Kiss.

A well-balanced, muscular chestnut, hip 4 was strong over her topline and possessed short cannon bones that were correctly centered beneath her knees.

Hip 4
Photo by Tom Cage (iPhone photo)

Hip #7: A son of Tiz Wonderful, hip 7’s dam – a daughter of Speightstown – is a sibling to five black-type horses, including two graded stakes winners and the graded stakes-winning, grade one-placed sire Value Plus.

Displaying the build of a sprinter, hip 7 was a very muscular individual, being wide through the chest and from stifle to stifle. He was also quite structurally correct, being clean about his legs.

Hip 7
Photo by Terri Cage

Hip #17: From the first crop of champion Midshipman, hip 17’s dam is a full sister to three black-type horses, including the grade one-winning Karelian. His third dam, a black-type-placed daughter of Halo, produced a Canadian champion.

A physical standout, hip 17 was somewhat small but very evenly balanced, appearing athletic. Exhibiting very smooth conformation, hip 17 was short and strong about the topline as a result of a rather sloping shoulder. He was, however, over at the knees.

Hip 17
Photo by Terri Cage

Hip #21: Sired by Notional, hip 21 is a half-brother to two black-type horses, including a stakes winner. He is a descendant of four Reine De Course mares.

Although his neck tied in low, it was very long and clean. A tall colt, hip 21 boasted a sleek, athletic appearance.

Hip 21
Photo by Terri Cage

Hip #28: A member of spectacular sprinter Zensational’s first crop, hip 28’s dam, who has also produced a black-type-placed runner, is out of a full sister to the great champion Althea. This filly’s granddam foaled numerous black-type horses and black-type producers, including the grade one-winning Aldiza and the graded stakes-winning Atelier.

A very smoothly built filly, hip 28 was rather well-balanced, as evident in her sturdy topline.

Hip 28
Photo by Terri Cage

Hip #33: From the first crop of the grade one-winning Line of David, hip 33’s granddam produced the graded stakes-winning Minister’s Melody, who begat three black-type horses, including the grade one-winning Bob and John.

A muscular and balanced yearling, hip 33 had a handful of structural flaws, but was an overall athletically built, correct individual.

Hip 33
Photo by Terri Cage

Hip #45: A daughter of Tiz Wonderful, this filly is a half-sister to the black-type-winning Dattts Our Girl. Her granddam, the multiple grade one-winning Lakeway, produced the black-type-winning Sluice, who in turn foaled the grade one-winning Mushka. Lakeway is also the dam of two additional black-type horses. Hip 45’s third dam is a full sister to the grade one-winning Saratoga Six.

A balanced, strapping filly, hip 45 exuded nimbleness with her strong walk. Thin and clean about her neck, the bay filly had the build of a true athlete.

Hip 45
Photo by Tom Cage (iPhone photo)

Hip #51: Among several yearlings from the first crop of Desert Party entered in this sale, hip 51 is a half-sister to a pair of black-type horses, including the multiple black-type-winning and graded stakes-placed Cosmic Kris. She is bred on the same Street Cry/Kris S cross as the great champion Zenyatta.

Hip 51 possessed a long, muscular, and sloping shoulder, causing her to be evenly balanced, therefore resulting in a short, sturdy topline. Her sleek build was reflected in her athletic walk.

Hip 51
Photo by Terri Cage

Hip #54: One of five yearlings from the first crop of Kentucky Derby (GI) winner Super Saver in this sale, hip 54 is out of a black-type winning mare that is a sibling to three black-type winners, including the graded stakes winners Astrology and Lunarpal.

Hip 54 was a very smoothly built, correct filly, being long about her neck and well-balanced. Showing with a nice walk, hip 54 was a refined version of her sire.

Hip 54
Photo by Terri Cage

Hip #58: By Tiz Wonderful, this colt’s granddam produced two black-type winners – including the grade one-winning Siphonic – and the dam of the grade one winner Laragh and the graded stakes-winning Summer Front.

Catching the eye with his white markings, hip 58 displayed impressive muscularity, which – combined with balance, evident in his strong loin – made for smooth build.

Hip 58
Photo by Terri Cage

Hip #69: A member of the grade one-winning Majesticperfection’s first crop, hip 69 is from the same family as the grade one-winning, world record-setting Hawkster.

Not originally one of my picks, hip 69 caught my eye, displaying a very athletic, impressive build. Evenly balanced and elegant, the colt had the build of a capable athlete.

Hip 69
Photo by Terri Cage

Hip #70: Another Majesticperfection colt, hip 70 is a half-brother to the stakes winners A Day for Dancing and Master of Disaster.

Exhibiting the build of a sprinter, hip 70 was a very muscular individual, being wide and bulging about the chest, forearms, gaskin, and stifle. Strong about the back, hip 70 was evenly balanced and impressed me greatly with his walk.

Hip 70
Photo by Terri Cage

Hip #109: From the first crop of Desert Party, hip 109’s dam is a half-sister to the Hall of Fame champion Silverbulletday.

Boasting a long, thin neck, hip 109 was also a very structurally correct colt and walked in a strong manner.

Hip 109
Photo by Terri Cage

Hip #110: A member of the graded stakes-winning Old Fashioned’s second crop, hip 110’s dam is a half-sister to three black-type winners, including the dam of the multiple graded stakes-winning Tres Borrachos.

A light gray, hip 110 – a very structurally correct colt – featured a strong, sloping shoulder and carried himself well in his walk.

Hip 110
Photo by Terri Cage

Hip #164: Yet another Majesticperfection colt, hip 164 is a half-brother to the multiple black-type-winning Sea the Joy. He is bred on the same Harlan’s Holiday/Mr. Prospector sire line cross as the grade one-winning Goldencents.

Also not originally one of my selections, hip 164 caught my eye with his impressive build. Gleaming a deep red, hip 164 was one of the most powerfully built horses I observed and despite being over at the knees, displayed very correct conformation.

Hip 164
Photo by Terri Cage

Hip #176: From the first crop of the grade one-winning Discreety Mine, hip 176 is out of a full sister to the champion Banshee Breeze and the stakes-winning Unbridled Wind. He is from the same family as the grade/group one winners All at Sea, Hilda’s Passion, Passage of Time, Timepiece, and Twice Over.

A sleek individual, this chestnut colt possessed a strong topline that was short in correlation to his underline. Fairly well-balanced and structurally correct, this colt had one of my favorite walks of any horse I viewed.

HIp 176
Photo by Terri Cage

Hip #179: Another Taylor Made-consigned yearling from the first crop of Old Fashioned, hip 179 is out of a half-sister to a pair of black-type horses, including the multiple grade one-winning Habibti. His third dam produced the winner of the Kentucky Oaks (GI) and Canadian Oaks, Gal in a Ruckus.

A very tall, mature yearling, 179 was very strong about his shoulder and long about his neck, allowing him to look quite spry.

Hip 179
Photo by Terri Cage

*On paper, my top selections were hips 153, 188, and 240 due to their pedigrees, but those yearlings failed to impress me with their conformation.

After the Auction: My Native Blues

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 eighth 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."

As 2012 winds down, two-year-olds that have not been fortunate enough to garner a victory scramble to attain a win as a juvenile before they become a three-year-old. The remaining days of the year are numbered, but My Native Blues, one of my honorable mentions from this year’s 2012 Fasig-Tipton Texas Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale, managed to record his first victory after four previous attempts.

Prior to breaking his maiden, My Native Blues had only hit the board once in his young career. He pieced things together in his third start against state-bred company, going a mile and seventy yards at Fair Ground Race Course in New Orleans, Louisiana. Racing over a sealed track, My Native Blues settled behind the front-running contingent, racing several lengths off the leaders as the horses rounded the initial turn.

My Native Blues
Photo by Terri Cage

Gradually, the chestnut grew closer to the pacesetters as longshot Collin Time recorded steady fractions. Galloping wide, My Native Blues easily overtook the leaders as the final curve came to an end, sweeping past the frontrunners to strike to lead at the top of the stretch. With strong urging from jockey Leandro Goncalves, My Native Blues drew off to an easy 8 ½-length victory.

Earlier this year, My Native Blues became one of my selections at the annual Fasig-Tipton juvenile auction held at Lone Star Park each spring due to his noteworthy work in the under-tack show and respectable pedigree. Though his time of 11 seconds for one furlong was not quite as impressive as many other juvenile workers at the under-tack show, My Native Blues displayed a powerful stride, easily covering ground.

Sired by a son of Mr. Prospector in Gold Tribute, My Native Blues shares his sire with the Chilean champions Gadanes and Giant, the group one winners Galan Fantasma and Gondolieri, and the graded stakes-winning Geronimo. The Mr. Prospector sire line is one of the most prolific of the breed, producing such champions as Azeri, Curlin, Point Given, and Zenyatta.

Bred on the successful Mr. Prospector/Meadowlake cross that is responsible for the grade one-winning Seventh Street, as well as the graded stakes winners Crytoquip, Majestic City, and Street Magician, My Native Blues is out of the Meadowlake mare Meadowlanding, a half-sister to a graded stakes winner. Though initially rather unimpressive, class can be found in My Native Blues’ dam line. The gelding is a direct descendant of several Reine de Course mares far back in his pedigree, including Escutcheon, a winner of the Alabama Stakes that produced an astounding 14 winners, including Bourtai, who produced six black-type runners, including two Broodmare of the Years and the champion Bayou.

Among the fifteen highest-priced horses at the Fasig-Tipton sale earlier this year, My Native Blues became my eighth juvenile sales selection of 2012 to find the winner’s circle. Here’s to hoping 2013 brings even more victories for these auction choices! 

My Miss Fifty

This is the updated version of my blog post "The Story of Miss Fifty," which was published on February 3, 2012.

On December 20, 2012, an updated version of this article was published on BloodHorse.com as part of Esther Marr's blog Beyond the Blinkers. You can read it on Blood-Horse here.

It was simply supposed to be a new experience, something fun that would expose me to another part of the sport of horse racing, the part of the industry that I did not realize at the time would become the section of the industry for which I would find my greatest passion. My trip to the under-tack show for the 2010 Fasig-Tipton Texas-Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale wasn’t supposed to change my life. But it did, and I am so grateful that it did, all thanks to a Thoroughbred filly.

Love at First Sight

Bred by Zenyatta’s owners Jerry and Ann Moss, the filly was born in Kentucky on April 18, 2008. As a yearling, she was sold for just $10,000 at the 2009 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and as a two-year-old, was consigned to the Fasig-Tipton Texas Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale as hip fifty.

Miss Fifty
Photo by Terri Cage

After breezing in the under-tack show, the filly was returned to her stall on Lone Star Park’s backside. Later that day, my parents and I visited the barn area to look at the horses consigned in the sale.

Leading up to the sale, I had studied the catalogue, writing down horses I was impressed with based on pedigree. Hip fifty was one of them. I was even more impressed by the filly after watching her work on the track, in which she moved with a beautiful, flowing stride. The daughter of Johannesburg was one of many horses I visited on the backside with my parents.

But no other two-year-old caught my attention more than hip fifty. The chestnut filly captivated me with her sweet personality, acting like a puppy. When I ambled up to her stall, the daughter of Johannesburg eagerly walked up to me, nuzzling at me. I gently rubbed her face and she allowed me to hold her dainty head in my arms. I stayed there for several moments, just cradling her head. As I walked away from the filly, I caught the two-year-old staring at me as if she didn’t want me to leave. Honestly, I didn’t want to leave either. I wished I could somehow garner thousands of dollars so I could purchase the affectionate filly for myself.

Needless to say, I couldn’t get my mind off the filly, whom I had nicknamed Fifty for her hip number. I anxiously awaited the results of the sale, finding out that the daughter of Johannesburg had sold for $40,000 as the fifteenth highest-priced horse in the sale to Dolphus Morrison, breeder and former owner of 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra.

I decided to find Dolphus Morrison’s address and once I did, I wrote a letter to him, explaining how much I loved the filly by Johannesburg he had just purchased. For days, I awaited a reply and frequently checked online to see if the filly had been officially named.

Not long before I received a reply from Mr. Morrison, I found that the filly had been named Miss Fifty. I was blown away and left wondering if Mr. Morrison had named the filly Miss Fifty because of my letter. My thoughts were confirmed when I soon received a letter from Mr. Morrison, in which he told me he had in fact named her Miss Fifty for the nickname I had given her.

Fifty was sent to Mr. Morrison’s go-to trainer, Lon Wiggins, son of Hal Wiggins, who trained Rachel Alexandra up until her impressive Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) victory. Fifty made her first start in October 2010 at Keeneland Racecourse. I kept my eyes glued to my television screen, watching as the filly loaded into the gate. Just when it seemed as if she and Calvin Borel would open up on the field, an eventual graded stakes winner swept by her, followed by four more horses. Fifty finished a decent fifth out of twelve two-year-old fillies. In her next start, a maiden special weight at Churchill Downs, Fifty was never really a factor and finished last in a field of eleven. Nonetheless, I was excited for her future.

The Defining Moments

The third time I contacted Mr. Morrison, I was full of optimism, as I informed him that my family and I were visiting Kentucky for the Breeders’ Cup. The prestigious event was of course being contested at Churchill Downs, the track at which Miss Fifty was stabled. Much to my delight, Mr. Morrison and Lon Wiggins arranged for me to visit Fifty at Churchill Downs on Breeders’ Cup weekend.

Visiting Fifty
Photo by Terri Cage

On Friday morning of the Breeders’ Cup, my sister, my mom, and I visited Mr. Wiggins’ barn. Mr. Wiggins led me to Fifty’s stall, allowing me to duck under the stall guard to visit the filly. I did so, cautiously walking up to her. Fifty turned her head when she heard me approaching, pricking her ears and tossing her nose in my direction. I smiled, stepping forward and allowing her to sniff my hand. I then stroked her face, telling her how much I’d missed her. I’d never dreamed I’d get to visit the filly. Yet, there I was, over seven months after I had met her, pampering the chestnut on the backside of Churchill Downs during Breeders’ Cup week. It was absolutely surreal.

After watching a stablemate of Fifty’s gallop over the track, it was time for the filly I adored to head out to the track. I thought I would simply just go watch, as I had with her stablemate, but Mr. Wiggins handed me the lead and showed me the way to the gap. I was actually leading Fifty toward the track. And it wasn’t just any track; it was Churchill Downs, the track on which a plethora of the greatest moments in the sport have taken place, the track on which so many dreams had been attained in a single moment. For me, that was one of those moments.

Leading Fifty onto the track
Photo by Terri Cage

I thought I was dreaming as I led Fifty onto the dirt surface. Across the expansive track, the Twin Spires smiled back at me as classy horses galloped and jogged past on the renowned oval. I unclipped the lead from the filly’s bridle and Mr. Wiggins allowed me to stand alongside the filly on the track. I did so, stroking her silky neck and shoulder as she stared inquisitively at the other horses galloping by.

Fifty then headed off for her gallop and I stood at the gap, watching Breeders’ Cup horses as I waited for her to come into view. Once I spotted the exquisite chestnut galloping beneath her exercise rider, my eyes locked on her, watching her gallop past me. It was a beautiful sight and one that will forever be engraved in my mind. Her breath came in snorts that were in sync with her stride, her hoofs beat over the dirt, and her ears were pricked eagerly as she galloped past, leaving me mesmerized by the sight of her in motion, the iconic Twin Spires acting as the perfect backdrop.

With Miss Fifty
Photo by Terri Cage

After Fifty was cooled out, we did a short photo-shoot with the filly and me. While the grade one-winning Paddy O’ Prado received a bath just a few feet away, I stood alongside Fifty outside of Mr. Wiggins’ barn, smiling into my mom’s camera. Considering my mom is a photographer, grinning for the camera can get quite old and fake. But this smile was far from fake – it was completely genuine.

That wasn’t the end of the morning. Mr. Wiggins led us to the other side of the backstretch to catch a glimpse of the great Zenyatta, my favorite racehorse of all-time. It was my first time to ever see the incredible mare and I stood breathless as I watched her walk onto the track before galloping in preparation for her final race. That wonderful morning provided me with the greatest day yet of my life and I will forever be grateful to Mr. Morrison and Mr. Wiggins for such an opportunity.

A Merry Christmas

Three weeks after my magical morning with Miss Fifty, the filly finished eleventh against the males in a maiden special weight at Churchill, finishing behind the eventual classic winners Fort Larned and Shackleford.

Mr. Wiggins then shipped his horses to Tampa Bay Downs. Fifty made her final start as a juvenile on the day after Christmas, dropping into the claiming ranks for the first time. I was incredibly worried that the beloved filly would get claimed from the connections that had so graciously kept me involved with her. Before leaving for a family Christmas celebration, I watched the race anxiously, my eyes glued to the television. I knew she would likely do well, but my main worry was that she would be claimed.

In the first race on Cotillion Cup Day at Tampa Bay Downs, Fifty broke quickly and went to the lead in a maiden claiming (claiming price $25,000). She never looked back from there and went on to win by a remarkable 7 ¾ lengths. Throughout the entire homestretch, I was bouncing up and down with great joy.

However, the excitement began to wear off. Had she been claimed? The question rang in my head for what seemed like eternity until I received a result notification in my email. I anxiously opened the message, reading the results chart to find out the answer to the question. With a huge sigh of relief, I found that she had not been claimed. It truly was a merry Christmas.

A New Chapter

In January, her connections tried her in a stakes race, but Miss Fifty faded to finish last in a field of eight, losing to a future graded stakes winner. After two months off, Fifty returned in a five-furlong allowance race at Tampa Bay Downs, finishing third.

Following two sound losses in Kentucky, Fifty revisited the claiming ranks. Again, I became extremely anxious that she would be claimed. In a claiming race (claiming price $15,000) at Churchill, Fifty finished a good second, one of her best performances in some time. She seemed to have found the right level of competition and much to my delight, she had not been claimed.

Three days later, I competed in one of my biggest horse shows of the year. After returning home that evening, I spent some peaceful moments outside my barn with my newly-crowned grand champion mare, Pebbles. As the sun sank closer to the horizon, I leaned my head against my beloved mare’s shoulder, enjoying the peaceful moment.

A few minutes later, that peace was shattered. I came inside to learn that the backside of Churchill Downs had been hit by a tornado. My thoughts immediately jumped to Fifty and the Wiggins family. Frantically, I searched for news, praying that I would not find their names on a list of casualties or injuries. When I found out that no one had been hurt, it felt as if someone had dumped a bucket of relief on me.

Miss Fifty
Photo by Terri Cage

Just over a week after the tornado, Fifty was entered in a claiming race (claiming price $10,000) at Churchill Downs. She was sent off as the second choice and matched strides at the top of the lane with the favorite, a multiple black-type-placed filly. However, Fifty found another gear and went on to win the race by an easy 4 ¼ lengths under Calvin Borel.

As usual, I had watched the race live and, of course, was ecstatic that Fifty had won. I’d had a gut feeling that she would find the winner’s circle, but a certain gut feeling also existed: the sense that she would be claimed. Both gut feelings were confirmed.

After I discovered who Fifty had been claimed by, I wrote Mr. Morrison, thanking him for the entire experience. I knew my experience with sharing the filly’s career with him was over, but I was not going to allow my involvement with Fifty to end. She meant too much to me for that to happen.

For several weeks, my worry for Fifty escalated. I hadn’t received any email notifications regarding the filly and finally decided to send her new trainer a letter, explaining what Fifty meant to me. Just days later, the trainer sent me an email, telling me to call him.

I did. He informed me that the filly had hurt her eye but should be fine. The bigger news? He told me that he had enough horses and once they were done with Miss Fifty, I could have her. Needless to say, I was jubilant.

Then Fifty was entered in a race – a claiming race. She finished second in a claiming race (claiming price $7,500) at Presque Isle Downs and after the race had been run, I was devastated to find out that she had been claimed. I wasn’t going to give up on following her, however. I would not allow this journey to come to an end because of another bump in the road.

Fifty was not claimed in her next start, a third-place finish in a claiming race at Presque Isle, but was claimed out of her subsequent race.

I then contacted her new owners, Long Shot Racing Stable, to get an update on her. With relief and joy, I found out that she was doing well and had in fact put on almost one hundred pounds since being claimed. It was comforting to be informed of this, as I had noticed while watching her most recent races that she had become quite thin. I knew she was in good hands and had again found connections I did not want her to be claimed from.

On November 20, 2011, Fifty ran in a claiming race at Charles Town (claiming price $10,000). Anxiously, I watched the race online, my eyes fixed on the beautiful chestnut. Much to my satisfaction, Fifty conquered the field by 5 ½ lengths. I was ecstatic that the filly had returned to the winner’s circle and became even more joyous when I learned that she had not been claimed and would remain with the Vrables of Long Shot Racing Stable.

About a month later, Fifty returned to the allowance level. I felt confident in her chances, as did the betting public. She loaded into the gate as the heavy favorite for the allowance race at Charles Town. With dread, I watched as she left the gate roughly and galloped in front of the grandstand unevenly after the start. She never got involved. I was extremely worried about the filly, but after contacting her owner, I was relieved to find out that the trouble had been caused by the jockey losing his irons. Fifty was fine. Near-disaster had been averted and I hoped it was her only encounter with such a situation for the rest of her career. But it wasn’t.

Miss Fifty’s Miracle

Four weeks after I shared Miss Fifty’s story with my blog readers, Fifty made her first start after her unlucky December outing. Like usual, I was perched before both my television and computer, watching television coverage and the live feed on Charles Town’s website. I had formed a prayer chain between my family, my friends, and myself, praying for Fifty to stay safe in the running of the race. It wasn’t much different than any other time she’d raced.

I fixed my eyes on Fifty as the horses raced down the backstretch, watching as she found a position behind the leaders along the rail, gaining ground on the inside as the field rounded the far turn. I was certain she was about to run a huge race.

Fifty
Photo by Terri Cage

Then everything changed. The horse on the lead suddenly broke down in Fifty’s path. I lost my breath and watched in horror as Fifty miraculously scrambled over the fallen horse as the other horses in the field fell like dominos. I was shaking uncontrollably as Fifty continued on under Oswald Pereira, crossing the finish line all alone. The remainder of the horses had either fallen or lost the jockey; she was the only horse to complete the race with a rider.

I was relieved that Fifty had not gone down, but I was still tremendously troubled. Had she received an injury from clambering over the fallen horses? Would a loose horse collide with her?

The latter fear nearly became reality in the gallop out. After pulling her up after crossing the finish line, Pereira guided Fifty to the outside rail with hopes of avoiding the riderless horses. However, one of the loose horses neared Fifty at full speed and with seconds to spare, managed to avoid colliding with her. My mother and I, watching the screen in dread, let out a giant sigh of relief.

I soon received word from Miss Fifty’s owner that the filly had suffered some cuts on her legs that required stitches, but would be okay. Miraculously, Fifty had avoided disaster. And that’s exactly what the incident had been for her: a miracle. She had every chance to go down or to be slammed into, but somehow, those things did not happen. God was watching over her.

What Fate Had in Store

Miss Fifty did not return to the races for nearly five months, contesting in a claiming race at Charles Town (claiming price $5,000). I was incredibly worried that the filly would be claimed, but with joy, I watched the chestnut dash to a 3 ½-length victory, exiting the race without having been claimed.

About two months later, Fifty recorded a bullet work at Charles Town. However, days after that work, my iPhone indicated that I had a Facebook message from her owner. I immediately thought of the worst possibility when I read the opening words of the message that my phone previewed: “Sorry to have to tell you this, but…”

But I was relieved not to find the words I dreaded. Rather, I learned that Fifty had broken a sesamoid while training. What mattered most was that she would be okay. She would, but her racing career was over and she would require lengthy stall rest. However, along with this bad news came terrific news: it was now time for Fifty to become a part of my family, something I had dreamed of since I met the filly.

Thanks to Nate Vrable of Long Shot Racing Stable and the help of Woodson Show Horses, arrangements were made for Fifty to make the more than 1,200-mile journey to be with me. As her arrival approached, I found myself daydreaming of being reunited with her as my enthusiasm grew more intense by the hour. 

The day Fifty arrived in Texas was the same day I arrived in Southern California for the 2012 Breeders’ Cup. Though I would have loved to be there when Fifty reached my home, the filly would be an incredible thing to come home to. As soon as the thrilling Breeders’ Cup culminated, I focused on returning to Fifty, to my horse.

The moment I arrived at home, I dashed to the barn to greet her. And there she was. Miss Fifty was in my barn. She was mine. I opened her stall door, my hands tenderly stroking her face as my eyes locked on hers. Her kind eyes gazed at me as she gently rubbed her lip against my hands. All I could think was, “Who’d have known…?”

I never could have known when I wrote down hip fifty in my journal of horses to watch at a nearby Fasig-Tipton sale in 2010 that it would lead to such an incredible journey. Each time I see my beloved Fifty, I know that if I had never had the courage to write Dolphus Morrison, I never would have essentially experienced what it felt like to own a racehorse while I was so young. I never would have led a horse onto the track at Churchill Downs as a young fan or come within inches of the great Zenyatta. And most of all, I know God has blessed me with a tremendous filly that will always be an important part of my life. 

Miss Fifty and me
Photo by Terri Cage

Part Two: 2012 Fasig-Tipton Texas Summer Yearlings

As expected, the prices at the Fasig-Tipton Texas Summer Yearlings Sale were a far cry – a very, very far cry – from those of the Saratoga Sale. Of my top ten selections, seven sold and three did not reach their reserves. They sold for a total of $55,900.

Listed below are the horses featured in Part One, with descriptions of the results of the auction:

Hip #5: Sold for $1,200 to Darrel Bravenec.

Hip #9: Sold for $5,000 to Roy W. Cobb.

Hip #10: Sold for $2,500 to Coy Mark and Lori Collinsworth.

Hip #23: Sold for $3,700 to Warren Winslow.

Hip #30: Drove the hammer to $9,500, but did not reach the reserve.

Hip #38: Sold for $12,000 to Wesley Melcher.

Hip #39: Drove the hammer to $19,000, but did not reach the reserve. Was sold privately for $15,000.

Hip #106: Sold for $26,000 to Linda Sims as among one of the top ten highest-priced horses to sell.

Hip #166: Sold for $5,500 to George Barclay.

Hip #169: Drove the hammer to $9,500, but did not reach the reserve.

It certainly would have helped to have been able to evaluate conformation as well!

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