Rochelle Buys Very Subtle for a Record $1.2 Million

Ben Rochelle thought he would be able to buy Very Subtle for $300,000 or $400,000. But at least three other parties joined in the bidding for the 3-year-old filly Tuesday at Hollywood Park, and Rochelle wound up buying her for $1.2 million, which broke the California record for a horse sold at public auction.

The record of $1 million was shared by two horses--Inkerman several years ago and Shywing last year in a sale at Hollywood Park.

Very Subtle was part of a 42-horse dispersal by the partnership of Rochelle and the estate of Carl Grinstead. Since Rochelle had a 50% interest in the horses to begin with, he actually paid $600,000, plus sales commissions, to become the outright owner of Very Subtle.

The 42 horses brought $2.25 million, with Rochelle also buying three others--Sari’s Heroine for $250,000, Rare Starlet for $80,000 and Dancing Jane for $37,000.

Rochelle said he couldn’t be sure who the other bidders were when Very Subtle was led into the sales ring, but he had heard for several days that a Canadian group was interested in the filly. Rochelle said that there were telephone bids for Very Subtle from unidentified parties in New York and Kentucky.

“Once we got rolling, I was prepared to go as high as $1.4 million,” Rochelle said. “But when we got over $1 million, I started saying to myself that I wished he (the auctioneer) would stop talking.”

Very Subtle, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Hoist the Silver and Never Scheme, has earned more than $800,000, winning the Hollywood Starlet as a 2-year-old and adding stakes wins at Santa Anita, Hollywood Park and Saratoga this year. She will remain with trainer Mel Stute and is being prepared to run in the $1-million Breeders’ Cup Distaff Stakes at Hollywood Park Nov. 21.

Rochelle said that eventually he would like to breed the four horses he bought Tuesday to Snow Chief, who was voted the country’s best 3-year-old colt in 1986. Running for Grinstead and Rochelle, Snow Chief earned more than $3 million before an injury forced his retirement.

“We have no plans to retire any of these horses right away,” Rochelle said. “Mel will run them until they run out of gas.”

Grinstead, who died of stomach cancer on March 29, sold Rochelle a 50% interest in his racing stable for $280,000 in 1984.

Two horses foaled by Snow Chief’s dam, Miss Snowflake, sold for $100,000 apiece at the Grinstead-Rochelle dispersal. Pete Valenti bought Sporting Ruler, a 2-year-old colt, and an unnamed yearling filly.

Pearl Grinstead, Carl’s window, didn’t buy any of the horses at the dispersal, but she did buy two horses at another Hollywood Park sale.