What's the rush? ... Sales selection What's the Rumpus breaks maiden in his 13th career start

When I selected 187 juveniles from several of last year's 2-year-old sales, I thought the gray or roan colt by Mizzen Mast-Gypsy, by Marfa -- who was a $32,000 RNA at last April's Ocala sale -- would be among the first to break his maiden.

The horse who would be named What's the Rumpus actually became maiden-breaker No. 75 today, in his 13th lifetime start.

I was high on this horse's chances because of his underrated sire, Mizzen Mast, and the fact that his stakes-placed dam was already the producer of five winners from six foals, including G3-placed GAL ON THE GO (Irgun), who in turn produced dual G3 winner SOCIAL QUEEN (Dynaformer). This horse's first three dams all earned their own black type, and his dam, Gypsy, is a half-sister to G1-winning, $4.7 million-earning PERFECT DRIFT, one of my all-time favorites. The sales colt, now gelded, breezed a credible 22-flat for a quarter at OBSAPR, and his work tab after being shipped to the California barn of Doug O'Neill was initially pretty good.

Despite flashes of ability, What's the Rumpus only managed to place twice and show twice from 12 prior starts. Though placed in California, he was shuffled off to Turf Paradise, then Sunland Park, and finally Sunray Park in Farmington, N.M., where he won today for a $6,250 claiming tag.

At least he won for fun.

What's the Rumpus, sent off as the 3/1 third choice in a field of eight, pressured early leader Sexy N Wild, then pounced at the top of the stretch, drawing off to win under jockey Kelsi Purcell by seven lengths over 9/5 favorite First Date. Final time for seven furlongs over a muddy-sealed track was 1:26.95.

What's the Rumpus was bred in Kentucky by Darrell Brown and James E. English. He is now owned by his trainer, Kenneth K. Chadborn Jr., in partnership with Cody Kelley. The gelding has earned $16,600 from his 13 lifetime starts.

As noted, with the win What's the Rumpus becomes the 75th of my 187 juvenile sales-tips to clear his maiden hurdle; that's 40.1 percent.

The link needs some updating, but you can follow all 187 of those picks -- and a few pans -- at the bottom of this prior post.

On seventh try, Reprized Halo gets his wings

He might not be a stakes horse, now or perhaps ever, but he isn't a run-of-the-mill claimer, either. At least, not today.

Reprized Halo ran like he could walk on water and skipped home a 12 1/4-length winner over the slop Friday in maiden special weight company at Miami's Calder Race Course.

The colt, the 29th of my 187 juvenile sales tips of 2010 to break maiden, was already making his seventh start at age 2. After showing a modicum of promise among maidens but still without a win, he was twice raced against stakes horses, to poor results. Returned to the maiden ranks and risked for a $25,000 tag, he was second beaten only a length, also on a sloppy track. On Friday, he broke sharply from the inside post, raced comfortably along the rail even when headed by competitors on the back stretch, battled through the turn, then simply left the field in his muddy wake in the stretch. (Results and video at Bloodhorse.com.)

Reprized Halo was ridden confidently to the win by apprentice Jose Alvarez, for trainer Manuel Azpurua and owner Roger Urbina. He covered the sloppy mile in 1:42.83.

Urbina purchased Reprized Halo (Halo's Image-Reprized Angel, by Reprized) for just $23,000 from the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. April auction of 2-year-olds in training, where the colt was catalogued as Hip 331.

I recommended the horse despite his status as the first foal out of an obviously unproven broodmare. His dam, however, won five times from ages 2 to 5, earned nearly $85,000, and was non-blacktype stakes-placed in the Kansas Oaks and Miss Kansas City stakes at the now-defunct Woodlands Racetrack in Kansas City.

More important, she is a full sister to Tropical Park Derby-G3 winner VALID REPRIZED, who also won the Hialeah Juvenile Stakes. Their half-brother, CONVEYOR'S ANGEL, won the Buena Vista H.-G2. Reprized Halo's second, third and fourth dams all were unraced -- as was his dam-sire, Reprized, though a sibling of numerous stakes horses including G1-winning brother, PRIZED -- and usually I'd avoid that kind of mare. But in this colt's case, mama ran, and her unraced dam managed to produce eight winners from nine foals, including the two "big" horses.

Whatever made this family relevant again, I like it. And Reprized Halo helped his case with a 21.2 breeze at the sale, though still sold for less than OBSAPR's modest sale average of $27,918. Reprized Halo earned $24,820 for Friday's win -- more than he cost in April, though obviously other costs have mounted since -- and looks capable of moving forward off that victory.

Especially, it appears, if the connections go storm-chasing.

It was a winless week leading up to Friday for the sales-tips, though What's The Rumpus collected second in a maiden-claimer at Fairplex, winner Bestcasescenario missed getting his second lifetime victory by a neck in a claimer at Laurel, and debuting Unstoppable Mick -- bought for just $10,000 -- finished third (despite 15/1 morning line odds) for a $30,000 tag at Turfway Park.

With 29 maidens broken, that means 15.5 percent of my sales-tips are now winners, before the month of September is out in their juvenile season. They have won 36 of 211 starts (17.1 percent strike rate) and have finished second 39 times and third another 20 for an in-the-money rate of 45 percent.

Their earnings have reached $1,230,136. That equals $5,830 per start.

Follow the class in its entirety here.