Tag: Bloodstock

Commissioner Dan, a 2-year-old colt by Commissioner, who began his career winning a Keeneland maiden special weight race on April 26 by 1¾ lengths, sold to Pedro Lanz, agent for King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Sons's KAS Stables, for $500,000 to top Keeneland's April Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale.

The single-session sale, which grossed $6.7 million, recorded across-the-board increases over 2022.

For KAS Stables, Lanz was the sale's leading buyer with three purchases for a total of $930,000. Other acquisitions were Carmel Road, a 3-year-old Grade 2-placed colt by Quality Road, for $260,000 and Naval Aviator, a 4-year-old stakes-placed Tapit colt, for $170,000.

Commissioner Dan, who was consigned by Matejka Racing, agent, is out of winner Miss Livona, by Dixie Union.

“We were looking for older horses, and I did not know there were 2-year-olds here,” Lanz said. “It was a last-minute call. When I saw (Commissioner Dan) and saw his numbers and saw he is by Commissioner (sire of 2023 Saudi Derby [G3] winner Commissioner King), I told them (we should bid on him). We saw him for the first time a few days ago. We looked at his videos. He has a lot of potential.”

Keeneland sold 67 horses for $6,743,000, a 26.06 percent increase from the $5,349,000 in 2022 when 58 horses sold. The average of $100,642 rose 9.13 percent over last year's $92,224, while the median jumped 40 percent from $50,000 to $70,000.

“Today was very positive. This is a sale that is perfectly positioned on the calendar, immediately after the end of our Spring Meet and just before the Kentucky Derby,” Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said. “This sale is really evolving, and there is a lot of energy and enthusiasm surrounding it. Consignors are really happy; a lot of them were here today. We had great participation from established buyers and also new owners, and it was great to see Saudi Arabian participation.”

“Seven of the top 10 highest-priced horses were last-out winners,” Keeneland Director of Sales Operations Cormac Breathnach said. “The ability to bring winners to market really spurs the sale's energy. We are excited about the level of buyer participation; there were a lot of trainers on the grounds. Saudi Arabian interests bought four of the top 10 offerings.”

Kueber Racing, Big Easy Racing, and Martin Schwartz paid $400,000 for Promise Me a Ride, a 3-year-old winning son of Mastery, who won his career debut in March at Fair Grounds. ELiTE, agent, consigned the colt, who is from the family of leading sire Distorted Humor. His dam is stakes winner Promise Me More, by More Than Ready.

ELiTE, agent, was the sale's leading consignor with sales of $2,612,000 for 18 horses.

Talladega, a 3-year-old colt by Into Mischief, who defeated older horses in an Oaklawn Park allowance race on April 8 by 2¾ lengths, sold to Ahmad Alabdllatif for $320,000. Out of the winning Yes It's True mare Thin Disguise, he is a half-brother to Grade 3 winner Holiday Disguise, stakes winner Midnight Disguise and Grade 1-placed Forest Caraway. Talladega was consigned by ELiTE, agent for WinStar Racing.

“He's just a lovely horse,” said Tom Clark, who signed the ticket. “He'll go to the Middle East to race there. The client liked him. Just a big, classy horse, a lovely horse.”

David Lanigan, agent for Heider Family Racing, paid $310,000 for Hibernacle, a 2-year-old filly by Hootenanny, who on April 12 won her debut by 7½ lengths at Keeneland. Hunter Valley Farm, agent, consigned Hibernacle, who is entered to race in the $200,000 Kentucky Juvenile Stakes on Thursday at Churchill Downs.

“It is so hard to buy a yearling in September,” Lanigan said. “(With a racing age sale) you get to see them run, see how they perform on the track and see them afterwards. This sale is a great initiative and it is well supported.”

Out of Searchingforahero, by Officer, Hibernacle won her debut for trainer Wesley Ward, who also bred and owned her. Based at Keeneland, Ward owns a farm next to the track where he privately stands Hootenanny, winner of the 2014 Windsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot in England and Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1).

“I really didn't have any big intention on selling her,” Ward said. “It was more of a thank you for Keeneland for all these years of being kind to me.”

David Ingordo, agent, paid $310,000 for the 4-year-old Dialed In colt Peaceful Waters, who earned a 92 Beyer when he captured a Keeneland allowance race on April 16 in his 2023 debut. A half-brother to stakes winner The Grass Is Blue, Peaceful Waters is out of the winning, stakes-placed mare Shine Softly, by Aldebaran. Peaceful Waters, who was consigned by Hunter Valley Farm, agent, is from the family of champion Soaring Softly, Grade 1 winner Plenty of Grace and Grade 2 winner Manitoulin.

Michael Dubb acquired Spirit of St Louis, a 4-year-old gelding by Medaglia d'Oro, for $280,000. In two starts at Aqueduct, the gelding won his career debut in February and was second in an April 6 allowance race. ELiTE, agent for White Birch Farm, consigned Spirit of St Louis, whose full sister Bar of Gold won the 2017 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1).

Carmel Road, who sold for $260,000 to Pedro Lanz, agent for KAS Stables, was second in the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) to Practical Move, second on the list of leading point earners to Saturday's Kentucky Derby (G1).

“We were looking for a (son of) Quality Road for racing in Saudi Arabia,” Lanz said. “This is a great sale to find a horse with potential. He was second to one of the main contenders in the Kentucky Derby. Nice pedigree, stallion potential. We're very happy.”

Lanz said Carmel Road was their “main target in this sale.”

“They are trying to get the best horses in North America to compete at the best level,” Lanz said about KAS Stables. “Maybe we'll have a horse for the Saudi Cup next year. Since Emblem Road (by Quality Road) won the Saudi Cup, they are fans of Quality Road. And we found one.”

Consigned by ELiTE, agent, Carmel Road is out of the stakes-winning Unbridled's Song mare Inspired and a half brother to stakes-placed Night Time Lady. He is from the family of Grade 1-placed National Treasure.

Sycamore Hall Farm/David Wade, agent, paid $240,000 for Ocean City, a 3-year-old colt by American Pharoah, who is a half-brother to champion Jackie's Warrior and on April 20 at Keeneland scored a 1¼-length victory in a 1-mile maiden special weight race on the turf. Consigned by Highgate Sales, agent, he is out of Unicorn Girl, a winning daughter of A. P. Five Hundred.

“I thought the price was fair,” Wade said. “Going to take him to Laurel and give him to (trainer) Brittany Russell. We have Northview Stallion Station in Maryland. Hopefully we can get some black type and stand him at stud.”

For hip by hip results, click here.

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Hibernacle, who is entered in Thursday's Kentucky Juvenile Stakes at Churchill Downs, would race under a different owner than the one who entered her after selling to Heider Family Stables for $310,000 on Sunday at the Keeneland April Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale.

The 2-year-old Hootenanny filly broke her maiden on debut at Keeneland Race Course on April 12, dusting a field of fillies in a 4 1/2-furlong race by 7 1/2 lengths as the post time favorite. She raced as a homebred for trainer Wesley Ward, who also stands her sire Hootenanny at his farm.

Hibernacle is one of six horses entered in the Kentucky Juvenile, and one of two fillies aiming to face open competition in the five-furlong race. Joel Rosario, who rode the filly in her debut, retained the mount in the entries.

“I'm not 100 percent sure whether she'll take up that engagement or not,” said bloodstock agent David Lanigan, who signed the ticket on behalf of Heider Family Stables. “It's not what we usually do, but Mr. (Scott) Heider will have a think overnight and make a plan from there. The plan long-term is most of our horses will go to Brendan Walsh.

“[Heider] usually likes to see them go out and prove themselves, then try to do something, but he liked her enough, and he saw her in the sale,” Lanigan continued. “Hopefully, they have some fun with them.”

Hibernacle is out of the uplaced Officer mare Searchingforahero, who Ward owned and raced, as well. All three of her foals to race are winners, and the extended family includes Grade 2 winner Bad 'n Big.

Ward said he sold the filly outright, and he would not retain any ownership as her career went on.

“Keeneland approached me here about selling, and I kind of left it alone because it's real sentimental,” he said. “I breed these things as more of a hobby. This filly is from my sire, who also lives across the street from Keeneland. She ran so impressively. I was real excited about getting her in this stakes. Keeneland's been so good to me over the years, I just thought I would try to be good back to them as well.”

Hibernacle was not present in the ring for the auction, though Ward said the filly received plenty of shopping activity at his barn across the street from the track in the Rice Road training barns.

“I wanted to do the right thing by the horse,” he said. “I just thought coming into the ring would upset her a bit. I didn't want to inhibit any chances for the race.”

Lanigan said Heider was at the track the day Hibernacle broke her maiden, and the performance stuck out to him. Though the Heider operation primarily races in Europe, the agent said the owner was looking forward to having another promising runner for the U.S. string.

“She's a nice, good-sized filly,” Lanigan said. “She doesn't look like one of those typical early 2-year-olds that looks like she'll be finished in the middle of the summer.”

Hunter Valley Farm consigned Hibernacle, as agent.

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Havre de Grace, the 2011 Horse of the Year and a record-setting broodmare prospect at auction, died Sunday due to complications after foaling, Thoroughbred Daily News reports.

Wayne Sweezey of Timber Town Stable, where the 16-year-old daughter of Saint Liam was boarded, confirmed to the TDN that the mare hemorrhaged multiple times after delivering a colt by Into Mischief on Friday afternoon, and she succumbed in the early hours on Sunday.

Havre de Grace was owned by the Whisper Hill Farm operation of Mandy Pope, who was in attendance for the foaling, and the aftermath.

Havre de Grace won nine of 16 starts during her on-track career, earning $2,586,175 for owner Fox Hill Farm and trainer Larry Jones.

She began to scrape national prominence during her 3-year-old season, when she won the Grade 2 Cotillion Stakes and finished third in the 2010 Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic at Churchill Downs.

Havre de Grace then took center stage at age four, with a campaign that included early-season scores in the G1 Apple Blossom Handicap, and the G3 Azeri Stakes and Obeah Stakes. She then stared down male competition for the first time in the G1 Woodward Stakes at Saratoga Race Course, where she sat a patient trip under jockey Ramon Dominguez and won by 1 1/4 lengths.

The filly's fall campaign an 8 1/4-length drubbing in the G1 Beldame Invitational Stakes in her return to female competition, then she went back into open company for that year's Breeders' Cup Classic at Churchill Downs, where she finished fourth to Drosselmeyer.

At the end of the year, Havre de Grace was honored with the Eclipse Awards for Horse of the Year and champion older female.

Havre de Grace raced one more time at age five, defeating an overmatched field in the listed New Orleans Ladies Classic Stakes at the Fair Grounds before being retired due to injury.

She was then cataloged in the 2012 Fasig-Tipton November Sale, where Pope secured the mare for $10 million, which was a world-record price for a broodmare prospect.

All five of Havre de Grace's foals to race are winners, led by Graceful Princess, a daughter of Tapit who won the Grade 3 Molly Pitcher Stakes in 2021. Prior to her final colt by Into Mischief, Havre de Grace's youngest foal was a 2-year-old Justify colt who is yet to be named.

TDN confirmed that a nurse mare has already been found for Havre de Grace's foal, and that he has accepted her. Havre de Grace will be cremated, and a portion of her ashes will be spread at Timber Town.

Read more at Thoroughbred Daily News.

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Hip No. 967, a son of OBS graduate and leading sire Into Mischief consigned by Wavertree Stables, Inc. (Ciaran Dunne), Agent, went to More Play for $1.3 million to top the fourth and final session of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's 2023 Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training.

The bay colt, whose eighth in :9 3/5 at Friday's Under Tack session was the sale's co-fastest at the distance, is out of graded stakes placed stakes winner Singing Kitty, by Ministers Wild Cat, from the family of graded stakes winner Montjoy.

– Hip No. 1024, a daughter of Nyquist consigned by Wavertree Stables Inc. (Ciaran Dunne), Agent, was purchased by Speedway Stables, LLC for $900,000. The dark bay or brown filly, whose quarter in :20 2/5 on Friday was the session's fastest work at the distance, is a half sister to OBS graduate Affirmative Lady, winner of the recent Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks, out of graded stakes placed Stiffed, by Stephen Got Even.

– Rich Schermerhorn, Jay Hanley and 30 Year Farm went to $725,000 for Hip No. 1036, a daughter of OBS graduate and leading sire Into Mischief, consigned by Eddie Woods, Agent. The bay filly, who sped an eighth in :9 4/5 Friday, is out of Succeeding, by Smart Strike, a daughter of stakes winner Cascading.

– Hip No. 1109, a son of Solomini whose eighth in :9 4/5 was Saturday's co-fastest, went to Donato Lanni, Agent for Dr. Ed Allred and Liebau, for $700,000. Consigned by Caliente Thoroughbreds, the chestnut colt is out of Timberlea, by Flatter, a half sister to graded stakes winning OBS graduate Untrapped, from the family of graded stakes winner Tale of the Cat.

– Hip No. 1219, a son of Nyquist consigned by Best A Luck Farm LLC, Agent, was sold to Donato Lanni, Agent for Baoma Corp. for $550,000. The bay colt, whose eighth on Saturday in :9 4/5 was the day's co-fastest, is out of Zetta Z, by Bernardini, from the family of Grade 1 winner Unbridled Elaine.

– Hip No. 928, a son of Nyquist consigned by Lucan Bloodstock (Karl Keegan), Agent, was sold to Schermerhorn / Drown for $535,000. The bay colt, who breezed a quarter on Friday in :20 4/5, is out of Seize the Ring, by Tiznow, a daughter of champion Catch the Ring.

– Hip No. 1093, a daughter of Audible consigned by Richardson Bloodstock, Agent, was sold to Rich Schermerhorn, Jay Hanley and 30 Year Farm for $535,000. The gray or roan filly, who worked an eighth on Saturday in :10 flat, is out of The Girl Factor, by The Factor, a half-sister to Grade 1-placed stakes winner Catch My Drift.

– MyRacehorse and Partners went to $525,000 for Hip No. 1068, a daughter of Gun Runner consigned by de Meric Sales, Agent. The dark bay or brown filly, who breezed an eighth on Saturday in :10 2/5, is out of Tamboz, by Tapit, a full-sister to Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Tapizar.

– Hip No. 942, a son of Lookin At Lucky who breezed an eighth in :10 flat on Friday, went to West Point Thoroughbreds, LEB Agent, for $500,000. The bay colt, consigned by Crane Thoroughbred Services LLC, Agent, is a full-brother to graded stakes placed OBS graduate Giuseppe the Great out of Shawnee Moon, by Forestry.

For the day, 166 horses brought a total of $22,659,000 compared with 158 selling for a total of $18,070,000 last year. The average price was $136,500, compared to $114,367 in 2022, while the median price was $65,000 compared to $53,500 a year ago. The buyback percentage was 14 percent; it was 21 percent in 2022.

For the entire sale, 699 horses sold for a Spring Sale record total of $90,805,000 compared with 705 horses bringing the previous record $90,723,000 last year. The average price was a record $129,907 compared with last year's record $128,685, while the median was $65,000, identical to last year's record $65,000. The buyback percentage was 16.8 percent; it was 15.8 percent a year ago

The overall sale topper was Hip No. 782, a son of Gun Runner consigned by de Meric Sales, Agent, went to Donato Lanni, Agent, for $2.2 million to top Thursday's third session. The bay colt, who breezed an eighth in :10 1/5 at Thursday's Under Tack session, is a full brother to graded stakes placed Runaway Wife, out of stakes winning Perfect Wife, by graded stakes winning OBS graduate Majesticperfection.

Next on the OBS agenda is the June Sale of 2-Year-Olds and Horses of Racing Age, set for June 13 – 15. The Under Tack Show is scheduled for June 5 – 10.

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