Around sales grounds, consignors and buyers are in agreement: Speed sells.
Earlier this year at the Ocala Breeders' Company's March 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, Walmac Farm, Five Fillies Stable, and Ryan Ritt went to $195,000 for a son of Violence , who just six months earlier sold for $9,500 as a yearling.
That partnership is just starting to see the potential from that purchase as that colt, Politicallycorrect displayed an impressive turn of foot and rallied from last to win the six-furlong $217,215 Bashford Manor Stakes at Churchill Downs June 30.
"He's got such a big stride; he's a really big 2-year-old," said trainer Christopher Davis. "When you look at him, he doesn't really say sprint. A real reason why we liked him was his size at OBS, and he has such a big stride length. I told (jockey Jose Ortiz), 'There's so much speed in this race, if he doesn't break right just sit and kick him out and let him run.'"
That's exactly what Ortiz did, as the colt didn't get the best of exits from the gate and found himself at the back of the field of 12 through the opening quarter in :21.41. Even at the halfway point, Politicallycorrect hadn't made much progress with all but one of his rivals ahead of him.
Meanwhile, morning line second choice Bodacious looked as if he were going to go gate to wire. But as the field came around the far turn, his competition closed the gap. Enduring Spirit pressed him and traded the lead. That action was short-lived because Ortiz, unable to find a clear path forward, made his own.
Springing out six wide, Ortiz let Politicallycorrect use his natural talent.
"He was a little unsettled in the gate and then broke pretty slowly," Ortiz said. "After that I just tried to let him relax as much as he could down the backside. He really kicked powerfully home."
Politicallycorrect stopped the clock in 1:10.56, besting his closest competitor by five lengths.
The St. George Farm-bred colt is undefeated in two starts and has earned $199,320. He paid $16.62 for the win. Smoken Wicked and Ivan the Great rounded out the top three.
Video: Bashford Manor S. (BT)
DebutantE Stakes
Vodka With a Twist made the running look easy Sunday, getting a great break from the gate and never relenting en route to the victory in the $225,000 Debutante Stakes over a muddy track at Churchill Downs.
The Phil D'Amato trainee also gave her sire, Thousand Words , his first blacktype stakes winner.
Vodka With a Twist beat six other 2-year-old fillies just seven weeks after breaking her maiden at the Louisville track.
She is owned by Medallion Racing, Omar Aldabbagh, and William Strauss. She was bred in Kentucky by Pillar Property Services.
With jockey Flavien Prat in the irons, Vodka With a Twist posted fractions of :21.51, :45.47, and :57.63 before reaching the wire in 1:10.58.
"It was definitely a good run. She showed a lot of speed down the back side and I was able to get away from the group. Then she reacted real well around the turn and responded well when it was time to make a run down the lane," Prat said.
The filly paid $4.62 on a $2 win ticket. She was followed to the finish by So There She Was, who was three lengths back, and Fortuna Mia.
Thousand Words, a son of Pioneerof the Nile, stands at Spendthrift Farm for an advertised fee of $5,000. He entered stud in 2021 after earning four wins from nine starts including the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) in 2019.
