Gardea Looking to Take It to the Next Level at OBS March

[Wandering Eyes]

Over the course of the past two seasons, Abraham Gardea has been steadily picking up momentum as a trainer, spending much of his time along the Southern Florida circuit of Tampa and Gulfstream Park while shipping to Colonial Downs in New Kent, Virginia for summer racing.

After taking out his training license in 2018, the Chihuahua, Mexico native made a brief return to private training sector before returning to the racetrack in 2024. Collecting his first career victory at Tampa midway through that racing season, he registered a personal career best in 2025 with his runners amassing $362,243 while finishing in the top three 24% of the time. Gardea currently has 20 horses in training at the track, in addition to a handful of babies.

Marking a career first in 2026, Gardea makes his first foray at the OBS March Sale when his consignment company–Next Level Thoroughbreds–presents six juveniles at the three-day juvenile in training sale in Ocala, Florida from Mar. 10-12.

“I have more pedigree this time than I did last year. There just different types of horses. I spent more money this year than I did last year. I am really high on them and I think they will show up and do well.”

 

First Swing a Home Run

The up-and-coming trainer made his first appearance at OBS last April, selling a bullet-earning son of Galilean for $250,000. He worked in :9 4/5 during the breeze session. Out of Royale Michele (Elusive Quality), the Florida-bred colt was the sole juvenile offered by Next Level Thoroughbreds in 2025.

Purchased by MHM Stables, the colt, named Agustinian, was sent to Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse. Now three, the colt has yet to finish off the board in six career starts, including a six-length maiden win over Gulfstream's synthetic surface last November. Purchased privately for $24,000 after RNA'ing for $23,000 at the 2024 renewal of the OBS October Yearling Sale, the bargain bay has amassed over $124,000 in earnings to date.

Augustinian is currently the leading earner for Galilean, who stands at Questroyal North in Stillwater, New York.

“That was a great experience, especially being my first consignment,” said Gardea. “He always had pretty good conformation, and he was a well-balanced horse.”

He continued, “I think hurt the final price was that he was out of an older mare–she was about 20 at the time and he was her last foal. Also, he was by a stallion that stands in New York but he's a Florida bred.”

“He always showed he could run. Once I put blinkers on him and started stretching him out, I saw a big change. Once he's tacked up and goes to the track, he's like another horse.”

Having already had a glimpse for the physical type buyers are looking at the juvenile sales, Gardea arrives at OBS with a what he asserts is a solid group of horses with more depth on the catalog page than last year.

“I have been selling horses on and off for a while, but in 2024, I sold a few horses [on behalf of someone else] and I did ok. I was given an opportunity last year to sell horses for Vincent Conanan's Next Level Stables and we came back with a few more this year.”

Armed with an equal number of colts and fillies for 2026, Gardea's offerings are highlighted by Hip 731, a colt by Omaha Beach. Selling on behalf of Next Level Stables, the chestnut is out of Malibu Moon's Emilia Moon, winner of the Peruvian G1 Clasico Polla de Pontrancas. Out Peruvian Group 3 winner Thunder Emilia (Thunder Gulch), 10-year-old Emilia's Moon is a half-sister to GII Tampa Bay Derby winner Helium (Ironicus) and Grade III-placed Mighty Scarlett (Scat Daddy).

“He's always been pretty straight forward,” he said. “He does have a lot of potential. He gallops out strong–he can go a quarter or three eighths on the gallop out, no problem. He's pretty good minded when he gets down to breezing. She's always shown ability.”

Next Level Stables is also represented by Hip 254, a colt by Frosted and Hip 540, a filly by Munnings. The latter was purchased by Next Level Stables for $50,000 at last summer's Saratoga Sale.

“She's pretty quick,” he said. “She does everything right. She doesn't turn a hair. She's also very straightforward.”

He added, “The Frosted colt is one that has taken a little bit longer to understand things, but he's really coming into himself now, right in time for the sale.”

Also likely to garner a second look from potential buyers is Hip 359, a filly by Freshman sire Mind Control. The May 4 foal is out of Silver Hustler (Political Force). The filly, a homebred for Bob and Bonnie Roth's Majestic View Farms, hails from the family of multiple graded winner on the turf, Spring House.

“Everything she's done, she's made it look easy,” Gardea said of the Mine Control filly. “She is a New York-bred filly

Also on behalf of New York-based Majestic View, Gardea presents Hip 300, a filly by Volatile. She was purchased for $27,000 at the OBS October Sale.

“She's a pretty big filly. I picked her out of the October sale for my new clients. She might not be a :10 flat type of sprinter but she's very strong in the gallop out. She's just a big, strong filly.”

Gardea's 2026 OBS group is rounded out by Hip 771, a colt by Colonel Liam out of Fond of Sarah (With Distinction).

According to Gardea, he has two more juveniles slated for the upcoming OBS April Sale.

And come what may next, Gardea is prepared to stand behind his team.

“If we really like them and we can't get what we want for them, we just race them,” he said. “But I hope everything goes well and we will continue to build up more and more as they come. You start building and see how things go.”

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