OBS Spotlight is an occasional series highlighting OBS sales graduates, consignors, buyers, and breeders
By Alicia Hughes, Director of Communications
John Kimmel remembers what he saw coming down the lane as Hip 995 put in his quarter-mile breeze at the 2024 Ocala Breeders’ Sales Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training, but it was what happened next that resonated most with the veteran trainer.
Once the bay son of McKinzie finished his under-tack work in :21 flat, he continued putting on a show even after the timer had stopped. As he reached the turn with fluid strides that were deceptive in their speed, he convinced Kimmel and bloodstock partner, Nick Sallusto, they had found the leader of their shortlist – so long as they could sell owner and client Sean Flanagan on the notion.
“This horse to me was my top selection,” Kimmel recalled of the colt they eventually purchased for $725,000. “He not only was a very imposing physical specimen, he exuded a lot of athleticism, but his workout was phenomenal. He went in like :21 but his gallop out times were phenomenal; I think he went in :44 and change and :59 and you just don’t see horses do that. Nick and I pretty much clocked every horse from all those sales, and he was shoulders above everybody.
“I called Mr. Flanagan and told him this was a horse we should make a big attempt to try and buy and he wasn’t really sure about McKinzie. But his trainer Chad Brown talked to him and endorsed the horse, saying that McKinzie could make a good stallion.”
Three starts into his career, the colt now known as Chancer McPatrick has more than justified the lofty opinions he inspired before he ever passed the entry box. With an unblemished record and a pair of Grade 1 wins already to his credit, the star of the Caliente Thoroughbreds consignment can stamp himself as the odds-on choice to claim divisional honors when he headlines the expected field for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) at Del Mar Nov. 1.
See: Spring Walk Video/ Under Tack Video for Chancer McPatrick
It’s the finer details that often separate well-bred youngsters from one another at the top of the commercial marketplace. To the end, Chancer McPatrick has continued to build upon the intangibles he emphatically showcased over the OBS track.
In each of his trio of victories, the colt bred by Rigney Racing has shown beyond-his-years aptitude with both his closing kick and the way he has handled adversity. When he made his second career start in the Hopeful Stakes (G1) at Saratoga in September, he broke inward and hit the gate, causing jockey Flavien Prat to lose one of his irons and a ton of ground. Despite ending up next to last in the nine-horse field and having to launch his bid on the far outside, Chancer McPatrick uncorked a wicked turn of foot that allowed him to prevail by half a length over fellow OBS graduate, Ferocious.
For those who missed it in his first two outings, Chancer McPatrick again delivered a masterclass of a rally when he annexed the Champagne Stakes (G1) at Aqueduct Oct. 5. With Prat again at the helm, the duo began sweeping past rivals on the far turn before collaring Tip Top Thomas in the final sixteenth en route to 2 ¾ length triumph.
“He does things that you see more commonly in older horses rather than a lightly raced 2-year-old,” Kimmel said. “His move in the Champagne showed he’s just an incredible animal, for a horse who is that young to take that much kickback. You put him back into the race and he picks his horses up.”
Added Brown, “He’s never disappointed. He’s run like a mature, experienced horse. He’s endured some trouble, particularly his first two starts, and he was able to overcome it, which you love to see with a young horse.”
For Kimmel, Chancer McPatrick’s success to date has been particularly validating considering a certain other prospect that got away from him and Sallusto earlier in the season.
The two agents were the direct underbidders on Ferocious when he sold for $1.3 million to Marquee Bloodstock at this year’s OBS March Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training. Thus, seeing two colts they each earmarked as standouts finish 1-2 in the Hopeful is moment of satisfaction Kimmel hopes duplicates itself on Breeders’ Cup Friday.
“That was quite impressive to me that two of the horses we fingered in OBS ran 1-2 in a Grade 1. That was pretty awesome,” Kimmel said. “We were super happy to get (Chancer McPatrick). I remember after they sent him up to Chad…I saw him and asked, ‘How is that McKinzie colt doing?’. And his response was ‘I would trade 30 horses for that horse’. He’s just got a brilliant stride.”