NEWS
Tapit, Medaglia d’Oro colts reach six figures at Timonium
Posted: Tuesday, October 06, 2009 1:15 PM
by Pete Denk
Two hundred sixty-seven horses went through the ring at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Eastern fall yearling sale on Monday, and only one reached the $100,000 mark.
It did not take too long to get two more at Tuesday’s session, as Ellen Charles’ Hillwood Stable purchased a gray Tapit colt for $105,000, and trainer Billy Entenmann Jr. went to $100,000 for a Medaglia d’Oro colt.
Charles also bought a racy Not For Love filly out of the stakes placed Sky Classic mare Elaines Reason for $75,000 from Mr. and Mrs. Rick Abbott’s Charlton, agent.
“Both of them are beautiful representatives,” said Charles, who lives in Washington D.C. “The filly has a beautiful walk on her, and the more you look at her, the more you love her. And the gray horse, you just have to love him. He’s a magnificent specimen. He’s elegant yet massive. I love gray horses, and the Tapits are running so well.”
Charles said both horses will be broken in Virginia by Patrick Jenkins and trained by Laurel Park-based trainer Rodney Jenkins, who accompanied her at the sale.
The Not For Love filly was bred in Maryland by John T. Crane Jr. and Margaret M. Crane. The Tapit colt, out of the Grand Slam mare Empty the Bases, was bred in New York by Dick Simon’s New Dawn Thoroughbreds and Aron Yagoda.
Simon, who has between 35 and 40 mares at his Stillwater, New York farm, said he was happy with the price given the economic climate.
“I really thought he was going to be the sale topper, but there are a lot of good horses in this sale,” Simon said. “It’s been a brutal year for commercial breeders. However, in the [Fasig-Tipton New York-bred preferred yearling sale] we did well. We sold the second highest price in that sale, so we did ok simply because we had one horse that brought some real money, and it was the same thing here. We brought four, and we’re taking two home. Thank God for Tapit.”
Entenmann purchased the Medaglia d’Oro colt—named Medaglia’s Image—on behalf of his father William Entenmann of the famous, more than century-old bakery company.
The younger Entenmann also trains the colt’s half brother by Johannesburg, a two-year-old named Great Harbour who won a maiden special weight at Laurel on September 19 in his career debut.
“The Johannesburg’s a runner,” said Entenmann, who is based at Fairhill Training Center in Elkton, Maryland. “If [the Medaglia d’Oro colt] is as good as the other one, he’s going to be real good.”
Charlton consigned Medaglia’s Image on behalf of Park Avenue Stables. Out of the Strike the Gold mare Golden Image, the May 5 foal was bred in Pennsylvania by Victor Marano.
Pete Denk is sales editor of Thoroughbred Times
