Keith Desormeaux

OCALA, FL - After a slow and steady opening session, the action picked up throughout the day at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's June 2-Year-Old Sale Wednesday, with the auction's second session concluding with a continuing strong median and an average just off last year's record-setting pace. Wednesday's session produced the sale's top three prices so far, with a filly by Uncle Mo leading the way when selling for $725,000. In all, 216 horses sold Wednesday for a total of $9,314,000. The session average was $43,120 and the median was...

by Jessica Martini & Christie DeBernardis OCALA, FL - The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds, which had already surpassed its record gross during Thursday's penultimate session, powered straight through to the finish Friday, concluding with new highwater marks for average and median, as well as gross. At the end of four days of selling, 707 head had grossed $91,984,000. The previous record gross, set just last year, was $73,907,900. The average of $130,105 and median of $65,000 were well ahead of previous marks of $108,903 and $60,000,...

Let go at 28-1 and apparently overmatched on paper, the well-tried Call Me Midnight (Midnight Lute) stormed down the center of the long Fair Grounds stretch to just nose out narrow second choice Epicenter (Not This Time) in Saturday's GIII Lecomte S., the first of three local preps on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. A maiden winner at fifth asking going Churchill's one-turn mile last Nov. 13, the $80,000 OBS March grad raced well back in the field as Surfer Dude (Curlin) and last-out Gun Runner S. hero Epicenter...

Let go at debut odds of 52-1, Fourteeneightyfour (Straight Fire) became the first winner for his freshman sire (by Dominus) with a surprisingly easy victory in Monday's third race from Delaware Park. The California-bred, who was entered for, but ultimately withdrawn from last year's Fasig-Tipton October sale, was last away from the inside gate, but recovered to be within a couple of lengths in the opening quarter-mile, which was timed in a sharp :22 flat. Taken to the outside for the run around the turn, he launched an eye-catching bid...

2nd-Santa Anita, $63,196, Msw, 5-9, 2yo, 4 1/2f, :52.04, ft, 4 lengths. STREET ART (c, 2, Street Boss--Cool Jazz, by Henny Hughes) was backed down to 8-5 for this first outing and ran to the money to lead home a one-two for his sire. Quickly clear, the chestnut was chased by Bochombo (Street Boss) around the bend but was not for catching as he cruised home a convincing four-length winner. The winner is a grandson of MGISW I Ain't Bluffing (Pine Bluff), making his dam a half to GSW/MGISP two-turn...

When racing returns to Santa Anita Dec. 26, it does so in a blitzkrieg of high-octane firepower, with races like the GI Malibu S., GI La Brea S. and GI American Oaks luring headline grabbers from across the country. As things go, race three on the card--a $16,000 claimer--is a far less exulted companion to its starrier cousins. But the race contains its own prodigal return...that of Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux after a hiatus from the saddle. Still, it's just the sort of low-key call to arms the...

"Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face." Erich Brehm is quoting Mike Tyson. He knows how it might look, from the outside: this charmed, clockwork progress from one fairytale to the next. Texas Red (Afleet Alex) cost just $17,000 as a yearling and--racing for Brehm, trainer Keith Desormeaux and a bunch of pals--won the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile of 2014 by 6 1/2 lengths. Upon his retirement to stud, Brehm bought Texas Red a mare for $21,000. The resulting foal, My Girl Red, pulverized her opponents...

My Girl Red, who became the first winner from her freshman sire (by Afleet Alex)'s small first crop when she aired by 4 1/4 lengths at Santa Anita June 14, ran to short odds in Friday evening's GII Sorrento S. to become his first stakes and graded stakes winner as well. Campaigned by the same connections who raced the 2014 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile S. winner and 2015 GII Jim Dandy S. winner, the bay out-footed her five rivals in the early scramble for position to take a narrow advantage...

Xtrema (Exaggerator) rallied to a convincing first-out score to give her freshman sire (by Curlin) his first winner while going out for the same connections that campaigned the 2016 GI Preakness S. hero. Breaking as the 21-10 second choice in a five-horse group, the $55,000 KEESEP grad tracked a speed duel from a distant third through a sharp :21.75 quarter. Appearing one-paced on the turn, the chestnut came alive entering the final furlong and blew past the tiring pace actors outside the sixteenth pole to score by four lengths over...

3rd-Ellis, $50,036, Msw, 8-4, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 1:05.12, ft. JUGGERNAUT (c, 2, Goldencents--Hashtag Stormy, by Stormy Atlantic) had been working at Santa Anita through mid-July, but prepped for this with a :49 flat move at Churchill July 27. Ignored at 25-1 for a typically patient barn, he was looking to become the second Keith Desormeaux-trained and James Graham-ridden 2-year-old graduate on the card after second timer Automate (New Year's Day) pulled off his own 20-1 upset in the opener. Scrubbed on from a wide draw to make the lead, the...