Sean Flanagan

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis OCALA, FL - The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training produced an additional two seven-figure juveniles during its second session Wednesday, with a filly by Good Magic leading the way when selling for $1.1 million to Sean Flanagan. Through two of three sessions of the March sale, 269 horses have grossed $39,588,000 for an average of $147,167 and a median of $70,000. Those numbers are down slightly from the end-of-session figures from last year's March sale, which included a $1.5-million...

CHELTENHAM, UK -- Look to the stars. A reflex action for Sean Flanagan as he passed the post in front on Marine Nationale (Ire) (French Navy {GB}) to win the G1 BetMGM Queen Mother Champion Chase. Any win at Cheltenham is emotional for those closest to the horse, but this was one heavily laced with poignancy, coming less than a month after the death of Marine Nationale's former jockey Michael O'Sullivan at the age of 24. Two years earlier, Marine Nationale had provided him with his first victory at the...

A filly by Good Magic (hip 486) launched to the leaderboard at OBS Wednesday when selling for $1.1 million to the bid of Sean Flanagan. She will be trained by Danny Gargan. Consigned by Top Line Sales, the juvenile worked a furlong last week in : 9 4/5. She is out of the unraced Rose Mine (Street Cry {Ire}) and was bred by Don Alberto. She was purchased for $275,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale. Two years ago, Top Line sold another 2-year-old by Good Magic, subsequent multiple Grade...

John Kimmel had $25,000, and wanted an Exclusive Native filly. But he had to pass up his first choice, at Fasig-Tipton in 1978, after she went to $32,000. She turned out to be Genuine Risk. A first experience to put most people off, right? Kimmel gives a wry chuckle and shakes his head. "I'd have been ruined," he says. "I was a sophomore in vet school. Can you imagine? I'd have been wrecked." As it was, he had proved his eye. He continued absorbing the bittersweet lessons routinely dispensed by...

7th-DMR, $75K, Msw, 2yo, 5 1/2f, 8:02 p.m. ET. Conditioned by John Sadler, Don Alberto homebred UNIQUE POWER (Into Mischief) debuts for his dam--champion older dirt female Unique Bella (Tapit)--who was acquired by the stable for $400,000 at the 2015 Keeneland September Sale. Her own dam is GI Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic heroine Unrivaled Belle (Unbridled's Song). Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm took this mare home for $3.8 million at the 2016 Keeneland November Sale. Unrivaled Belle's half-sister, Lemon Belle (Lemon Drop Kid), is responsible for GIII Gotham Stakes champ...

by Jessica Martini & Stefanie Grimm OCALA, FL - The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training rushed across the finish line with a lively session of bidding Friday and concluded its four-day run in Central Florida with a new sales record average and median and a gross just off last year's highwater mark. "It certainly felt like it picked up here at the end of the four-day stretch," said OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski. "It felt good. We were bumping up against a record [gross...

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis OCALA, FL-The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's March 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, which had four million-dollar juveniles a year ago, has matched that mark with another day to go as a colt by Good Magic topped Tuesday's trade with a sale co-record final price of $2 million. Bob Baffert, sitting in the press box alongside Donato Lanni while on the phone with Amr Zedan, made the winning bid, which matched the $2-million price tag of Chestertown (Tapit), who sold at the auction in 2019. "It...

Sean Flanagan, who has been active throughout both sessions of the OBS March sale, made his biggest splash of the auction when going to $1 million to acquire a colt by Twirling Candy (hip 433) from the Eddie Woods consignment. The juvenile, who worked a furlong in :9 4/5 last week, is out of graded-placed Divine Dawn (Divine Park), a full-sister to graded stakes winner Divine Miss Grey. The Quarter Pole Enterprises pinhooking partnership acquired the gray colt for $200,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale. Bloodstock agent Jeff Mackor...