AUDLEY BREEDS FIRST CLN 2012 VA-BRED WINNER

Suffice, to say that Audley Farm has been on a roll of late. First, Bodemeister gave Triple Crown hopeful I’ll Have Another his only real competition while finishing second in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, and now the Clark County nursery had produced the first Virginia-bred winner at the just opened 2012 Colonial Downs live meet.

DANNHAUSER (Coady Photography)

 On opening day, Dannhauser, by Johannesburg, out of Hatpin by Smart Strike, won the eight race by 2 ¾ lengths.  The victory in the $44,000 allowance race was worth $29,000 plus another $29,000 in 100% owner’s bonus money. Not a bad pay day.

Audley sold the colt at the 2009 Keeneland September yearling sale for $270,000 and he was resold as a two-year-old for $350,000.

Dannhauser broke his maiden last September at Parx and then won an allowance race at Tampa in April before returning to the Commonwealth.  Like a lot of horses at Colonial, he seems to prefer the turf.

Sheldon Russell rode the winner who is trained by Colonial Downs’ regular Kathleen O’Connell for Vision Racing LLC.

Dannhauser now has made 8 starts with three wins, one second and one third and earnings of $83,873.

There may well be more good news on the horizon as Dannhauser half-brother by Indian Charlie sold at the 2011 Keeneland yearling sale for $325,000 to Shadwell.  The folks at Audley liked the colt enough to put him on the farm’s 2011 Christmas card.