Thursday Insights: 3-Year-Old Curlin Half To Midnight Bourbon, Girvin Debuts At Churchill

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10th-CD, $120K, Msw, 3yo/up, 1m, 5:35 p.m.

A $500,000 Keeneland September yearling out of the 2020 Stonestreet Thoroughbreds consignment, CAWKAB (Curlin) was purchased by Shadwell Stables and makes a belated debut out of the Brad Cox barn. A 3-year-old son of Catch the Moon (Malibu Moon), Cawkab is a half-brother to four graded-stakes winners including the late GSW & MGISP Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow), GISW & up-and-coming freshman sire Girvin (Tale of Ekati), GSW Cocked and Loaded (Colonel John), and GSW Pirate's Punch (Shanghai Bobby). His 2-year-old half-brother, Weyhill Road (Quality Road), was himself a $1.6m Keeneland September yearling, nearly topping the sale, and recently debuted fourth in maiden special weight company at Keeneland. TJCIS PPS

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Half-Brother To Classic-Placed Midnight Bourbon Headlines Day 2 At Keeneland September Yearling Sale

Keeneland concluded the premier Book 1 portion of its September Yearling Sale on Tuesday with vibrant trade among major domestic and foreign buyers that produced strong results and the sale of eight seven-figure yearlings, led by the $1.6 million paid by Woodford Racing and West Point Thoroughbreds for a Quality Road colt who is a half-brother to Grade 1 winner Girvin and 2021 Preakness and G1 Runhappy Travers runner-up Midnight Bourbon.

Keeneland sold 112 yearlings for $52,300,000, for an average of $466,964 and a median of $400,000. Cumulatively, 208 horses sold through the ring have grossed $90,622,000, for an average of $435,683 and a median of $350,000. A total of 11 yearlings have sold for $1 million or more.

“It was a great couple of days. We're really excited about the results, about the feeling and the excitement on the grounds,” Keeneland president and CEO Shannon Arvin said. “You've probably heard me say that (retiring Keeneland Director of Sales Operations) Geoffrey Russell likes to talk about the 'hustle and bustle,' which felt really present. It was a very diverse buying bench. Out of the 10 highest prices today, there were nine distinct buyers, which is encouraging to see along with the domestic and international participation.”

“The session was electric, full of optimism,” Keeneland vice president of sales Tony Lacy said. “The sellers were having as much fun as the buyers, which across the board is what we're trying to encourage. That's an incredible mark when we get to that.

“The median was $350,000 cumulative over the last couple of days, $400,000 for the session alone. I don't think we've ever hit $400,000 (for a session). Cumulatively it's just short of 2019, which was a record year. As we go forward, I think it's really encouraging. It sets a really good tone for Book 2. When you see results today where Woods Edge Farm sold a homebred for over a million dollars, that floats a lot of boats.”

The $1.6 million colt, the highest-priced yearling to date in the sale, is out of the Malibu Moon mare Catch the Moon and was consigned by Eaton Sales, agent for Stonestreet Bred & Raised. He also is a half-brother to Grade 3 winners Cocked and Loaded and Pirate's Punch. Half-brother Midnight Bourbon won a Grade 3 race earlier this year.

“The plan is to gather a partnership together with Woodford Racing, West Point and a few others and (Stonestreet owner) Barbara Banke,” Woodford founder Bill Farish said. “He will go to (trainer) Shug McGaughey.

“The market is strong,” Farish added. “For horses like this, it's been very, very hard to buy as you can tell by that price. It's competitive. That's how we hoped it would be.”

“He is fabulous looking and, of course, the mare has had some great foals by some lesser stallions,” Banke said. “I am hoping this one takes it all the way. I think I will be back in for (a piece) of him. I am excited about that. He was on my list of favorites. We need sire power; we need another sire.”

Two colts consigned by Gainesway, agent, sold for $1.3 million each.

Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm paid the amount for a son of Tapit from the family of champion Jaywalk and Grade 2 winner Mission Impazible. He is out of stakes winner Danzatrice, by Dunkirk.

“I love Tapit, as everyone knows – we've been buying a bunch of them,” Pope said. “This one was raised at Gainesway. I have a lot of faith in how they raise their horses and their horsemanship on the farm. I felt like the horse had a good beginning, a good foundation built into him.”

Two hips later, Gainesway, agent for Stonestreet Bred & Raised, consigned a son of Curlin out of Dashing Debby who sold to M.V. Magnier for $1.3 million. The colt is a half-brother to Grade 1-placed stakes winner Dawn the Destroyer and stakes winner Bronze Star.

“(Gainesway general manager) Brian Graves – when we went down to see him first – really, really liked the horse,” Magnier said. “All our guys liked him as well. Barbara Banke, she's bred some incredible horses over the last couple years. Curlin's doing very well.”

Magnier said the colt would stay in the U.S.

Gainesway was the leading consignor Tuesday, selling 15 horses for $9,430,000. Consigning three of the session's five highest-priced horses, Gainesway also sold a $1.2 million War Front filly purchased by Seahorse Stables. She is a half-sister to Canadian champion Lukes Alley.

“All class, everything she is supposed to be and maybe a little better,” said Eddie Woods, who signed the ticket. “Has a little more leg and scope than most of your War Fronts. She vetted perfectly; she may go to Ireland. The client couldn't travel. I'm just doing a job that normally they would do on their own.”

Out of the stakes-winning A.P. Indy mare Vaulcluse, the filly also is a half-sister to Grade 3-placed stakes winner Arrifana.

“She's just an absolutely lovely filly – best filly we had on the farm,” Gainesway's Brian Graves said. “We wish them a lot of luck.”

Spendthrift Farm went to $1.25 million to acquire a filly by Into Mischief out of Grade 1 winner Embellish the Lace, by Super Saver. She was consigned by Bluewater Sales, agent, and from the family of Grade 1 winners Afleet Express and Materiality and Grade 2 winners Eye of the Tiger and My Miss Sophia.

“She's just a beautiful filly, obviously by the right sire out of a Grade 1 winner, great depth of family,” Spendthrift general manager Ned Toffey said. “She sort of ticked all the boxes, as classy a filly as we thought there was in the sale. We're really excited to have her. Sometimes you see that pedigree and you're disappointed in the physical, but there's nothing disappointing in any way about this filly. You just hope that you'll be able to afford her.”

Mayberry Farm spent $1.15 million for a colt by Quality Road who is from the family of Grade 1 winner Charlatan. Dixiana Farms consigned the colt, who is out of the English Channel mare Brielle's Appeal. Brielle's Appeal is a half-sister to Grade 2 winner Authenticity, dam of Charlatan and stakes winner Hanalei Moon.

“He's been great. He's been solid,” Dixiana owner Bill Shively said. “I like him a lot and the mare is named after my daughter Brielle. Brielle's Appeal was a nice filly for us, a big strong filly, and this one came out right. What a way to start right?

“I've been doing this for 20 years and this is the first time we've broke a million, so we're very happy with that. I expected him to be the best we had, but I didn't expect him to get to a million.”

David Ingordo, who signed the ticket for the colt, began working with Dixiana when he was 21.

“I bought (this colt's) second dam (Court of Appeal) for Dixiana in 2006 when she was carrying (eventual Grade 2 winner) Authenticity,” Ingordo said. “I have followed the family. Dixiana is one of the better breeders, and I don't think they get the recognition that they should. I have probably seen this horse once a month since January. We have bought good horses from them. We knew he was a nice horse and the way the market it is, that is what it takes to buy one.”

Ingordo said the colt would go to trainer John Shirreffs in California.

West Bloodstock, agent for Repole Stable and St. Elias, purchased a colt from the first crop of Grade 1 winner City of Light for $1.05 million. Consigned by Woods Edge Farm, agent, he is a half-brother to Grade 3 winner Biddy Duke and from the family of champion Essential Quality. The colt's dam is Ghostslayer, by Ghostzapper.

The City of Light colt was among the nine yearlings sold to West Bloodstock, agent for Repole Stable and St. Elias, for $5,185,000 to lead all buyers during the session.

A colt by War Front who is a full brother to European champion Air Force Blue sold for $1 million to Lynnhaven Racing. Consigned by Stone Farm, the colt is out of the Maria's Mon mare Chatham.

“You come up here with a nice horse, but you've got to have the buyer there,” Stone Farm's director of sales and racing Lynn Hancock said. “People liked him on the sales grounds. He's a beautiful physical – we think he's one of the nicest that the mare has thrown. We're heavily invested in the family and we love the family. The mare has been great to us. We're really happy that some nice people ended up with him. Can't be upset with a sale like that.”

Four horses that did not meet their reserve during Monday's session went through the RNA Reoffer at the close of the second session, and one of those horses sold.

“The RNA Reoffer helped solidify confidence if someone did not get a horse sold (on Day 1),” Lacy said. “They had options. We had many entries but some got sold privately, so at the end of Monday, we had seven entries. Three of those sold privately earlier on Tuesday. We think the RNA Reoffer program worked.”

The third session of the September Sale, which marks the first day of the two-day Book 2, begins tomorrow at 11 a.m. ET. TVG2 will have live coverage of the session from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The entire sale is streamed live at Keeneland.com.

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Quality Road Colt Takes the Lead at Keeneland

The offspring of Quality Road continued to be much sought-after at the Keeneland September Sale, and the stallion's colt out of the tremendous producer Catch The Moon (Malibu Moon) became the sale's most-coveted offering, selling for $1.6 million. Lane's End's Bill Farish signed the winning ticket seated alongside West Point Thoroughbreds' Terry Finley. Consigned by Eaton Sales for Barbara Banke's Stonestreet Bred & Raised as hip 300, the handsome dark bay is out of an unraced mare who has the distinction of accounting for four full graded stakes winners from as many to race. Catch the Moon's first foal was Cocked and Loaded (Colonel John), winner of the GIII Iroquois S. as a juvenile in 2015 shortly before the mare was acquired by Stonestreet for $240,000 in foal to Shanghai Bobby at Keeneland November. In the meantime, the mare's foal of 2014, Girvin (Tale of Ekati), earned Grade I laurels in the GI Haskell Invitational, while the in-utero purchase Pirate's Punch annexed the GIII Salvator Mile. Catch the Moon's most recent graded winner is Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow), a $525,000 graduate of the 2019 September sale who won this year's GIII Lecomte S. and was runner-up in both the GI Preakness S. and GI Runhappy Travers S. just weeks after nearly going down in the Haskell.

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All in the Family with Stonestreet’s Oaks Fillies

Barbara Banke has a lofty goal heading into this year's GI Kentucky Oaks.

“I would love for there to be a Stonestreet trifecta,” she said. “That would be my dream.”

It sounds like quite the feat, but a trio of sophomore fillies foaled and raised at Stonestreet Farm are shaking out to be some of the strongest contenders expected to be vying for the garland of stargazer lilies on the last Friday of April.

GII Rachel Alexandra S. victress Clairiere (Curlin) and GIII Fantasy S. winner Pauline's Pearl (Tapit) both aim to get Stonestreet Stables its first trip to the Oaks winner's circle, while GI Ashland S. heroine and 'TDN Rising Star' Malathaat (Curlin), a daughter of Stonestreet homebred Dreaming of Julia (A.P. Indy), will sport the silks of Shadwell Stable.

What's Stonestreet's secret to molding such a potentially-historic state of affairs?

“It's pretty simple,” the farm's owner explained. “We take super speedy mares and we breed them to great stallions, and then we raise them right.”

That formula is fulfilled in all three of the Oaks-bound fillies as each is out of a Grade I winner that was once raced by Stonestreet connections.

“All three of the broodmares were really, really fast,” Banke said. “We raced them and saw what they could do, and then we treated them like horses. They're rough and tough and we raise their babies the same way. They stay outside and they spend their early years running around in paddocks and behaving like normal horses. So we think we have all the ingredients to have really spectacular foals that can eventually bear that out on the track.”

One of the top choices going into the Oaks, Clairiere is the first foal out of Stonestreet's three-time Grade I winner Cavorting (Bernardini).

A daughter of GSW Promenade Girl (Carson City), Cavorting was a $360,000 weanling purchase for Stonestreet in 2012. Banke vividly remembers the future star's early days.

“Cavorting was very rambunctious,” she recalled. “When we bought her, she leaped out of the trailer and we thought she was dead. She was down on the ground, but she got up eventually and went on to the farm where she leaped out of her paddock. Eventually we had to put her in her own paddock earlier than most fillies because she was very bossy. But, she was a great racehorse. She won going short. She won going long. She did everything.”

It wasn't until the summer of Cavorting's 4-year-old season, when she had already racked in five stakes victories including the 2015 GI Test S., when trainer Kiaran McLaughlin decided to stretch her out past a mile in the GI Ogden Phipps S.

“We didn't expect her to win because she had never gone long before,” Banke admitted.

But of course she did win, and she backed that victory with a second over a 1 1/8 miles in the GI Personal Ensign S. in her career finale.

Cavorting was initially bred to a second multi-million-dollar earner for Stonestreet in their flagbearing sire Curlin. When the bay filly arrived, Banke said she knew early on that the youngster would grow to be something special.

“Clairiere was a beautiful foal,” she recalled. “She's of course by Curlin, who is my  favorite sire of all time. She's like many Curlins where she was good, but she gets better and better as she goes forward into her 3-year-old year and hopefully 4-year-old year and beyond.”

A debut winner last October, Clairiere has since gone head-to-head with another top Oaks contender, Travel Column (Frosted), in each of her three graded starts, besting her rival by a neck with a come-from-behind performance in the GII Rachel Alexandra S. for trainer Steve Asmussen.

Banke said it was a full-circle moment for the connections to get the win in a race honoring their Hall of Fame mare.

“It was fabulous when she won the Rachel Alexandra,” Banke said. “She really put it together and managed to make her Curlin-esque move at the end. She's going to be a really good horse in the Oaks and I think she'll just continue to improve as the year goes on.”

Banke said that Cavorting's second daughter, La Crete, is not far from seeing the starting gate. | Stonestreet Farm

Banke reported that Cavorting has checked in foal to Into Mischief this year, but in the meantime, it won't be long to wait before her second daughter, named La Crete, makes it to the starting gate.

“Clairere is named for a spectacular Pinot noir vineyard that I have in Oregon and La Crete is her 2-year-old half-sister by Medaglia d'Oro,” Banke explained. “La Crete is another spectacular Pinot noir vineyard in Oregon, so we're keeping it all in the family, so to speak. She's at our training center and she's doing well. She's strong- I think maybe even a little stronger earlier than Clairiere.”

Stonestreet's second star sophomore filly, Pauline's Pearl, is a daughter of Hot Dixie Chick (Dixie Union).

Purchased as a juvenile for $435,000 in 2009, Hot Dixie Chick was the first colorbearer for Banke's Grace Stable. Fulfilling the ownership's acronym of 'Girls Rule and Competently Endure,' the daughter of GSW Above Perfection (In Excess {Ire}) ran in the money in each of her seven career starts, earning her most notable win in the 2009 GI Spinaway S.

“Hot Dixie Chick was the most mellow racehorse of all time,” Banke recalled. “She would fall asleep in the saddling paddock and then go out and break the track record. She was fun to watch and she has gone on to produce great babies for us.”

Her first foal, Union Jackson (Curlin), was a dual stakes winner for Stonestreet. The same year as Union Jackson's retirement to Sequel New York, Hot Dixie Chick's half-brother Always Dreaming (Bodemeister) won the GI Kentucky Derby.

In the spring of Always Dreaming's sophomore campaign, Hot Dixie Chick was bred to champion sire Tapit, a mating that produced the current Oaks hopeful.

“Pauline's Pearl is a beautiful Tapit filly,” Banke said of the subsequent foal. “When she went to the training center, we thought she was one of our best for the year and she has developed over time.”

It took some patience from trainer Steve Asmussen to get all the pieces to fall into place for Pauline's Pearl, but by her third start she made it to the winner's circle and next gave a runner-up effort in the GIII Honeybee S. before taking the GIII Fantasy S.

“She was a little bit behind in terms of racing experience, but she's making up for it fast,” Banke said. “She's named for my mother and every time we name a horse after my mother, it's a graded stakes winner.”

Banke reported that Hot Dixie Chick produced a full brother to Union Jackson that is now a juvenile in training at Keeneland with Steve Asmussen and this February, she foaled a colt by up-and-coming young sire Constitution.

“He's quite fast and very agile,” Banke said of the youngster. “He's really going to be something special, I think, so he's one to keep an eye open for later in life.”

Banke added that Hot Dixie Chick will visit Tapit again this year.

While Malathaat, the third Stonestreet-bred Oaks hopeful, races under a different ownership banner, she is the only one of the three to come from a Stonestreet homebred.

Dreaming of Julia (A. P. Indy) was the first foal out of dual Grade I winner Dream Rush (Wild Rush) and was named after Banke's daughter. She was undefeated in her first three starts at two, including the GI Frizette S., but Banke said that the race she most frequently looks back on was the Todd Pletcher trainee's 21 3/4-length victory in the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks.

“She was just so much better than anything else that day,” Banke said. “She was favored in the Kentucky Oaks but then she got creamed coming out of the gate so she lost all chance of winning, but still managed to get up for fourth.”

Malathaat's full sister will be staying home from the sales this year, Banke reports. | Katie Ritz

When Dreaming of Julia produced her third foal, it was decided that the Curlin filly would go through the auction ring. As a yearling, she sold for $1.05 million to Shadwell Stable at the 2019 Keeneland September Sale.

Later named Malathaat, the 'TDN Rising Star' is now undefeated in four starts, most recently taking the GI Ashland S. by a head for the same trainer who oversaw her dam's career.

So why was this the filly Stonestreet decided to take to market?

“You know, we have to sell some; we cannot race them all,” Banke said with a laugh. “We have about 80 babies each year so there's no way we can keep everything. She was one where we said, she's spectacular but we do need to bring in the revenue this year, so she was on the list to sell. But I'm excited to see what she will do and while I was sad to hear that Sheik Hamdan [owner, Shadwell Farm] had passed away, I hope his family can enjoy watching her.”

Banke said she is fairly confident they won't be selling other daughters of Dreaming of Julia any time soon.

“Dreaming of Julia actually had a few that have died, so I'm glad to see Malathaat doing so well,” she said. “Malathaat may be the last one we ever sell from that mare because she really has nice babies and we're looking forward to great things from her in the future.”

Malathaat's yearling full sister is one that Banke said she will definitely be holding onto.

“She looks like a queen and she moves really well,” Banke said. “She will be staying home from the sale, but I'm glad to show her off because she is really something.”

Another sister, this one by Medaglia d'Oro, was foaled earlier this month.

“She already looks spectacular to me,” Banke said of the new filly. “I've loved that sire ever since Rachel Alexandra and I'm really hoping for great things for her, but I'm going to have to wait a few years to see it come to fruition.”

This year, Dreaming of Julia is expected to go back to Curlin.

This Quality Road half-brother to Midnight Bourbon could one day become the fifth graded stakes winner out of Catch the Moon. | Katie Ritz

The 2008 Horse of the Year has potential for a monumental year at stud if he were to earn his first win as a sire in either the GI Kentucky Derby or the GI Kentucky Oaks. Two of his sons, GI Florida Derby winner Known Agenda and recent GIII Stonestreet Lexington S. victor King Fury both have points on the road to the Kentucky Derby, while Malathaat and Clairiere are among five daughters of Curlin with points on the Kentucky Oaks leaderboard.

To top off everything else that the farm has going for itself heading into Derby weekend, Stonestreet will also be represented by a colt in the Kentucky Derby. Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow) was bred and raised at Stonestreet before selling to Winchell Thoroughbreds as a yearling for $525,000.

Stonestreet purchased his dam, Catch the Moon (Malibu Moon), at the 2015 Keeneland November Sale for $240,000 in foal to Shanghai Bobby. The resulting foal, named Pirate's Punch, went on to become a Grade III winner.

“This is a mare who has had four graded stakes winners in her first four foals,” Banke said. “So you can't beat her as a broodmare. Midnight Bourbon is a beautiful horse and he's by Tiznow, so that would be exciting if he does well because we need that sire line in Kentucky.”

Catch the Moon had a Curlin colt sell for $500,000 at last year's Keeneland September Sale and she also has a yearling Quality Road colt and a Curlin colt, foaled this February, in the pipeline.

“It's been really fun for me to see this homebred success,” Banke said. “We're aiming for the top end of the market, we're aiming for the top races and we're aiming for the stars. We want to see something really spectacular come off of this farm.”

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