$180,000 Colt Continues Top Week for Air Force Blue

A $180,000 colt out of stakes-placed Cabbage Key became the second most expensive offering by European Champion 2-Year-Old Air Force Blue at the OBS Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training on Thursday.

Purchased by Victor Martinez from Scanlon Training and Sales, the colt was one of two six-figure 2-year-olds during the session for the freshman stallion with a filly out of Conquest Strate Up also purchased for $150,000 by Lauren Carlisle.

Sold as Hip 822 after breezing in :21.1 yesterday, the Cabbage Key colt has four winning half-siblings. A stakes winner herself, the A.P. Indy mare is one of four stakes horses for her winning dam Mayville’s Magic – a daughter of Listed winner and Group I-placed Gallanta.

Bred by Doug and Felicia Branham, the colt has champions on both sides of his pedigree with Gallanta also the dam of European Champion 2-Year-Old Filly Gay Gallanta.

Highly regarded by Mark Roberts of Hidden Brook throughout her prep for the 2-year-old sales season, the Conquest Strate Up filly didn’t disappoint. Selling during the supplemental part of the session, she was purchased for $150,000 by Lauren Carlisle.

Breezing in :21.0, the filly is the first from Listed winning Conquest Strate Up, who is also a half-sister to the dam of multiple stakes winner Cactus Joe. Bred by Pippa’s Hurricane LLC, the filly’s granddam is a half-sister to two-time Horse of the Year Curlin.

It has been an exceptional week for Air Force Blue, who sired his first winner from his first runner over the weekend before opening OBS with a $400,000 colt on Tuesday – the second most expensive of the opening session.

Siring the first and third place finishers in a maiden race in Ireland on Wednesday, with both now headed to Royal Ascot, Air Force Blue has even more to come with two more hips set to go through the ring during the final OBS session tomorrow.