We are finally in the homestretch of our journey, and oh man….what a ride! Although there really was no way I could have predicted how this would all come together, I have to say that I am very glad to know horses well enough to realize that anything can happen!
Month: September 2021
Mo Town Colt Brings Top Price Of $450,000 Monday At Keeneland September Sale
Ensemble Stables spent $450,000 for a colt from the first crop of Grade 1 winner Mo Town to record the highest price on Monday and mark another day of strong trade at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
The bullish market show no sign of slowing when Keeneland sold 319 horses for $27,330,000, for an average of $85,674 and a median of $60,000. With four of 11 sessions remaining in the auction, 1,488 horses have sold through the ring for $306,213,000, for an average of $205,788 and a median of $150,000.
Consigned by Gainesway, agent, the session's leading consignor with sales of $3,262,000 for 27 yearlings, the colt is from the family of Grade 1 winners Minardi and Johannesburg and Grade 2 winners Stanford and Tale of the Cat. His dam is Closing Move, by Bernardini.
A colt from the first crop of Good Magic out of Grade 2 winner Heart Stealer, by Speightstown, brought $425,000 from Klaravich Stable. He was consigned by Bedouin Bloodstock, agent.
Ben McElroy, agent, paid $400,000 for Vitamunn, a daughter of Munnings consigned by Lane's End, agent. Out of winner Vitae, by Awesome Again, Vitamunn is from the family of stakes winners Bonita Meadow, Meadow Bride, Prairie King and Devil's Halo.
John Ballantyne/NBS Stable paid $390,000 for a colt by Army Mule who is the first foal out of the Tapit mare August Snow, a half-sister to multiple Grade 1 winners Hoppertunity and Executiveprivilege. The colt was consigned by Hill 'n' Dale Sales, agent.
Gainesway, agent, also consigned a colt by Empire Maker who sold to Donato Lanni, agent for SF Bloodstock/Starlight/Madaket for $300,000. A half-brother to Grade 3 winner Trophy Chaser, he is from the family of European champion Air Force Blue.
Kenny McPeek, agent, was the session's leading buyer, purchasing six yearlings for $950,000.
The September Sale continues tomorrow and runs through Friday. All sessions begin at 10 a.m. ET.
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Breeders’ Cup Presents Connections: Against The Odds And Despite Her Doubters, Chichakly Is On Her Way
It's not an easy time to be a trainer of racehorses right now, let alone a new trainer. Amira Chichakly knows that as well as anybody, but she made the leap all the same, in the middle of a global pandemic and mass economic uncertainty.
Chichakly spent several years as an assistant to Gary Contessa, a longtime fixture on the New York circuit. When Contessa announced his retirement from public training in March 2020, he made it clear his departure was not the result of disillusion with the horses, but the headaches of running the business. Recent investigations by the U.S. Department of Labor have put a number of high-profile New York trainers in the crosshairs, adding time-keeping and record-keeping practices on top of the mountain of paperwork it takes to navigate a constricting federal visa program and recruiting skilled help.
“When I had 100 horses, I could absorb this, but when I have 40 horses and 20 of them are so-so, it's not enough to overcome what the Department of Labor is expecting of us,” Contessa said at the time. “There was a time when I was a 'super trainer' and I did very well. When you had the occasional owner who defaulted on you, you had the horses you got stuck with, you had Department of Labor audits, winning would overcome all of that stuff. But when you have a smaller stable — unless you do everything yourself — I don't see how you can do this.”
Into these woes walked Chichakly, who had long pondered putting out her own shingle.
“I pretty much got the choice of, I could take Gary's offer to take things on or be jobless,” she said. “Nobody was hiring anybody at the time. I don't like sitting idle, so I decided I was going full steam into this.”
When Chichakly got the call from Contessa, she had just learned she was pregnant with her daughter, though she wasn't yet sharing that publicly. The timing probably could not have been more challenging, but it also wasn't a good time to suddenly become unemployed. She had decided some time before that she needed at least eight horses to make a profit, and with Contessa's offer to transition previous owners over to her, she had 11.
In her time working for Contessa and Wayne Catalano, she had seen the glories of being a trainer but also the headaches. It seemed there were an awful lot of headaches, but like many people in this business, the lure of the horse made it seem worth it.
“Looking at it I thought, it's not so glorious to be a trainer,” she said. “But I do love figuring out horses, putting the pieces together and figuring out what works for them. I like to be able to find the best parts of the horse and making sure they're happy, too.”
Chichakly multi-tasks in the barn aisle
Chichakly has galloped for many years and still gets on her own string as often as she can, having discovered she can often feel little changes she doesn't always see from the ground. Her dressage training enables her to not only pick up on weaknesses and asymmetry, but also to work in stretching and bending to help correct those issues before they turn into big problems.
In addition to the usual woes of struggling to hire reliable help and get each the day's work done, Chichakly also believes there's a sense of jealousy toward new trainers on the backstretch.
“I think that's true for any young trainer starting out,” she said. “There's always doubters, people who are waiting for someone to fail. I don't think that's specific to me, I see it with other people too. Being a female trainer, too. There are people out there that say we can't do it. Number one word out there is 'crazy.' People love saying that word … I know another female trainer right now who's going through that. She feels like people are actively rooting against her and I don't think she's wrong, because I hear people talking about her or other young trainers. 'Oh they'll never make it,' 'Oh they don't know what they're doing,' or 'They won't last that long.' And it's sad, because we need small trainers for racing to survive. They don't understand their competition is not the person who's got five horses, it's the person who has 500 horses.
“If someone's passionate enough to be here every day, you should be rooting for them. Because there aren't that many left.”
A year and a half later though, things are coming together. Chichakly has saddled 11 winners and is already graded stakes-placed, thanks to Limonite, who picked up third in the Grade 3 Excelsior and second in the Stymie earlier this year. Now, her hopes are high for 2-year-old Our Tiny Dancer, who broke her maiden at Delaware Park Sept. 9 and is entered in the Joseph A. Gimma Stakes at Belmont on Sept. 24. The New York-bred filly was the first winner for sire Union Jackson.
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“Because of COVID-19 and being pregnant, then a new mother and a new business owner with little help, I really couldn't get to the sales early on,” Chichakly recalled. “Something I had been so excited for as a trainer, I had to miss. This year, I was getting really frustrated missing OBS and not having 2-year-olds and I knew I had to go to Maryland myself. I'm sure everyone was laughing at the dog and baby in tow but I brought them both to all the under tack shows.
“Right away the Union Jacksons stood out to me, despite not knowing him as a racehorse.”
Chichakly had her eye on several, but found herself either priced out or outbid. Contessa was also at the sale and tipped her off to the chestnut filly, ultimately acting as agent for the purchase as Chichakly signed her first sales ticket. Owned by a partnership including John Moirano, Pines Stables, John Irwin and Sallie P Thoroughbred Racing, Chichakly took a few starts to figure out exactly what the filly needed – soft turf wasn't her thing, and she missed her break in her first dirt start. She took a small string to Delaware Park for a week – with no staff – expecting there would be a place for the filly that would be a little friendlier.
“She delivered above and beyond my hopes for that start,” said Chichakly. “She's not magically a Breeders' Cup-type horse, but she packs quite a punch and should be quite capable in New York fields moving forward.”
One of Chichakly's watercolors
Never one to sit idly, Chichakly still does much of the hot walking, stall cleaning, and grooming herself in addition to the usual training responsibilities of setting schedules, reading condition books, dealing with the books. When she isn't doing the job of several people, she also dabbles in the visual arts. She sometimes helps photograph major race days for the New York Racing Association if she's not running horses, and paints watercolors – all while juggling care of her young daughter. On Whitney Day, she was marching up and down the track with a 9-month-old baby in a pack on her back.
“Someone got a picture I think, I had her on my back and one camera on one shoulder and the other camera on the other shoulder,” Chichakly said. “I think when you're a horseman you're a multitasker anyway. When I was assistant trainer for Gary, he'd leave me sometimes with 60 horses at Belmont when they were in Saratoga, and I was on the pony too and sometimes riding. To be able to watch everything and get through the day, to have people not show up you get really used to having one thought here and one thought there, and working it as you're moving. You don't think about how much you actually did until you sit down at the end of the day and realize how tired you are.”
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KEESEP Book 4 Opens With More Competitive Bidding
The Keeneland September Yearling Sale marched into its second week with continued competitive bidding as the auction's Book 4 section opened Monday in Lexington.
“There is unbelievable trade here today,” said consignor Peter O'Callaghan of Woods Edge Farm. “There is just a huge crowd up there. And they'd knock you down for a good horse. I'm actually not surprised it's this strong. Not with the way it started and the amount of people who have not yet got to buy horses. It was clear that trickle down effect was going to happen.”
During Monday's session, 319 yearlings grossed $27,330,000. The average of $85,674 soared 76.31% over the 2020 Book 4 opener and the median was up 50% to $60,000. With 52 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate was just 14.02%.
“It was a feeding frenzy,” Gainesway's Brian Graves said of Monday's trade. “That's all. It was just an absolute feeding frenzy. I think that right now the soft spot in the market is at the top, with the absence of Sheikh Mohammed and Shadwell. If there is any soft spot in the market, it's for turf-type horses with European appeal. The tip-top could be considered a little bit soft and probably some good buys were made. And once you get into Book 2, and especially Books 3 and 4, that's where the turnover is and it's extremely strong.”
A colt from the first crop of Mo Town brought the session's top bid when trainer Tom Amoss purchased the yearling for $450,000 on behalf of a partnership of clients. The session-topper was consigned by Gainesway, which was the day's leading consignor with 27 sold for $3,262,000.
The yearling was one of three to reach the $400,000 mark Monday and five to bring $300,000 or more. The top price at the opening Book 4 session of the 2020 September sale–which was held amidst the uncertainty of the pre-vaccination pandemic–was $210,000.
“It's been extremely strong,” bloodstock agent Ben McElroy said of the market. “I thought it was going to be strong going in, with the purses being so high–there are four or five tracks where maiden special weights are running for $100,000–and I think everybody is feeling good and hopefully getting back to normalcy. I think there is so much enthusiasm, it's reflected in the yearling prices.”
The Keeneland September sale continues through Friday with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m.
Mo Town Colt Completes the Ensemble
It may not have been one of the colt-buying partnerships in the headlines this past week at Keeneland, but Tom Amoss was quietly assembling a package of four potential Classic horses for a new partnership of 10 of his existing clients. The trainer made his highest purchase of the auction when going to $450,000 to acquire a colt by Mo Town (Uncle Mo) (hip 2242) in the name of Ensemble Stables.
“I have tremendous respect for the Uncle Mo line,” Amoss said of the yearling's appeal. “I bought Mo Tom from his first crop. When I saw this horse today, I really liked what I saw. This is a really special athlete, in my opinion. I am fully aware that this was an awful lot–and maybe the highest Mo Town that will sell this year–but I am confident he is an athlete.”
Mo Tom, purchased for $150,000 at the 2014 Keeneland September sale, went on to win the 2016 GIII Lecomte S. and earned over $665,000 for G M B Racing.
Joel Politi, owner of the Amoss-trained 2019 GI Kentucky Oaks winner Serengeti Empress, spearheaded the new partnership.
“The trend has been for people to come together and partner up so they can buy better horses,” Amoss said. “We are seeing that a lot at the sales. I might be a little late to the party, but Joel Politi put this group together. We call it Ensemble Stables because it is an ensemble of people. And we are excited.”
In addition to the Mo Town colt, Amoss also purchased a colt by West Coast (hip 1110) for $70,000, a son of Runhappy (hip 1706) and a colt by Midnight Storm (hip 1863) for $45,000.
“We have completed the group with those four,” Amoss said.
Of the focus on colts, he explained, “It's what appeals to the group. The group was formed with the idea of trying to get an opportunity to win the Kentucky Derby. We wanted to get a lottery ticket to the Derby. And right now we've got four lottery tickets.”
Consigned by Gainesway, the session-topping son of first-crop sire Mo Town is out of Closing Move (Bernardini), a half-sister to the dam of multiple graded stakes winner Stanford (Malibu Moon) and stakes winner and multiple graded placed Hedge Fund (Super Saver).
The dark bay was purchased by Stella Stables for $75,000 at last year's Keeneland November sale.
“He was one that Danielle Jones and I had bought last year,” explained Gainesway's Brian Graves. “Danielle has worked at Gainesway for many years. She wanted to get some horses on her farm and we picked that one out together. She took him home and prepped him and she did a great job with him. She was partners with Gainesway on him.”
The session-topper is one of 14 yearlings by Mo Town to have sold so far at the September sale for a total of $1,916,000. The Coolmore stallion also had fillies sell for $275,000 (hip 1905) and $255,000 (hip 1014) and a colt sell for $200,000 (hip 2118).
Ten Broeck Farm Back for More Munnings
David Mowat's Ten Broeck Farm, which has enjoyed Grade I success with Kimari (Munnings), added another daughter of the Coolmore stallion to its roster when bloodstock agent Ben McElroy signed the ticket at $400,000 on hip 2163 Monday at Keeneland.
“She was the spitting image of Kimari as a yearling,” McElroy said. “I saw her yesterday and she was the one we had to have.
We tried on a couple of fillies yesterday and got outbid, but since I saw her yesterday, I always had a preference for this filly.”
McElroy signed the ticket at $152,00 to acquire Kimari at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton July sale. The bay filly, second in Royal Ascot engagements in the 2019 G2 Queen Mary S. and 2020 G1 Commonwealth Cup, earned her top-level success in the GI Madison S. in April for trainer Wesley Ward.
Hip 2163 was bred by Gail Radke's Asiel Stable and was consigned by Lane's End. She is out of Vitae (Awesome Again), a daughter of multiple stakes winner Bonita Meadow (Meadowlake) and a half-sister to multiple stakes winner Meadow Bride (Runaway Groom).
“When she walked in the back walking ring, she was all class,” McElroy said. “She's a May foal and there is a lot to look forward to.”
Asked who would train the filly, McElroy said, “We will probably stick to the same plan as Kimari.”
Practical Joke Colt Continues Strong Sale for O'Callaghan
Peter O'Callaghan's Woods Edge Farm has had a bang-up Keeneland September sale, led by a mixture of popular homebreds and prescient pinhook prospects. The consignment had another strong session Monday with a colt by Practical Joke (hip 2070) bringing $285,000 to top the operation's returns on the day. The bay yearling was purchased by O'Callaghan for $110,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton November sale.
“He is an outstanding physical,” O'Callaghan said. “He was a real powerhouse of a foal and a very good representation of Practical Joke. You'd see a lot of Practical Joke in him, but you'd also see Elusive Quality–those really good Elusive Qualitys who are big, masculine horses. And he was exactly one of those. We had all sorts of interest in him at the sale and he sold accordingly.”
Beyond the popular pinhook, Woods Edge was strong throughout the Book 4 opener Monday as demand continued to be high.
“We've had a bonanza of a day,” O'Callaghan said. “We got $230,000 for a homebred Bolt d'Oro filly with a $79,000 reserve. We got $200,000 for a Mo Town colt with a $59,000 reserve and $150,000 for a Goldencents who was the second horse in the ring. We didn't sell two in the ring, but we sold one shortly after and then the other one will be sold soon, I'd imagine.”
Woods Edge, which had homebred success with a $1.05-million son of City of Light, has sold 34 yearlings through the first week of the September sale for $9,815,000.
“It's been a great sale,” O'Callaghan said. “We had a very strong crop of horses this year, the homebreds and the bought foals. It was a good mix of horses. We weren't in on the foals too deep, our spending was way down last year. It all fit in just right. We are breeding a lot more of them now, so we don't have to chase [the foals] as hard. I still like to buy them and we need to buy them. There is just no fun in these $300,000 foals. You have to keep it to where enough people can bid for them. But everyone is trying to do that. We are all trying to do that and everyone knows it. It's up to ourselves to be disciplined.”
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