Cal-bred News

NorCal Sale Grad A Heavenly Buy

SANTA ROSA, Calif. (Aug. 18, 2008) -- It’s good to be sheik.

But you can get from sales ring to winners circle without owning a country awash in oil.
Seven-figure budgets are not needed to pluck a future black-type earner from the Northern California Yearling Sale, to be held at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa on Tuesday, Aug 26.

Four years ago, trainer Mel Stute spent $10,000 at the Northern California Yearling Sale for a filly who turned into stakes winner More Angels, who was bred by and foaled at Cal and Jill Fischer’s Madera Thoroughbreds. She has gone on to win last year’s $77,700 Smart Angle Stakes at Aqueduct, with eight total victories and career earnings of $395,738.

More Angels is by Slew of Angels, out of the Falstaff mare Falmora, who earned more than $100,000 on the track and was bought by Madera for $9,000 at Barretts 1995 July Sale.

"It’s obvious that the Seattle Slew (lines) want Northern Dancer (lines), and I really like the blending of Lyphard with the Northern Dancer rather than the other way around," Cal Fischer told Bloodhorse Magazine. "(More Angels) was really glamorous (as a foal). Now she looks like she has more size and substance than what you’d expect from a Northern Dancer (line) filly."

In the Smart Angle Stakes, More Angels flew to the lead and held on gamely to win by 3/4 length over Karakorum Starlet. Multiple stakes winner Swap Fliparoo was third and the favorite, Stormy Kiss, was fourth.

More Angels, now a 5-year-old, took the Smart Angle for owners Roddy Valente and Vincent Scuderi. She had been running exclusively in California and mostly in claiming races until taken by Valente and Scuderi for $40,000 on Feb. 15, 2007. More Angels has been claimed six times.

She followed the Smart Angle with a second in the $82,000 Garland of Roses at Aqueduct, but in her next start was eased in the stretch run of the $300,000 Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Sprint at Santa Anita.

In addition to More Angels, graduates of the 2004 Northern California Yearling Sale include Bai and Bai, purchased for $3,200 and a multiple graded winner of $631,868; Mamita Chulla, purchased for $4,000 and a winner of $204,698; Winter Warning, purchased for $25,000 who is a stakes winner with $98,223 in earnings; Western Sovereign, purchased for $15,000 who is a stakes winner with $87,320 in earnings; Star Quality, purchased for $5,000 and a winner of $81,177; Come On Margaret, purchased for $4,200 and a winner of $97,776, along with multiple stakes winners Lomard and Double Credit.

This year’s sale moves to Santa Rosa after four years at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton. The sale begins at noon. For more information, contact Cookie Hackworth at 626-445-7800 ext. 243 or email cookie@ctba.com.