Thursday winners at Laurel, Remington for my 2010 sales-tip class and the same Kentucky breeder

The margins were slight, but it's the winning that counts, and a pair of my selected graduates from 2010 juvenile sales made it a 2-for-2 day with victories Thursday at Maryland's Laurel Park and Oklahoma's Remington Park.

Captain My Captain -- a first-out maiden-special winner at Keeneland earlier this year -- finally garnered his second lifetime win from five starts with a gutsy effort Thursday afternoon for a $25,000 tag at Laurel. After sundown, Dangerous Ghost collected her third win from 11 starts in a turf-claimer at Remington for that same tag, $25,000.

The winners also were both bred wholly or in part by Kentucky's White Fox Farm.

Sent off as the slight favorite at about 6/5, Captain My Captain and rider J.D. Acosta stalked second-favored Leap of Will (3/2) and Kendrick Carmouche through early fractions of 22.52 and 45.91. Captain My Captain was briefly relegated to third place as Houston Bull under Forest Boyce stuck his head in front of the eventual winner in the stretch, but Captain My Captain rallied to beat that rival by a nose, with Leap of Will fading to third in the shadow of the wire.

Owned by Dogwood Stable and trained by George Weaver, Captain My Captain was bred in Kentucky by White Fox Farm, Louis Brooks Ranch, and Serengeti Stable LC, et. al. He's now earned $44,980.

I tipped the now-gelded son of Officer-Purer Than Pure, by Turkoman, as Hip 7 at the 2010 OBS February sale, where Dogwood purchased him for $85,000. He still has some work to do in earning that back.

Thursday night, a much less expensive filly continued rewarding the owners who invested in her at two different sales last year.

Dangerous Ghost and Dean Butler stalked 5/2 favorite Red Lion Heart and Lindey Wade through sharp early fractions of 21.55 and 44.73 on a speed-favoring Remington turf course. The lead pair was briefly joined by Miss Silver Ridge and David Cardoso in mid-stretch, but that one couldn't keep pace. Then Cliff Berry and Just Maid tried to close on the outside, but couldn't quite get there.

It was Dangerous Ghost who prevailed between Red Lion Heart and Just Maid, who finished a neck and a head back for the trifecta. Miss Silver Ridge was only another neck back in fourth, with White Chiffon a length back in fifth.

Final time for five furlongs on the turf was 57.17.

Dangerous Ghost was also bred in Kentucky by White Fox Farm, giving that breeder a bit of a sales-tip double, as well. She is owned by Al and Bill Ulwelling, the later of whom came down from Minnesota with his wife and kids to see this win and a couple of others at Remington over the weekend. She is trained by Michael Biehler.

The Ulwellings bought Dangerous Ghost for $28,000 out of the OBS June sale in 2010, after she was pinhooked back into that auction by Nickajack Farms, which bought her for a mere $12,000 as Hip 1205 at OBS April. I tipped her from that April sale and have to say that she's worked out well for all involved. The April buyer flipped her for $28,000 two months after buying her for $12,000, and the Ulwellings have three win photos (races on fast dirt, mud and turf), three seconds and a third with $41,115 in earnings from 11 starts.

Click here and scroll to view the updated statistics of all 187 sales selections I made from 2010.

Captain promoted in first skirmish

It was far from a fearful trip at Keeneland Wednesday when Captain My Captain led every step of the race and won by a length to break maiden in his career debut.

I selected the gelding from last year's Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. February auction of select 2-year-olds in training. He sold there for $85,000 as Hip 7 to the noted Dogwood Stable, who have taken their time with the horse. But he was clearly ready to fire for trainer George Weaver and red-hot jockey Javier Castellano. Captain My Captain's last drill prior to Wednesday's start was clocked in 46-flat, from the gate, not just the fastest time of 86 horses to work four furlongs on that date at Keeneland, but fastest by a second and two-fifths.

The son of Officer-Purer Than Pure, by Turkoman, on Wednesday set fractions of 22.19, 45.87 and 1:10.99 over the Keeneland Polytrack, and stopped the clock at the wire of the 6.5-furlong test in 1:17.58. He was sent off at a shade over 6/1 and paid $14.20 to win.

Captain My Captain -- who was a $95,000 weanling but a $55,000 RNA as a yearling -- was bred in Kentucky by White Fox Farm, Louis Brooks Ranch, and Serengeti Stable LC, et. al. I liked him on pedigree even before he breezed a sharp 10.1 at OBSFEB -- more than a month prior to his actual second birthday, as an April 6 foal. While his dam's production has dwindled of late, her prior foals include seven winners from 10 foals (all to race), and three of those winners have earned black type, including G3 victor PURELY COZZENE, stakes winner and G1-placed ERICA'S SMILE, and stakes-placed Forestry Prince.

He becomes the 71st winner from my 187-member sales-tip Class of 2010; that rounds up to 38 percent of all selections.

Though the link needs a little updating, you can follow the class here.