Darley sires shine bright in Florida

Darley sires have historically fared very well at North America’s two-year-old sales as the last two year’s can attest. In 2011, freshman sires Street Sense and Hard Spun, the Kentucky Derby one-two finishers of 2007, battled once again to the same order of finish as the nation’s top first-year sires.

Bernardini topped all North American sires last year as well, just as he did the year before among all freshman sires when his first crop of two-year-old hit the sales in 2010. It’s a year later, and although we have just seen two of the major sales thus far, Darley sires are once again making some noise.

It was a colt Henny Hughes who rang the bell first for Darley Sires at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company’s March Selected Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale this week, brining US$190,000 in the sale’s first session on Tuesday, March 12. Consigned by Niall Brennan Stables as agent, the juvenile impressed more than a few with his :10 flat breeze leading up to the sale. The colt’s dam is a full sister to four-time Graded winner and G1-placed American Bertie, who earned US$799,235 during her career, and a half-sister to the US$940,041-earner Hurricane Bertie, also a multiple Graded winner and Graded-placed. The colt will be going to the racing stable of Seth Klarman.

Not to be outdone- and exactly 100 hips later – a filly by stable mate Street Boss was knocked down for a final price of US$220,000 with United Kingdom conditioner Jeremy Noseda signing the ticket. No other freshman sire was represented by a filly that brought more. Consigned by Niall Brennan Stables, agent, as well, the nice-looking youngster is out of the Graded-placed mare Special Gracye, a daughter of perennial leading sire Smart Strike. Street Boss, interestingly, is at the top of the list by total number of offerings by freshman sires at North America’s major winter/spring two-year-old sales of 2012.

And last but not least, the sale’s second session on Wednesday saw a magnificent filly by North American’s leading sire by international earnings, Street Sense, light up the bid board at US$475,000. Out of the Stakes-placed mare Unlimited Pleasure, this two-year-old is a half-sister to the G3 winner/G1-placed Jardin and to the G3 winner Beacon Shine. Consigned by Ocala Stud, she will be headed to the powerful Todd Pletcher barn and will race in the silks of Repole Stables.