Reddams selling some of their horses, but not Slow Down Andy

DEL MAR, Calif. – Paul and Zillah Reddam, among the most prominent owners and breeders in California, plan to significantly reduce their racing stable with a sale of more than 35 runners later this month in Pomona, Calif.

Paul Reddam said at Del Mar on Saturday that the couple has 74 horses in training, with additional stock at their Ocean Breeze Farm in Bonsall, Calif.

“We decided let’s take the bottom half and cull that,” Reddam said. “We have too many.

“There are a ton of yearlings and we’ll sell some of those, too.”

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The horses will be sold in the horses of racing age segment of the California fall yearling sale conducted by Fasig-Tipton on Sept. 27. The Reddams’ yearlings will be consigned through Bruno DeBerdt, agent.

One horse that will not be offered is Slow Down Andy, the upset winner of the Grade 2 Del Mar Derby in his turf debut on Saturday. Ridden by Mario Gutierrez for trainer Doug O’Neill, Slow Down Andy led throughout the $302,000 Del Mar Derby, winning by a half-length at 6-1.

The Del Mar Derby was Slow Down Andy’s third stakes win, and first since the Grade 3 Sunland Park Derby in March. Slow Down Andy was rated as a contender for the Kentucky Derby before he was sidelined in April with a virus.

Slow Down Andy returned to racing earlier this year and finished second in the Los Alamitos Derby July 9 and Real Good Deal Stakes for California-bred 3-year-olds at Del Mar on Aug. 5.

Paul Reddam said the Del Mar Derby was chosen on Saturday instead of the $125,000 Shared Belief Stakes for 3-year-olds at a mile on dirt on the same day because of its higher purse and to experiment with a surface change.

Slow Down Andy, bred by the Reddams in California, is by Nyquist and is a full brother to Team Merchants, the winner of the Let It Ride Stakes on turf at Del Mar last November.

“The race was here,” Reddam said of the Del Mar Derby. “His comeback races were nothing special. He ran okay. Where are we going to go, ship out of town?”

On a sad note, Reddam said on Saturday that Team Merchants died of colic earlier this year.

Slow Down Andy withstood a challenge in the stretch from several rivals in the Del Mar Derby.

“He looked like he would pack it in, but we’ve seen in his races he’s very game,” Reddam said. “The horse has a ton of talent.

“The issue will be where do you run next. Who the hell knows?”

Doug O’Neill trains Slow Down Andy as well as a majority of the Reddam-owned horses. O’Neill and the Reddams have won Kentucky Derbies with I’ll Have Another (2012) and Nyquist (2016).

This year, Reddam has sent horses to more trainers than in previous years, including Antonio Garcia and Michael McCarthy. Trainers Ed Freeman and Ben Cecil have had horses for the Reddams in the past and continue to do so.

Of Garcia, 33, Reddam said, “I hear he tries real hard. I met him a few days ago and he seems like a nice kid.”