Pocket Aces Racing LLC is very excited to introduce the newest member of our stable, a 2YO filly by Mor Spirit out of Skindy by Skip Away. We purchased the filly out of the Fasig-Tipton Timonium Sale on May 19 for $100,000. Marc inspected every Kentucky-bred filly on the grounds leading up to the sale. After vetting and stride analytics (more on that later) we were locked in on three fillies as the sale got underway. Several other factors between Monday morning and Tuesday morning elevated this filly to the top of the list!
Before going into detail about the filly, we want to share our approach to buying at a 2YO sales. Racing prospects going through a 2YO sale are much further along in the process of getting race ready. As opposed to judging a prospect strictly on conformation, walk and pedigree, buyers have a great deal more information at their disposal in their selection process. As a result, finding value can be extremely difficult for buyers like ourselves. A horse that has physical, pedigree, great breeze and clean vetting bring a PREMIUM price. To get something in our price range, we have to decide which of those factors we can view with a little more leeway. That may be size, a turf horse breezing on dirt that may not have a really fast time, an unfashionable sire, a light female family or perhaps a minor notation on the vet report.
Marc first saw this filly on Monday morning. She was by far one of the best physicals he’d seen in three days of looking at horses Marc sent Dermot Littlefield of Fernhill Stables a text and asked Dermot to look at her profile on the Fasig-Tipton website and to share his thoughts. Dermot replied immediately, “I don’t have to look her up. I love that filly. I was the underbidder on her in October. If I hadn’t already bought others I would have bought her.”
In addition to physical inspection by Marc, we employed analytics services of Metrics Equine to really narrow in on our target. Marc sent them a list of eleven fillies for their reports. They analyze stride, biometrics and speed to assign horses at Breeze Figure (think Beyer or EQB figs for works). Figures fall into one of four categories. In their analysis of more than 17,000 2YO sales horses 2005, they have found that 80% of graded stakes winner that went through a 2YO sale fell into Categories 1 and 2. This filly was one of two on our list that fell into Category1. Her stride length (24.0), breeze figure (63) and category are all above average.
After a great deal of discussion, we ultimately decided to pass the first horse from our list that went through the ring. We liked her a lot, but we liked this filly a great deal more. She checked all the boxes physically, she just lacked some “sexy” sire power. We hoped that would play to our advantage and allow us to actually have a good chance of bringing her home.
As Marc posted up to bid on the filly, he noticed David Ingordo, the agent for West Point Thoroughbreds and husband of Kentucky Derby winning trainer Cherie Devaux, positioning himself within eyesight of a bid spotter. It turns out that they saw something in this filly too. The bidding started and it quickly came down to Marc and David one upping each other until the hammer finally dropped on our bid of $100,000.
We couldn’t be more excited about this filly. The fact that Dermot, David Ingordo and Marc all landed on this filly independently tells us a lot. She has size, scope and strength. She has a fluid and athletic walk. She vets completely clean with an A+ throat. And, she scores in the highest category of analytics.
She shipped from Baltimore to the farm at Fernhill Stables overnight on Tuesday. She arrived in good order on Wednesday morning. She’ll get a few days to recover from the sale and the ship and then start jogging and galloping around the farm next week. Dermot will take some time to get to know her and then get her to the Thoroughbred Center before she makes the move to Brendan Walsh.
Mor Spirit is a son of Eskendereya out of the Dixie Union mare, Im a Dixie Girl. Mor Spirit posted a career record of 6-5-0 with earnings of $1,668,400 from fourteen starts. He won four graded stakes including the Los Alamito Futurity (G1), The Robert B Lewis (GIII), the Steve Sexton Mile (GIII) and the Metropolitan Handicap (GI). He was second in four other graded stakes including the Santa Anita Derby (GI). Interestingly enough, we had shortlisted Mor Spirit at the Fasig-Tipton July Select Sale and really wanted to buy him. Unfortunately, he was scratched from the sale and did not go through the ring. We’ve followed him ever since.
From five relatively small crops of runners, Mor Spirit has 163 winners with earnings of $16,031,800. Top performers include Chancheng Glory who earned more than $3,081,439 USD in Hong Kong and one start in Korea; Velociter a winner of multiple stakes races in the US and Canada with earnings of $786,726; Mor Victory a multiple stakes winner of $309,595; multiple stakes winner Mor Force; and stakes winner Liberal Lady.
Skindy is an unraced mare by Skip Away. She has produced five winners from nine foals of racing age including stakes placed Lured Away (third in the Petramala Mile at Colonial) who has earned more than $200,000. Reines des Animaux earned more than $117,920 and produced a winner of her own. She is a half-sister to black type winners Pressed and Carson City Babe and stakes placed Silver Indy and Court Mischief. Half-sisters of Skindy have produced multiple black type runners.
