$1 million baby Tatters to Riches ready for Del Mar Futurity

The gavel fell at $1 million and the 2-year-old colt was sold at the Ocala Breeders’ Sale, just over four months ago, in April.

Jeff Mullins says the purchase price for Tatters to Riches was the highest, by about double, of any horse he has trained.

“He was really a nice looking horse and his pedigree obviously helped,” Mullins said Saturday of the bay colt, acquired by Red Baron’s Barn LLC and Rancho Temescal. “A lot of other people wanted him, we just had more money. It didn’t take long to get to a million.”

Monday, the son of Union Rags out of the A.P. Indy mare Poco Mas, faces a crossroads career moment – along with eight other juveniles – in the 70th running of the Grade I $300,000 Del Mar Futurity.

Tatters to Riches was a 1 ¼-length winner in his racing debut at six furlongs here on July 29 under Tyler Baze. Since then, he has recorded a series of four strong works, the first at San Luis Rey Downs and the final three at Del Mar.

But there’s more to the million-dollar baby than even the numbers suggest.

“He’s a lot more mature than a lot of 2-year-olds are, physically and mentally. You look at him and you wouldn’t know he was a 2-year-old. You’d think he was a 3 or 4-year-old.”

Success in the Del Mar Futurity has been a harbinger of winning efforts in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile and/or Kentucky Derby. And having any Futurity starter, let alone a seven-figure acquisition can raise the anxiety bar.

“If you don’t feel pressure with a horse like this, there’s something wrong with you,” Mullins said. “This would be huge for him as far as his future and everything.”

The field from the rail: Soul Streit (Mike Smith, 4-1), Master Ruler (Evin Roman, 20-1), Run Away (Flavien Prat, 5-2), Tatters to Riches (Tyler Baze, 4-1), Fleetwood (Kent Desormeaux, 20-1), Bolt d’Oro (Corey Nakatani, 6-1), Gracida (Victor Espinoza, 12-1), Dia de Pago (Santiago Gonzalez, 12-1) and Zatter (Rafael Bejarano, 7-2).

Source: Del Mar Thoroughbred Club