Four OBS Two-Year-Old Sale graduates have been chosen as Eclipse Award finalists for their accomplishments in 2015. The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on Saturday, January 16th at Gulfstream Park.
John C. Oxley’s Airoforce, a finalist in the 2-year-old male division, launched his juvenile campaign with a win at first asking for trainer Mark Casse in a maiden special weight test on the turf at Kentucky Downs in September. A month later he scored in the Dixiana Bourbon Stakes (G3) on grass at Keeneland before he just missed by a neck in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1). He wrapped up the year in style, switching to the main track and taking the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) at Churchill Down by a length and a half. The colt by Colonel John sped a quarter in :21 flat before he was purchased for $350,000 out of the Richardson Bloodstock consignment at the 2015 OBS April Sale. He enters 2016 with a 4-3-1-0 record and has earned $516,080 to date. watch his under tack video
Two previous OBS graduates have won the Eclipse Award as juvenile champion. Gilded Time was a winner in 1992 and Favorite Trick won the award in 1997.
Ranlo Investments LLC’s female sprint finalist Lady Shipman served notice of things to come in January, when she returned to OBS and took the filly division of the OBS Sprint Stakes in track record time. Campaigned by trainer Kathleen O’Connell, she scored five more stakes victories; one at Pimlico, two at Monmouth Park and two at Saratoga, culminating in a course record 1:00 2/5 for 5-1/2 furlongs on the Saratoga turf course. In her final start of the year, she came charging late but settled for second by a neck in the TwinSpires Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1) against males at Keeneland. She ended the year with a 12-8-2-2 record and earnings of $538,800. Consigned by Pleasant Acres Farm, Agent, to the 2014 OBS April Sale, she sped an eighth in :9 4/5 at the Under Tack Show. watch her under tack video
OBS graduates Jewel Princess (1996), Fleet Indian (2006) and Ginger Punch (2007) won Eclipse Awards in the Older Female division. Town & Country Farms’ Stopchargingmaria is a finalist to be the fourth. She made five starts in 2015, all in graded stakes company. She won the Allaire DuPont Distaff Stakes (G3) at Pimlico in May and the Saratoga’s Shuvee Handicap (G3) in August before closing out the year with a victory in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) at Keeneland. Trained by Todd Pletcher, the newly turned 5-year-old daughter of Tale of the Cat was acquired from Repole Stables, who purchased her for $220,000 out of the Woodford Thoroughbreds consignment at the 2013 OBS March Sale after she breezed an eighth in :10 1/5 at the Under Tack Show. Now 16-9-3-1 record, she has amassed $2,924,000 in earnings. watch her under tack video
Ken & Sarah Ramsey’s Stephanie’s Kitten would join Forever Together (2008) as the second OBS graduate honored in the Older Female Turf division. She began the year with a win in the Hillsborough Stakes (G3) at Tampa Bay Downs in March and ended it with two grade one victories. The first was at Belmont Park in the Flower Bowl Stakes (G1) in early October followed by a convincing triumph in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1). It was the fifth grade one win for daughter of Kitten’s Joy, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G2) in 2011 and runner-up in the Filly and Mare Turf (G1) last year. Trained by Chad Brown, she retired with nine graded stakes wins, a 25-11-4-4 record and earnings of $4,292,904. She was consigned by Eddie Woods, Agent, to the 2011 OBS April Sale where she turned in an eighth in :11 flat at the Under Tack Show. watch her under tack video