The Derby and 2yo sales
About a quarter of Derby winners over the last 35 years are colts that went through juvenile auctions
By Sid Fernando
The spring road to the Kentucky Derby in Louisville for 3-year-olds coincides with the early sales of 2-year-olds in training in Ocala, and this year both roads have been potholed by controversy.
The Derby brouhaha began after Bob Baffert, who had served a two-year ban from the race after his Medina Spirit was DQ’d from the 2021 edition, was surprisingly banned again from the Classic by CDI for reportedly not being remorseful enough.
Now, Amr Zedan, the owner of Medina Spirit—a $35,000 OBS July 2-year-old purchase—has filed a new lawsuit against CDI to allow Zedan’s Baffert-trained G1 Arkansas Derby winner Muth—a $2 million OBS March purchase—to enter the race.
Meanwhile, there’s been a groundswell of chatter on social media lately against the concept of 2-year-olds in training sales. Self-appointed commissioner of racing Mike Repole even got involved and tweeted this on March 8:
“As the 2 year old sales begin next week the @RepoleStable team and I have decided we will not participate in any 2 year old training sales until changes are made.
“I have purchased at these sales throughout the years with successful horses like Stay Thirsty, Stopchargingmaria, Unlimited Budget, Chocolate Gelato, etc.
“Over the years as the breed becomes less durable these horses are pushed harder than ever to run under 10 seconds before their official 2nd birthday.
“This makes no sense!!!!!
“@OBSSales, @FasigTiptonCo, @hisa _us need to step up with new regulations, improve drug testing and better ways to protect the horses.
“The way these 2 year olds train and breeze for these sales is incomprehensible.”
Repole got a great response when OBS, Keeneland, and Fasig-Tipton agreed to create new medication policies for sales horses.
On March 29, Repole tweeted:
“The NTA @PatCummingsNTA and I are happy that @OBSSales @keenelandsales and @FasigTiptonCo have all collaborated and agreed to a new set of new protocols to increase the oversight of medication use at all 2 year old sales.
“@hisa_us was involved in the initial meeting.
“This is a great first step and an example that we can work together and unite for progress.
“Well done 👏👏👏
“The Commissioner”
The Derby and 2-year-old sales
Controversies and self-aggrandizement aside, there’s a good reason why 2-year-old-in-training sales are popular with some buyers, including Baffert and Zedan, who are specifically looking for Derby prospects.
Over the last 35 editions of the Derby, beginning in 1989, there have been eight winners of the Kentucky Derby (23%) that came out of juvenile sales. If Medina Spirit is thrown in, that’s nine of 35 (26%). Essentially, a quarter of these Derby winners—a significant percentage—came out of sales that have nowhere near the number of horses entered in yearling sales.
Most horses in juvenile sales were plucked from yearling sales by astute horsemen with limited budgets, but the best of them have a feel for development potential, because their business model of pinhooking depends on it.
Back in the 1950s when juvenile sales were first established in Ocala, they were primarily a source for early maturing Florida-bred speed horses that were ready for early performances. These sales have evolved through the years, however, and are now producing Derby winners.
These are the Derby winners who came out of juvenile sales over the last 35 years:
Sunday Silence (1989 Derby), $32,000, California 2-year-olds-in-training March sale;
Lil E. Tee (1992), $25,000 OBS;
Thunder Gulch (1995), $120,000 RNA Keeneland;
Silver Charm (1997), $100,000 OBS;
Big Brown (2008), $190,000 Keeneland;
I’ll Have Another (2012), $35,000 OBS;
Nyquist (2016), $400,000 Fasig-Tipton;
*Medina Spirit (2021), $35,000 OBS;
Mage (2023), $290,000 Fasig-Tipton.
As long as juvenile sales continue to produce high-quality stakes winners, including Derby winners, buyers are going to flock to them. The new protocols put in place by the sales companies will certainly add a level of buyer confidence previously not there, but nowadays Derby fever is high and 2-year-old-in-training sales have obviously been a significant source for feeding Churchill fever.
That’s why juvenile sales are more popular than ever.
*Disqualified from first from 2021 Derby