By Jessica Martini
As the 2-year-olds in training sales got underway earlier this spring, the first-crop juveniles by Independence Hall generated plenty of buzz and the WinStar stallion duly delivered in the sales ring, led by a $1-million colt at the OBS March sale. Mike Trombetta, who trained the multiple graded stakes winner early in his career, hopes that buzz continues this week in Timonium when he will offer a homebred filly by the stallion at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. Through the Best a Luck Farm consignment, the filly (hip 37) is scheduled to breeze during Wednesday's first of three under-tack preview sessions at the Maryland State Fairgrounds.
From the first crop of Constitution, Independence Hall was purchased by Bob Verratti as a pinhooking prospect for $100,000 at the 2018 Keeneland September sale, but was bought back for $200,000 at the following year's Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream sale.
Racing for the partnership of Verratti, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Twin Creeks Racing Stables, Independence Hall put himself on the GI Kentucky Derby trail with an eye-popping 12 1/4-length victory in the 2019 GIII Nashua Stakes and followed up with a four-length win in the Jerome Stakes on New Year's Day in 2020.
Runner-up in the GIII Sam F. Davis Stakes, Independence Hall ended his time with Trombetta with a fifth-place effort in the GI Florida Derby, but the Maryland-based trainer has kept his eye on the stallion's first offspring in the sales ring.
“With these babies that we have been watching, both at the yearling and 2-year-old sales, it seems like a lot of his good looks are moving over to these youngsters and they have actually proved to be very athletic individuals as well,” Trombetta said.
As Independence Hall, who added a win in the GII Fayette Stakes and a third-place effort in the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational to his resume in 2021 for trainer Michael McCarthy, neared retirement from the racetrack, Trombetta went shopping for a mare to fill a season to the future WinStar stallion. He and his wife, Marie, purchased Candystand (Candy Ride {Arg}) for $9,000 at the Wanamaker's February digital sale in 2021.
Mike Trombetta | Sarah Andrew
“We were looking for some mares because I did have a season to utilize,” Trombetta said. “We have a few mares and we have a few seasons that we try to use every year and she kind of fit the bill.”
The mare produced a Maryland-bred daughter of Independence Hall two years later.
“Honestly, I haven't had my eyes on her in a while,” Trombetta said of the now 2-year-old who will be offered during the first session of the Midlantic May sale next Monday. “She's been in Ocala, but the feedback on her has been fairly good. We figured we would try our hand at the market and see how she does.”
Independence Hall, who stands for $7,500, currently ranks fourth among North American-based first-crop sires by average with 24 juveniles having sold this spring for an average of $166,416. In addition to his $1-million colt at OBS March, he was also represented by a $700,000 colt at the OBS Spring sale last month.
The results weren't a surprise to Trombetta, who had been trying to buy some of the stallion's first yearlings last fall.
“Nothing surprises me anymore, but I was just very glad to see it,” Trombetta said of the juvenile sales results. “I can tell you, I thought he would do relatively well, at least based on what I saw at the yearling market. I tried to buy a few of the yearlings and they were bringing significantly more than I thought I would have to pay, to be honest.”
One yearling by the sire that Trombetta did acquire was a filly out of Gottagottagiggle (Not For Love), who he purchased for $42,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Fall Yearling Sale. The filly had been catalogued as hip 149, but has been withdrawn from the May sale.
“I think we are going to race her,” Trombetta said of the filly. “She had some minor issues that required some more time. She is a lovely horse. We couldn't make the cutoff here, so I think the plans are to race her and hopefully get her started this fall.”
With the stallion's success in the sales ring, Trombetta is eagerly anticipating Independence Hall's progeny taking the next step.
“He is certainly off to a great start,” the trainer said. “The only thing left remaining to do is to see how they perform on the racetrack.”
The under-tack show for the Midlantic May sale, delayed a day due to weather, is scheduled to begin Wednesday at 9 a.m. at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium. Additional sessions will be held Thursday and Friday. The two-day auction will be held next Monday and Tuesday with bidding beginning May 19 at 1 p.m. and May 20 at 11 a.m.
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