Southern Phantom will take his flashy face to Remington Park

Southern Phantom didn’t hammer as the most expensive horse at Wednesday’s Keeneland November Sale session. But, as host Scott Hazelton noted upon Hip 3111’s arrival to the ring, this colt was certainly most photographed on the grounds.

After more camera shutters clicked, and as Southern Phantom strutted back to the barn, agent Don Waits signed the ticket for $20,000 to acquire the popular son of Bodemeister.

“Everybody wants a pretty horse,” said Waits, who was prepared to go higher for this commodity.

The colt's white face and socks, along with a blue eye, made him a top attraction while running in New York, especially as he geared up for his July 2018 debut at Saratoga.

Next, Waits said Southern Phantom will go to Remington Park for Danny Caldwell, the current second-leading owner at the Oklahoma circuit.

“We’ll see what he does when we start getting him going,” Waits said, anticipating Southern Phantom will start out in the maiden special weight ranks.

He added: “The cowboys will love him in Oklahoma.”

Southern Phantom has raced seven times with two in-the-money finishes. Highlights thus far are a pair of thirds, including one in his most-recent start on Feb. 2 at Aqueduct.

Waits noted that Caldwell stands stakes winner Da Stoops, another auction purchase, at stud in Oklahoma. Perhaps a similar future awaits Southern Phantom.

“It’s hard to know,” he said. “This was a quick buy.”

Caldwell, for his part, responded to a number of Southern Phantom's fans and journalists Wednesday on social media. Among his messages, in a tweet to BloodHorse reporter Meredith Daugherty, he promised the colt "will have an opportunity to race again if that’s still his passion. If not I will make a decision on his next career, but I promise he will be well taken care of in our stable. It’s refreshing (for horse racing) to see a beautiful horse like Phantom have such a great fan base."