From the TDN.
Fed Biz Colt Tops F-T HORA Sale…
In the waning stages of Monday’s Fasig-Tipton July HORA Sale, it was Front Run the Fed (Fed Biz) who stole the show with a sale-topping final bid of $440,000 from owner George Sharp.
Offered by Elite, Hip 647 earned his first black-type badge in Saratoga’s Better Talk Now S. in 2019 for trainer Chad Brown and Klaravich Stables.
“I decided that I got tired of being outbid, and I decided to go to [$440,000] because I want to go to the Breeders’ Cup this year,” explained Sharp. “This one is hopefully going to get me there. I’m very pleased with the purchase.”
He added, “This horse was the best one in the sale, bar none. This one vetted out perfectly and it showed in the price he brought. We’re a little nervous, but pretty happy.”
On the board in half of four starts last season, including a win in a Belmont optional claimer, he kicked off 2021 with a close-up second behind next-out GI Jackpot Jaipur S. hero Casa Creed (Jimmy Creed) in the Apr. 24 Elusive Quality S. before coming home third last out in the GIII Poker S. June 20. A winner of four of 13 starts, the colt has earnings of $392,150 to date.
Sharp indicated the colt will join trainer Caio Caramori. Asked where Front Run the Fed will head next, Sharp said, “We’re not sure yet. We might race him once in Del Mar and almost certainly Kentucky Downs. And then the goal is the Breeders’ Cup.”
Out of Lawless Miss (Posse), the 5-year-old entire is from the family of multiple graded winners Lottsa Talc and Fort Loudon. A $65,000 KEENOV weanling purchase, the bay realized a $300,000 final bid from Mike Ryan at KEESEP.
Sharp previously made a splash at Fasig, going to $335,000 to secure stakes winner Hello Hot Rod (Mosler) at the Winter Mixed Sale in February.
The bulk of Sharp’s horses reside in Lexington at the Thoroughbred Training Center, however, Sharp also has horses throughout the Midwest and in California. He also campaigns a few of the lower-level stock in his home state.
A horse owner since 1999, Sharp got his start racing Standardbreds before moving into the Thoroughbred game in 2015. A private mergers and acquisitions specialist, the Scottsdale, Arizona, resident is involved small company mergers and acquisitions with public companies.
Elite Gets Off to Fast Start at Fasig July
Brad Weisbord and Liz Crow’s Elite Sales were quick out of the gate at the Fasig-Tipton July Horses of Racing Age Sale, selling the first horse through the ring, stakes winner Josie (Race Day) (Hip 501), to KatieRich Farm for $300,000.
“I like her for a broodmare prospect down the road and we might have a little more fun with her as we go,” said KatieRich’s Larry Doyle.
Purchased by Crow for $170,000 at OBS March on behalf of Steve Landers, Josie kicked off this term with an allowance win in her first try at a mile at Oaklawn Feb. 28. Off the board next out in Hot Springs Apr. 8, the 4-year-old filly captured a one-mile event at Indiana Grand 20 days later and entered this sale off a career-high score in the Iowa Distaff July 3. Trained by Brad Cox, she currently boasts a record of 14-4-4-2 and earnings of $266,867.
“She is three-for-four routing and came in off a career-best performance,” Crow said. “She ran an 89 Beyer, a 1 Thoro-Graph, a 9 Ragozin. She showed she can step up to stakes level competition. That was her first attempt in stakes company and she won. It is great to bring a horse off a win like that into a sale like this. Brad Cox had her looking great. She showed very well. Everyone is looking for an in-form horse and she had black-type to back it up and good pedigree, so she has residual when she is done.”
Out of SW Spirited Away (Awesome Again), Josie is a half-sister to MGSW sire Prospective (Malibu Moon) and the dam of GSW and GISP Kalypso (Brody’s Cause).
Elite sold 17 of the 19 horses in their consignment Monday for a gross of $2.192 million and an average of $128,941. They were responsible for six of the top nine hips sold, including $440,000 sales topper Front Run The Fed (Fed Biz).
