Deal for Pico Central's dam

When Brazilian expatriate Pico Central won the Met Mile on May 31, no one was cheering louder than Florida-based bloodstock agent John Fulton. The morning of the race, Fulton had completed a deal to purchase privately a half-interest in Pico Central's dam, Sheila Purple, and half-sister Central do Brasil.

Fulton declined to disclose the price he paid to Brazilian breeder Alessandro Arcangeli, but said, "He let me in at a price that was pre-Met Mile."

Fulton said the mare will ship to Cobra Farm in Lexington, Ky., for the 2005 breeding season. Central do Brasil, Sheila Purple's yearling filly, will begin her racing career in Brazil, Fulton said.