OBS April Pedigree Highlights: Part Two

Some notable pedigrees from the second half of the catalog

The OBS April sale begins tomorrow, and with 1,222 horses cataloged, it’s hard to narrow down to just a few. I already highlighted six horses from the first half of the catalog, and I’m back with a few more interesting pedigrees from the second half of the sale. These horses are from hips 613-1222 and will all be selling on April 27th and 28th.

Remember that this is strictly an evaluation of pedigree, and as always, other aspects such as conformation and vet work should be taken into account when deciding to buy a horse. These featured horses are listed in order of hip number.

Hip #837 - c. Omaha Beach x Queen’s Wood (Tiznow)

This is far from a clever opinion, as a half brother to a G1 winner, but I definitely wanted to talk about this colt. Omaha Beach has been very popular so far in his career, with his first crop of yearlings averaging $189,475 and his first five two-year-olds selling for an average of $326,000. He was a G1 winner from 6f to 9f, and showed quite a bit of speed in his races.

I love the cross of War Front with Tiznow; it creates linebreeding to family 3o via War Front’s damsire Rubiano (who is also the third damsire of Omaha Beach) and Tiznow’s paternal grandsire Relaunch, who is a full brother to the second dam of Rubiano. The cross of War Front and Tiznow has produced G1 winner American Patriot and three (7.02%) stakes winners in 57 starts. War Front has also done very well with mares carrying this filly’s second damsire, Private Account, with three (2.61%) G1 winners and six (5.22%) stakes winners from 115 starters.

His dam, Queen’s Wood, was unraced but had two stakes placed half siblings. Her second dam, La Trinite, was a group placed runner in France who produced two G1 winners. La Trinite’s dam was a full sister to G1 Oaks winner Pia. This branch of family 16a goes back to the brilliant mare Plucky Liege, a stakes winner whose biggest contribution to the breed was as the dam of nine stakes winners, including four stallions who would be designated as chefs-de-race - Admiral Drake, Bois Roussel, Bull Dog, and Sir Gallahad.

Queen’s Wood has already produced three winners in four starters, including a G1 winner, Cigar Mile winner True Timber, by Mineshaft. Her first foal, the Harlan’s Holiday gelding Dr. Harlan, was a hard-knocking cheap claimer who won nine of his 63 lifetime starts, hit the board an additional twenty times, and banked over $166k in his career.

Her most recent foal to race, the Quality Road gelding Motown Music, was a $250,000 Keeneland September yearling who broke his maiden for a $30k tag in his second start going six furlongs at Keeneland, then stretched out to 1 1/16 miles to win for a $50k tag at Churchill Downs in his first try against winners. He’s been a useful horse at Santa Anita, winning a $50k starter allowance as a four year old, and was most recently seen returning off an 11-month layoff in a $50k waiver claiming race at that track, where he was not entered for the tag and won by a head.

The non-winner, Honor Indy, is a daughter of To Honor And Serve who was unable to win in ten career tries.