The second session of the Ocala Breeders’ Sales March Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale on Tuesday saw fireworks at the end of the day. A bidding duel between trainer Steve Asmussen and agent Donato Lanni kept climbing, reaching a fever pitch at $2 million for a son of Good Magic.
“We really liked this colt, everyone saw what he did, and if you come to the sales long enough, you see a few horses do what he did,” Lanni said. “It was pretty extraordinary, his breeze, how he came back from his breeze, and how he handled himself all week. We are here to buy the top-end horses, and I believe he was one of them.” Bidding on behalf of Amr Zedan’s Zedan Racing Stable from the press box, Lanni was victorious with his final blow, alongside Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert.
“I expected him to cost a lot, good horses command good prices, and he was a standout,” Amr Zedan told BloodHorse over the phone. “He demonstrated an amazing breeze, looked the part, and most importantly, Bob fell in love with him. Donato flagged the horse and Bob loved what he saw; we huddled up, and the rest is history.” Zedan added: “It’s challenging to find this quality of horse, and our motto is we stop when we own them. Good horses demand a premium and that’s what it takes to get winners. Let’s hope he demonstrates that on the racetrack and makes us all proud. Our program and dream are the Kentucky Derby.”