Gulfstream Park: Sanchez fielding offers to buy Social Inclusion

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – On the heels of Social Inclusion’s record-setting, 10-length allowance victory over Honor Code on Wednesday at Gulfstream Park, owner Ron Sanchez’s phone has been ringing off the hook with offers to buy all or a portion of the 3-year-old sensation.

“I’ve already had three solid offers: one for $1.8 million for half the horse, another for $2 million for half the horse, and a third for $5 million for 75 percent of the horse,” said Sanchez, who races under the nom de course of Rontos Racing Corp. “I have also had Coolmore come to see me and check the horse out, and a call from the Middle East, although they’re interested in purchasing the whole horse.”

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Sanchez said he would prefer to sell a piece of Social Inclusion, keep a piece, and leave the horse in training with Manny Azpurua.

“Manny knows this horse better than anybody,” Sanchez said. “This isn’t strictly about the money, although of course the money is nice. I’ve been in the industry 20 years in Venezuela and five years in this country, and this is the dream of every horseman, to have a horse of this caliber.”

Social Inclusion, a son of Pioneerof the Nile, was in training last spring and early summer in Southern California with Jeff Bonde before being stopped on after working 10 times at Hollywood Park. He returned to the track this winter at Gulfstream Park with the 85-year-old Azpurua, who got nine more works under the colt’s belt before sending him out to win his maiden by 7 1/2 lengths Feb. 22.

Social Inclusion raced with Lasix for the first time when he broke the main-track record for 1 1/16 miles under jockey Luis Contreras here Wednesday, earning a 111 Beyer Speed Figure, easily the highest of any 3-year-old this season.

“I’ll sit down, analyze every offer, and probably wait until Tuesday or Wednesday before making a final decision,” Sanchez said. “Right now, we have two options picked out for Social Inclusion’s next start. Manny would prefer to keep him here for the Florida Derby. He doesn’t want the horse to do too much traveling before the Kentucky Derby, and I’d like to take him to the Wood [Memorial], which would give him an extra week coming out of this race.”

Trainer Shug McGaughey said Thursday that Honor Code came out of his second-place finish Wednesday in good order. Honor Code was making his first start since defeating Cairo Prince to win the Grade 2 Remsen on Nov. 30.

McGaughey said he wanted to wait to see how Honor Code progresses coming out of the race before deciding where he will run next. Like Social Inclusion, his two most likely options are the Florida Derby or Wood.