Tag: David Ingordo

For Bloodstock Agent Ingordo, Flightline Always Had The ‘It’ Quality

Halley's Comet comes around once in a lifetime. Someday, the same might be said of Flightline.

In three starts, the 3-year-old colt by Tapit has won by a combined 37 ½ lengths, going six furlongs in 1:08.75 in his debut, the same distance in 1:08.05 next out, and then racing seven furlongs in 1:21.37 while winning the Grade 1 Runhappy Malibu Stakes at Santa Anita on Sunday's opening day of the winter-spring meet. Jockey Flavien Prat was like a statue down the lane as Flightline won under wraps by 11 ½ lengths for trainer John Sadler.

His Beyer Speed Figures were 105, 114 and 118, respectively. The latter is the highest Beyer Speed Figure given to any horse this year, according to Daily Racing Form's Jay Privman.

“That puts this horse in a different stratosphere,” said West Point Thoroughbreds' CEO Terry Finley, one of Flightline's owners.

An hour before the Malibu, the 3-year-old filly Kalypso won the G1 La Brea Stakes with a seven-furlong final time of 1:24.78, fully 3 2/5 seconds slower than Flightline.

Performance numbers are one way of measuring a horse's ability. David Ingordo, the bloodstock agent who bought Flightline on behalf of West Point Thoroughbreds and several other partners for $1-million at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling Sale, said the colt also passed the eyeball test.

“He's a brilliant horse and you don't need Ragozins or Beyers to see that,” Ingordo said. “You can tell that he doesn't have to put a lot into what he's doing. He does it so easily.”

Ingordo first laid eyes on Flightline when he and Bill Farish from Lane's End visited breeder Jane Lyon's Summer Wind Farm in Georgetown, Ky., to look at a different Tapit colt from the 2018 foal crop, a chestnut-coated half brother to Triple Crown winner American Pharoah. Lane's End consigns the Summer Wind horses and Ingordo said there was interest in buying the colt off the farm privately.

“There was another horse in the paddock and I said to Bill, 'I like the brown one.' Bill said, 'We're here to see the chestnut one.'”

The brown horse turned out to be Flightline. The chestnut colt, who remained the property of Summer Wind, was named Triple Tap and turned over to trainer Bob Baffert. Two-for-two going into the Malibu, Triple Tap finished 18 ¾ lengths behind Flightline in fourth place.

Ingordo saw the two horses several more times and his preference for the brown colt never wavered.

When it came time for the Saratoga sale, Ingordo hitched a ride to New York on a Tex Sutton flight to ride with a group of yearlings. “I was sitting in the back with one of the guys I knew well,” Ingordo said. “He said it was going to be a bumpy ride and asked if I would grab a couple yearlings. “One of them had a pretty good head on him and I noticed his name was Flightline. I looked up his pedigree and saw it was the horse from Summer Wind that I liked so much.”

Ingordo began representing West Point Thoroughbreds in 2017 and the Tapit colt out of the graded stakes-winning Indian Charlie mare, Feathered, is the kind of prospect Finley said his partners are looking for. Finley knew it would take serious money to buy Flightline, so put together a group that included Hronis Racing LLC, Siena Farm LLC, Farish's Woodford Racing LLC and Summer Wind. The hammer price was $1-million.

“Stephanie Hronis was there and David has done great work for them (she and husband Kosta Hronis),” said Finley. “She fell in love with the horse at the Lane's End consignment. We've had good luck partnering with Siena (Anthony Manganaro), buying five together and getting two Grade 1 winners, a Grade 2, and a stakes winner. We had not done anything with Jane Lyon before, but that really makes a difference when a breeder has the confidence to stay in, especially when it's big dollars. She bypassed the chance to take $250,000 off the table, and that's a strong statement.”

Finley confirmed that Summer Wind owns 25% of Flightline but didn't want to disclose how the remaining share of the horse was divided among the four additional partners.

There is no textbook for picking potential athletes, whether they are equine or human. Ingordo said he spent time with a couple of professional baseball scouts who are also interested in horse racing and found it's the same in both professions. There's an “it” quality with some athletes that is hard to miss, he said, whether it's a LeBron James in basketball or Bo Jackson, one of the greatest two sport athletes of all time who was named a Major League Baseball All Star and an All Pro running back in the NFL. (The two scouts, Ingordo said, both thought Jackson would be better at baseball if he stuck to one sport.)

“Horses are the same way,” he continued. “I remember when Garrett O'Rourke (Juddmonte Farms general manager) showed me a bunch of 2-year-olds. One of them just stood out, and it was Empire Maker (eventual G1 Belmont Stakes winner). Same thing with Zenyatta. I said, 'This is a horse we have to have.' Honor A.P. (G1 Santa Anita Derby winner) is another. I said, 'I don't give a crap. I'm buying this horse.'

“Flightline is another one of those. Each time I saw him I liked him more. There was just something about him. Of course the history books are littered with stories about trainers getting great unraced 2-year-olds where something happens.”

Something did happen to Flightline, but, fortunately, it only postponed his racing career.

In January 2020, Ingordo went to visit Flightline and other clients' horses at Mayberry Farm in Ocala, Fla., an operation run by Jeanne Mayberry and her two daughters, April and Summer.

“I'm watching these sets train and saw lots of beautiful horses,” he said. “I'm waiting for the next set and I hear this big crash, a loud bang. The Tapit colt scared himself, something startled him. He had his tack on and was ready to go out, but caught his butt on a stall door latch. It was a pretty deep wound and took a long time to heal. You can see that scar back there. One of those fluke things that will happen. We gave him plenty of time to heal, then COVID hit, and a lot of people were on a holding pattern.

“The Mayberrys are a big part of the program,” he said. “Jeanne (working alongside her late husband, Brian) trained a Kentucky Oaks winner (Sardula in 1994 for Ann and Jerry Moss). They called me very early on about Zenyatta. And two years ago they called me and said we might have another good one, Honor A.P. And then April called me early last year to say, 'You're going to think I'm crazy, but we might have two or three horses that are better than the group we had with Honor A.P.”

It's tempting to get overly excited about a horse after one start. Flightline won his April 2021 debut by 13 ¼ lengths at Santa Anita, then didn't show up again until Sept. 5 at Del Mar, Sadler giving him plenty of time to overcome a foot bruise. He won that allowance race by 12 ¾ lengths.

That second win brought more hype and speculation that Sadler might point the lightly raced colt to the G1 Breeders' Cup Sprint at Del Mar. No dice. He instead circled Dec. 26 on the calendar. Flightline didn't miss a beat in his training up to the Malibu.

Flightline passed this latest test with flying colors, even though this was not the deepest Malibu field we've seen and the other leading 3-year-old colt in training, G1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Life Is Good, is in Florida with Todd Pletcher training up to a start in the G1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park on Jan. 29.

Sadler, according to Daily Racing Form's Steve Andersen, is looking at a possible start in the G1 Met Mile on the June 11 Belmont Stakes day card for Flightline and possibly three other starts in 2022.

“John will steer the ship,” Finley said when asked about possible races for Flightline. “He's done so well. He's been training 40 years, and it's really something to see his passion and intensity – not just John's but the whole barn. John's assistant, Juan Leyva, is talking about this horse in a way that I've never heard someone at a barn say before.  Rene Quinteros, the barn foreman, every single day at 4:15 in the morning, walks this horse for 30 minutes. Everyone is just zeroed in on him.”

Ingordo has been down this road previously with one of the greatest horses of the modern era, Zenyatta, who didn't lose a race until her 20th and final career start, coming up a head short of Blame in the 2010 Breeders' Cup Classic at Churchill Downs.

“John has referred to Flightline as his Zenyatta,” Ingordo said.

“We've all been let down before,” Ingordo said of horses that showed early promise then failed to sustain it. “That's why when you expect a great performance and everybody has done everything right and then it really happens, it's that jaw-dropping.

“This one does everything so easily,” he added. “He's so smart. He's got it all. We're not looking to rush him off to the (breeding) shed. We want to run, just as much as the fans want to see him run. We might have to temper our desire to run more than the fans do. But you know how it goes sometimes. Horses will laugh at our plans.”

There's no telling just what Flightline may be capable of doing. Let's just hope he has the opportunity to show us.

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Reagan Makes the Right Decision

Two years ago, 8-year-old Reagan Ingordo purchased a weanling daughter of Unified for $25,000 at the Keeneland November sale. The filly rewarded her young buyer when winning her career debut at Fair Grounds Sunday, but Reagan wasn't the only winner when Reagan's Decision (Unified) crossed the wire first in New Orleans. Before the race, trainer (and stepmom) Cherie DeVaux tweeted out that any purse earnings from the race would be donated to relief efforts following the devastating tornadoes in Western Kentucky.

Visiting Reagan's Decision on the Fair Grounds backstretch Monday morning, Reagan explained why she was donating to the recovery efforts.

“We wanted to give back to the people who lost their homes,” she explained. “It's good to help community. We might all need help some day.”

Reagan is the daughter of David Ingordo and, when asked what she liked about Reagan's Decision as a weanling, she sounded much like her bloodstock agent dad.

“She was very balanced and very athletic,” Reagan explained. Before the sparkling 10-year-old came out and she added with a laugh, “And she was cute.”

Asked what advice her father gave her when shopping at the sales, Reagan said, “He taught me to make sure they have good feet and good parents.”

Reagan's Decision was a lightly regarded 18-1 longshot when she went to the post at Fair Grounds Sunday, but her owner had plenty of confidence in the juvenile filly.

“She was training really well into the race, so I thought she would win,” Reagan said. “And also because she's fast.”

Reagan's Decision proved to be not only fast, but also scrappy as she struggled to find racing room down the stretch before tipping out to the center of the course and closing stoutly to just get her head in front on the wire (video).

Reagan admitted to some nerves as her filly weaved through traffic, but ultimately, “I was really happy and excited,” she said.

Reagan reported Reagan's Decision looked to be in fine shape Monday morning.

“She looks good this morning,” Reagan said. “She will go in an allowance race next.”

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Something For Everyone As Keeneland November Wraps

The seasonal foliage was about the only thing falling at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, which concluded a wildly successful run in Lexington Friday afternoon. Over the course of 10 days of trade, sales officials reported gross receipts of $203,585,500 for 2470 horses sold, good for an average of $82,423. Further demonstrating the strength of middle market, the median price of $37,000 established a new November record, eclipsing the previous mark of $35,000 set on five previous occasions, but most recently in 2014. The buyback rate closed at a very manageable 17.4%.

The November sale was topped by the supplemented GI Coaching Club American Oaks winner Paris Lights (Curlin) (hip 224D), who was consigned by Brad Weisbord and Liz Crow's EliTE, as agent for WinStar Farm/WinStar Stablemates. Despite the passing of its founder B. Wayne Hughes this past August, Spendthrift Farm continued an aggressive buying spree dating back to last year's breeding stock sales, going to $3.1 million for the daughter of Paris Bikini (Bernardini). Paris Lights was one of seven mares that eclipsed the seven-figure mark at Keeneland, each of which was secured by a different buyer, while the 41 horses that sold for a pricetag in excess of $500,000 were acquired by some 30 unique entities.

The 2021 November Sale also warmly welcomed the return of a broad international buying bench, as the United States conditionally opened its borders on the eve of the auction Nov. 8. Bidding was spirited at every level of the sale, across each of the five books that was capped by Friday's equally vibrant Horses of Racing Age Section (see related story). So lively was the bidding that by the time the dust had settled on the Book 3 finale Nov. 14, the sale had already soared past the gross for the entire COVID-impacted event in 2020.

The weanling section of the sale also featured competitive bidding, with end-users and resellers alike making their presence felt. Four Star Sales sold the highest-priced foal of the sale (hip 144), an $800,000 Frankel (GB) half-sister to MGSW Nay Lady Nay (Ire) (No Nay Never) and GSW/MG1SP Arizona (Ire) (No Nay Never) to Midlantic-based trainer Phil Schoenthal, agent for Matt Dorman's D. Hatman Thoroughbreds.

The level of engagement augurs well for horse racing and breeding, Keeneland President and CEO Shannon Arvin said.

“Excitement for racing and confidence in the future of our sport globally are positive trends for the entire horse industry,” she commented. “The November Sale continued the optimism we saw in September with great energy on the sales grounds, smiling faces all around and people having fun doing what they love. As in September, Keeneland worked to elevate the sales atmosphere with many little touches that we hope consignors and buyers really enjoyed, and that helped create a terrific environment to showcase the quality individuals that breeders and sellers brought to market. We are delighted with the enthusiastic response of buyers.”

Opening of Borders Comes In The Nick of Time…

Following an 18-month interruption owing to the coronavirus, the United States officially re-opened its borders to fully vaccinated international travelers Monday, Nov. 8, one day prior to the Fasig-Tipton November Sale and two days before the start of Keeneland November. The sales sheets bear out that the international buying bench contributed mightily to the overall sales performance at all price points.

On the heels of two landmark victories at the Breeders' Cup at Del Mar, Japanese interests were active at the top and middle levels of the market–as is their custom–with Masahiro Miki signing for three lots for $3,675,000, topped by the $2.3 million Pink Sands (Tapit) (hip 183). Katsumi Yoshida added New Jersey-bred Horologist (Gemologist) (hip 200) to his formidable broodmare band at Northern Farm, paying $800,000 for the MGSW and MGISP mare.

Keeneland November grad Gypsy Robin (Daaher, $750,000, 2013) became the dam of G1 A. J. Moir S. hero Wild Ruler (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}) at Melbourne's Moonee Valley Racecourse late last month, the latest major success of American-sourced bloodstock Down Under. Looking for lightning to strike again–and hopefully again and again–that 4-year-old colt's part-owner Newgate Farm (Henry Field) teamed with SF Bloodstock on no fewer than five purchases, led by MGSW Tonalist's Shape (Tonalist) (hip 46). Australian horsemen Julian Blaxland, Will Johnson, Bruce Slade and Craig Rounsefell were prominent players, as were trainers Richard and Michael Freedman.

 

The sale's back books drew buyers from Central America, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Turkey, a function of Keeneland's aggressive strategy to recruit buyers from these 'emerging' racing jurisdictions.

As with any sporting event, it's great to watch on TV and all, but nothing beats being there in person, said Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy.

“The opening of the U.S. borders just two days before the sale really created an atmosphere and brought back a feeling of probably 10-15 years ago, when you had a really vibrant international market,” said Lacy. “The presence of the Australians was really welcomed, because American broodmares have been doing exceptionally well in their gene pool. It was great to see the Europeans coming back here and spending money again. The attraction of American pedigrees is starting to gain traction again. I think going forward there is real momentum and I think we've got a real good base to work off in the future.”

Added Keeneland Director of Sales Cormac Breathnach, “American bloodlines are so valuable around the world and are huge contributors to studbooks in various jurisdictions. We are privileged and fortunate to be able to present that market to the world here at Keeneland and with the support of all the breeders and consignors that send us such quality stock. The market has been very strong, the international participation is consistent and very valuable to us and it's exciting for us to be on this end of it.”

'Cool' Marketplace Fosters Confidence, Stability…

Another positive in Lacy's eyes is the re-emergence of buyers at the November Sale who had availed themselves of a break of as many as 15 years from the sales.

“I think what is really encouraging is that you're seeing some people that might have been inactive for a number of years [buying horses],” he offered. “I'll use Bill Casner as an example. Bill has been active, but at a slightly lower level. This year he came back and bought at a significant level. If you look at the results through Books 1 and 2, you see people who have purchased farms that were active and really doubling down, stocking up for their farms.”

And that helps to maintain a relatively even keel, according to Lacy.

“I think even if we have a correction in the market over the next few years, you won't have the same panic in the market because of the fact that this is real money that's being invested,” he said. “There's confidence. Prize money being up has really helped and the fact that we have partnerships that are buying racehorses has invigorated the yearling market. When you have a vibrant yearling market, the reaction is that people think 'alright, it's valuable to breed these horses' and to have a market to sustain it. That's extremely encouraging. I don't think the market is overheating in any way. If you look at the results from 2018-2019–eliminate the results from 2020–but look at 2021, you actually see a straight line. There's a very consistent line of growth. 2020 was a bit of anomaly, but last year was actually better than what we thought it might be. There was a demand for young stock and it's carried over here.”

Breathnach concurred.

“There's a lot of help in the industry, from the sporting end with high purses and handle has been very good and there is a lot of energy around the sport again,” he explained. “People made money in September and now they're reinvesting now with confidence, because like Tony said, it feels like a very fair, sound market and something that is sustainable, because there is a balance between supply and demand and there is a real appetite to buy and to fill orders and they're not getting them filled in many cases. They're getting pushed back in the books and now they're going to be back in January to try to fill their orders there.”

Following Through On A Vision…

In a TDN interview with Katie Petrunyak after being named to his new role earlier this year, Lacy said he was committed to enhancing the buying experience for the auction house's clientele, making it fun and exciting. With Keeneland's two biggest sales now in the rearview, it is clear Lacy very much intends on seeing that task through.

“We've been really focused on creating a little more energy, a little more excitement and a little more of an atmosphere around the grounds,” he said. “In September, we had to duct tape a lot of things together to make this work, starting in early summer. It's been well received. A lot of international and out-of-town customers have really enjoyed themselves and I think that's something we want to try to build on.

“It's a transactional business, but we also realize that there is a lot enjoyment in trying to source and buy quality stock,” he continued. “That's something we'll be focusing on more and more. We want make sure that people realize that when you invest here, it increases prize money, it allows us to do more development. We're also really excited about having the Breeders' Cup here next year. Next November is going to be a really exciting time and we're already planning for what we can do then.”

An ELiTE November Topper…

One might think that selling a horse for $3.1 million wouldn't necessarily elicit a significant reaction from ELiTE Sales' Brad Weisbord within the context of having consigned the likes of champions Monomoy Girl ($9.5 million) and Midnight Bisou ($5 million) and Uni (GB) ($4.1 million) on a single night a little more than a year ago. But Weisbord, who said has seen his baby daughter a grand total of 'one day in the last five weeks,' was still basking in the afterglow of the sale of Paris Lights nine days after she went through the ring at Keeneland November.

“It's been a great November,” said Weisbord. “It was a pleasant surprise to hear from Elliott Walden two weeks before the sale, saying that he was giving us Paris Lights to sell. We put our heads together and seeing all those headliners at Fasig-Tipton, we thought it was best to bring Paris Lights to Keeneland because she would have a chance to shine there. This was a case of being the last big fish in the sales ring and everybody lined up on her. To sell a $3-million mare, even in a healthy market, is a giant deal and we were very appreciative of the opportunity.”

Like so many others, Weisbord has been taken by the performance of the market over the last week and a half.

“This, for me, is the best market we've ever participated in,” he said. “I thought the same thing last year and this year is even better. The health of the worldwide economy is continuing to strengthen. We have probably never seen this strong a market at the upper end. We had five millionaires and there was very active bidding well above our reserves for all five of them.”

 

Taylor Made Tops Among Consignors…

There are a few constants in life: death, taxes and Taylor Made Sales topping the consignors' table at Keeneland November.

And so it was in 2021, as the agency sold 246 head for $23,873,200 to reign as king of that particular hill for the 25th time since 1990.

“We've got a great base of customers, many of whom have been with us for decades and continually give us good horses,” Taylor Made's Mark Taylor commented. “We've got a hell of a team. A lot of the people that work for us could run their own consignments, they know what they're doing. Us Taylors are just the conduits between the employees and the customer. We're very lucky. Thanksgiving is coming up, so we're very grateful.”

Given the strength of the year's previous auctions, Taylor said the overall results of the November sale were not totally unexpected, yet simultaneously a bit surprising.

“What was encouraging was that it was strong from start to finish and there was demand for horses at all levels. It was really good,” he said. “It exceeded my expectations in this way. I thought that our high six-figure and seven-figure horses, that we would be selling into a very healthy market. The middle market commercial breeders–what we have been seeing is signs of them shrinking down. Wherever they are in the market, they want to sell off and have higher quality. The cost of keeping them and raising them keeps going up and then also the veterinary scrutiny continues to get more intense.

“It's totally out of their control,” he added. “You're raising this animal that you're bringing to the market and there's so much intense vet scrutiny that a lot of the commercial breeders just can't stomach it. It's so hard to hit a home run, and even when you have a horse that's capable of it, sometimes it takes just one or two opinions and instead of hitting a home run, you're striking out. It's a hard business model because there is so much unpredictability in that way. I was pleasantly surprised that there was so much demand for those mares. I thought it was going to get really thin and really weak once we hit Book 3, but that was not the case. It's a testament to how much people love this game. That they're willing to reinvest and plow money back in.”

Ingordo: Buying Horses 'Was Not Easy'…

Noted bloodstock agent David Ingordo was one of many buyers who found the sledding to be pretty tough at the November sale. That being said, he wasn't complaining and also sees a bright future for the sport.

“On the heels of as good a September sale as I've ever seen and a yearling sales season that was phenomenal, quite frankly, it was expected that November would be a good market,” he said. “I'm usually a foal buyer, but I was not able to get anything bought in my price range and at my comfort level for what my needs were. We got outbid quite a bit, I thought the foal market was quite strong, and deservedly so. Pinhookers had a good year, end-users are buying more weanlings now than they ever have and there is just a lot of competition for good foals.

He continued, “On the mare side, again it goes back to good yearling sales. A lot of people are reinvesting in mares, making key acquisitions for broodmare bands, and that was difficult to do as well. On the value side of the broodmare market, there were a lot of people supporting their various sires and we saw a lot of mare competition and it was tough. We were able to buy horses that we wanted, but it was not an easy process.”

Ingordo signed 19 tickets to support new Lane's End stallion Code of Honor (Noble Mission {GB}) and another half-dozen in the name of Gage Hill II in partnership with Lane's End.

“Code of Honor is a very attractive horse and stands over a lot of ground,” he explained. “Physically we're thinking to add some strength and some body to the mares we breed to him. He won what is historically one of the best 2-year-old races at Saratoga and got beat a lip in the Champagne, so he has 2-year-old form. We're looking to try to make him a commercial horse and try to get some runners out there early. We bought some speedy types of physicals from sire lines we felt would bring additional precocity that he himself had. He's a wide-open horse to breed to pedigree-wise, so we were able to find a wide variety of mares that fit him. As is becoming our model, we are committed to supporting these horses with mares, we're going to buy yearlings and weanlings by him, we're going to buy 2-year-olds. And people that breed to him, we're going to support those that breed to the horse by buying horses off them as well.”

The sales are a means to an end and Ingordo is encouraged not only by the results of the past week-plus, but also by the state of the horse racing business.

“That winning post about a quarter-mile up from the pavilion and the winner's circle is what drives this,” he said, referring to the Keeneland finish line. “Racing is healthier than is sometimes reported, we seem to always focus on the negatives. I personally race horses and we make our racing stable work based on the prize money we can win. It covers the bills and hopefully we create a product that we can sell as a stallion or a broodmare or whatever. Purses are good and there is a demand I haven't seen for some time. It is quite refreshing to see just how many people want to race horses at whatever level they're able to do it. Even if you have a claiming horse, you can still make it make sense. That is something we need to focus on as a big positive and realize that is what is driving all this demand. Someone has to produce those horses, so the breeders are being rewarded for producing a nice horse, and whatever region they're in, people want to race.”

What They're Saying At The Sales…

“I think I'm like everyone else…OMG is the explanation for it. The strength of the market is mind-boggling, the strength of the stock market is mind-boggling. There's just so much money in the world right now and you combine that with the accelerated depreciation we're getting, purse money is up and overall gambling on racing continues to move forward. We've got as close to a perfect storm in the horse business probably since all that crazy money in the early 80s. It's as good as it's been since the turn of the century.

“The increase in the $10,000 to $60,000 horse, which was sometimes unsellable, there now seems to be a fervent market for those horses. I don't know where the money is coming from, but it's great for the industry.”

–Bradley Thoroughbreds' Peter Bradley

 

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Weanling Justify Colt Sells For $625,000 To Headline Day Two Of Keeneland November Sale

Coolmore's M.V. Magnier spent $625,000 for Just Before Dawn, a weanling colt by undefeated Triple Crown winner Justify who is a half-brother to multiple Grade 1 winner Moonshine Memories, to lead Thursday's second session of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. Steady trade during the day generated healthy increases over 2020 results.

Keeneland sold 226 horses today for $37,866,000, for an average of $167,549 and a median of $130,000. During the second session of the 2020 November Sale, 197 horses sold for $27,690,000, for an average of $140,558 and a median of $100,000.

Through two sessions, 344 horses have grossed $88,500,000, for an average of $257,267 and a median of $185,000. The cumulative gross after two days of the 2020 November Sale was $77,465,000 for 325 horses, for an average of $238,354 and a median of $135,000.

“Incredible; it was a vibrant market again with a lot of the energy we saw in September,” Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said. “A lot of frustrated pinhookers (were outbid.) A lot of end-users participated in the market today for foals. Young mares, well-bred on an early cover to a popular stallion were highly prized. People were frustrated with buying, but we had a lot of happy sellers.

“It is a really encouraging market as we move forward,” Lacy said. “The buy-back rate (22 percent) was really healthy. Median and average were well up. A lot of the matrix we look at are beating the last four years, and 2018 and 2019 were really strong. That bodes well for the rest of the sale.”

“The September market was so strong that it really validated commercial breeders, validated their purpose and gave them equity to reinvest,” Keeneland Director of Sales Operations Cormac Breathnach said. “Sometimes there were large amounts of money spent on yearlings out of older mares and mares that maybe hadn't been that 'A list' type, and we saw that strength carry through the last days of the September Sale. People can reinvest some of that money and buy with confidence that this is going to continue for a while.”

Consigned by Lane's End, agent, Just Before Dawn is out of the winning Unbridled's Song mare Unenchantedevening and also is a half-brother to stakes winner Indian Evening. He is from the family of Horse of the Year Favorite Trick and Grade 1 winner Tiz the Law. Coolmore stands Justify and Tiz the Law.

“He's a really nice horse,” Magnier said about the weanling, adding, “Jane Lyon and everyone at Summer Wind Farm are very good breeders. This horse is very well-bred, and we have had a lot of luck with the family before. We have 11 or 12 Justifys going to Ballydoyle (training center in Ireland) next year.”

Magnier said the weanling “is by one of the best horses we have seen in America for a long time.”

“(The Justify offspring) look like they are a very special group of horses,” Magnier said. “Everybody seems to be very high on them. They are a very exciting bunch of horses. The pedigrees, the physiques and everything about them and the way Justify was such a good racehorse, we have a huge amount of faith in them. Justify is making super strong horses. All seem to be good movers and everything. The lads at home say (the Justify yearlings) are simple to deal with.”

With sales of $6,302,000 for 27 horses, Lane's End, agent, was the session's leading consignor.

Lane's End, agent, also sold March X Press, a 6-year-old stakes-winning daughter of Shanghai Bobby in foal to Quality Road, for $560,000. Parks Investment Group bought March X Press, a half-sister to stakes winner Harlan's Honor out of the stakes-placed Indian Charlie mare Indian Rush.

Bloodstock agent David Ingordo signed the ticket for March X Press.

“I was underbidder on her yearling, and I thought her yearling was one of the best yearlings I did not get,” Ingordo said. “When I saw the mare in foal to Quality Road, I figured that would work for me.”

Mares carrying the first foals by 2020 Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve winner and Horse of the Year Authentic recorded three of the session's highest prices.

Aaron and Marie Jones LLC paid $620,000 for the 6-year-old stakes-winning, Grade 2-placed mare Streak of Luck, a daughter of Old Fashioned carrying her first foal by Authentic.

“She checked all the boxes for us,” buyer Frank Taylor of Taylor Made Sales Agency, who signed the ticket, said. “She is a great physical. She looks like (paternal grandsire) Unbridled's Song (who stood at Taylor Made Farm), and we love Unbridled's Song. We raised Old Fashioned on the farm, so that was a plus for me. She was a good race mare. She is in foal to a Kentucky Derby winner for a January foal. She is what we were looking for.”

Consigned by James B. Keogh, agent, Streak of Luck is out of the winning Elusive Quality mare Valeria and from the family of Grade 3 winner Lindsay Jean.

Keogh was extremely pleased with the sale.

“I campaigned her as a racehorse – she won a stakes for me – so she is pretty special to me,” Keogh said. “Carrie Brogden and I owned her together (in partnership with breeder Roncelli Family Trust). Carrie found her in California, and in two seconds I made the decision to take half of her.”

Gary Broad/Walmac Farm purchased Jennifer's Dream, a 5-year-old winning, stakes-placed daughter of Medaglia d'Oro in foal to Authentic, for $525,000. Consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent, Jennifer's Dream is out of Grade 1 winner Joyful Victory, by Tapit.

Silesia Farm paid $500,000 for Impeccable Style, a winning, Grade 3-placed 4-year-old daughter of Uncle Mo also carrying her first foal by Authentic. Four Star Sales, agent, consigned Impeccable Style, whose dam is the Candy Ride (ARG) mare Deb's Candy Girl. She is from the family of stakes winners Bisbee's Prospect, Affordable Price, Stopshoppingdebbie, Shampoo, Blueberry Smoothie, Finallygotabentley and Starship Nterprise.

The session's leading buyer was Woodford Thoroughbreds, which spent $1,245,000 to acquire five in-foal broodmares.

The November Sale resumes Friday with the second session of the two-day Book 2. The auction continues through Friday, Nov. 19 with all sessions beginning at 10 a.m. ET.

The post Weanling Justify Colt Sells For $625,000 To Headline Day Two Of Keeneland November Sale appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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