Full Brother to Taraz Commands $1.4 Million at OBS

A bidding war broke out for Hip 416, a full brother to the late undefeated stakes winner Taraz, during the second day of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training April 16. The colt by Into Mischief was secured for a final bid of $1.4 million by Mahmud Mouni for a partnership called Tagermeen Racing out of the King's Equine consignment. Hip 416 was bred in Kentucky by Scott Dilworth, Evan Dilworth, and Randy Andrews, and is the eighth foal of the Empire Maker mare Silk Route. She is the dam of three winners including the highly regarded Taraz, whose career was cut short by a fatal injury. A Juddmonte homebred, Taraz won the 2019 Letellier Memorial Stakes at 2 by 11 1/4 lengths in her second start, returning the next year to win the Martha Washington Stakes at Oaklawn Park by 3 3/4 lengths for trainer Brad Cox. The son of Into Mischief hails from a blue-blooded Juddmonte family that includes grade 1 winner Yashmak and Commander in Chief—champion 3-year-old colt and winner of the 1993 Epsom Derby (G1) and Irish Derby (G1). He earned $1,311,514. "I specifically came here for this colt," said Mahmud Mouni after purchasing Hip 416. "We are lucky to get him for $1.4 million, I think this is logically a fair price. He's a very, very nice horse. "I was specifically focused on this one. I was unlucky in March for the horse that sold for $3 million, the Gun Runner. I tried to bid on him, but I was unlucky. We are so happy (to get Hip 416). Hopefully, we get a good result in the near future." Mouni, who also signed the ticket for the colt's dam at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale for $10,000 last fall, said the horse was bought for a new partnership with plans to stay in America; a trainer has not yet been decided. At the start of Day 2, Mouni signed for Hip 305, a colt by Charlatan from the Randy Miles consignment. He said they plan to add to their stable over the remaining days of the sale. "We had high expectations," said Raul Reyes of King's Equine. "All year with him, he proved he was a nice horse early. We really knew that he was going to be special." The colt was a $375,000 RNA at Fasig-Tipton's The Saratoga Sale last summer, where he was consigned by Denali Stud. "He (Hip 416) really likes to train," Reyes added. "He dedicates himself a lot into what he does. He did everything right. Very good mind, and a very serious horse. The rest is history." King's Equine's Tiz the Law Filly Brings $1.05 Million King's Equine had a banner day selling two seven-figure horses, as Hip 578 followed the full brother to Taraz by selling for $1.05 million to Mouni. The Tiz the Law filly is out of the graded stakes-placed mare Tulsa Queen. King's Equine was the leading consignor of the second session, selling two horses for $2.45 million. The speedy filly was bred in Kentucky by Spotted Pony Stables. She was a $70,000 purchase at the 2024 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearling Sale by Laureles Racing from the Vinery Sales consignment. She blazed an eighth of a mile in :09 4/5 during the second day of the under tack show to tie for the co-fastest time at that distance. "I'm excited," Reyes said of having two of the top-priced horses of the day. "I really worked hard this year to be where I am, because it's very easy in this business to go down, and it's hard to get up. "I think the market has been trimming down to better horses. With all the rules and regulations, people can't afford to have an average horse because they're costing a lot of money. It's going to go back to being the 'Sport of Kings,' sooner or later."