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$700,000 Sebago Lake Charges Keeneland January Tuesday

by Jessica Martini & Stefanie Grimm

LEXINGTON, KY – During a session dominated for much of the day by the short yearlings, the supplemented broodmare Sebago Lake (Tapit) jumped to the lead in the final hips when selling for $700,000 to Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm. Overall, through two days of the four-day auction, 430 head have grossed $31,596,700 for an average of $73,481 and a median of $30,500. With continued strength at the top of the market, the Book 1 average dipped just 3.39% from a year ago, but the median is down 23.75%.

“It started off very healthy,” Keeneland's Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said of Tuesday's session. “Through the day, there were some spots where it got a little slower, but it ended up really strong. Again, quality was to the fore. You saw some of those young mares, bred to some exciting new stallions were selling extremely well. Farms are reloading again. We saw the same pattern that we saw yesterday.”

The two-day buy-back rate is 27.97%. It was 26.92% a year ago.

Three short yearlings sold for $400,000 or over during Tuesday's session, with a colt by Not This Time and a filly by Candy Ride (Arg) sharing the day's top price of $430,000.

“Foals that were by the right stallions, had the right physicals, vetted, there was a very strong, competitive environment for them,” Lacy said. “There is a lot of confidence out there. Speaking to the sellers, they felt like it was a really good market. The buyers found it to be very competitive to try to buy the stock they were interested in. I don't think it's inflated at all, I don't think it's depressed in any way. I think it feels like a very healthy, fair environment. If you bring the right stock to market, you are going to get rewarded for it. Today was just a continuation of the momentum we saw yesterday.”

With 424 head catalogued for Tuesday's session, only 275 went through the ring.

“It's sort of a factor of the time of year we are in,” Keeneland's Director of Sales Operations Cormac Breathnach said of the large number of outs. “It's a time of year when weanlings-into-yearlings are changing a lot. They don't always vet the way people intend them to vet and they are happy to wait until September in some cases. We did have more outs than we were expecting. They kind of came in early, though, so going into yesterday, we already had a lot of outs, and more than we would have had last year, and we had a couple dozen more during the session.”

With close to 130 outs coming Monday evening, and not during Tuesday's session, Lacy said the scratches might not reflect a lack of interest from would-be buyers.

“A lot of people don't have to sell,” Lacy said. “If they have something they think is in sort of an awkward stage or if they are sitting on an update, if there is something active in the family potentially, they hit pause. That's the time of year we are in. People weren't scratching, necessarily, for lack of action. They were scratching a little earlier for various reasons. It didn't feel in any way that there was concern from sellers.”

Breathnach admitted the decrease in median during the January sale's two-session Book 1 could be a reflection of the polarization of the market.

“The average is fairly close [to the 2023 figure],” Breathnach said. “The median is down 20+% and that's what we watch. That maybe reflects some of the polarization in the market. The top of it is doing well, keeping the average up, but there is some selectivity in the middle to lower levels. It might reflect what brings a premium and what is tougher to sell.”

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

Sebago Lake a Late Highlight at Keeneland

Sebago Lake (Tapit) (hip 831), in foal to Justify, sparked a bidding battle late in Tuesday's second session of the Keeneland January sale when selling for $700,000 to the phone bid of Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm.

Hip 831 in the ring | Keeneland

The 5-year-old mare, a half-sister to graded winner Family Way (Uncle Mo) and from the family of Caravaggio, was well beaten in a pair of racetrack appearances in September of 2021 for her co-breeder, Adam Bowden's Diamond Creek Farm.

Eaton Sales consigned the gray mare to the sale on behalf of Diamond Creek.

“She was probably one of the best mares in the sale, in my opinion,” said Eaton's Reiley McDonald. “She's a beautiful mare in foal to the right horse. She's by Tapit and looks like a Tapit. And I also think it helped that there is limited supply at the upper level.”

Sebago Lake, whose first foal is now a short yearling colt by Uncle Mo, was a supplemental entry to the auction.

“I think it was a late decision just to put her in,” McDonald said. “She was the real thing and that's why she sold well. They didn't pay too much and everybody came out of it with a win.” @JessMartiniTDN

Pugh Strikes for Not This Time Colt

Peter Pugh went to $430,000 to acquire a short yearling by Not This Time (hip 685) from the Warrendale Sales consignment Tuesday at Keeneland.

“All of the top people were on the horse coming up here,” said Warrendale's Hunter Simms. “He was very well received. We are honored to sell a horse like that and wish the connections the best of luck.”

Simms continued, “The horse was very straightforward. Good bone on him, very correct, walked well. He was a very nice horse.”

Bred by Petaluma Bloodstock, the bay colt is out of Dalsaros (Unbridled's Song), a daughter of Grade I winner Ask the Moon (Malibu Moon).

Bloodstock agent Kerri Radcliffe signed the ticket at $325,000 to acquire Dalsaros, in foal to City of Light, at the 2020 Keeneland November sale. The in utero City of Light colt went on to sell for $300,000 at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton November sale. The mare's Tiz the Law filly sold for $300,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale.

Of the colt's placement in the January sale, Simms explained, “There were a lot of foals in November and we figured he would stand out here. He is probably the second-highest priced foal that is going to sell at this sale, so we always try to concentrate on placement with horses and finding the right sale and finding the right book to put them in. Whether it's November, January, February, wherever, we try to find the right spot where they will stand out.”

Peter Pugh | Keeneland

After initial confusion about who had actually purchased the colt, who had already been led out of the ring, bidding was opened again and ended at $430,000 with Pugh, signing under the Cherry Knoll Farm banner, as the winning bidder.

“It's always confusing,” Simms said. “There are a lot of people in every doorway and every nook and cranny and trying to be secretive. And it happens. They opened it back up and we were able to get $430,000, which is a nice price for that horse. It all worked out in the end.” @JessMartiniTDN

Candy Ride Filly to Stewart

John Stewart, active at the top level at the auctions last fall, got back into action at Keeneland Tuesday, purchasing a short yearling by Candy Ride (Arg) (hip 497) for $430,000 under his operation's new name, Resolute Bloodstock. The filly was consigned by Stone Farm.

“She was absolutely stunning,” said Stewart's advisor Gavin O'Connor. “She had great size. She just ticked all the boxes for a Candy Ride, especially being a May foal. She was balanced with great conformation and she was squeaky clean. Just a high quality, classy filly. We will probably keep her and play the long game with her. She screams race horse. She is just a fabulous filly.”

The chestnut filly is out of Rags Pauline (Union Rags), a half-sister to graded winner Keen Pauline (Pulpit).

“She came up here and showed great,” said Stone Farm's Lynn Hancock. “She didn't turn a hair and was very popular. She has a great walk and moved well and showed well. I think she got all the right people on her.”

Rags Pauline, with the filly in utero, sold for $80,000 to Jack Hirsch at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton December Digital sale. The yearling was bred by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Spearmaco.

“A client of ours bought her,” Hancock said of Rags Pauline. “I haven't spoken to them yet, but I assume they are happy. It's hard not to be happy with that result.”

Lynn Hancock | Keeneland

The 8-year-old broodmare was bred back to Army Mule last year.

Through two sessions of the four-day auction, Resolute Bloodstock has purchased seven horses for $905,000. In addition to hip 497, the operation acquired stakes-placed 4-year-old filly Smokie Eyes (Nyquist) (hip 134) for $140,000 and Indian Mound (Medaglia d'Oro) (hip 768) for $250,000.

O'Connor said the move of horses into Stewart's new farm in Midway was well under way.

“So far, so good,” he said. “We are over there now. Some of the big girls are over there–[newly acquired broodmares] Puca, Pizza Bianca, and Lenni Girl–and we have a few more coming there this week. We have eight babies over there as well. So we are slowly transitioning the stock from where they are at the moment and getting established.” @JessMartiniTDN

O'Callaghan Goes to $400,000 for Justify Colt

A strong opening bid of $275,000 from the back wasn't enough to scare off P B Bloodstock and Jenny O'Callaghan, who went to $400,000 to purchase Hip 594, the only yearling son of Justify in the sale.

“He's a beautiful horse from the first time we saw him at the barn,” said O'Callaghan. “We knew we had to have him–he was our star horse for the day.”

Hip 594 | Keeneland

The colt, bred in Kentucky by Justice Stables, is a half to GSP Conquest Babayaga (Uncle Mo) and to SP Sorrentina Lemon (Lemon Drop Kid) and out of a half-sister to Canadian champion 2-year-old filly Neligee (Northern Afleet).

“He's by Justify who is an exceptional stallion on turf, dirt, with colts and fillies. We're hoping there will be a big market for him next year. That's the most expensive horse that we bought but we have full confidence in the stallion and he's just a natural horse that possesses so much natural athletic ability. We'll bring him back [to Keeneland] again as a yearling next year.” @SGrimmTDN

Music Street Brings $210,000 Off Falls City Second

Music Street (Street Sense) (hip 449) brought a final bid of $210,000 from Blanco Bloodstock early in the session Tuesday at the Keeneland January Horses of all Ages Sale, capping a racing career for Kim Valerio who initially bought the mare as a yearling at Keeneland in 2020. Campaigned for Valerio along with partners Prakash Sham Masand and Grandview Equine, Music Street finished her career with a second to Xigera (Nyquist) in the GIII Falls City S. at Churchill Downs Nov. 23.

“I love Street Sense and I love [second dam] Xtra Heat,” said Valerio on buying the filly as a yearling. “And she's so pretty. She's such a sweetheart. It's bittersweet really, I didn't want to sell her but I had partners and she's turning five. But I just love her and I'm super happy with where she's going. They take great care of their mares.”

After earning over $295,000 on the track, Music Street sold as a broodmare prospect only to Blanco Bloodstock Tuesday. @SGrimmTDN

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Stars Set to Shine at Fasig-Tipton November Sale

LEXINGTON, KY- The Fasig-Tipton November Sale, which has surpassed $100-million in gross the last two years, returns with another typically glitzy renewal Tuesday at Newtown Paddocks. Bidding on the first of 271 catalogued offerings begins at 2 p.m.

“We are very excited about the overall quality of the catalogue,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “I think our in-foal mares are definitely stronger than they've been in the past and we have some exceptional younger horses that are going to be offered. It's a tremendous group of young racing and broodmare prospects. The quality is really, really deep and we are very fortunate about that.”

The one-session auction begins with a selection of 135 weanlings–down from the 181 weanlings catalogued to begin the sale in 2022.

“We actually made a conscious effort this year to tighten the weanlings,” Browning said. “That's why there are fewer weanlings in the catalogue this year. You've got to have a really quality horse to sell well in November. It's the sale of the year and you're competing against some really top pedigrees and physicals. And the last thing we want to do is put somebody in the wrong spot. So some of the horses who may have sold OK in the past on the weanling side of things, we are tightening the selection criteria and as a result, we have fewer weanlings. I think buyers are still going to love the quality of weanlings that they are going to find overall.”

The Breeders' Cup championship weekend at Santa Anita provided several updates to the Fasig-Tipton November catalogue, headed by champion Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper), who won her second GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint Saturday. The 5-year-old mare will be offered Tuesday as hip 237 through the Elite consignment.

Also making the flight from Santa Anita to Lexington following a Breeders' Cup appearance, Canadian Horse of the Year Moira (Ghostzapper) will be offered as hip 156 after her third-place effort in the GI F/M Turf. She is consigned by Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa.

The dams of a trio of Breeders' Cup runners-up will also be offered Tuesday evening, with Belle's Finale (Ghostzapper) selling as (hip 212) while carrying a full-sibling to GI Turf second-place finisher Up to the Mark (Not This Time). The mare's weanling colt by Maxfield follows her into the ring. Both are consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency.

Hoppa (Uncle Mo) will be offered through the Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa consignment as hip 257 while carrying a full-sibling to GI Juvenile runner-up Muth (Good Magic).

Vigui's Heart (Quality Road), dam of GI Juvenile Turf Sprint runner-up Valiant Force (Malibu Moon), and in foal to Vekoma, will be offered Tuesday as hip 198. Her weanling filly by Mitole sells as hip 72. Both are consigned by Mill Ridge Sales.

Elite sales will present Toni Tools (Roaring Fever), dam of GI Juvenile Fillies third-place finisher Candied (Candy Ride {Arg}) as hip 254, while Eaton Sales consigns a Tiz the Law weanling half-sister to GI Juvenile third-place finisher Locked (Gun Runner) as hip 15.

The glittering catalogue also features champions Nest (Curlin) (hip 163) and Wonder Wheel (Into Mischief) (hip 200), as well as GI Kentucky Oaks winner Secret Oath (Arrogate) (hip 180), and Queen Caroline (Blame) (hip 171), the dam of champion Forte (Violence), carrying a foal from the first crop of champion Flightline.

“We are very, very optimistic and very excited about the catalogue this year,” Browning said.

While there has been some weakening at the lower strata of the market, demand has remained strong at the top. Browning expects that to remain true in the November sale's elite marketplace, but did offer a cautious reminder to sellers.

“I think there is some insulation, hopefully, in the segment of the market that the November sale serves,” Browning said. “I think it's going to be highly competitive, but I think we also need to be realistic as we look at the entire marketplace that the same trends that we saw at the yearling sales and 2-year-old sales are going to continue at the broodmare sales. You better have quality and if you don't have that top quality–if you have some holes in your produce or your covering date or your covering sire, you need to be very realistic as you approach setting your reserves and what your expectations are with regard to the overall marketplace in terms of broodmares. I think weanlings will be the same exact trend that we are seeing at the yearling sales–great, great competition for the ones that are deemed highly desirable and it will be a little weaker for those that don't 'make the mark.' So you're going to have to be realistic in setting your reserves and evaluating, do you sell this year or do you hold on until the yearling sales next year.”

The Fasig-Tipton November sale surpassed the $100-million mark in gross for the first time in 2021 when 149 lots sold for $103,699,000. In 2022, the auction saw 169 horses sell for $101,214,000.

Those sparkling results don't come without some added pressure, according to Browning.

“You go through it year after year–one of the good things and one of the bad things is, 'What do we do for an encore?'” Browning said. “It's always a nerve-wracking apprehensive sale because there are a lot of expectations and there is a lot of pressure that we put on ourselves and that the owners expect us to deliver. It's a great opportunity and a great responsibility. Hopefully we will be sitting here on Tuesday night having a glass of champagne and celebrating another remarkable November sale.”

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Lookin At Lucky Accounts For Top Sellers On Penultimate Day at Keeneland September

Coolmore's Lookin At Lucky was responsible for the top-selling colt and priciest filly as the Keeneland September Sale reached its second-last day of trade Friday afternoon in Lexington.

Robert Clay's Grandview Equine signed for a pair of seven-figure yearlings–colts by Into Mischief and Curlin–during the select Book 1 and 2 sessions early last week, and the operation remained focused on the task at hand all the way through Book 6, going to $120,000 for hip 3910. The Apr. 27 foal was consigned to the sale by Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa, which acquired the stakes-winning Vast (Lea) for $210,000 with this colt in utero at the 2021 Keeneland November Sale. A half-sister to MSW & GSP Sower (Flatter), the chestnut colt hails from the family of stakes winners Cease (War Chant), Total (Forest Wildcat) and Mucho (Blame).

Hal and Patti Earnhardt, whose recognizable 'NO BULL' silks were carried aboard two-time Eclipse Award and five-time Grade I winner 'TDN Rising Star' Indian Blessing (Indian Charlie), purchased the session's top filly, hip 3831, for $85,000. The Apr. 5 foal is out of the winning Roadbug (Quality Road), whose granddam Diplomat Lady (Forestry) won the 2005 GI Hollywood Starlet S. Hip 3831 was prepared for the sale by Eaton Sales.

The auction house reported sales on 187 yearlings Friday for gross receipts of $3,060,600, good for an average of $16,367 and median price of $11,000. Those numbers were down by 5.7% and 26.7%, respectively, from last year's figures. With Saturday's 12th and final session remaining, 2,579 yearlings have sold for $391,710,300, down 2.8% from 2022. The cumulative average of $151,885 was essentially static when compared to last year, while the median declined by 6.3% to $75,000.

For full results, visit www.keeneland.com.

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$875K Authentic Part of Late Sparks At Keeneland Book 3 Opener

LEXINGTON, KY – A bevy of high-priced yearlings provided a late spark to the first Book 3 session of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, but the auction–which had kept pace with its record-setting 2022 renewal during Books 1 and 2–lost a bit of its steam as it entered into its second week Saturday.

A total of 289 yearlings sold Saturday for $46,697,000. The average of $163,849 dipped 7.3% from last year's Book 3 opener and the median fell 7.1% to $130,000. The buy-back rate remained steady at 22%.

During the opening session of last year's Book 3 section, 287 yearlings sold for $50,747,500. The average was $176,821 and the median was $140,000.

“The ones that stand out from the crowd, seems like they have a following here in the back ring, they follow them up and they make the money,” said Hunter Valley Farm's Fergus Galvin. “I think [the market] is very strong and very competitive. Books 1 and 2 were good, not without a few bumpy patches, but that's at every sale now. I think it's very strong, it looks like today, and that probably augurs well even for the later books. It seems like there are fresh faces here today and a lot of people haven't filled their orders yet. They are probably starting to feel a sense of urgency to get the nice horses bought.”

Reiley McDonald's Eaton Sales consigned the session's highest-priced offering when SF Racing/Starlight Racing and Madaket Stables purchased a son of Authentic for $875,000. The session topper was one of eight to sell for $500,000 or over on the day. There were 14 horses who reached that threshold at this session a year ago.

“I feel like the middle market is already starting to tail off,” McDonald said. “I am worried that that is a trend we are going to continue to see just simply because the people at the middle end of the economy in this country are the ones that have been hurt. I think the heavy money is out there and they will spend what it takes to get a horse bought. But once you get into the middle market, the everyday players and lower, I think that's where we are going to see the market slip.”

The Keeneland September sale continues through Saturday with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m.

Authentic Colt to SF/Starlight/Madaket

The stallion-making partnership of SF Racing/Starlight Racing and Madaket Stables acquired its third son of Authentic of the Keeneland September sale when going to $875,000 for a colt by the GI Kentucky Derby winner (hip 1511) Saturday. The yearling, out of multiple graded placed Sweetgrass (Street Sense), was bred by Seclusive Farm, Brad Stephens and Breeze Easy and was consigned by Eaton Sales.

“He was just one of those beautiful horses that comes along every now and again,” said Eaton's Reiley McDonald. “He was medium-sized, with a beautiful shoulder, great length and great hip. He was very correct with an outstanding, athletic walk. He was a very intelligent horse who handled the pressure great. He showed over 200 times, which is a lot of pressure on any of these young horses, for two days. He took it like pro. They bought themselves one hell of a horse.”

Baccari Bloodstock purchased Sweetgrass for $250,000 at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton November sale. The mare sold in foal to City of Light for $135,000 at last year's Keeneland November sale.

Earlier at the Keeneland sale, SF/Starlight/Madaket purchased a colt by Authentic (hip 533) for $700,000 and another (hip 821) for $485,000. The group also purchased a son of Authentic (hip 56) for $875,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale last month.

Through five sessions, SF/Starlight/Madaket has purchased 15 yearlings for $10,070,000. The partners were the second-leading buyers of the 2022 September sale, buying 21 yearlings for $12,825,000.

St. Elias Partners Up on Vekoma, Army Mule Colts

Vinnie Viola's St. Elias Stables joined forces with different partners to make a couple of high-price purchases at Keeneland Saturday. The operation teamed with Spendthrift Farm and Mike Talla to acquire a colt from the first crop of Vekoma (hip 1498) for $775,000. That purchase came just a few hips after St. Elias teamed with Starlight Racing and the Harrell family's Harrell Ventures to acquire a colt by Army Mule (hip 1455) for $600,000.

Hip 1498, consigned by Legacy Bloodstock on behalf of his breeder, Spendthrift Farm, is out of Grade I placed Summer of Fun (Include).

“We are really excited to partner up with Spendthrift Farm, which we have done some stuff with in the past, and we are excited to partner with Talla Racing for the first time,” said St. Elias's Monique Delk.

Of the yearling, Delk said, “He's just beautiful–a beautiful physical and walk and he was very correct. He looks special. And we like taking chances on first-year sires. It's a lot of fun to see the new babies coming about.”

St. Elias, in partnership with Repole Stable, was the leading buyer at last year's September sale, with 31 yearlings purchased for $12,840,000. This year, St. Elias in various other partnerships and alone, has purchased 10 yearlings so far for $3.9 million.

Asked why partnerships were important to St. Elias, Delk said, “They love the game and this gives them more access to more horses. St. Elias loves taking on partners and it's exciting to team up with new partners.”

St. Elias compaigned Grade I winner Army Mule and co-bred hip 1455 with Elevage II. Consigned by Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa, the yearling is out of She Beast (The Factor), a half-sister to Grade I winner The Big Beast (Yes It's True), who was purchased for $150,000 at the 2020 Keeneland January sale.

“Everyone on our team loved him,” said Starlight Racing manager Corbin Blumberg, who made the winning bid while standing out back alongside Delk. “We showed him to [Starlight's] Jack [Wolf] and Doug Cauthen looked at him for the Harrells.”

Starlight and St. Elias teamed up to purchase a colt by Quality Road (hip 1118) for $300,000 earlier in the sale.

“We bought a horse the other day with St. Elias and they bred this horse and they wanted to keep it, so we just put it together sort of at the last minute,” Blumberg said. “We buy horses with the Harrells a lot and we have bought a few with St. Elias, so this just came together and it turned out.”

Of the colt's final price, Blumberg said, “We had to reach a little bit, but he was nice and it seems like that's how it's been going.”

Starlight and Harrell Ventures teamed up to purchase 'TDN Rising Star' Pirate (Omaha Beach) for $350,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale. The juvenile was third in the GI Hopeful S.

CHC, Qatar Racing Get into the Colt Game

Teo Ah Khing of China Horse Club and Sheikh Fahad of Qatar Racing have joined forces for the first time at this year's Keeneland September sale in search of a quality group of colts. The new partners acquired their sixth colt of the auction when purchasing a son of Kitten's Joy (hip 1285) for $585,000 Saturday.

“We all agreed that he might have been the best physical of Kitten's Joy that we've seen in the last two or three years,” said Qatar Racing's American representative Fergus Galvin of Hunter Valley Farm. “He's a beautiful specimen.”

Consigned by Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa and bred in Ontario by Murray Smith, the yearling is out of Hopping Not Hoping (Silent Name {Jpn}).

The purchase came with an almost instantaneous update when the mare's 2-year-old My Boy Prince (Cairo Prince), who romped to a 14-length victory in the Aug. 27 Simcoe S., finished second in the GI Summer S. just shortly after the yearling went through the ring.

“We might have had to pay more,” Galvin agreed of the timing. “But we are definitely happy with the Grade I pedigree boost.”

CHC and Qatar Racing have now purchased six yearlings at the Keeneland sale this year for $2,960,000. Leading the way was a son of Authentic (hip 1046) purchased for $875,000.

“It's something that Sheikh Fahad and Teo put together before the sale to buy colts,” Galvin said of the partnership. “They are mainly to race in the U.S., but this one [hip 1285] will go to England to race for obvious reasons. Sheikh Fahad has had incredible success with Kitten's Joy.”

Qatar Racing enjoyed top-level success in Europe with another son of Kitten's Joy, multiple Group 1 winner Roaring Lion, who was purchased for $160,000 at the 2016 Keeneland September sale.

A New Kentucky Home for Tommy Town

Tom and Debi Stull announced plans late last year to relocate their Tommy Town Thoroughbreds broodmare band to Kentucky and, after purchasing the former Woodford Farm from Mick Ruis, have been busy buying yearling fillies this week at Keeneland. During the fifth session of the auction, the Stulls purchased a pair of fillies for $400,000 from the Woods Edge Farm consignment; first purchasing a daughter of Vekoma (hip 1189) and returning later to acquire a daughter of Volatile (hip 1224).

“We like to get fillies that have a fairly good walk and definitely a nice hip and pedigree,” Tom Stull said. “It's not so much the sire, but the balance and the conformation.”

Hip 1189, who was purchased by Woods Edge for $75,000 at Keeneland last November, is out of Blue Kisses (Pulpit), a daughter of multiple stakes winner Bluegrass Sara (Tabasco Cat). Hip 1224, a $180,000 weanling purchase, is out of Delightfully So (Indian Charlie), a half-sister to Canadian champion Delightful Mary (Limehouse).

Asked if the fillies were purchased with an eye to eventually joining his broodmare band, Stull said, “Yes, for sure. That's what we are trying to do.”

In addition to the two yearlings purchased Saturday, Tommy Town also acquired a pair of fillies by No Nay Never–hip 211 for $250,000 and hip 256 for $275,000–and a daughter of Le Havre (Ire) (hip 132) for $300,000.

“To be honest with you, the first three or four days were tough,” Stull said. “I felt like we did well with the first three we bought and then we didn't get to buy anything Thursday. I was surprised we found quality today.”

The operation returned later in Saturday's session to acquire a filly by Tom's d'Etat (hip 1446) for $150,000 and a filly by Tiz the Law (hip 1450) for $115,000.

Of the couple's new 300-acre farm, Stull said, “We decided we would rather run in Kentucky. We have close to 30 mares. I want to just upgrade the quality. I think we are going to breed to sell and then continue to buy to race and keep.”

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