Phoenix Thoroughbreds signed for three new recruits on day one of the OBS March Sale with one of those slated to race under the Phoenix Ladies banner.
The headline purchase of the trio was Hip 240, a Bernardini Colt who after some furious bidding sold for $825,000. Described on the Darley website as a “proven sire of both the superstar racehorse and sales-ring smash” Bernardini has to date produced 15 Group One winners including Capezzano, the runaway winner of the Third Round of the Maktoum Challenge at Meydan on Super Saturday which lead him to take his place towards the front of the Dubai World Cup market. The colt’s dam Inish Glora also brings plenty to the page as a multiple grass champion in Canada following her regular visits to the winners’ circle in Graded Stakes company.
Having set an eye-catching :09 4/5 in his breeze over an eighth-mile the colt ticked plenty of boxes for Phoenix Thoroughbreds’ Tom Ludt.
“(He’s) fast and beautiful, a good horse,” Ludt explained. “I know who I was bidding against, and I was bidding against the right guys. It’s expensive right now, but he’s a really good colt. Galloped out great, and that’s what we’re looking for. Now we’ve just got to get him to do a little bit longer distance.”
The man charged with sending him that extra yardage will be trainer Steve Asmussen.
Earlier in the session, the hammer came down at $240,000 in favour of the Dubai based operation for Hip 64. The son of Tiznow is out of the prolific winner Thethiefatmidnight and is very closely related to multiple Graded success story Brushed By A Star. Meanwhile, the Phoenix name also appears alongside a Kitten’s Joy Colt bought for $130,000 but he’ll be running in the orange and white silks of the Phoenix Ladies Syndicate. The all-female group have enjoyed plenty of success in Dubai and will be hoping the close relation to Graded Stakes winner Csaba and Grade One placed Kitten’s Queen will be able to add to their impressive statistics.