A teenage pony named Safalow’s Mission (Unthinkable quest) (Hips 267) topped the December Mixed Age and Equestrian Promotion in Fasig-Tipton on Tuesday, bringing in $130,000 from trainer Linda Rice, representing Thelma and Louise Stable.
“He was purchased for a new client, Thelma & Louise Stable,” says Rice. “He is a very attractive horse. He’s a half-brother to the daughter I trained with, My Roxy Girl (Emcee), who has raked in over $600,000 on the NYRA track. He has run well in both previous warm-ups and will be a lot of fun for the new owners. As a teenager, he had all of his conditions, plus the fact that he was half-New Yorker, that was a big bonus for us.”
As for the price, the veteran New York nurse said, “I think it’s a fair price for the quality of this horse and the options available to it with New York and crossbred races. like New York.”
Bred in New York by Becky Thomas’s Sequel Thoroughbreds and Bill Barone’s Sunny Crest Ranch, Safalow’s Mission was purchased by Dean and Patti Reeves’ Reeves Thoroughbred Racing for $9,500 at the 2019 FTNMIX sale and is offered for sale. again at this year’s EASMAY sale, collecting $25,000 from Joseph Besecker after taking a breather : 10 2/5. Black Bay finished second in debut for George Weaver in a bid-restricted race at Belmont on October 21 and next third in a state-breeding event at the Aqueduct on October 19. 11.
When asked about future plans for the latest addition to her stable, Rice said, “We’re going to direct him to the New York Stallions Series, potentially starting with The Great White Way S. on December 18 at the Aqueduct.”
The New York Stallion Series is a very lucrative set of stake races, making the combination a very attractive prospect for many New York nursing homes, including Weaver and Carlos Martin, two among the low bidders. The aforementioned The Great White Way S. offers a $500,000 wallet. Rice won that share with a girl previously on a 2018 renewal with Blindwillie McTell (Posse).
This is the third year in a row that a member of Besecker has dropped his racing stock, led by David Wade of Northview Stallion Station, topping the auction. Laddie Liam (Golden Lad) leads 2019 renewals with $450,000 and Fly On Angel (Palace Malice) topped last year’s auction with $195,000.
Besecker was represented by 86 horses Tuesday, with 60 selling for $1,224,700 and an average of $14,750.
The portfolio is up significantly this year with 401 horses entered for sale compared to 287 COVID affected horses in 2020. Meanwhile, Fasig’s December 2019 Sale includes 367 crossbred horses. . A total of 260 horses were changed hands in Timonium on Tuesday for a total of $3,880,100 with an average of $14,923 and a median of $10,000. There were 71 horses that did not meet their reserves.
At the last renewal of this auction, 182 horses brought in $2,345,600 with an average of $12,888 and a median of $5,000. There are 55 RNAs.
