Becky Thomas' Sequel Bloodstock brings a premium slate of offerings to the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale cultivated by Chester and the late Mary Broman—a testament to the couple's decades of dedication to the New York breeding program.
The Bromans, who have been honored as leading breeders in the Empire State eight times, have progeny out of their top two highest-earning homebred mares on offer at the two-day sale.
One that is sure to attract attention is Hip 54, a colt by 2022 Horse of the Year Flightline out of 2017 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) winner Bar of Gold.
"He's lovely, absolutely lovely," Thomas said of Hip 54. "He has always been a super beautiful mover, and he doesn't look like he would be as quick as he is, but he is very fast. He's a big two-turn looking horse.
"We've been lucky enough to have the Broman horses for many years. We had Bar of Gold, so he reminds us of that female line, but we have had two Flightlines, both with Mr. Broman, and both out of two-turn distance mares, and both of them have so much speed."
Thomas has trained for the Bromans for many years at her farm near Ocala, Fla., and also helps assist with Broman's matings. When the horses are weaned, they are sent to Thomas in Ocala and, along with Broman, they make the decisions on which sales to enter them in or if they want to keep them to race.
Bar of Gold, a full sister to millionaire and multiple grade 1 winner Spirit of St Louis, earned more than $1.5 million on the track for the Bromans and remains their highest-earning homebred to date.
The Bromans bought the granddam of Bar of Gold, a Storm Cat mare named Confidently, for $1 million in foal to Mr. Prospector at the 2000 Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale.
While the maternal line of the Hip 54 is highly impressive, being by first-crop sire Flightline is the cherry on top.
Progeny of Flightline have been in high demand all over the world, most notably when a Flightline colt out of Lucrezia sold for $10.5 million to Zedan Racing Stable at last month's Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale, making him the highest priced horse ever sold at OBS.
"From weanling sales to yearling sales, everyone has been excited to see the Flightlines. I think that, across the board, they have delivered on what everyone's expectations were, which were extremely high," said Carlos Manresa, director of operations at Sequel.
"Everyone was hoping to see some of that brilliance Flightline had shown on the racetrack, and I think at OBS we definitely saw that, and I think here as well, it's just been a continuation of what everyone believed his foals would do."
The Bromans' second-highest-earning homebred mare, Highway Star, is also represented in the lineup with Hip 240, a filly by Curlin , sire of Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Golden Tempo.
Highway Star, a daughter of Girolamo, earned more than $1.3 million for the Bromans, hitting the board in 17 of her 23 career starts.
Another juvenile from the Sequel consignment is Hip 43, a filly by Jackie's Warrior out of Ante Up My Friend, a daughter of graded stakes winner and graded stakes producer, Seeking the Ante, another homebred for the Bromans.
Spendthrift Farm's Jackie's Warrior has been another well-received first-crop sire who has carried strength from the weanling market to the 2-year-old in training sales. Also setting a record last month at OBS was a filly by Jackie's Warrior, who sold for $2.3 million to Mrs. Fitriana Hay.
A colt (Hip 128) by Mitole , Hip 357, a filly by Gun Runner out of the stakes-producing Uncle Mo mare Modest Maven, and Hip 386, a filly by Nashville , complete the Broman lineup.
The Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May Sale begins May 18 at 11:00 a.m. ET with Hips 1-300 set to head to the ring.
