Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
OBS MARCH SALE HOPING LIGHTNING STRIKES TWICE
A filly from the first crop of Not This Time was the most expensive juvenile of the 2020 sales season, as bloodstock agent Gary Young bid to $1.35 million to acquire her for Zedan Stables at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co.’s spring auction, held last year in June.
Later named Princess Noor, she delivered on her early promise on the racetrack, winning 3 of 5 starts, including the Grade 1 Del Mar Debutante and Grade 2 Chandelier Stakes, before an injury forced her retirement.
The OBS auction company and those associated with Princess Noor’s family will be hoping lightning can strike twice. The filly’s half-brother, bred on a similar cross to the season-topper, will be among the offerings at the first auction of the season, the OBS March sale.
Princess Noor and her half-brother, Protonic Power, are out of the Wilko mare Sheza Smoke Show, winner of the Grade 3 Senorita Stakes. Sheza Smoke Show was a $185,000 purchase by Oussama Aboughazale’s International Equities at the 2017 Keeneland November breeding stock sale while carrying Princess Noor, who sold for $135,000 at Keeneland September to agent Mark Marino. She was then consigned to the OBS spring sale by Top Line Sales, as agent, and proceeded to set herself up for a wildly successful pinhook by working a quarter-mile in 20 1/5 seconds – the fastest time at the distance during the under-tack preview – on the Ocala Training Center’s Safetrack surface.
“The tracks are fast for workouts at the sales,” Young recalled, “but you could tell before she even got to the wire, she was going really fast, then they hung up 20 and a fifth for a quarter of a mile. Even at a 2-year-old in training sale on a fast synthetic surface, you could tell she was rolling. First thing you wondered when you saw the time was had the board malfunctioned or had she really gone that fast . . . . She galloped out another furlong really nice and didn’t lose her rhythm.”
Protonic Power will be consigned to OBS March by Lucan Bloodstock, as agent. The colt is from the second crop of Aboughazale’s homebred Protonico, who, like Not This Time, is a son of the late leading sire Giant’s Causeway.
Protonico, a four-time graded stakes winner who also was multiple Grade 1placed, stands at Castleton Lyons. His first crop is led by Medina Spirit, winner of the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes and second to Bob Baffert-trained stablemate Life Is Good in both the Grade 3 Sham Stakes and Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes. Medina Spirit was a $35,000 OBS June purchase last year by Zedan Stables.
Pompa dispersal continues
The dispersal of the Thoroughbred holdings of the prominent late owner and
breeder Paul Pompa Jr. provided a major shot in the arm at the end of the North American mixed-sale season. As the calendar now turns to the juvenile sales market, the continuation of the dispersal could do the same.
There will be five juveniles from Pompa’s estate offered between the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co.’s March sale of 2-yearolds and the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream selected sale this month. Two are homebreds by his former colorbearer Connect, and three were purchased as yearlings at last year’s Keeneland September sale, about a month prior to Pompa’s death in October at age 62. All will be consigned by Eddie Woods, as agent.
In two decades of Thoroughbred ownership, Pompa was best known as the original owner of dual classic winner and Eclipse Award champion Big Brown. Pompa purchased the colt for $190,000 at the Keeneland April sale of 2-year-olds. Following an impressive maiden score that summer at Saratoga, majority interest in the colt was sold to IEAH Stables. Pompa retained an interest in Big Brown, who went on to win four Grade 1 races in 2008 – the Florida Derby, Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Haskell Invitational.
The Pompa dispersal began at the Keeneland January horses of all ages sale, with his broodmares, prospects, and racing-age horses consigned by Lane’s End, as agent. His dispersal added $6,790,200 to the gross of Keeneland January, which finished with across-the-board gains. Regal Glory, a multiple graded stakes-winning homebred, tied for the sale’s top price at $925,000.
“Mr. Pompa’s industry involvement was admirable on every level,” Lane’s End sales director Allaire Ryan said. “He was dedicated to and ever enthusiastic about his investments as a breeder, owner, and fan. He created strong relationships around a lifelong passion and never wavered from his philosophy to do right by his stock and enjoy the sport.”
The two offerings at the boutique FasigTipton Gulfstream sale from the Pompa dispersal are colts by standout young stallions Nyquist, the leading freshman sire of 2020, and Constitution, a young classic sire. At OBS March, the Pompa dispersal will offer a Ghostzapper half-brother to Grade 1 winner Sam’s Sister, and two homebred juveniles by Connect. The latter pair includes a colt who is from the family of Kentucky Oaks winner Secret Status.
Pompa purchased Connect as a FasigTipton July yearling, and the son of Curlin went on to win 6 of 8 career starts. After winning the Curlin Stakes at Saratoga – over eventual multiple Grade 1 winner Gift Box – and finishing sixth in the
Grade 1 Travers Stakes in a salty field, Connect won three consecutive graded stakes. He took the Grade 2 Pennsylvania Derby over future Horse of the Year Gun Runner, while also besting classic winners Nyquist and Exaggerator and eventual Grade 1 winners Cupid and Discreet Lover in that race. Connect won the Grade 1 Cigar Mile at Aqueduct against older horses in his 3-year-old finale, then won the Grade 3 Westchester Stakes at Belmont the following spring in what proved to be his career finale. He stands at Lane’s End.
“It is an exciting time to poll the training centers about the foals by first-crop sires like Connect,” Ryan said. “Several trainers in Ocala have said they are very nice and there is a strong resemblance to the stallion, not just in the physicals but in the way they move. Eddie Woods had Connect as a young horse, and he has several by him. He said they are quiet, classy-acting horses that are training honestly. Niall Brennan said he has a filly that is so straightforward she’ll sell herself.”
Khozan has three in OBS March
The ability to sire high-quality juveniles is a major selling point in the Florida stallion market as the state plays host to some of the nation’s biggest 2-year-old sales and also offers solid racing opportunities via the Florida Sire Stakes program.
Khozan gained prominence in Florida with his first crop of juveniles, then immediately graduated to become the state’s leading sire with continued success in that arena. The Journeyman Stud resident’s offerings this sales season include three Florida-bred juveniles from his third crop at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co.’s March sale.
Khozan, by Distorted Humor, won his two career starts in early 2015 at Gulfstream Park by a combined 16 1/2 lengths before injury ended his career.
“Khozan is reminiscent of Danzig and Malibu Moon – immensely talented horses with abbreviated racing careers,” Journeyman’s Brent Fernung said. “The upside is unlimited.”
Khozan delivered on that hope by leading Florida’s freshman sire list, as well as its overall juvenile sire list, in 2019. He was in the top 10 nationally in a competitive freshman sire class topped by Triple Crown winner American Pharoah. In 2020, he was Florida’s leading general sire as well as its leading juvenile sire again.
He sired five stakes winners in 2020, including a pair of fillies who had a rivalry in the Florida Sire Stakes series. Go Go Jo Jo won the Desert Vixen Stakes by 1 1/4 lengths over another daughter of Khozan, Princess Secret, on Aug. 1 at Gulfstream. As the distance increased from six furlongs to seven for the Susan’s Girl on Aug. 29, Princess Secret turned the tables with a victory, with Go Go Jo Jo back in third. Princess Secret went on to win the My Dear Girl Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on Sept. 26, with Go Go Jo Jo fourth.
The Khozan gelding Poppy’s Pride won 4 of 6 starts in 2020, including the Armed Forces Stakes, Juvenile Sprint Stakes, and Inaugural Stakes. Rounding out the quintet of stakes winners for Khozan were Liam’s Lucky Charm, who won the Pasco Stakes against open company early in the year, and Legal Deal, winner of the Millions Sprint Preview.
Khozan also was represented by eight stakes-placed runners, including Zimba Warrior, third in the Grade 3 Sham Stakes behind eventual Kentucky Derby winner Authentic, and Untitled, second in the Grade 3 Gotham Stakes.
Khozan is out of the multiple graded stakes-winning A.P. Indy mare Delta Princess, making him a half-brother to three-time Eclipse Award winner and Hall of Famer Royal Delta. Delta Princess also produced Crown Queen and Delta Prince, both Grade 1 winners on turf; Grade 1-placed Carnival Court; and Grade 2-placed Empire Way.
Delta Princess, out of English Group 2 winner Lyphard’s Delta, was a half-sister to turf Grade/Group 1 winners Biondetti and Indy Five Hundred. The next dam is the champion and multiple stakes producer Proud Delta.