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Rich Strike Withdrawn from KEENOV, to Remain in Light Training at Margaux Farm

Rich Strike (Keen Ice), winner of the 2022 GI Kentucky Derby, has been withdrawn from Friday's Keeneland November Horses of Racing Age Sale and will remain in light training, owner Rick Dawson has announced.

“After much consideration, I have revised my plan for Rich Strike (KY Derby Champ #148/2022) and will not enter him in Keeneland Sales auction on Friday, 11/17/23,” a statement from Dawson read.

“At this time Rich Strike will continue his stay and light exercise at Margaux Farm. I would like to thank my family, friends and the folks at Keeneland Sales for their support and guidance in this process. I will make further announcements at such time it deemed to be appropriate.”

Rich Strike, last seen finishing a well-beaten fifth in the GII Alysheba S. at Churchill Downs May 5, was subsequently transferred from the barn of trainer Eric Reed to Hall of Famer Bill Mott.

Dawson told TDN's Bill Finley in late September that Rich Strike was rehabbing from a tendon issue and could target the GI Pegasus World Cup Jan. 27.

He was consigned to KEENOV as Hip 4001A by Candy Meadows Sales, agent for RED TR-Racing LLC.

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‘Incredibly Positive’ Vibe: Keeneland September Sale Starts Monday

LEXINGTON, KY – The Keeneland September Yearling Sale, which produced gangbuster results in 2022, returns for its 2023 renewal Monday in Lexington. Perennially a bellwether of the industry's sales market, the 12-day auction opens with a pair of elite Book 1 sessions beginning at 1 p.m. and, with the Keeneland barns awash with activity Sunday, both sales officials and consignors were heading into the sale with plenty of optimism.

“The traffic has been incredibly positive,” said Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy. “There are quite a few buyers here. It's probably as positive as I've seen it since pre-COVID. The feedback that we are getting is that it's a very good group of horses. The buyers are very satisfied. The sellers are very positive about the feedback they are getting on the stock they have here overall. So, in general, I am cautiously optimistic.”

Standing outside his Candy Meadows Sales consignment at Barn 11, Matt Lyons smiled when asked about his expectations for the week.

“I suppose we are eternally hopeful as consignors, aren't we?” Lyons said. “Traffic has been pretty good so far. And we are seeing all of the main players and the main syndicates that people are expecting to see. There are quite a few groups from Japan, it looks like, on the grounds and they are looking hard. So we are hopeful.”

The 2023 Keeneland September sale has a tough act to follow. Last year's auction surpassed $400-million in gross sales for the first time in its history, while also setting records for average and median for the second year in a row. A year ago 2,847 yearlings grossed $405,495,700–to better the previous record set in 2006–for an average of $142,429 and a median of $70,000.

“The market has been good, we've had a bull run for the last 15 years, so I don't expect any dramatic changes,” said Brad Weisbord, whose Elite Sales makes its Keeneland September debut this week. “The colts groups seems to have their money together, so they will probably be the high end. The middle market has struggled for a couple of years. The pinhookers have been strong. They made money the last couple of years–which is nice to see–so I don't expect many changes. But we will know at the end of the sale. This sale determines what the yearling market is throughout the whole year, so at the end of this marathon we will really understand how the market is.”

While Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin and his late brother Sheikh Hamdan dominated the top of the Keeneland September market for many years, the decreased participation of those two Dubai-based entities in the last three years has been largely filled by American-based partnerships focused mainly on purchasing colts with Classic potential.

Leading the way in the last two years was the team of Mike Repole and Vinnie Viola, who purchased 31 yearlings for $12,840,000 in 2022. Repole is expected once again to be on site during the first four days of the Keeneland sale as his agent Jacob West and advisor Eddie Rosen were on the grounds Sunday. Chasing them for the leading buyer title last year was the stallion-making partnership of SF Racing, Starlight Racing and Madaket Stables, as well as BSW/Crow Colts Group.

The Keeneland September sale annually attracts buyers from around the world and the buying bench's international flavor should be strong in the coming week, according to Lacy.

“We have been very pleased with the support we have been getting from the international market and especially Japan,” Lacy said. “We have had more Japanese visitors this week and they are staying longer. I think they are finding that we have certain sire lines and pedigrees that have worked internationally for them. We are becoming more affordable and very relevant for their program.”

Among the Japanese shoppers on the sales grounds Sunday was Hideyuki Mori, whose five yearling purchases a year ago were led by a $1.2-million son of Curlin.

The international buying bench is also strengthened by new overseas opportunities like the Goffs Dubai Breeze-Up Sale, which was topped this past March by a son of Gun Runner who sold for $583,520 after bringing $160,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale.

“The Dubai sale that Goffs run in the spring every year has proven to be a very profitable endeavor for a lot of the pinhookers from Europe coming over here to source stock,” Lacy said. “That has really been a great addition to the diversity of what people are looking for.”

Lacy continued, “We have Australians here, I think we will have a lot of South Americans here and people from all over the world. From the Middle East, we have buyers from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and Dubai. We've put a lot of work travelling around the world over the last couple of years to reach out to our clients at every stage and provide a level of customer service that they would expect anywhere else. Those efforts have started to pay off as we start to look at the diversity through the sales grounds and the excitement about the quality of stock that the U.S. is producing, which is really encouraging.”

Shadwell Farm, which had long been one of the leading buyers at the Keeneland September sale before the death of its founder Sheikh Hamdan al Maktoum in 2021, made four purchases last year and could be a resurgent presence at this year's auction. Sheikha Hissa, now at the helm of her late father's operation, was at the Keeneland sales grounds Sunday.

“Sheikha Hissa came for Malathaat's race in the Doubledogdare S. last year,” Lacy said. “So she got the experience of coming here. She very much wants to have the same experience that her dad did, so we've been working diligently so that we have the same people working with her as worked with her dad.”

Keeneland has settled into a format for its September sale, which for the third year features Book 1 sessions Monday and Tuesday with 383 yearlings, followed by Book 2 sessions Wednesday and Thursday with 728 yearlings a before a dark day Friday.

“[This format] allows the higher-end buyers to be able to look at these horses in a relaxed manner without being rushed and also have the opportunity to go and look at Book 2 horses before the first horse walks through the ring,” Lacy explained. “So there is good idea of what the quality is out there. We put a lot of effort into making sure we have good physicals up front that have pedigree, that have commercial appeal, knowing what the marketplace is looking for.”

He continued, “I see this year people are in a more relaxed mode and they are able to give these horses the consideration that they deserve and I think they feel comfortable with that.”

Following its Book 1 and 2 sections, Keeneland will hope for demand to continue into what has seemed to be a weakening middle market.

“I think, looking at the yearling sales that have already happened this year, you have to be positive that [demand] will carry through to at least the middle of the sale,” Lacy said. “I think it could carry through right to the end.”

After buying in a bullish yearling sale a year ago, pinhookers faced a tougher market to sell in this spring, but Weisbord expects they will still be a strong presence at Keeneland.

“Listen, that's their business,” Weisbord said. “They buy yearlings to sell 2-year-olds. So I expect them to be strong from $75,000 to $275,000. After that, it becomes a very difficult pinhook, but I think that market for them will still be strong.”

The Keeneland September Book 1 sessions Monday and Tuesday will begin at 1 p.m. Book 2 sessions Wednesday and Thursday begin at 11 a.m. Following Friday's dark day, the auction continues through Sept. 23 with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m.

The post ‘Incredibly Positive’ Vibe: Keeneland September Sale Starts Monday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Fasig-Tipton October Sale Opens Monday

LEXINGTON, KY – The Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Sale brings the curtain down on a competitive season of yearling auctions when it begins its four-day run at Newtown Paddocks Monday morning. A total of 1,586 yearlings have been catalogued for the auction and bidding begins daily at 10 a.m.

Consignors were kept busy showing over the weekend and the foot traffic at the barns was a testament to the auction's continued growth in popularity in recent years.

“Historically, with the October sale, once the first call to post at Keeneland would ring, we would lose about 70% of the viewers,” Tommy Eastham said in front of his Legacy Bloodstock consignment on a rainy Sunday morning. “Saturday, we didn't see that. We stayed busy up to about 4:30 and our shows were up by about 20%. We saw some European guys here–that's unusual. And there has been a lot of interest from guys from all over the country that are going to be here. There is a lot of enthusiasm and there are a lot of good horses here.”

The evolution of the October sale has seen more and more yearlings pointed specifically to its later date.

“I think the sale has changed,” said Matt Lyons of Candy Meadows Sales. “Maybe before it was horses who didn't sell at other places who came here, but now there are enough good horses coming here for the first time. I think, for an agent, it's a sale you have to play because the best horse could be hip 1 or hip 1500. So you have to work the whole thing.”

Candy Meadows will offer 16 yearlings during the four-day auction, including a half-sister to stakes winner and multiple graded placed Coach (Commissioner) who the consignment sold at the 2019 October sale.

“All of my horses, this is their first sale. They've all been pointed here,” Lyons said. “So I hope there is enough money left. I have a good few later foals, so I like to give them a little bit of time.”

The auction's later date was a common answer to its rise in popularity.

“I think the catalogue and the results are the best advertisements,” Eastham said. “But even back 20 years ago, there was always a high-percentage of runners who come out of this sale. I remember asking Joe Taylor about these horses who vet better and they run better and he said, 'We leave them outside, we treat them different. We treat them like horses.' I think it gives more time for the horses to tell their stories to the buyers a little bit. So the buyers can see more of a mature product.”

The market has been strong right across the board all year. Consigner Bill Murphy expects those trends to continue at the October sale.

“I think overall it will be very strong,” Murphy said of expectations for the coming week. “Based on the sales throughout the year, the 2-year-old sales, the July Sale and Saratoga and September, there are still a lot of people who haven't been able to buy horses. So I think it will be very strong. But it will be the same old story. The high-end guys are going to land on the same horses and the middle to lower end are going to be spoiled for choice.”

Murphy agreed waiting for the last yearling sale of the season made sense for the horses in his consignment.

“I know I am [pointing specifically for the October sale],” Murphy said. “It gives the horse more time to mature, particularly if you've got a late foal. And they just do better. I used to go to July and earlier sales, but it's hard to get them ready when you are still breeding mares. For me the horses are more developed, more mature and if you have a good one, you're going to be a standout here.”

The popularity of the October sale has been bolstered by the success of its graduates on the racetrack. The list of 2020 graduates includes Jack Christopher (Munnings) who is the early favorite for the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile following his victory in the GI Champagne S. at Belmont Oct. 2.

After RNA'ing for $145,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase last September, the chestnut sold for $135,000 in October through the Paramount Sales consignment.

“I think a lot of good horses have come out of the October sale,” Paramount's Gabriel Duignan said. “I think it's a very rewarding sale for somebody who puts the work in and covers the ground. I think you can get really good buys here because it's the last stop for yearlings, so you'll have to breeze them or race them if you don't sell them here.”

Duignan continued, “I think now people are pointing horses for October. Every year, the quality is definitely going up. The horses do really well from September to October, they really do mature a lot in that month.”

Of Jack Christopher, who was bred by Castleton Lyons and Kilboy Estate, Duignan added, “He was a horse that probably got dinged for some small things by some vets that were nothing. But I had seen him all his life and he was always a beautiful horse.”

Other recent October sale graduates include 2019 champion juvenile filly British Idiom (Flashback), 2020 GI Darley Alcibiades S. winner Simply Ravishing (Laoban), and GI Pennsylvania Derby winner Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow).

Last year's October sale, held in the shadow of the ongoing global pandemic, was topped by a $600,000 son of Uncle Mo. In all, 961 yearlings sold for $32,743,700. The average was $34,073 and the median was $15,000.

In 2019, 1008 yearlings sold at the October sale for a total of $38,258,900, for an average of $37,955 and a median of $13,000.

The post Fasig-Tipton October Sale Opens Monday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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$1-Million Into Mischief Colt Tops Thursday At Keeneland September Yearling Sale

Keeneland's fourth session of the September Yearling Sale on Thursday recorded active commerce among a number of the industry's major buyers and featured the sale of an Into Mischief colt to Peter Leidel for $1 million.

Keeneland sold 195 yearlings during today's session for $34,507,000, for an average of $193,554 and a median of $160,000. Cumulatively, 589 horses have grossed $160,583,000, for an average of $272,637 and a median of $200,000.

With the top-priced yearling on Thursday, a total of 15 horses have sold for $1 million or more.

“Very exciting finish today,” Keeneland Director of Sales Operations Geoffrey Russell said. “To have three individuals bidding all the way to the million-dollar mark was very exciting. There was a lot of depth to the market. As we have said before, it is very selective. The people who should be here and looking at the horses and making the decisions are here, and we are very happy that they are committed to this industry.”

The session topper, a half-brother to stakes winner Cambria, is out of Grade 2 winner Teen Pauline, by Tapit. He was consigned by Warrendale Sales, agent for Stonestreet Bred & Raised.

“He is a lovely horse – ticked all the boxes as they say. Has a great walk,” said Hunter Simms, Partner and Director of Bloodstock Services for Warrendale. “The Into Mischiefs have been on fire at this sale and on the race track. Stonestreet did a nice job prepping him, and he showed himself well at the barn. He is a classy animal. Stonestreet has been very supportive of us over the years, and we greatly appreciate it. We have had good success for them.”

Donato Lanni, agent for SF/Starlight/Madaket, paid $775,000 for a colt by Quality Road consigned by Candy Meadows Sales, agent. The colt is out of Sustainable, a stakes-placed daughter of Forestry who is a half-sister to stakes winner Culotte, and is from the family of Grade 1 winner Famous Digger.

“He's a Quality Road – a great stallion,” Tom Ryan of SF said. “We're just starting to see the cream rising to the top now with him. Just think of what he's accomplished already; the future's so bright for him.”

“We're delighted,” Candy Meadows Senior Vice President and COO Matt Lyons said. “He's a lovely horse and a homebred for the farm. We didn't have any horses in Book 1 so this is our first group here. We've waited all day for him, and there were some very good judges of horseflesh on him.

“You have groups looking to buy two-turn Derby-type horses, and there are a lot of people looking for that type of horse,” Lyons added. “When they all land on the same one, they can bring an exceptional price. The group that bought him obviously know how to win the big races so that's great for us having the mare at home and having siblings coming. He'll be trained by Mr. (Bob) Baffert, and he knows how to win the big races, too.”

Lanni, agent for SF/Starlight/Madaket, was the session's leading buyer, acquiring five horses for $1,660,000.

“It's been a busy sale for us,” Ryan said. “Keeneland assembled a great group of horses here, and good horses are hard to buy.”

Warrendale, agent for Sandra Sexton and Silver Fern Farm, sold the session-topping filly, a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Hog Creek Hustle, to Solis/Litt for $725,000. The daughter of Constitution out of the Candy Ride mare Candy Fortune also is a half-sister to stakes winner Majestic Dunhill.

“She was just beautiful,” Warrendale owner Kitty Taylor said. “I sold her for some long-standing clients of mine who are very dear friends, Sandra Sexton and Silver Fern Farm. We sold Hog Creek Hustle and Majestic Dunhill. (This filly) was vetted so much and handled it so well. She went to a great place with LNJ Foxwoods. Alex (Solis) and Jason (Litt) bought her for them.”

Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum's Shadwell Estate Company Ltd. paid $675,000 for a colt by Into Mischief who is a half-brother to champion Runhappy. He was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent for Stonestreet Bred & Raised.

“Very nice colt,” said Rick Nichols, Vice President and General Manager of Sheikh Hamdan's Shadwell Farm in Lexington. “Good conformation and looks like he has a really good head on his shoulders. I thought I might have to go a little bit more (on the price). We have a really good Into Mischief 2-year-old (Mutasaabeq), who was third in (the Runhappy Hopeful-G1 at Saratoga on Sept. 7.)”

Mark Taylor, Taylor Made's Vice President of Marketing and Public Sales Operations, was pleased with the sale of the colt.

“We met with the Stonestreet team, and they decided to put this horse in Book 2,” Taylor said. “They thought he might stand out a little more here, and I think he did. He was head and shoulders above a lot of the other horses we had in this book, and the big buyers found him.”

Shadwell also paid $500,000 for another yearling consigned by Taylor Made, agent for Stonestreet Bred & Raised. He was the Curlin colt who is a half-brother to Grade 1 winner Girvin and Grade 3 winner Cocked and Loaded. His dam is Catch the Moon, by Malibu Moon.

West Bloodstock, agent for Robert and Lawana Low, purchased a Malibu Moon colt for $610,000. Consigned by KatieRich Farms, he is out of the Grade 2-placed Tiznow mare Fantasy of Flight.

Spendthrift Farm and MyRacehorse.com, co-owners of recent Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) winner Authentic, spent $600,000 on a colt by Authentic's sire, Into Mischief, who was consigned by Roderick Wachman's Kingswood Farm, agent. A full brother to Grade 3 winner One Liner, he is out of the winning Cherokee Run mare Cayala.

Into Mischief, the September Sale's leading sire with sales of $23,280,000 for 45 yearlings, stands at Spendthrift.

“There are many nice (Into Mischief) yearlings out here,” Spendthrift General Manager Ned Toffey said. “They have always been well received in the market and there has definitely been a bump from the Derby result. (Into Mischief) continues to amaze us, and if there was anyone in the industry that was a non-believer, I think they're all gone.”

Paramount Sales, agent, led all consignors on Thursday by selling 18 horses for $3,572,000.

The September Sale continues Friday with the start of the three-day Book 3. The sale runs through Sept. 25, and all remaining sessions begin at 10 a.m.

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