Tag: Brian Graves

Into Mischief Colt Tops Another Banner Day at KEESEP

By Christie DeBernardis and Jessica Martini

A $1.4-million son of super sire Into Mischief (Hip 604) led a sextet of seven-figure sellers during the opening session of Book 2 of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale Wednesday. Consigned by Summerfield on behalf of Stonestreet Stables, the colt was purchased by Larry Best of OXO Equine.

With six horses eclipsing the million-dollar mark Wednesday, the sale total now comes to 28. During the equivalent session last year, just two yearlings brought seven figures, including the $1.7-million sale topper.

“It was a great session,” said Tony Lacy, Keeneland's Vice President of Sales. “When you are seeing six million-dollar plus horses in session three, getting us up to 28 for three days, you are bringing it back to 2006, 2007 levels, which is really encouraging. The average and median have ticked up again over last year. Overall, it was a really, solid competitive session. There was diversity in the buyers. It was great to see the money spread.”

Book 2 opened Wednesday with 219 head bringing $66,695,000 with an average of $304,543 and a median of $250,000. There were 77 horses that failed to meet their reserves. During the same session in 2021, 211 horses summoned $60,996,000 with an average of $289,081 and median of $230,000. There were 72 RNAs.

Through the first three days of selling, 439 yearlings have grossed $180,355,000 with an average of $410,831 and median of $325,000. A total of 139 yearlings have been bought back. During the first three days in 2021, 419 youngsters grossed $151,618,000 with an average of $361,857 and median of $290,000. There were 180 horses led out of the ring unsold.

The top 20 yearlings were all purchased by domestic buyers. The powerhouse group led by SF/Starlight/Madaket bought three of the six seven-figure sellers. All three colts–one each by Gun Runner, Quality Road and Into Mischief–were purchased for $1.05 million.

“A lot of domestic buyers participated and we are very grateful to them,” said Cormac Breathnach, Keeneland's Director of Sales. “The current purse structure in racing and their involvement in the sale just speaks volumes. We are very excited about it. We still have international buyers here on the grounds and they aren't finding it as easy as expected to fill orders. The energy from Book 1 continued into Book 2 and we look forward to it continuing into the next nine sessions.”

Gainesway had a great day Wednesday, selling a pair of million-dollar homebreds in Hip 603, a $1.3-million Tapit filly, and Hip 740, the $1.05 million Into Mischief colt. Antony Beck's operation was the session's leading seller by gross receipts, with 27 yearlings bringing $9.78 million with an average of $362,222.

The second of two Book 2 sessions gets underway Thursday at 11 a.m.

Best on Top for Into Mischief Colt

Larry Best found a colt by Into Mischief (hip 604) who checked all the proverbial boxes and the owner outlasted a phone bidder to take the yearling home for a session-topping $1.4 million at Keeneland Wednesday. Out of stakes winner and multiple Grade I-placed Dawn the Destroyer (Speightstown), the bay was consigned by Francis and Barbara Vanlangendonck's Summerfield on behalf of Barbara Banke's Stonestreet. After signing the ticket on the colt in the pavilion, Best rushed off to watch his Fortin Hill (Mucho Macho Man) win an optional claimer at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

“It's always good when the breeder, after you buy him, offers to partner with you on the horse,” Best said after speaking with Banke. “I love Into Mischief. I have all these filters that I use and rarely does a horse meet all the filters when it's a colt. That's why you don't see me buying many colts. My filter is pretty stringent. Believe it or not, this one cleared them all. And I thought, 'why am I not buying the horse when I bought all of these others Into Mischiefs and done well with most of them?' So I waited until I saw him in the ring again and I said, 'If I am going to roll the dice at a big number for a colt, I am going to stick with Into Mischief and this one looks as good as I've seen.”

Best said the odds were against him when he was looking ahead to hip 604 making it as a stallion.

“In racing, it is so hard to win one race,” Best said. “The likelihood of getting a horse that becomes a sire is remote, but this is my shot. I'll give it a shot because I love the bloodlines.

He is magnificent. He looks like Into Mischief, he is just well-balanced and a beautiful horse. But I can't emphasize enough, when you are buying colts, the risk is very high. And you almost have to be willing to lose on colts. With fillies, if you buy good fillies, you can love those horses for 10 years plus. ”

Best's broodmare band is still in its early stages, but he has already enjoyed plenty of success as a seller.

“My first horse that I ever bought was Moi (Medaglia d'Oro),” Best recalled. “I paid $750,000 and I thought I was nuts. She didn't do very well on the racetrack, but her third foal I sold for $570,000 as a weanling and Archie St. George's just sold him for $1.05 million [as hip 344 Tuesday at Keeneland]. I think maybe I'm doing something right.”

Best concluded, “So, do I need luck on this one? I need a whole lot of luck, but he's a beautiful horse.” @JessMartiniTDN

 

 

 

Stonestreet Yearlings Shine Wednesday

Barbara Banke's Stonestreet helped Book 2 get off to a strong start when selling a colt by Curlin (hip 410) for $925,000 to Don and Donna Adam's Courtlandt Farm and the operation came back later in the session to sell a colt by Into Mischief (hip 604) for a $1.4 million to Larry Best.

“We loved him,” Banke said of the Into Mischief session topper, who is the first foal out of the Stonestreet homebred and multiple Grade I-placed Dawn the Destroyer (Speightstown). “He's a great colt out of a great race mare. He was definitely one that I would love to stay in on, but I know Larry doesn't take partners. I may ask him anyway. He is a really good colt.”

Dawn the Destroyer, who finished second in the GI Ballerina S. and third in the GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint in 2019, was bred to Curlin this year.

Hip 410 is out of Road to Victory (Quality Road), winner of the 2017 GII Golden Rod S. Stonestreet purchased the mare, in foal to War Front, for $1.45 million at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton November sale.

“I thought he would be very well received,” Banke said of the yearling. “He was a beautiful colt out of a good mare and by Curlin. He should be a very nice two-turn type horse.”

After a quiet Book 1, Stonestreet made its mark on the first session of Book 2, with seven yearlings sold for $3.8 million.

“We are just getting into the thick of it now,” Banke said Wednesday morning. “We sold four at Saratoga and we have six or seven to sell today and a lot more coming up.”

Through three sessions, Courtlandt Farm has purchased 11 yearlings for $8,235,000. The farm's new yearlings include three seven-figure purchases: a filly by Into Mischief (hip 359) for $1.35 million; a colt by Into Mischief (hip 344); and a son of City of Light (hip 73) for $1 million. @JessMartiniTDN

Gun Runner Colt Draws a Crowd

A trio of high-profile owners teamed up to acquire a colt by Gun Runner (hip 694) for $1.15 million late in Wednesday's third session of the Keeneland September sale. Bloodstock agent Justin Casse signed the ticket on the yearling on behalf of John Oxley, Coolmore's M.V. Magnier, and Breeze Easy.

“Everybody loves Gun Runner these days,” Casse said of the Woods Edge Farm-consignee. “They all seem to have very good walks and tremendous movement. He has a very good topline. He was a class act on the end of the shank from day one. He comes from a good nursery–they raise a good horse.”

After watching the strength of the market this week at Keeneland, Casse admitted he was not surprised by the colt's seven-figure price tag.

“If you had asked me three days ago, I probably would have said it wouldn't go that high,” Casse said. “I would have said maybe in the $600,000 range, but the way that things have headed, I have a hard time distinguishing what makes a horse like that bring over $1 million, other than the two right people are on him.”

The chestnut colt is out of multiple stakes winner and multiple graded placed Kathballu (Bluegrass Cat). He was consigned by Peter O'Callaghan's Woods Edge Farm, which purchased him for $185,000 at last year's Keeneland November sale.

“He was vetted nearly 20 times,” O'Callaghan said of the yearling's popularity at the barn. “I would say all the big money was on him. It seemed like they all followed him up here. He was just a lovely, lovely colt, very much in the mold of his sire. He was very straightforward. He was a very nice colt when we bought him and did fabulous. Wonderful temperament. Very solid.”

O'Callaghan admitted he was a big fan of exciting young stallion Gun Runner.

“All these Gun Runners are easy to train,” he said. “They take the hardships. We've never had a stallion like this guy. We've had some great sires–Tapit, Into Mischief, Uncle Mo–but Gun Runner is a little bit extra. It's incredible.”

The million-dollar transacation continued a big day for both Woods Edge's pinhooks and homebreds.

On the pinhooking front, Woods Edge sold a filly by Flatter (hip 403) for $425,000. The filly had been purchased for $190,000 from the Pin Oak Stud dispersal held at Fasig-Tipton last September. Also Wednesday, Woods Edge sold a yearling full-sister to GISW Consumer Spending (More Than Ready) (hip 434) for $650,000 to Mike Ryan. The operation had purchased the filly for $240,000 at the Keeneland November sale last fall; and a Twirling Candy colt (hip 739), acquired for $175,000 at Keeneland November, for $400,000 to M.V. Magnier.

Hip 621, a Twirling Candy filly bred by Woods Edge, sold for $925,000 to Rigney Racing, and hip 520, a homebred son of City of Light, sold for $400,000 to CRK Stable.

Woods Edge sold 11 horses Wednesday for $5,205,000.

“The market is great, but it's the same story,” O'Callaghan said. “You have to be good. It has to be the right sire and it has to vet. If you want to break out, you have to be squeaky clean.”   @JessMartiniTDN

 

 

 

Pope Returns to the Well For Tapit Filly

Mandy Pope went to $1.3 million to secure MSW & GSP Danzatrice (Dunkirk)'s Tapit colt at this auction last year and she returned to the well Wednesday, buying his full-sister (Hip 603) for $1.1 million. Trainer Chad Brown, acting on behalf of client Peter Brant, was the underbidder.

“We bought the brother [Tapit Trice] last year,” Pope said. “We have him in training. Gainesway stayed in for a little part of him. He is with Todd Pletcher right now and we have high hopes for him. We are going to make a nice family here.”

As for the filly, the Whisper Hill Farm owner said, “I thought she had a nice hip, a nice heart girth and moved really well.”

Danzatrice is a half-sister to champion juvenile filly Jaywalk (Cross Traffic). Gainesway bought the mare for $105,000 as a 2-year-old at the OBS April sale. Her first foal, a now gelding named General Strike (Union Rags), sold for $250,000 at this auction and Tapit Trice was her second foal.

“It was Antony [Beck]'s strategy” said Gainesway's Brian Graves. “He had several Tapit fillies and he wanted to split them up a little bit. I really wouldn't have been able to pick between them honestly. They both had things to like about them. I preferred this one a little bit and the price showed it at the end of the day, but they were pretty close.”

—@CDeBernardisTDN

 

 

 

SF/Starlight/Madaket Strike Early

The powerhouse colt partnership led by SF Bloodstock, Starlight and Madaket Stables made their presence felt early in Wednesday's Book 2 opener, going to $1.05 million for a colt by young sire standout Gun Runner (Hip 383). The bay was consigned by Pope McLean's Crestwood Farm on behalf of breeder Ann Fostock.

“He is a beautiful horse raised by really wonderful people,” said SF's Tom Ryan. “Gun Runner is a sensation. There is no other way to describe him. He has five Grade I winners from his first 120 runners. It is an amazing feat. Bob loved this horse. Donato loved this horse. John Moynihan is part of this horse. Everybody that saw him [liked him]. It was a consensus vote. We are happy to land him.”

Out of Perfect Flute (Pleasantly Perfect), Hip 383 hails from a deep Juddmonte family. His second dam is MGISW and Kentucky Oaks-winning millionaire Flute (Seattle Slew), who is the dam of MGSW & MGISP Filimbi (Mizzen Mast). This is also the female family of GISW Weep No More (Mineshaft) and GSW Current (Curlin).

“He was a special horse,” said Crestwood's Marc McLean. “He's a horse we thought could break through and it happened. It was a nice surprise. He was bred by a client, he was foaled and raised at our farm. He has always been a standout. He has such good scope and size and that's what made him special. We got lucky and got him in the right spot. We were pretty busy this morning; buyers kept coming back, which is a good thing. He was early in the session, which made us nervous, but I believe everybody had done their homework. Hopefully he was one of the standouts on the day, but you don't know until you get here.”

The SF/Starlight/Madaket team sparked fireworks late in the session, securing a son of Into Mischief (Hip 740) for the same $1.05 million.

“We love Into Mischief. We've bought seven of them now [at KEESEP],” Ryan said. “How could you not love Into Mischief? He is out of a very good racemare and is by a very good sire. He is a horse Bob Baffert loved immediately, so we are happy to own him.”

Consigned and bred by Gainesway, Hip 740 is out of GSW & MGISP More Chocolate (Malibu Moon).

“This is where I thought the horse belonged,” said Gainesway's Brian Graves. “The mare is getting a bit middle-aged. I am especially proud of that one. Antony [Beck] let me do that mating during the Covid times. We thought he was a really nice colt physically.”

In between those colts, the partnership once again paid $1.05 million for a Quality Road colt (Hip 574) who is a full-brother to the stakes-winning Stillwater Cove.

The SF/Starlight/Madaket team, guided by bloodstock agent Donato Lanni, have purchased a total of 14 yearling colts for a sale-best $9.88 million through the first three days of bidding. —@CDeBernardisTDN

 

 

 

Million-Dollar Score for Hancock

Rowland Hancock, who has been breeding Thoroughbreds for over four decades, had his first seven-figure sale when Tom Ryan signed the ticket at $1.05 million on a colt by Quality Road (hip 574) on behalf of the SF/Starlight/Madaket partnership. The dark bay colt is out of Celibataire (Broken Vow), a full-sister to graded winner Interactif and dam of stakes winner Stillwater Cove (Quality Road). Hancock purchased the mare, in foal to Union Rags, for $180,000 at the 2018 Keeneland January sale.

“I had seen her yearling the year before and I fell in love with the yearling,” Hancock said of the mare's appeal. “Anybody that could produce something that beautiful, I wanted to own.”

Of his first million-dollar yearling, who was consigned by Crestwood Farm, Hancock said, “This colt was something. He is one of the most balanced, classy horses I've ever seen. I've bred some fairly good horses, but he was just special. You always read about these classy horses who want to walk and never get mad, keep their demeanor. He exemplified that. He loved to walk. He loved to get out.”

Celibataire's first foal for Hancock was a $100,000 Keeneland September yearling in 2019. He retained the mare's Gun Runner filly, Cause Celebre, who ran at Kentucky Downs just after her half-brother lit up the board at Keeneland. Celibataire's 2-year-old daughter of Justify sold for $215,000 at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton November sale. The mare was bred to Mendelssohn this year.

Hancock has eight mares in his broodmare band.

“I've been doing this for 47 years,” he said of his breeding operation. “This is the culmination of doing it for a long time.”

Hip 383 was the second seven-figure purchase of Wednesday's session for the SF/Starlight/Madaket partnership, which struck early in the day to acquire a Gun Runner colt, also consigned by the McLean family's Crestwood Farm, for $1.05 million.

“We love Quality Road, he's a great, proven stallion,” Ryan said of the purchase. “It's a very nice family. He's a half to a stakes-winning filly. He's a very straightforward colt.”

Of the colt's final price tag, Ryan said, “The market is very strong, it's carried through from Book 1 to Book 2 very nicely. But he's a big, strong Quality Road colt who was well-raised and with a proper pedigree. It's not that surprising.”

Enjoying the dual $1.05-million sales, Marc McLean said, “It's been a great day; unbelievable really.”

He added of the Quality Road colt, “He was not a huge colt, but just a beautiful mover. We wouldn't dream he would go that high. It was a good job by the sales team. Both of these were for clients and were raised and foaled at our farm. It is rewarding.” @JessMartiniTDN

 

 

 

Into Mischief Filly A Fitting Tribute to Late Dam

Stakes winner Steelin' (Orientate) was very good to the team at Jeff and Chiquita Reddoch's Stonehaven Steadings during her 14-year tenure with them, producing a champion in her very first foal Shanghai Bobby (Harlan's Holiday). Sadly, the Reddoch family lost Steelin' last year, but her final foal, a filly by Into Mischief (Hip 459), paid fitting tribute to her late dam Wednesday, bringing $900,000 from WinStar's Maverick Racing and Siena Farm.

“We loved her physique,” said WinStar's Elliott Walden. “She is a really strong filly. The pedigree works with Shanghai Bobby and another daughter has already had a graded stakes winner, both are by Harlan's Holiday. She is something we can put in the broodmare band as well.”

The Reddochs' daughter Leah O'Meara was first to congratulate Walden after he signed the ticket with her parents and husband Aidan O'Meara not far behind her.

“This is her last foal,” Leah O'Meara said. “We lost the mare before we weaned her. This was kind of her swan song. We didn't really want to bring her to the sale, but we have every other filly out of the mare. We still have the family and have sold well out of the family. This was a beautiful result.”

Stonehaven Steadings purchased Steelin', who was coincidentally bred by WinStar, for $155,000 at the 2009 KEENOV sale. The resulting colt sold for just $105,000 at KEESEP, but became champion and sire Shanghai Bobby. They have not offered many of Steelin's foals at auction, but her 2015 Tapit colt brought $500,000 from Winchell Thoroughbreds at this auction. The Reddochs sent Steelin' through the ring in 2015 at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale in foal to Medaglia d'Oro, but RNA'd her for $1.775 million. Her daughter Miz Kella (Harlan's Holiday) is the dam of MGSW Canoodling (Pioneerof the Nile).

Stonehaven Steadings has been having a strong Keeneland September Sale thus far, selling seven yearlings for $6.975 million with an average of $996,429, including the current sale topper, a $2.5-million colt by Quality Road (Hip 97). The nursery also produced recently retired champion and OBS April sale topper 'TDN Rising Star' Corniche (Quality Road).

“It's been unbelievable,” O'Meara said. “This is the perfect storm. This is the best crop we have ever brought to a sale and to be this well received in a market so strong is just unreal. There are no words. I am thankful. Everyone will benefit. It will trickle down to everybody.” —@CDeBernardisTDN

Coolmore & Breeze Easy Team Up on Gun Runner Colt

Coolmore's M.V. Magnier teamed up with Mike Hall of Breeze Easy to acquire a son of the red-hot Gun Runner (Hip 640) for $825,000 Wednesday.

“Gun Runner is obviously doing very well as a stallion,” said Magnier. “Three Chimneys is a very good breeder and all the guys really liked the horse. Hopefully he is good.”

He added, “We are partnering with Breeze Easy. They are very nice people and we enjoy doing business with them.”

Consigned by Taylor Made Sales, Hip 640 was bred by the Torrealba family's Three Chimneys Farm, which stands Gun Runner. The operation purchased the colt's GSP dam Flatter Up (Flatter) for $300,000 at the 2018 Keeneland November Sale in foal to the late Arrogate. She hails from the family of MGISW and stallion Midnight Storm (Pioneerof the Nile).  —@CDeBernardisTDN

 

 

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Yearling Sales Season Arrives in Saratoga

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.–Fasig-Tipton marks 101 years of selling at Saratoga Monday with the start of its highly anticipated Saratoga Selected Yearling Sale.

The Saratoga Sale is known for offering some of the country's top yearlings, many of whom have quite the star-studded pedigrees. The 2022 catalogue, which features 216 yearlings, is no exception.

“It's just a fantastic collection of yearlings, both in terms of pedigree and the physical conformation,” Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning said. “We were excited all spring when we were going to the farms with the interest and the enthusiasm we were getting from folks with top quality yearlings. I think it's just as exciting of a group of yearlings that we've ever had the opportunity to offer. It's truly is a special catalogue and we couldn't be any more excited or optimistic about the 2022 Saratoga edition.”

The Saratoga Sale is just the second yearling auction of the season, following Fasig-Tipton's July Sale in Lexington. The July Sale featured a very strong market, giving sellers plenty to be optimistic about heading into this premier boutique auction.

“I think there's always a little bit of, you know, anticipation, anxiety, hesitation to see what the markets going to be,” Browning said. “July starts the yearling sales and we've seen a little bit of change in the worldwide economy. There's been a little bit of downturn in the financial markets and there was a little concern, but it was really encouraging to see positive signs in terms of the statistical performance of the sale. But even more than the statistical performance, was just the level of interest and the activity that took place before the sale and on the sales grounds. I think that we've seen strong, strong interest pre-sale here for the Saratoga Sale and I expect a very healthy market.”

Gainesway sold the topper at last month's July Sale and were also responsible for the sale-topper at Saratoga last year, an Into Mischief colt out of GI Test S. winner Paola Queen. They offer that colt's full-sister here this year. The operation's General Manager Brian Graves agreed with Browning's thoughts on the momentum from the July Sale carrying into Saratoga.   “The first sale of the year, July, was a really good sale,” Graves said. “Averages were up and medians were up. There was competition for all of the horses. I think the economy has improved since then. I don't see any reason this won't carry the momentum. The quality horses are here. I feel very good about our group. I am confident it will be a good sale.”

With one of the world's top race meets being held right across the street from the Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion, it makes Saratoga the ideal place to sell horses.

“There's always a lot of excitement and anticipation when we when we come up to Saratoga,” said Denali Stud's Conrad Bandoroff. “We've been very fortunate to catch some great results up here and have clients that give us some very nice horses to sell. We always target a couple of what we think are some of our nicest yearlings from the farm to come up here. It's just a great environment to sell horses.”

He continued, “It's a world-class race meet and a world-class boutique sale. The buyers and owners are up here. People just love to buy a nice yearling in Saratoga. We're very, very lucky that we have one of the best show areas on the ground, where our horses can really present themselves and showcase their best physical attributes. We call it the Saratoga magic. It can work the right way and the stars align and it can just be a really magical place to sell horses.”

Graves expressed similar sentiments, saying, “It feels energetic. It looks like all the usual buyers are here and even a few new ones. There is plenty of activity. Being centered around one of the best race meets in the world in a small town, the environment gets pretty electric during these night sessions.”

While Gainesway and Denali are familiar faces at the Saratoga Sale, Jill Gordon and Jacob West's Highgate Sales, which debuted at Fasig's February Sale, hangs its shingle up at the Spa for the first time.

“Saratoga is a sale both buyers and sellers look forward to each year and naturally has great energy,” Gordon said. “Bringing a draft here was one of our first short term goals when we launched Highgate earlier this year and we are grateful to our clients supporting us with two quality offerings. We are excited to be here for what is hopefully the first of many Saratoga drafts for Highgate.”

In addition to the perfect setting, the auction has produced some high-class racehorses. Its top graduates include unbeaten MGISW Flightline (Tapit), who brought $1-million at the Spa; MGISW Rushing Fall (More Than Ready); GI Florida Derby hero Known Agenda (Curlin); GI Santa Anita Derby winner Honor A.P. (Honor Code); GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Sharing (Speightstown); and many more.

The 2020 Saratoga Sale was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the auction came back strong in 2021 with 135 yearlings summoning $55.155 million. The average was $408,556 and the median was $350,000.

Bidding gets underway at 6:30 p.m. Monday evening at the Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion and continues Tuesday with a second session starting at the same time.

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Optimism Prevails as Yearlings Go Back on the Market at Fasig-Tipton July Sale

LEXINGTON, KY – The yearling sales season kicks off Tuesday with the Fasig-Tipton July Sale of Selected Yearlings at Newtown Paddocks in Lexington. Bidding at the one-session auction begins at 10 a.m.

“We're optimistic,” Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning said of expectations for the sale. “We've seen a very solid 2-year-old marketplace throughout the spring. There is demand for quality horses, certainly plenty of interest. Racing is pretty good right now.”

On a balmy Monday morning in Lexington, buyers were out in force and consignors were busy showing yearlings to a strong mixture of pinhookers and end-users.

“Hopefully it will be the same as usual,” Paramount Sales' Gabriel Duignan said of expectations for the July market. “Racing is very good, purses are great. The traffic seems to be busy here. The pinhookers had a good year and this sale is driven by pinhookers. So I am very hopeful it will be a good sale.”

Brian Graves, overseeing the Gainesway consignment Monday morning, agreed activity has been brisk at the sales barns.

“It's been busy,” Graves said. “There are a lot of people here. It will be interesting to see how many are end-users, but the market is alive and well, that's for certain. Most of the horses in the barn have been vetted well before they sell tomorrow. Usually, in a different climate when it's not so busy, you are waiting right up to the end to see some action. It seems like people are here to participate. I would expect it to be a fair market, whether it's as good as it was last year or not remains to be seen, but it will be healthy.”

Canceled due to the pandemic in 2020, the July auction rebounded with a strong showing in 2021, setting its fourth highest average and second highest median. A filly by Into Mischief brought the auction's top price when selling for $800,000.

Following a spring of competitive results at the 2-year-old sales and with purses at record levels, a strong yearling market would seem a safe bet, but volatility in the stock market–and in the overall economy–looms in the background.

“[Economic conditions] are a little concerning, but our racing is so healthy at the moment and I think there is a shortage of horses,” Duignan said.

Graves said, “The thing about horse people is they can't just take up plumbing. They just can't take up a different profession. They make their living by buying, developing and selling horses. Whether the horse market trails the stock market and it's off 10 or 15%, it could happen. What is important to me is that there is healthy trade. That you can take a horse and turn it into cash. And that clearly looks like it will be the case here. I don't see any big red flags.”

The July sale comes just a week after the implementation of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act and the new authority is another positive for the industry, according to Machmer Hall Sales' Carrie Brogden.

“I think everyone has to be aware of what is happening in the world-wide economy and in Ukraine and food prices, etc., but I think there are a lot of things to be very excited about,” Brogden said. “Obviously, there are some big changes in our industry with HISA coming online, but I personally am very optimistic that, after the changes shake out, we are going to be better and stronger. For me, I hate that the foal crop keeps shrinking. That means less product, fewer horses to race, but I am hopeful that all the changes, even though in the short term it may be hard for people to get through, ultimately we are going to get through it a lot stronger and reverse the trend on the other side.”

A total of 302 yearlings have been catalogued for the July sale, with 39 withdrawn as of Monday late morning. The auction opens with an offering of 88 youngsters by first-crop sires. The group of new stallions includes: Audible, Catalina Cruiser, Catholic Boy, Copper Bullet, Demarchelier (GB), Enticed, Flameaway,  Maximus Mischief, Mitole, Omaha Beach, Preservationist, St Patrick's Day, Vino Rosso, World of Trouble, and Yoshida (Jpn).

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Momentum Builds In Keeneland January Opener

by Jessica Martini & Christie DeBernardis

LEXINGTON, KY – The Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale, delayed a day due to last week's blizzard, took some time to find its footing, but gained in strength throughout Tuesday's opening session to end the day with figures up compared to its 2020 opening session.

“We are very pleased with the way things ended up,” said Keeneland's vice president of sales Tony Lacy. “We were expecting a very solid day. There was some nice quality, especially towards the end. And that is the way it ended up. The numbers were pretty stable with last year's numbers until about halfway through the day and then we started creeping ahead. I think we ended up with $18 million in gross, so that's really strong for the first session.”

In all, 249 horses sold Tuesday for a gross of $18,015,200. The average of $72,350 was up 23.22% from a year ago, while the median rose 11.43% to $39,000. With 85 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate was 25.45%. It was 31.79% a year ago.

Three Chimneys Farm purchased the session's top-priced offering when going to $750,000 to dissolve its partnership with Hill 'n' Dale Farm on the 2-year-old filly Princess Lele (Quality Road), a daughter of Carina Mia (Malibu Moon). The operation teamed with Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm to acquire the mare Remedy (Creative Cause) for the session's second highest price of $470,000. Again buying out Hill 'n' Dale, Three Chimneys purchased Justly, a 2-year-old filly by Justify out of Take Charge Brandi (Giant's Causeway) for $410,000 to have three of the session's top four prices.

“It was great to see the domestic market very strong,” Lacy said. “There was a lot of positivity there again. The demand for quality was as eager as ever. We are looking forward to tomorrow and I think it will be more of the same.”

Adrian Regan of Hunter Valley Farm admitted the consignment was having just an average day before sending the top-priced short yearling through the ring late in the session. Emmanuel de Seroux of Narvick International purchased the colt by Gun Runner for $375,000.

“The middle market seems a little weaker than Novemeber,” Regan said. “But then we've been trying to buy and when we follow something in, we're not getting close. The good ones are making a premium.”

Becky Thomas of Sequel Bloodstock agreed some of the demand from the November sale was missing Tuesday at Keeneland.

“For me, I haven't felt the sense of urgency in the market that there was in November at the end of the tax year,” Thomas said. “I feel like it is a fair market, but there isn't the feeling of 'gotta have a horse, gotta spend money.' Everybody made money last year, so they kind of needed to spend money and there isn't that sense right now.”

Tuesday's session ended with a flurry of activity from a strong group of supplemental entries to the auction. Larry Best's OXO Equine purchased the final horse through the ring, multiple stakes winner Hello Beautiful (Golden Lad), for $410,000.

“I think after the September sale, people had enough money that they didn't feel like that had to sell in January,” Lacy said. “So we felt the supplements brought back a little bit of quality that might have been lacking in the depth of the catalogue. I think people saw there was a real premium on quality in November and because of that they decided this might be a good opportunity to sell in this market.”

Keeneland's director of sales operations Cormac Breathnach added, “We had a lot of quality in the initial catalogue. Seven of the top 10 sellers came from the main part of the catalogue, but this freedom to accommodate fillies like Hello Beautiful added some quality to the back-end and finished the session strongly. Hopefully that creates some momentum in and of itself, too.”

At the end of the session, Keeneland sold a no-guarantee season of Gun Runner donated by Ron Winchell and Three Chimneys for $130,000. Proceeds from the season, which was purchased by Bill Layni, went to tornado relief efforts in Western Kentucky.

The Keeneland January sale continues through Friday with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m.

Three Chimneys Cleans Up

Three Chimneys Farm bought out partner Hill 'n' Dale Farm on a pair of juvenile fillies from stellar families Tuesday at Keeneland and then added to another partnership to ultimately acquire three of the session's top four lots. Bidding on the internet, the Torrealba family's operation acquired Princesse Lele (Quality Road) (hip 276), a daughter of Grade I winner and 'TDN Rising Star' Carina Mia (Malibu Moon), for $750,000. Earlier in the session, Three Chimneys bought Justly (Justify) (hip 176), a daughter of champion Take Charge Brandi (Giant's Causeway), for $410,000. Both fillies were offered by John Sikura's Hill 'n' Dale Sales Agency. Three Chimneys and Whisper Hill Farm teamed up to purchase Remedy (Creative Cause) (hip 298) for $470,000.

Carina Mia was purchased by Three Chimneys for $410,000 at the 2014 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and she went on to win the 2016 GI Acorn S. in the farm's colors. Sold to Shadai Farm for $2.6 million while in foal to Uncle Mo at last year's Fasig-Tipton November sale, she is also the dam of an unraced 3-year-old colt by Curlin and a yearling colt by that stallion, both of whom were bred in partnership by Three Chimneys and Hill 'n' Dale.

“She is a beautiful physical,” Three Chimneys' Doug Cauthen said of Princesse Lele. “I know a lot of people looked at her in the summer. She was one of the favorite yearlings of some high-end buyers, but unfortunately at the time she had a little issue that kept her out of the sale. So we waited and broke her and then, just to clean up the partnership, brought her to the sale.”

Carina Mia is a half-sister to Grade I winner Miss Match (Arg) (Indygo Shiner) and her unraced dam is a full-sister to Grade I winner Miss Linda (Arg) (Southern Halo).

“It's a family that has done so well,” Cauthen said. “We hope she can run and do well at the track, but she is such a good physical and with a great pedigree that we are always looking long term to the broodmare band. That's what the Torrealba family does–look at the long term.”

Of the filly's session-topping price, Cauthen said, “That exceeded expectations by quite a bit. As a buyer you always want to get them for less, but it's such an amazing family and there was a lot of active bidding amongst people well beyond the two partners.”

Cauthen added of the two fillies purchased out of the partnership, “They would have been on the list no matter what. Would you have paid full retail at 100%? It's a little easier at 50%, but it's still money no matter how you look at it. They were expensive, but hopefully in the long-term it will pay off.”  @JessMartiniTDN

More Brandi for Three Chimneys

In the final dissolution of a partnership between Three Chimneys Farm and Hill 'n' Dale Equine Holdings on the mare Take Charge Brandi (Giant's Causeway), Three Chimneys purchased the champion's newly turned 2-year-old filly Justly (Justify) (hip 176) for $410,000 via an internet bid Tuesday at Keeneland, just 10 days after her 3-year-old half-brother Courvoisier (Tapit) won the Jerome S. at Aqueduct.

Three Chimneys and Hill 'n' Dale purchased Take Charge Brandi for $3.2 million at the 2019 Keeneland November sale to dissolve the Elevage partnership of Hill 'n' Dale and Glen Hill Farm. Three Chimneys purchased the mare, in foal to Uncle Mo, outright for $1.15 million at the Fasig-Tipton November sale last year and purchased her weanling filly by Quality Road in partnership with Glen Hill Farm for $450,000 at that same auction. Both the now-yearling and 2-year-old were purchased with an eye towards their future career as broodmares.

“This filly in particular, with that pedigree, was always an appealing prospect as a future broodmare,” Three Chimneys' Doug Cauthen said. “With the big update of Courvoisier winning the stakes and hopefully going on to get further black-type, that just added to the appeal of the filly.”

Justly has been broken and has been in training in Ocala with Eddie Woods.

“Eddie said she was a really good mover, tough, and had the right attitude,” Cauthen said. “That part was always there, obviously we will see what happens going forward, but the main focus was her future as a broodmare down the road. Whether she hits the track or not is not really a primary concern. It's a family that keeps on giving and hopefully down the road, she will prove to be a nice broodmare prospect for Three Chimneys.”

Of the Quality Road yearling, Cauthen added, “We are looking forward to racing her and she will be a broodmare for the partnership as well.”

Take Charge Brandi, named champion 2-year-old filly of 2014, is a half-sister to multiple Grade I winner Omaha Beach (War Front) and her second dam is broodmare of the year Take Charge Lady (Dehere), who produced Will Take Charge, Take Charge Indy, and As Time Goes By.

The 10-year-old mare will be bred back to Three Chimneys' standout young sire Gun Runner this year, according to Cauthen.

“It's the final phase of the dispersal between Hill 'n' Dale and Three Chimneys, no other reason,” Hill 'n' Dale's John Sikura said of Justly's engagement at the Keeneland January sale. “We had two 2-year-olds left and they are in this sale. It was not pre-arranged; it was the next venue. We had not come this far down the road yet so we were not prepared to sell them in September. Her dam sold in November and this is the last logical step.”

Sikura is co-owner of Take Charge Brandi's 3-year-old son Courvoisier, who won the Jerome S. on New Year's Day for trainer Kelly Breen, and he was underbidder on the 2-year-old Tuesday.

“She is a lovely filly, I tried hard to buy her, I was the underbidder,” Sikura said of Justly. “It's a lovely, active pedigree and there is a good current 3-year-old. Everything is positive.”

Of the juvenile's final price, Sikura said, “She wasn't perfect up front. I thought that might provide a little opportunity, but that pedigree is so strong. I thought she was full value for sure. Special fillies are hard to find. You have to chase to find and own them, but once you do, they are a valued commodity.” @JessMartiniTDN

Three Chimneys, Whisper Hill Team For Remedy

Even as Three Chimneys Farm was dissolving one partnership, it was adding to another one when teaming with Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm to purchase Remedy (Creative Cause) (hip 298) for $470,000 from the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment Tuesday at Keeneland.

“That's been a real positive partnership,” Cauthen said. “We bought one in the November sale together and it's nice to get another one.”

Whisper Hill and Three Chimneys teamed up to purchase Magical World (Distorted Humor) (hip 203) for $5.2 million at last year's Fasig-Tipton November sale.

Remedy was purchased by Twin Creeks Racing for $200,000 at the 2016 Keeneland September sale. Racing for Twin Creeks, Medallion Racing and Parkland Thoroughbreds, she was runner-up in the 2018 GIII Comely S. and GIII Remington Park Oaks. She sold to Twin Creeks Farm for $570,000 at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton February sale and produced a colt by Constitution in 2021. She was not mated last year and sold empty Tuesday.

The 7-year-old mare is out of Daisy Mason (Orientate), an unraced daughter of Leslie's Lady (Tricky Creek) and a half-sister to Beholder, Mendelssohn and Into Mischief.

“She is a good physical and from an amazing family,” Cauthen said. “It doesn't get better than Into Mischief and Mendelssohn. All reports are that, with a little luck, we should be able to get her in foal and get a great-looking Gun Runner out of her because that's who she will go to.” @JessMartiniTDN

Beautiful Ending to Best's Day

Larry Best of OXO Equine acquired four broodmares during Tuesday's opening session of the Keeneland January sale and saved his biggest purchase for last when buying Hello Beautiful (Golden Lad) (hip 430G).

“Most likely she'll go to Instagrand,” Best said after signing the ticket on the multiple stakes winner, who was consigned by ELiTE. “But I have three stallions. I have Instagrand and I also have Instilled Regard and, kind of under the radar, I have Rowayton.”

Best said he remembered Hello Beautiful's career, which included eight stakes victories and earnings of over $580,000, becauase the 5-year-old finished behind his Mundaye Call in the 2020 Runhappy Audubon Oaks.

“We beat her at Ellis Park, but I forgot about her after that,” Best said. “When I looked at the record, she's a very fast horse and a multiple stakes winner. And I love the Medaglia d'Oro bloodline.”

Early in Tuesday's session, Best went to $220,000 to acquire Evil Lyn (Wicked Strong) (hip 118) and $210,000 to acquire Ego Trip (Ire) (No Nay Never) (hip 113). Just before securing Hello Beautiful, the last horse through the ring Tuesday, he purchased multiple graded stakes placed Reagan's Edge (Competitive Edge) (hip 430) for $220,000.

“I was really pleased with Reagan's Edge's price,” Best said. “She is a very fast horse. I own Center Aisle and Reagan's Edge beat her three times. Now Center Aisle is three for three and just won a graded stakes. But I couldn't beat the horse, so I bought her.” @JessMartiniTDN

Haunted Heroine Proves Popular

Graded stakes producer Haunted Heroine (Ghostzapper) (Hip 148) sparked the first big fireworks during Tuesday's opening session, summoning $420,000 from Mike Cline, acting as agent for Andrew Warren, whose parents campaigned MGISW City of Light (Quality Road).

“He has a longstanding relationship with Lane's End,” said Cline, who is the former manager of that operation. “We bought her to breed to City of Light.”

A two-time stakes winner, Haunted Heroine is a half to Grade I winner Celestine (Scat Daddy) and stakes winner Silent Sting (Silent Name {Jpn}). The 11-year-old mare's second foal, Twin Creeks Farm homebred Law Professor (Constitution), captured the off-turf GII Santa Anita Mathis Mile S. Dec. 26 for City of Light's trainer Michael McCarthy. She was bred to City of Light on a late cover in June, but did not get in foal.

“She is a nice young mare and is proven,” Cline said. “She has already had a graded stakes winner. There are not that many of them around. She is pretty and we thought she mated well with City of Light. We are happy to have her and feel good about being able to buy one of that quality in January.”

Haunted Heroine was consigned to the sale by Taylor Made Sales Agency. —@CDeBernardisTDN

De Seroux Gets a Gun Runner

Emmanuel de Seroux of Narvick International purchased the highest-priced short yearling of Tuesday's opening session of the Keeneland January sale when going to $375,000 to acquire a colt by Gun Runner (hip 365) from the Hunter Valley Farm consignment.

“He will race in the U.S.,” de Seroux said, while declining to name his client.

De Seroux said the yearling looked to be the complete package.

“First he is by Gun Runner,” de Seroux said. “Second, he is a very athletic colt. He walks very well. He's nice. We loved everything about him.”

De Seroux purchased a weanling colt by Gun Runner (hip 32) for $380,000 at last year's Keeneland November sale, so Tuesday's competitive price was no surprise.

“The good Gun Runners, you have a lot of people trying to get them,” he said.

The dark bay colt is out of Take a Memo (Empire Maker), a daughter of graded winner Memorette (Memo {Chi}). He was bred by Hunter Valley's Adrian Regan and Fergus Galvin.

“To be honest, we were having a fairly average day in the ring up until this and we were getting a little worried he wouldn't get his full value,” Regan admitted. “Thankfully, the right people showed up.”

Gun Runner's stellar start to his stud career with his first 2-year-olds last year led Regan and Galvin to call an audible with hip 365, who had originally been targeted at last year's Keeneland November sale.

“We had him here in November and we had a little bit of a mishap with him down at the barn,” Regan explained. “We weren't happy with the way he was moving afterwards, so we sent him home. We were thinking of keeping him to sell as a yearling, but Gun Runner was doing so good, we decided to send him in there. We knew he was a good horse.” @JessMartiniTDN

Sequel Brings November to January

Becky Thomas's Sequel New York was absent from the Keeneland November Sale due to her son's wedding, causing her to re-route a group of November-quality horses to the Keeneland January Sale. That move proved to be a good one, as Sequel led all consignors by average at $161,833–aside from Clarkland Farm, who only sold one horse for $240,000.

“It was my son Zachary's wedding in November, so this is really a November consignment in January,” Thomas said.

The Sequel New York consignment was topped by the $350,000 mare Call to Service (To Honor and Serve) (Hip 424), who was purchased by Andrew Cary on behalf of Coteau Grove Farms. Cary purchased Munnings' Finest (Munnings) (Hip 235) from the Sequel consignment for $300,000 for Coteau Grove earlier in the session and she is also in foal to Authentic.

In foal to Horse of the Year Authentic, Call to Service was supplemented to the sale after receiving a timely update courtesy of her half-brother Giant Game (Giant's Causeway), who was third in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile and is currently prepping for a start in Gulfstream's GIII Holy Bull S.

Call to Service is also a half-sister to MGSW Isotherm (Lonhro {Aus}) and GISP Gio Game (Gio Ponti). Thomas purchased the 6-year-old mare for $110,000 for a partnership consisting of herself, longtime partner Lewis Lakin and Spendthrift's Mark Toothaker at the 2020 KEENOV sale. She was carrying a foal from the first crop of champion Vino Rosso at the time and produced that colt Feb. 16 of last year.

“She is a half to a horse, who is on the Derby trail for Dale Romans,” Thomas said when asked what led to the decision to supplement Call to Service to KEEJAN. “He ran a really big third in the Breeders' Cup and we've been watching him fire bullet works every week. Plus, the average for mares in foal to Authentic was strong in November. We are very excited about Giant Game, so we thought it would be a good opportunity for us. We are all a group of pinhookers, so we are very happy.”

Thomas added, “I also have to thank Tim Hamlin and H. Allen Poindexter, who bred Call to Service and her talented siblings. I have seen this family year after year because of them, so when this mare became available in 2020, I already knew what the whole family looked like. When she went through the sale, Mark [Toothaker] said, 'Buy her!'”

Sequel New York was also responsible for the day's most expensive yearling filly in Hip 317, a daughter of Triple Crown hero Justify, who summoned $300,000 from Brian Graves.

Bred by Lakin's Lakland Farm, Hip 317 is the first foal out of San Saria (Ire) (Australia {GB}), who is a daughter of GSW San Sicharia (Daggers Drawn).

“She was always fancy,” Thomas said. “She looks like a colt. She is really, really strong. We hand walk all of these horses and she walked my main yearling man Humberto every day. He couldn't really walk her because she was walking him. She is just a machine. I love her.”

“We will definitely bring her back through [the sale ring],” said Graves, who has enjoyed great success pinhooking yearlings in the summer and fall. “I just thought she was gorgeous, maybe the prettiest Justify I've seen yet. She just did everything right for me. She is drop-dead gorgeous and has an athletic walk. I liked everything about her.”

Sequel New York offered a total of 14 horses, all of which went through the ring during Tuesday's opening session. They sold 12 of those for a gross of $1.942 million.

When asked if her consignment stood out more in the much smaller January sale, Thomas said, “That is hard to tell because I do think there was a lot of money to spent in November. However, I think we stood out here because these were November horses. I thought Keeneland did a phenomenal job, moving the sale back and getting horses placed, giving people a chance to look at them and us an opportunity to show them. The horses were well received and we are happy to be here.” —@CDeBernardisTDN

Cary Stays Busy at KEEJAN

Bloodstock agent Andrew Cary was quite busy throughout Tuesday's opening session, scooping up three mares, two for Coteau Grove Farms and one for that operation's new stallion No Parole (Violence), who they stand in Louisiana in partnership with Whispering Oaks.

Both of Cary's acquisitions for Coteau Grove Farms were in foal to reigning Horse of the Year and GI Kentucky Derby winner Authentic and both hailed from the Sequel New York consignment. The most expensive was Call to Service (To Honor and Serve (Hip 424), who is a half-sister to last term's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile third Giant Game (Giant's Causeway). He takes his next step down the Derby trail in the Feb. 5 GIII Holy Bull S. at Gulfstream.

“Obviously, there is a big potential update with the 3-year-old,” Cary said. “The mare is already a tremendous producer with what she's already done. She is also another mare in foal to Authentic, which was not by design. It is just the way it worked out, but you can't get too much of a good thing.”

He added, “It gives us a lot to root for in the spring. Giant Game just worked another bullet this morning [five furlongs in :59.85 at Gulfstream] and hopefully he will keep on trucking down the Derby trail.”

Earlier in the session, Cary bought Munnings Finest (Munnings) (hip 235) for $300,000. A half to MSW Baffle Me (First Samurai), she hails from the family of top sire Maclean's Music and GSWs Uncle Chuck (Uncle Mo), Kentuckian (Tiznow) and Electric Forest (Curlin). The 6-year-old mare's first foal is a now-2-year-old filly by City of Light and she aborted her 2021 foal.

“She was another mare in foal to Authentic,” Cary said. “She is a great-looking mare with a nice family. Those are the types everyone wants. You just have to keep swinging and hope to get some of them.”

Cary also picked up Catenaria (Bernardini) (Hip 67) for $80,000. She is currently in foal to Complexity, but was purchased with the intention of sending her to No Parole.–@CDeBernardisTDN

Twin Creeks Goes Back to the Well

Randy Gullatt and Steve Davison's Twin Creeks Racing campaigned MGISW Constitution (Tapit) in partnership with WinStar and he has gone on to be a very successful stallion. The operation returned to the well Tuesday, going to $260,000 to acquire a son of their former stable star (Hip 125).

“He has a lot of size and is a good, athletic colt,” said Gullatt after signing the ticket. “He has the same qualities as some of the good Constitution colts I have been around.”

When asked about Constitution's success as a stallion, Gullatt said, “It's pretty incredible. He is just over-achieving all of the time. It just gives you a lot of confidence that his [offspring] will over-achieve and do some good things.”

Consigned by Taylor Made, the chestnut colt was bred by Fred Hertrich, who had an outstanding year in 2021, breeding six Grade I winners either alone or in partnership. His operation had a hand in producing top-level scorers Americanrevolution (Constitution), Juju's Map (Liam's Map), Beyond Brilliant (Twirling Candy), Hit the Road (More Than Ready), Pinehurst (Twirling Candy) and Maxim Rate (Exchange Rate).

Out of Fifth Avenue Ball (Deputy Minister), Hip 125 is a half to SW Gotham Gala (Smart Strike) and SP Eastwood (Speightstown).

“He's an awful good Constitution and we really thought he would bring something in that $250,000 to $350,000 range,” Hertrich said. —@CDeBernardisTDN

Munnings Colt Proves Popular

A short yearling by Munnings (hip 128) brought a final bid of $240,000 from Joe Hardoon, racing manager for Al Gold's Gold Square LLC, during Tuesday's first session of the Keeneland January sale. The dark bay colt was owned and consigned by Clarkland Farm and is out of Forget Me Not (Uncle Mo), a half-sister to multiple stakes winner Needs Supervision (Paynter).

“He was a really classy, well-balanced colt,” Hardoon, who did his bidding alongside trainer Chad Summers, said. “He looks like he is going to be fast and can win early. We decided to take him to the races.”

Clarkland Farm purchased Forget Me Not, a winner of her lone career start for Fox Hill Farms in 2017, for $80,000 at the 2018 Keeneland November sale. The mare's first foal, a filly by Maclean's Music, sold for $115,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton July Yearling Sale.

The 23-year-old Hardoon purchased three yearlings at the Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearlings Sale last August, going to $170,000 for a colt by Unified (hip 539) and a son of Bolt d'Oro (hip 513) and to $120,000 for a colt by Maclean's Music (hip 509).

“We're just picking our spots at this sale,” Hardoon said of Tuesday's purchase. “We're usually more active with yearlings in September and later in the fall, so we're just picking our spots here and looking to find quality horses.” @JessMartiniTDN

Gun Runner Season Summons $130K

A season to 2021's leading freshman sire Gun Runner, donated by his owners Ron Winchell and the Torrealba family's Three Chimneys Farm, brought $130,000 from Peter Penny, who was acting as agent for Bill Layni, at the end of Tuesday's session. All proceeds from that sale will go directly to the victims of the deadly tornadoes that ravaged Western Kentucky last month.

“Everyone in Kentucky at every level wanted to do the right thing for those hit by the disaster,” said Three Chimneys Farm's Doug Cauthen. “This plus another $50,000 from Kentucky Downs and $50,000 from Three Chimneys is a step in the right direction. The whole horse community has done a great job. I have seen a million different donations. Gun Runner's owners, the Torrealba family and Ron Winchell, just wanted to do their part. It was a good way to do it with the sale being here. There are no more Gun Runner seasons around, so we thought it would bring a good number.”

Keeneland waived their commission on this offering so 100% of the proceeds will go directly to the cause.

“I thought it was a wonderful gesture by Ron Winchell and Three Chimneys, going to an amazing cause,” said Keeneland's Tony Lacy. “Having been able to support the effort and getting $130,000 for the victims of the Western Kentucky tornado–it's something that's great to see the industry getting behind. It's something that is very important to our state. We all talk about figures and numbers, but really the people of the state, it's a part of who we are as well. So this is great to be able to give back and support such a great endeavor. There is no commission, it is 100% going to the victims. We were just happy to facilitate the process. I think it was really well received. A lot of people showed a lot of interest.”

Gun Runner was bumped up to $125,000 for the 2022 breeding season after a record-setting freshman year in 2021 with two Grade I winners, six black-type winners and 31 individual winners. —@CDeBernardisTDN

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