Last year's GI Runhappy Del Mar Futurity S. winner Pinehurst (Twirling Candy–Giant Win, by Giant's Causeway) has been retired from racing and will stand the 2023 breeding season at Gary Broad's Walmac Farm after being acquired in partnership with Kiki and Louise Courtelis's Town and Country Farms Nov. 22 in a Fasig-Tipton Digital 'Flash Sale.' The price, a record for a digital sales price in the U.S., was undisclosed, according to Leif Aaron, Fasig-Tipton's Director of Digital Sales.
“Tom Ryan [of SF Bloodstock] called us on Wednesday of last week and we were able to open the sale up the very next day, which showed the versatility of the website and how quickly we could get everything going,” said Aaron.
Aaron said Pinehurst appealed to both owners and breeders worldwide and, as the sale progressed, they had interested parties particularly in the Middle East and the U.S. He said Fasig-Tipton had over 1,000 people log onto the website during the sale with registered bidders from all over the world. Aaron said there were a total of 41 individual bids on the horse.
“He was already a Grade I winner and a beautiful specimen,” said Aaron, “so not only did the horse really fit some races, particularly in the Middle East, but there were also a lot of breeders who were looking at him as a stallion. We had interested parties from all over the world with people from all different backgrounds interested in the horse.
“Basically, what we tried to do was make it as beneficial for the buyers and sellers as we possibly could,” said Aaron. “What we have done more than anything is show just how liquid horses can be and how we can turn on a dime to provide an experience for the buyers and sellers that is equivalent to the experience they can expect at a live auction.”
In addition to winning the Del Mar Futurity, Pinehurst also won the G3 Al Rajhi Bank Saudi Derby in Saudi Arabia and was second in the GII San Vicente S. Trained by both Bob Baffert and John Terranova, Pinehurst's current race record stands at 7-3-1-0 with earnings of more than $1.2 million. His ownership group consisted of the partnership of SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Robert E. Masterson, Stonestreet Stables, Jay A. Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital, Catherine Donovan, Golconda Stable, and Siena Farm. Bred on a similar cross to superstar stallion Gun Runner, Pinehurst was consigned to Fasig-Tipton by Elite, agent, as a racing or stallion prospect.
“There were 41 bids on the horse,” said Elite's Brad Weisbord. “This is a big sale for us, because we haven't sold many horses digitally. It was a great opportunity provided by SF Bloodstock and their partners to sell a young horse, a GI winner, who had some great credentials, and to their credit, they utilized this platform in a perfect way. This platform really hasn't taken off in America in the way it has in other places yet. But when utilized for high-end stock like this, I think it does have a lot of life. I think that one of the reasons it hasn't taken off is that there hasn't been enough high-end stock put online. But yesterday, we saw that when you do have quality and when you do time it right, you can get a great result. We're grateful that the SF team gave us the product to bring to the marketplace. They have been big supporters of ours with their racehorses, not just here, but throughout the year.”
A stud fee for Pinehurst will be announced at a later date.
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