Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds pinhooks payoff at OBS March

Last year’s yearling marketplace was strong, leading to questions about how pinhookers might make a profit as many had to pay more on their initial investment. The team of Randy Hartley and Dean DeRenzo has proved time and again that it can be done, and the savvy pinhook partnership hit home runs with two seven-figure sales as the juvenile sales season opened at OBS March.

Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds sold the second-highest-priced juvenile at the sale, a $1.5 million Not This Time colt purchased by Pro Racing Stable, who will be trained by Jose D’Angelo. The colt rewarded the consignors’ faith that he could find a higher ceiling despite being a hefty yearling buy. The colt was a $900,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling purchase from breeder Rockingham Ranch.

“A lot of leg, May foal, and he just looked like he’d develop into a really super horse,” Hartley said at the time of that purchase.

Hartley/DeRenzo also was responsible for the $1 million Authentic colt purchased by John Stewart. The partnership purchased the colt from breeder Gainesway for $260,000 at the Keeneland September yearling sale.

Both colts breezed a furlong in 9 4/5 seconds at the under-tack preview before their seven-figure sales.