That made us wonder: who were the bookends? Who were the fastest and slowest to breeze?

Of course, it’s important to understand that neither a fast breeze now nor a slow one is an especially accurate predictor of a successful racehorse. More important are how the horse moves, what the pedigree looks like, what the conformation is. Still, they keep the times, so…

Eleven horses breezed an eighth of a mile in 10 seconds flat to lead the way of the more than 500 cataloged hips.

The first of those 11 to sell will be Hip 109. She’s a bay filly by Empire Maker out of the Deputy Minister mare Pontiana.

As a racehorse, Empire Maker was never out of the money in eight starts, with the 2003 Belmont Stakes giving him the final of his three Grade 1 triumphs. He died in 2020 after siring 12 Grade 1 winners, the most prominent of which was two-time Breeders’ Cup Distaff and three-time Eclipse Award winner Royal Delta.

Pontiana has had four foals to race, and all are winners. That group includes the stakes-placed Addibel Lightning, a Pennsylvania-bred who earned nearly $200,000. Two of her other offspring have also topped the six-figure mark.

The filly’s second dam is the great Wild Again mare Shine Again. She was a multiple-Grade 1 winner who earned nearly $1.3 million in her 14-win career.

She’s being consigned by McKathan Brothers Sales as agents.

Other hips to breeze in 10 flat: 164, 211, 260, 264, 337, 340, 394, 477, 515, and 524.

And the slowest at an eighth?

That’s Hip 322, who breezed the distance in 12 3/5 seconds. He’s a New York-bred bay colt being offered by Wolf Creek Farms as agent.

He’s by Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Street Sense. Street Sense has been a more than productive sire and currently stands for $60,000, and some of his top runners include McKinzie, Sweet Reason, and others.

The colt is out of the unraced Candy Ride mare Aspire to Inspire, who is the dam of a winner. Aspire to Inspire is a half-sister to the graded stakes-placed Northern Giant, by Giant’s Causeway.

Under the third dam, Felicita, by Rubiano, is where this guy gets interesting. Felicita is the dam of multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire Take Charge Lady, as well as stakes winners Commendation and Eventail. Take Charge Lady is the dam of champion Will Take Charge, Grade 1 winner Take Charge Indy, and also of Charming, who herself was the dam of champion Take Charge Brandi and Grade 1 winner Omaha Beach.

For good measure, Eventail is the dam of two stakes winners, as well, including a Grade 2 winner.

A much smaller number of horses – 31 – breezed a quarter-mile.

Two of those went the distance in 21 2/5 seconds.

Those are Hip 166 and Hip 295.

Hip 295, consigned by Tom McCrocklin as agent, is a Union Rags filly out of the Northern Afleet mare Afleet Lass.

Union Rags earned nearly $1.8 million in a racing career capped by his victory in the Belmont Stakes. He now stands for $30,000 and has sired Grade 1 winners like Paradise Woods, Dancing Rags, and others.

Afleet Lass is the dam of three winners, the best of which is familiar to Midlantic racing fans. The To Honor and Serve gelding Honor the Fleet is a stakes winner who is Grade 3-placed and has earned over $240,000, racing most often in Maryland.

Hip 166 is a More Than Ready colt out of the Forestry mare Separate Forest. Veteran sire More Than Ready stands for $65,000 at WinStar Farm. He’s the sire of a dozen champions and multi-millionaires like More Joyous, Rushing Fall, Roy H., and Catholic Boy.

Separate Forest was a Grade 3 winner on the track and is the dam of three winners to date. That group includes Hendy Woods, a stakes winner by Uncle Mo who is also graded stakes-placed.

He’s being consigned by Kip Elser’s Kirkwood Stables as agent. As it happens, Kirkwood is also consigning the horse that worked the slowest quarter during the breezes, Hip 491, a bay filly by Shackleford who covered the distance in 24 2/5 seconds.