Patti Miller and Jeff Seder of Pa-based EQB reseached and bought Solomini, who is now one of the favorites for the Kentucky Derby.
Solomini was bought for Ahmed Zayat's Zayat Stabless LLC, and as of March 7 was fifth on the National Thoroughbred Racing Association's poll of 3 year olds, behind Bolt d'Oro, McKinzie, Audible and Good Magic.
The Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championships (MATCH) Series returns after a 16 year hiatus and will be contested among five divisions beginning on Preakness Stakes weekend and continuing at Delaware, Laurel and Monmouth Parks, Penn National, Parx and Presque Isle culminating with Championship Weekend, Sept. 15-26 at Laurel, Parx and Presque Isle.
Ken Ramsey taking a horse into the ocean while celebrating the win in the Barbados Gold CupEQB also bought Sir Dudley Digges, who won the Group One Barbados Gold Cup on March 3 for Ken and Sarah Ramsey..
Sir Dudley Digges, 5, who also won the Queen's Plate at Woodbine in 2016, was researched by and bought for the Ramseys at the Ocala Breeders Sales as a 2-year-old by EQB.
Miller bought Solomini for Zayat Stables as a yearling in 2016 at the Keeneland September Sales for $270,000.
Solomini is by Curlin out of Surf Song, by Storm Cat.
"SOLOMINI was one of three Curlins at the sale," said Miller. "All three were spectacular horses. Two of the Curlins sold for $1 million. We actually liked Solomini better, He has a great cardio, he ticked all our boxes."
Solomini, trained by Bob Baffert and ridden by Flavien Prat, has started four times, winning a maiden race at Del Mar, placing second to Bolt d'Oro in the G1 Front Runner Stakes on Sept. 30, 2017, placing second to Good Magic in the G1Breeders' Cup Juvenile in which Bolt d'Oro, another who apparently didn't like the track at Del Mar, finished third, and then winning the G1 Los Alamitos Cash Call Futurity over his stablemate McKinzie, but he was disqualified for bumping in the stretch and placed third.
"He beat the favorite McKinzie, but he was taken down to third," said Miller. "They said he bumped McKinzie, but he shouldn't have been taken down."
"He's going to the Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn," said Miller.
THE MATCH series, which began in 1997 and ran for five years, is an innovative regional racing series that combines rich stakes and bonuses for participating owners and trainers over a five month period.
Horses earn points based on participation and order of finish, and the horses with the most points in each of five divisions as well as the trainers and owners with the highest overall points all win lucrative bonuses.
The total purse money is $2.9 million.
It will be contested among five divisions: 3-Year-Olds & Up Long - Dirt; 3-Years-Old & Up, Sprint - Dirt; 3-Years-Old & Up Fillies & Mares Sprint - Dirt; 3-Years-Old & Up Sprint - Turf; and 3-Years-old & Up Fillies & Mares Sprint - Turf.
Previous series winners include trainers Graham Motion and Ben Perkins Jr., and owners Arthur Appleton and Sam Huff.
The first MATCH races will be the Skipat Stakes and the Jim Mckay Turf Sprint on May 18, Black-Eyed Susan Day, and continue May 19, Preakness Day, with The Very One Stakes and the Maryland Sprint Stakes.
