Three years ago, Saul Marquez brought a one-horse consignment to the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Company’s April 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. Under his Caliente Thoroughbreds banner, Marquez sold the colt by Solomini, purchased for $50,000 the previous September, for $700,000. It was a remarkable first pinhooking success for the third-generation horseman who had moved from California to Ocala just months before, but it has proven to be just the first of many, and the winning has continued from the sales ring right to the racetrack.
That very first graduate became graded stakes winner Wynstock and following him, Caliente Thoroughbreds sold a colt from the first crop of McKinzie–a $260,000 Fasig-Tipton July yearling–for $725,000 at the 2024 April sale. That bay became multiple Grade I winner Chancer McPatrick.
Among the 2025 Caliente graduates are Feminism (Curlin), who topped last year’s OBS June sale when selling for $975,000 and Sea Strike (Midshipman), who sold for $650,000 at the OBS March sale. Both have been named ‘TDN Rising Stars, presented by Hagyard’ after recent debut victories…