Eclipse Adds 4 Promising Juveniles at OBS April
Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners attended the annual OBS April Sale in Ocala, Florida, from April 14–17 and came away as the successful bidder on four promising juveniles that will race in the baby blue and black.
Several partners were in attendance for the sale, which has become a staple on the calendar and has established itself as one of the premier two-year-olds-in-training sales in the world for identifying talented young athletes on the verge of their racing careers. Our partners and team enjoyed a week of clear, sunny skies and logged plenty of steps traversing the grounds while leaving no stone unturned among the 1,200-plus juveniles cataloged.
After missing out on Day 1, Eclipse struck late on Day 2 with the purchase of Hip 585, a New York-bred filly by leading sire Oscar Performance, for $100,000. Purchased from the Hidden Brook consignment, the classy filly—now named Madigan—breezed :10.1 and has the look of a future two-turn turf campaigner. The first foal out of a full sister to multiple stakes winner Bank Sting ($664,050), she will be sent to trainer Graham Motion at Fair Hill and is expected to target a racing campaign later this year, likely in New York, where she will have the opportunity to compete for enhanced state-bred purses.
Day 3 proved to be another challenging session, with the team falling short on multiple targets in what remained a very competitive market. That took us to the final day on Friday, where we got on the board early in a big way by securing Hip 921 for $300,000 in partnership with Vekoma Thoroughbreds and Sabby Racing.
An absolute powerhouse of a colt, the chestnut son of freshman sire Drain the Clock showcased his speed and precocity at the breeze show with a sharp quarter-mile in :20.4 for consignor SGV Thoroughbreds. From the sire’s first crop—which has made a strong impression this spring—he is another New York-bred poised to take advantage of the lucrative Empire State program, potentially sooner rather than later.
Now named Hot Streak (after his dam Hot Street), the colt is out of a Street Boss mare and traces back to Grade 2 winner Harissa, an earner of nearly $500,000. His third dam, Dynasty, was also a Saratoga stakes winner and graded stakes performer. He will ship to trainer George Weaver’s South Florida base to begin gate training before transitioning to New York later this spring with a Saratoga campaign in mind.
That would prove to be just the beginning of an active final session.
Roughly 150 hips later, Eclipse signed for another standout—Hip 1080, a classic-looking son of Nyquist from the consignment of Niall Brennan, who famously sold Nyquist himself more than a decade ago. Now named Hull, the Ontario-bred colt breezed :10 flat during the under tack show and carried himself with the kind of presence that made him hard to overlook.
He is the first foal out of the young Curlin mare Malibu Kendall, a three-quarter sister to 2018 Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) winner and Champion Older Dirt Male Accelerate. Hull will head to trainer Mark Casse’s Woodbine string to begin his career in the country where he was bred and will be campaigned in partnership with Sanford Thoroughbreds.
But the team wasn’t done.
With just 19 hips remaining, Eclipse capped the week by signing for Hip 1190, a sharp chestnut filly by Drain the Clock for $200,000 in partnership with MHM Stables. Now named Clock, she breezed :10.1 and impressed throughout the week with her movement and presence.
She is out of the Malibu Moon mare Noon Moon, a half sister to Grade 1 winner Appealing Zophie—now a three-time graded stakes producer, including Eclipse’s Classic winner Tapwrit. Consigned by Top Line Sales (formerly Rodrigues Thoroughbreds), Clock will head to trainer Todd Pletcher to begin her racing career.
While it is never easy to acquire a group of this quality in a competitive market—let alone four prospects for under $1 million—the team was able to do so through patience and discipline, an approach that has long defined Eclipse’s process.
All four new additions have been fully placed, and we extend our sincere thanks to our partners for their enthusiastic response and continued trust in the Eclipse program.