Hip No. 507, a son of champion OBS graduate Mitole consigned by Sue Vacek, Agent, went to Quarter Pole Enterprises, LLC for $250,000, topping Wednesday's second session and the entire 2023 OBS October Yearling Sale.
The dark bay or brown colt, a half-brother to graded stakes winning OBS graduate Midnight Stroll, is out of Midnight Magic, by champion OBS graduate Midnight Lute.
– Hip 745, a son of Global Campaign consigned by Kaizen Sales (Richard Kent), Agent, was also sold to Quarter Pole Enterprises, LLC for $150,000. The bay colt is out of OBS graduate Maid in Heaven, by Yes It's True, a full sister to graded stakes winner Yesbyjimminy.
– Hip No. 438, a son of Complexity consigned by Beth Bayer, Agent, went to D. J. Stable LLC for $135,000. The dark bay or brown colt is out of Lady Halite, by Medaglia d'Oro, and is a half brother to stakes winner Recruiter and 2-year-old filly Miss Sayely, an 11-length winner of a Gulfstream maiden special weight on Sept. 17.
– de Meric Sales, Agent, went to $125,000 for Hip No. 687, a daughter of Vekoma consigned by Afleet Equine Services, Agent. The bay filly, a half sister to recent stakes winning 2-year-old Caldwell Luvs Gold, is out of Snow, by Quality Road, a half sister to graded stakes placed stakes winner Quindici Man.
– Hip No. 724, a daughter of Hard Spun also consigned by Afleet Equine Services, Agent, was purchased by de Meric Sales, Agent, for $95,000. The chestnut filly is out of Sugar Plum Fairy, by Drosselmeyer, a daughter of stakes winner Nicole's Dream, dam of graded stakes winning OBS graduate Phat Man.
For the session, 191 horses sold for a total of $3,969,100. The average price was $20,781 and the median price was $15,000. The buyback percentage was 33.4 percent.
The entire sale saw 386 horses gross a total of $7,692,100 compared to 394 horses for $10,560,900 last year. The average for the sale was $19,928 with a $12,500 median versus an average of $26,804 and median of $17,000 last year. The buyback percentage was 34.2 percent this year compared to 28.9 percent in 2022.
Next on the OBS agenda is the Winter Mixed Sale, set for Jan. 23-24, 2024.
The post Mitole Colt Tops OBS October Sale Finale appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
The New York Racing Association confirmed this week it is now the owner of Sugar Maple Farms, a breeding farm in Poughquag, N.Y. Property records show the property was purchased by Sugar Maple LLC for $12.1 million in December 2022.
“NYRA, through a wholly owned subsidiary, has acquired a large parcel of land in Duchess County, N.Y., known as Sugar Maple Farm,” said NYRA spokesman Pat McKenna. “The 466-acre property, which was previously utilized as a breeding farm, could be appropriate for a wide array of uses including as a new center for equine health and safety research, veterinary education programing, Thoroughbred aftercare as well as off-track training and layup services.
“The acquisition of Sugar Maple Farm will, for the first time, allow NYRA to directly contribute to New York's breeding industry and strengthen the NY-bred program. NYRA jumped at the opportunity to protect Sugar Maple Farm because it will strengthen the foundation of New York State's thoroughbred racing ecosystem, create jobs in the Hudson Valley, enhance equine safety and preserve important open space.”
Once listed for as much as $23.5 million, Sugar Maple first went up for sale in 2015. It was previously owned by Howard and Susan Kaskel and was part of Vinery's New York Division in the early 2010s. The farm had operated as a breeding operation and stood stallions for many years before coming under Vinery's umbrella.
According to a Wall Street Journal feature on the estate, it has six barns with 94 stalls and multiple managers' homes. Those barns include a stallion barn and breeding shed, receiving barn, and barns for foaling and yearlings, as well as ample paddock space. The main house on the property is an 18,803-square-foot Georgian style home built in the 1980s. NYRA officials say the home was not of particular interest to the organization in the purchase and could be used in the future for event space.
Sugar Maple is located about an hour from Belmont Park and two hours from Saratoga Race Course. There is no training track on the property, and significant grading would have to be done to install one, but there could be opportunities for grass gallops and trails over the existing undulating ground.
Officials with NYRA say they haven't finalized plans for how the farm will be used, but the size and good condition of the existing facilities lends itself to plenty of options. There are no plans for the organization, which owns three racetracks, to get into the business of producing foals it owns, but it could provide boarding options for stallions or mares to participate in New York's breeding program.
The purchase is expected to be a long-term investment and final decisions on usage/infrastructure will be made gradually.
The post New York Racing Association Purchases Sugar Maple Farm For $12.1 Million appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
If ever there was a horse whose CV matches his pedigree, it is Mendelssohn. He topped the Keeneland September sale on a bid of $3 million from Coolmore in 2016, the year before he captured the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf. And that pedigree? When he won the Breeders' Cup, he pushed his dam, the reigning Broodmare of the Year Leslie's Lady, into rare territory: she became what was then one of five mares to produce two Breeders' Cup winners. The year prior, her multiple champion daughter Beholder had captured her third Breeders' Cup. If that isn't enough of a 'wow' factor, Mendelssohn has another pretty well-known half-sibling as well, four-time leading sire Into Mischief.
“All of our team loved Mendelssohn from the first time we saw him as a yearling and he developed into a magnificent-looking horse,” said Coolmore's Charlie O'Connor. “Being by our own Scat Daddy and a half-brother to Into Mischief and Beholder, you couldn't ask for a better pedigree and he showed real brilliance when winning the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar and the [G2] U.A.E. Derby by a street, recording a new track record. He is currently the No. 4 leading sire of 2-year-olds in North America… With big crops to come he should keep rising up the ranks.”
Mendelssohn (2015 bay horse, Scat Daddy–Leslie's Lady, by Tricky Creek)
Lifetime record: Hwt. at 3-U.A.E, GISW-U.S., GSW-U.A.E., G1SP-Eng, SW-Ire, 13-4-2-2, $2,542,137
Breeders' Cup connections: B-Clarkland Farm (KY); O-Michael B. Tabor, Mrs. John Magnier, and Derrick Smith; T-Aidan O'Brien; J-Ryan Moore.
Current location: Coolmore America/Ashford Stud, Versailles, Ky.
The post Catching Up with 2017 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Winner Mendelssohn appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.
