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Fearsome Foursome: Quartet of OBS Graduates Earn Breeders’ Cup Victories

The 42nd edition of the Breeders’ Cup World Championships proved a banner affair for graduates of Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company auctions. A total of four OBS grads prevailed during the two-day event, the most victories ever posted by the company’s sale graduates in a single Breeders’ Cup.

Swinbank Stables, Medallion Racing and Joey Platts et al.’s Cy Fair (Not This Time-Remarqued, by Arch), a graduate of the 2025 OBS April Sale, struck first when she scored a three-quarter-length victory in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1) on Oct. 31. Cy Fair became the second filly to win the race, joining Twilight Gleaming (IRE) in 2021, and gave trainer George Weaver his first Breeders’ Cup victory.

Cy Fair wins the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint
(Benoit Photo)

The daughter of Not This Time was purchased by Swinbank for $185,000 at this year’s OBS April Sale out of the Niall Brennan Stables consignment after breezing in :9 4/5.

Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup card saw good things come in threes as Morplay Racing and Qatar Racing’s Shisospicy (Mitole – Mischief Galore, by Into Mischief) kicked off a trio of triumphs from OBS grads when she went to the front out of the gate and held the advantage all the way around to post a 2 ½-length victory in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1).

Trained by Jose D’Angelo, Shisospicy became the first 3-year-old filly to win the $1 million race. It was also the first victory in the World Championships for D’Angelo.

The win improved Shisospicy’s earnings to $2,090,270 with a record of 9-6-1-1 that now includes three graded-stakes victories. She was offered at the 2024 OBS April Sale by Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds where she was an RNA after breezing in :9 3/5.

Shisospicy wins the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint
(Benoit Photo)

Another OBS grad wasted no time in giving D’Angelo his second Breeders’ Cup triumph as Leon King Stable Corp. and Julia and Michael Iavarone’s Bentornato (Valiant Minister-Her Special Way, by Put It Back), lived up to his role as the favorite in scoring a 2 ¼-length victory in the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1).

Bentornato increased his earnings to $2,322,180 and improved his record to 11-7-2-2. He is a two-time OBS graduate, having been sold by Stuart Morris at the 2022 October Yearling Sale and then purchased by Champion Equine for $170,000 out of the Golden Rock Thoroughbreds consignment at the 2023 March Sale after breezing in :20 4/5.

Bentornato wins the Breeders’ Cup Sprint
(Benoit Photo)

Wrapping up the Breeders’ Cup glory was Baoma Corp.’s Nysos (Nyquist – Zetta Z, by Bernardini), a graduate of the 2023 OBS April Sale, who wore down stablemate Citizen Bull to post a head victory in $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1). The victory gave trainer Bob Baffert his 21st overall Breeders’ Cup win to put him in a tie with Aidan O’Brien for the most Breeders’ Cup victories all time.

Nysos was purchased for $550,000 out of the Best A Luck Farm consignment by Donato Lanni, Agent for Baoma Corp at the 2023 OBS April Sale after breezing in :9 4/5. The victory was his sixth in seven starts and his first Grade 1 triumph as he increased his earnings to $1,118,500.

Nysos, outside, wins the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile
(Benoit Photo)

Other stakes-winning OBS grads during the week included Queen Maxima (Bucchero – Corfu Lady, by Corfu) getting back to her winning ways in taking the $200,000 Senator Ken Maddy Stakes Oct. 31 at Del Mar.

Trained by Jeff Mullins, Queen Maxima is owned by Dutch Girl Holdings and Irving Ventures LLC. Consigned by Blue River Bloodstock, the daughter of OBS graduate Bucchero was purchased by Michael Pender, agent for $40,000 from the 2023 OBS June sale after breezing in :20 3/5.

The Oct. 31 card at Del Mar also saw Conducted (Mendelssohn-Marvelous Spot, by Archarcharch) take the lead and never look back in winning the $200,000 Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance Stakes by 1 ½ lengths for trainer O. J. Jauregui. Owned by Danny Eplin, Julia and Michael Iavarone, and Arthur Spencer, the Mendelssohn colt was purchased by Eplin at the 2025 OBS April Sale for $110,000 from the Hoppel consignment after breezing in :20 3/5.

At Churchill Downs Nov. 1, Roll On Big Joe (Prospective – Nina’s Gift, by Victory Gallop) put away pacesetter Glengarry leaving the turn and drew away in the stretch to win the $269,500 Bet On Sunshine Stakes (Listed).

Roll On Big Joe prevailed for trainer Bob Hess Jr. and owners Rancho Temescal LLC (Tim Cohen), Rancho Temescal Thoroughbred Partners (Joseph Miller), White Fence LLC (David Marabella) and Richard Hale Jr. He was purchased by Rancho Temescal for $90,000 at the 2022 OBS June sale from the Gayle Woods consignment after breezing in :10 flat.

At Gulfstream Park Oct. 31, Ad Hoc Stable Inc.’s Crafty Collector (Collected-Craft Woods, by Declaration of War) rallied to register a 61-1 upset victory in the $75,000 Cellars Shiraz Stakes.

The Gerald Bennett trainee earned her first stakes victory. She was purchased at the 2023 OBS Winter Mixed Sale by her owners for $15,000 from the CoCo’s Ranch consignment.