Freshmen test the market

Beginning Tuesday, April 22, more than a thousand 2-year-olds in training will be offered at the Ocala Breeders' Sales spring sale. It is the biggest sale of its kind; four days of continuous sessions are needed to move the 2-year-olds through the sales ring.

Ordinarily, the annual auction starts on a Monday, but this year the sale was delayed a day because Easter is on April 20.

This is the first open sale of 2-year-olds in training on the Florida calendar, and the first that will test most of Florida's freshman stallions, 12 of whom have offspring on offer.

Family Calling was bred to 116 mares in 2000. According to The Jockey Club, he is the sire of 72 foals, of which 66 are registered 2-year-olds. Twenty-one of them are cataloged to sell in the April auction.

Family Calling stands at Hidden Point Farm for a fee of $5,000, live foal. The stallion is a 9-year-old son of Mr. Prospector-Sense of Unity, by Northern Dancer. He is one of many stallions in the Ocala area who carries the genes of Mr. Prospector and Northern Dancer, two of the dominant stallions of recent times.

Family Calling raced 32 times, from 2 to 5, and was effective from six to nine furlongs. As a 4-year-old, he won the Edmond Handicap at Remington Park. He retired with earnings of just under $250,000.

"The big first crop represents the confidence of the syndicate members who supported Family Calling from the beginning," said Hidden Point Farm manager Barry Long. "Family Calling should have close to 200 2-year-olds in his first three crops."

Precosity, who stands at Franks Farms South, is the leading money earner of the freshmen stallions represented at the sale. He has eight in the sale.

Precosity, a grandson of Hoist the Flag, raced 33 times in four campaigns and earned $1.8 million. As a 3-year-old, he was second in the Grade 1 Super Derby and third in both the Grade 3 Derby Trial and the Remington Park Derby.

Precosity belied his name, as he was a much more effective racehorse at 4 and 5. Among his victories at 4 in 1998 was the Grade 1 Oaklawn Park Handicap. He also placed in the Grade 1 Pimlico Special, Grade 3 New Orleans Handicap, and Grade 3 Ark-La-Tex Handicap. The following year he won the New Orleans Handicap and was second in both the Whirlaway and the Grade 3 National Jockey Club Stakes.

Precosity, who stands for $2,500, live foal, does not have a familiar pedigree. His sire, Aferd, was unraced and did not get many breeding opportunities. His dam, Super Starlz, by Super Concorde, won on the racetrack and had six foals, five to race, including the graded stakes placed Tomorrow's Comet.

Cloud Cover, who stands at Double Diamond Farm for $3,000, live foal, has had a market test. He is the sire of a bay colt who brought $75,000 at last month's OBS March selected sale of 2-year-olds in training. Cloud Cover has four cataloged for this sale.

Cloud Cover is one of eight stallions by Storm Cat with offspring in the Ocala venue. Cloud Cover raced 16 times from ages 2 through 4, winning four races. His dam, Wortheroatsingold, is a Grade 2 stakes winner by Naskra and is the dam of the graded stakes winner Daylight Savings. Her second dam is the blue hen producer Missy Baba, by My Babu.

Wild Event, owned by Bridlewood Farm, is by Wild Again out of North of Eden, by Northfields. He is a half-brother to Eclipse champion turf horse Paradise Creek and to the graded stakes winner and turf specialist Forbidden Apple.

Wild Event was a classy racehorse in his own right. Injury kept him from racing at 3. He matured into a Grade 2 stakes winner at 4 and 5, and at 6 he won the Grade 1 Early Times Turf Classic.

Wild Event's fee is $7,500, the most expensive of the newcomers. His selected sale colt at the OBS February sale brought $32,000. However, speed sells in the OBS February sale. Wild Event's game was going long on the turf, and the farther the better. Wild Event has 10 offspring cataloged.