Classic Empire Filly Brings $450,000 at OBS March

On fire with his runners on the track, Classic Empire was also in high demand at the OBS March Sale of Two-Year-Olds on Tuesday when Jonathan Thomas went to $450,000 to purchase a filly by the champion juvenile.

Consigned by de Meric Sales and bred by James Justiss and In The Arena Enterprises, the :10.0 breezer is out of Tale of the Cat’s stakes placed Dear to All. That mare is the dam of three winners from four to race, led by the stakes wining Out of Sorts. There are stakes performers under all three dams on the page with her second dam, Double Devils Food, also winning a stakes as one of two stakes winners out of Boat in a Moat.

Double Devils Food is a half-sister to stakes winner Native Boat in addition to stakes placed Diamond Affair and Bradford Bay. Native Boat is also the granddam of Grade I winner Finnegan’s Wake.

Classic Empire’s 26 winners in 2023 is fourth best of all third crop sires as is his four stakes performers this year with his two stakes winners and two graded stakes winners putting him second best in his generation.