Tag: elm tree farm

With $3M Into Mischief Topper, Keeneland September Sizzles from Start to Finish Tuesday

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis

LEXINGTON, KY – With the very first horse through the ring bringing $1.3 million, the second session of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale was off to the races Tuesday and the action didn't slow down throughout the day as the second-to-last offering brought $1.25 million. In between, 13 other yearlings sold for seven figures, including a colt by Into Mischief who brought top price of $3 million from the partnership of Chuck Sonson, West Point Thoroughbreds and Woodford.

With eight million-dollar yearlings Monday, the two-session Book 1 section concluded with 23 yearlings bringing $1 million or more.

“It was a great day with lots and lots of different buyers, the partnerships were active, it was active from the domestic side as well as the international side,” said Keeneland President Shannon Arvin. “The 15 top prices were bought by 13 different buyers. And there was also a real diversity among the consignors, which was really nice to see. There were a lot of consignors who had a lot of success today.”

Figures for the marathon auction continue to track very closely with its record-setting 2022 renewal. In all, 221 yearlings sold during Book 1 this year for a total of $116,925,000. During last year's Book 1 section, 220 yearlings grossed $113,660,000 as the auction was well on its way to recording its first-ever gross over $400,000,000.

“Going in, I didn't think it would be fair for us to expect that we could replicate last year,” said Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy. “But I think when you look at the numbers–obviously the median is down a little, the average is up a little bit–but overall the fact that the gross is up over $3.5 million from last year is incredible. When you look at the numbers through the ring that got sold, it's very, very comparable.”

The Book 1 average of $529,072 is up 2.41% from a year ago, while the median dipped 11.11% to $400,000.

From a catalogue of 392 yearlings, 302 went through the ring with 81 failing to meet their reserves for a buy-back rate of 26.82%. It was 21.99% a year ago.

“A lot of people don't have to sell,” Lacy said. “When you have a purse structure and people are enjoying it so much, they are happy to race.”

Gainesway was the book's leading consignor with 29 horses sold for $20,920,000. The farm sold eight of the book's 23 million-dollar yearlings, with five coming from Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm broodmare band.

“We had high expectations coming in,” Gainesway's Brian Graves said. “I wasn't sure we had as many million-dollar horses to sell as we actually did. The market proved to be really strong. But we knew we had a really good group of horses for our clients. The market is alive and well.”

Mike Repole continued to lead all buyers at the auction. On his own, the New Yorker purchased 21 yearlings for $8,135,000, while in partnership with Spendthrift Partners, he acquired an additional two yearlings for $1.2 million.

In addition to his activity buying, Repole also bred and sold the section's $3-million topper through the Lane's End consignment.

Into Mischief continued to dominate the top of the market. The Spendthrift stallion had 11 seven-figure yearlings and a total of 31 head grossing $27,910,000. Coolmore's Uncle Mo, with four seven-figure yearlings, had 17 Book 1 horses sell for $12,495,000. The duo were represented by nine of the book's top 10 yearlings.

The Keeneland September sale continues with Book 2 sessions Wednesday and Thursday beginning at 11 a.m. Following a dark day Friday, the auction continues through Sept. 23 with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m.

$3M Into Mischief Colt Heads Day 2

Continuing to underscore the sheer sire power of Into Mischief on this year's yearling market, Hip 261, a colt by the Spendthrift sire out GISP Nonna Mia (Empire Maker) landed a $3-million final bid from the partnership of West Point Thoroughbreds, Woodford Racing and Chuck Sonson.

“This is a beautiful colt. This is a young family [and] with Into Mischief, you don't have to say much. He was always in the hands of Lane's End, so we knew a little about his upbringing,” said Terry Finley, who handled the signing duties from inside the pavilion. “We are really excited and have a new group of partners who are in on him. We will try to get to the Derby in 2025.”

Terry Finley & Chuck Sonson | Keeneland

Of the session-topping yearling, Finley added, “I thought he'd bring a significant amount of money. You never know. After they bring $1.5-$2 million, you never really know where you're going to stop. I was just glad that we got to a point where I thought it was a 'reasonable' amount of money, if you can in fact call $3 million reasonable for a racehorse that has never had a saddle on his back.”

The buying partnership also combined to purchase Hip 220 and Hip 225, a pair of $800,000 colts by Candy Ride (Arg) and Quality Road.

The Feb. 11 foal was consigned by agent, Lane's End.

“When you bring an individual like him to this sale, you hope to be rewarded and that's what happened today,” said Lane's End's Allaire Ryan. “Over the past decade, of the horses we've raised at the farm, he is right up there. He's always been a forward individual from Day 1. He's been a special horse for us.”

She continued, “All the top players you think would be interested in a future stallion prospect like him. I'm just thrilled for everybody on the farm. To be entrusted to a mare like this for Mr. Repole means a lot in and of itself but to be able to raise a horse and bring him to an auction is rewarding for everybody.”

While showing moderate ability on the track, Nonna Mia has already proved her mettle in the breeding shed, producing GI Wood Memorial winner Outwork (Uncle Mo), in addition to SP Nonna's Boy (Distorted Humor).

Day 1 Leading Buyer Repole Returns Tuesday with Breeding Score

Mike Repole was busy spending through Book 1, purchasing 11 yearlings, alone or in partnership, for just a tick under $3.945 million. Recouping some of that cash during Tuesday's session, Repole sat front and center with his team when a homebred colt out of a horse he campaigned, Nonna Mia, lit up the board.

“She was named after my grandmother,” he said. “I named the horse in 2009. My grandmother passed away in 2020. So she's very special to me.”

A half-sister to MGSW Cairo Prince (Pioneerof the Nile), Nonna Mia was a $200,000 purchase by Repole from the Mill Ridge consignment at the 2008 renewal of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale.

According to Repole, the 16-year-old mare currently resides at Lane's End.

“Nonna Mia is getting up in age, maybe she has one more in her, maybe not,” he said.

The pedigree received a significant bump at Saratoga when Repole homebred Fierceness (City of Light), a son out of Nonna Mia's daughter Nonna Bella (Stay Thirsty), blew the doors off to earn 'TDN Rising Star' status Aug. 25.

“She also gave me Outwork and a horse I think is the best 2-year-old, Fierceness, who is going to the GI Champagne S.,” he confirmed. “So, we're lucky to have her.”

Underscoring the importance of the recent update to the colt's catalog page, Finley added, “I was up at Saratoga when Fierceness ran. I was awestruck by that performance.”

During Tuesday's session, Repole was also an active buyer, securing an additional 12 yearlings, 11 alone and one in partnership, for a gross of $5,390,000.

“I want to be the leading buyer and leading seller one day,” he quipped. “But I am passionate about all aspects of this game. Stallions, stallion shares, broodmares, buying, selling, weanlings, yearlings, even claiming horses for $12,500.

“I just enjoy the game. I like to play it at every single level I can and try to as well as we can do. I enjoy winning.”

Asked whether he will be back for Book 2 and 3, Repole laughed, “We'll be buying today, tomorrow, and the next day. Don't forget, we bought [juvenile champion] Forte in [Keeneland's] Book 4. Winners can come from anywhere.”–@CbossTDN

Stewart Strikes for Uncle Mo Filly

John Stewart, who made a big splash during Monday's first session of the Keeneland September sale, took his biggest swing of the week when going to $2.5 million to acquire a filly by Uncle Mo (hip 337). While Stewart was at the sale in person during the first session, he left bidding Tuesday to agent Gavin O'Connor and farm manager Chelsey Stone.

“She's an unbelievable filly,” O'Connor said after signing the ticket on the yearling who was consigned by Denali Stud as agent for breeder, WinStar Farm. “Uncle Mo is the sire of incredible fillies.”

The yearling is out of Starship Warpspeed (Congrats) and is a half-sister to GI Kentucky Oaks winner Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil).

“I know the family personally,” O'Connor said. “I used to work for WinStar. I spent five years under Dave [Hanley] and Elliott [Walden]. So I have had babies out of the mare. They have a full-brother in training and he looks very promising as well.”

O'Connor, who was on the phone with Stewart during the bidding, admitted they had to stretch to get the filly.

“It was a little bit more than we wanted to go, but like we've said, John is a buyer,” he said. “I thought we were going to have her at $2.2 there, and then it went 3, 4, 5, and I thought, 'How far can we go here?'”

He added, “She's just an unbelievable broodmare prospect. She's an incredible filly. And the residual value is there. We just feel we have a safe asset at that price.”

Stewart purchased 10 yearlings during Book 1 for a total of $7,750,000. In addition to his $2.5-million acquisition, the Lexington financier also paid $1 million for a colt by Into Mischief (hip 147), a colt by Constitution (hip 135) for $850,000 and another son of Into Mischief (hip 83) for $800,000.

“We are done now,” O'Connor said. “We've got a really exciting stable of horses to go on with.” @JessMartiniTDN

Into Mischief Colt Rewards St George Team

Archie and Michelle St George, along with pinhooking partners Tony and Roger O'Callaghan of Tally-Ho Stud, hit a home run Tuesday at Keeneland when selling a colt by Into Mischief (hip 283) for $1.8 million to Coolmore's M.V. Magnier. The team had acquired the dark bay for $550,000 at last year's Keeneland November sale.

“I'm kind of speechless at the moment,” Archie St George admitted as Magnier signed the ticket on the yearling. “We're just very fortunate to have a horse as good as him. It's a huge team effort, with everyone at home, Roger and his dad and my wife Michelle and all the lads. A lot of work has gone into the horse and this is a huge thrill.”

Arthur St George | Keeneland

The yearling is out of Princess Haya (Street Cry {Ire}) and is a half-brother to stakes winner and Grade I placed Lady Kate (Bernardini).

Asked about the nerves associated with buying a pinhook prospect for $550,000, St George said, “It's nerve-wracking, but it's high risk-high reward. It's the quality of the horse. It's a huge team effort. I'd like to thank Coolmore and their partners and wish them the best of luck.”

Magnier, who purchased a son of Uncle Mo for $1.35 million Monday, was making his second purchase of the Keeneland sale. Magnier later added a $1.25-million Gun Runner colt late in the session.

“He is a very good mover and Into Mischief is a very good sire and [his son] Practical Joke is doing really well [as a sire] at the moment,” Magnier said of hip 283. @JessMartiniTDN

$1.35M Not This Time Colt Gives Airdrie Sentimental Score

Offering a small but select group of yearlings in this year's Book 1, Airdrie Stud once again showed quality over quantity often wins the day when it comes to the sales. Underscoring that point this week, Hip 344, a colt by Not This Time, drew a tidy $1.35 million final bid from Jacob West, who was bidding on behalf of Robert and Lawana Low. Over the course of two days, Airdrie sold all three of the yearlings it offered, amassing $2,475,000 in gross receipts while averaging $825,000. Airdrie also sold a Nyquist filly (Hip 31) for $750,000 on Day 1 and a $375,000 colt (Hip 356) by Complexity Tuesday.

After selling its priciest yearling so far this season, Airdrie's Bret Jones, who also bred the colt, said, “Special is the right word. A little overwhelming. I'm feeling a little sentimental right now, thinking about dad [Brereton C. Jones] and thinking how many memories we get from these great horses, these horse sales, horse races.”

Bret Jones | Keeneland

The Mar. 8 foal is out of Street Mate (Street Cry {Ire}), dam of Grade I winner Bell's The One (Majesticperfection) and GSW King Cause (Creative Cause). The 15-year-old mare, who was a $35,000 purchase at Keeneland November in 2012, is a half-sister to GSW and GISP Tap Day (Pleasant Tap)

Jones continued, “The colt has always been beautiful. He is by the right stallion. And the mare has been incredible to us. It's a really special family. He has always lived up to that family. He is just so good looking and makes you think he can be a special horse on the racetrack. The horse vetted perfectly clean which is always nice.”

When asked about the reserve, Jones didn't miss a beat.

“[The bidding] went past his reserve as fast as I hope he passes horses in a Grade I.”–@CbossTDN

Best Packs $1.3M Punch to Land Constitution Colt

The name Into Mischief seemed to be on nearly everyone's lips following a buying blitz of the sire's offspring during the first two days of selling. And while not generating the same headlines, at least not by sheer volume, WinStar's Constitution paved a slightly more subtle road while still packing a punch with five yearlings realizing $2,980,000, yielding a robust $596,000 average on Day 2. Leading the fray Tuesday was Hip 324, a bay colt who realized a $1.3 million final bid from Larry Best's OXO Equine. The purchase was Best's sole purchase on the afternoon.

“I thought he was one of the best colts in the sale,” said Best. “I paid more than I would want to. This particular auction I've never seen one quite this strong. I knew he was going be around $1 million to get him. But he's a beautiful specimen of a Constitution. He looks very racey, very athletic.”

Bred by Kindred Stables, the Mar. 26 foal was consigned by Indian Creek. The bay is out of the unraced Solo Uno (Medaglia d'Oro), a half-sister to MGSW and GISP Tom's Ready (More Than Ready).

“When you buy colts it's a high risk game,” Best said. “And when you saw some of the other colts that I liked in the sale they went for $2-million plus. There is only so much money I want to invest in a colt. This was a good shot. We'll see how it works out.”

@CbossTDN

Serengeti Empress's First Foal in Demand

The first foal out of GI Kentucky Oaks winner Serengeti Empress (Alternation), a son of the omnipresent Into Mischief, was scooped up by the partnership of WinStar Farm's Maverick Racing, Siena Farm and CHC, Inc. for $1.2 million Tuesday at Keeneland.

“If he didn't break his ribs as a foal, he might have topped the sale,” said WinStar Farm's Elliott Walden. “We saw him on the farm and David [Hanley] and I both loved him. He's out of an Oaks winner on a Distorted Humor cross. Hopefully he can do some great things on the racetrack.”

Serengeti Empress was one of the first yearlings Joel Politi purchased when he decided to purchase young fillies with the goal of raising his own broodmare band from scratch. Politi and trainer Todd Amoss purchased the future Oaks winner for $70,000 at the 2017 Keeneland September sale.

After watching the mare's first foal go through the ring Tuesday, Politi admitted, “It was emotional watching him go through the ring. I had a lot of second thoughts in the back ring. I was thinking, 'My goodness, he is so good-looking.' But we set a price that we would be ok with him moving on. I am being practical about the whole thing. So you can't argue with it really. He's going to a great place. WinStar is a first-class operation. They will take good care of him and they will have him here in Kentucky and we can come visit him, so it's a win-win.” @JessMartiniTDN

A Racing Prospect for Hartley/DeRenzo

Randy Hartley and Dean DeRenzo are typically active in the pinhooking sphere, but with new partner Rich Mendez expanding his footprint in the industry, the Ocala horsemen acquired a racing prospect in a $1.2-million daughter of Into Mischief (hip 316). Also partnering on the yearling is John Bellinger and Brian Coelho's BC Stables.

Bred and consigned by Gainesway, the gray filly is out of Silver Colors (Mr. Greeley) and is a half to GI Alabama S. winner Eskimo Kisses (To Honor and Serve) and a granddaughter of GI Kentucky Derby winner Winning Colors.

Hip 316 Into Mischief–Silver Colors filly | ThoroStride

“For us, she was the pick filly of this book,” Hartley said. “It's just such a great female family and we just felt like if we put enough guys together, we could get her. To have a half-sister to a Grade I Alabama winner and the grandmother a Kentucky Derby winner, you just don't get those pedigrees that often. So she was a filly we thought we really needed to have in the barn.”

A Miami music titan, Mendez has been on both sides of seven-figure transactions this year. He purchased an Into Mischief colt for $1.3 million at the OBS April Sale. Now named Urban Legend, the juvenile is in training out west with Bob Baffert. Mendez was also involved in seven-figure pinhooks with Hartley/DeRenzo at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May sale and at last month's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale.

Asked if the purchase of this well-bred filly indicated Mendez would consider getting into the breeding side of the business, Hartley said, “We are thinking about it for sure. This would obviously be one you'd want in your barn. My favorite saying is black cats have black kittens and she's a beautiful filly, so I think she would definitely have beautiful babies. It was just a pedigree that you very rarely get and we felt like we really had to stretch to get her. But we were taking her home.” @JessMartiniTDN

All Into Mischief, All The Time

Continuing the feeding frenzy for colts, specifically those by Into Mischief, a son of the Spendthrift sire joined the millionaire's club when reeling in a $1.2-million final bid from Team Coolmore at Keeneland Tuesday. Led by M.V. Magnier, the group held their customary spot out back, picking up their fourth purchase, also the fourth seven-figure buy, of Book 1. Offered as Hip 331, the flashy grey was consigned by Machmer Hall, who also bred the colt.

“I'm overwhelmed,” said Carrie Brogden, standing alongside her mother, Sandy Fubini. “I had no idea he was going to bring that much money. Personally, that is our most expensive yearling. We've sold 2-year-olds for more, but that is our most expensive yearling. We are overjoyed.”

Commenting on the price, she admitted, “Our reserve was well below $500,000. We're sellers and breeders. We're here to sell our horses.”

Sandy Fubini & Carrie Brogden | Keeneland

The Feb. 26 foal is out of Special Me (Unbridled's Song), who failed to distinguish herself on the racetrack, allowing Craig and Carrie Brogden to swoop in to secure the mare for a mere $6,000 at Keeneland January in 2009. Subsequent to that most fortuitous purchase, the mare produced GI Santa Anita H. winner Gift Box (Twirling Candy), MGSW and GISP Stonetastic and MGSW Special Forces. She is also responsible for GI QEII Challenge Cup S. heroine Gina Romantica (Into Mischief), herself a $1.025 million purchase at Keeneland September in 2020.

“We're never going to get another mare like her,” Brogden said. “We have a Twirling Candy filly for 2023 and it'll be a hard decision whether she comes up here or not because we can buy a lot of new broodmares for a million dollars. She is tough as nails. She is in foal to Flightline right now, but we might have to send her back to Into Mischief after this.”

Armed with both top-class runners on both the dirt and turf, Brogden admitted she doesn't see any limitations to what this colt will be able to do.

“I wouldn't be surprised if he is a great dirt horse or if he is a great turf horse,” she said.

Seeming to have the knack for coming up with pricey sales prospects out of inexpensive mares, Brogden explained Machmer Hall's overall breeding philosophy.

“We just try to go with the families we like and understand what we can afford,” she explained. “For example, I bought Stonetastic's daughter for $400,000 because I can afford that. I can't afford Stonetastic even though we bred her. You have to know the families you are dealing with.”

“And I have to thank Unbridled's Song once again. [Monday] we sold six yearlings, three of them out of Unbridled's Song mares.”

While the Machmer Hall team can credit hard work, commitment and diligence to much of their success, Brogden is quick to point out that sometimes the intangibles can also come into play.

“We had two yearlings struck and killed this year and [the Into Mischief colt] was in the same field with them,” she said. “And there were only 14 of them. We got lucky it wasn't him.”–@CbossTDN

Volatile Filly Sparks Three Chimneys' Day 

Three Chimneys Farm, which hit it out of the park with the fast-starting stallion career of Gun Runner, could have another stallion success in the making after a first-crop daughter of Volatile (hip 215) sold for $1.15 million to the bid of Mike Rutherford Tuesday at Keeneland.

“I don't think you could write it out any better than to have a $1.15-million filly in the first crop, but those are the kind of mares that we bred to him,” said Three Chimneys' Chris Baker. “That's the kind of confidence that we have in him.”

The filly, consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, was bred by Three Chimneys and is out of multiple Grade I winner Love and Pride (A.P. Indy).

“She was a spectacular filly,” Baker said of the yearling. “She deserved that kind of recognition. She is that special. We wish Mr. Rutherford all the luck in the world with her.”

Three Chimneys purchased Volatile (Violence) in partnership for $850,000 at the 2017 Keeneland September sale. The gray won the 2020 GI Alfred G. Vanderbilt H. and stood this season at Three Chimneys for $12,500.

“Volatile has consistently produced great physicals, horses with scope and substance that look fast,” Baker said. “And he was fast. It's really been pleasant to see how consistently he has race horse physical types. So we are as excited as we can be right now.”

Of the stallion's first seven-figure yearling, Baker said, “With a horse that started at his initial stud fee, it is a pleasant surprise–it's not shocking, but it's a pleasant surprise.”

Three Chimneys came right back with another seven-figure yearling when a colt by Into Mischief (hip 218), co-bred with Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm, sold for $1.1 million to the SF/Starlight/Madaket partnership.

Consigned by Gainesway, the yearling is out of Magical World (Distorted Humor) and is a half-brother to multiple Grade I winner Guarana (Ghostzapper). Guarana's Into Mischief colt sold for $1.4 million during Monday's first session of the September sale.

“Nothing would have surprised me with him,” Baker said. “I think he is an exceptional colt. He's a great-moving colt with a great pedigree–by a top sire out of a top mare. So I think he is well sold and I expect to hear more about him in the future.”

Also Tuesday, Three Chimneys sold a filly by Munnings (hip 280) for $700,000 to Shadwell. The yearling is out of Princesa Carolina (Tapit). @JessMartiniTDN

Gun Runner Filly to Speedway

Marette Farrell, bidding on behalf of Peter Fluor and K.C. Weiner's Speedway Stable, went to $1.2 million to acquire a filly by Gun Runner (hip 222) from Jody and Michelle Huckabay's Elm Tree Farm consignment. The Huckabays were selling the youngster on behalf of Dell Ennis, who purchased the filly for $625,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton November sale.

“She is so athletic and so light on her feet and has an amazing demeanor,” Farrell said. “I believe she is a runner and I hope Peter and K.C. are lucky with her.”

The bay is out of Mama Yay (Mineshaft), an unraced full-sister to Dialed In and a half to Broadway Gold (Seeking the Gold). The yearling is a half-sister to stakes winner Empire House (Empire Maker).

“It is a pedigree that Peter Fluor himself loved,” Farrell said. “We now have three stallions–Collected, Roadster and Corniche–so we are trying to do things with a view towards buying fillies [to breed to them]. We were the underbidder on this filly when she sold as a weanling. So we followed her and saw her here.”

Ennis said the filly's pedigree was what attracted him to her at Fasig-Tipton last November.

“I loved her,” Ennis said. “I loved the pedigree. I love Miss Doolittle and I love Mama Yay.”

The filly was Ennis's lone pinhook of the year and the Virginian admitted to some pre-sale jitters.

“I woke up at 2:22 this morning and couldn't sleep,” he said. “She is so classy and confident in herself. You are going to be writing about her again.”

Tuesday's seven-figure transaction was an emotional one for veteran horseman Jody Huckabay.

“I've been doing this for 35 years and this was my first million-dollar horse,” a visibly moved Huckabay said after watching the filly sell. “We thought she was a very, very good filly and obviously a lot of people thought she was nice. But you never know.”

Huckabay and Ennis were enjoying their first collaboration at the Keeneland sale.

“Dell bought this filly and called me and said, 'I hear you raise a good horse,' and he sent her to me. I met him yesterday [for the first time]. So I didn't know him. But things worked out. It's a very exciting day.”

Of the decision to send the weanling to Elm Tree last November, Ennis said, “I interviewed several farms and at the time, [Huckabay] checked the boxes for us. He could take the filly right from the sale, so he checked the boxes. I have a very good rapport with several other farms in Kentucky and I love them as well. Jody and Michelle are very hands on and they pay attention to detail. And that's what it takes to get a horse in that ring from a weanling.”

This is not the first time the bay filly has rewarded her connections in the sales ring. She was bred by Mark Erlandson, who purchased Mama Yay for $20,000 at the 2020 Keeneland November sale. Erlandson sent the Gun Runner filly through the sales ring at Fasig-Tipton last year through the New Hill Farm consignment. @JessMartiniTDN

Into Mischief Continues Powerful Run Into Day 2

Picking up where he left off Monday, Into Mischief was represented by his first seven-figure yearling of the session when Hip 218 reeled in $1.1 million from agent Donato Lanni. Tom Ryan signed the ticket on behalf of prolific partnership of SF Bloodstock, Starlight and Madaket.

“There is no mystery about the stallion,” Ryan said. “It's a very unique pedigree. Just a fantastic piece of paper. And it's rare you have the opportunity to buy into that sort of bloodline. So we're glad to be involved.”

According to Ryan, the colt will go to Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert.

“Donato loved him and so did Bob. Our own team, John Moynihan was involved too. We're excited to have him.”

Whisper Hill Farm and Three Chimneys Farm bred the colt in partnership. The Apr. 20 foal is out of Magical World (Distorted Humor), most notably the dam of GI Acorn S. winner Guarana (Ghostzapper). The colt is also half to SW Beatbox (Pioneerof the Nile) and SW and GSP Magic Dance (More Than Ready). The family includes GI Breeders' Cup Distaff winner Pleasant Home (Seeking the Gold).

Following a lucrative streak, Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill, in partnership with Three Chimneys Farm, extended to $5.2 million to secure Magic World while carrying this foal at Fasig-Tipton November in 2021. Last term, the partnership dipped into the family again to purchase Magical World's colt by Quality Road for $1.1 million. Guarana herself was a $4.4-million purchase at Fasig-Tipton November in 2021.

The family had its desirability in full display Monday when a son of Guarana, also by Into Mischief, brought $1.4 million.

During Tuesday's session, Lanni also secured Hip 207, a colt by Into Mischief out of Late Night Pow Wow (Fiber Sonde) for $900,000 and Hip 243, a colt by Justify ($625,000) for the same partnership. —@CbossTDN

Seven-Figure Book 1 Parade for Pope

Mandy Pope, who has steadily been building a high-octane broodmare band, reaped the benefits of her investments during Book 1, selling five seven-figure yearlings over the two sessions. Leading the way was a $1.7-million son of Into Mischief (hip 162) who sold Monday. Pope got Tuesday's second session of the auction off to a quick start when the first horse through the ring, a daughter of Tapit (hip 202), sold for $1.3 million to the internet bid of Sinandigan Stable. Also Tuesday, Pope, in partnership with Three Chimneys Farm, sold a colt by Into Mischief (hip 218) for $1.1 million to the SF/Starlight/Madaket partnership; and a colt by Curlin out of champion Songbird (hip 325) for $1 million to Grandview Equine.

Mandy Pope | Keeneland

“It's been a lot of hard working buying the right mares,” Pope said. “We worked hard buying excellent race mares and trying to reproduce them. This has been an awesome day for us.”

Asked how the results in the sales ring matched up to her expectations, Pope said, “We thought a couple of them would sell that well. A couple of them were surprises for the better and one or two were not. The usual thing.”

Pope's Book 1 yearlings were at the forefront of a big two days for the Gainesway consignment.

“Mandy has invested a lot of time and a lot of money and it's starting to yield dividends,” said Gainesway's Brian Graves. @JessMartiniTDN

The post With $3M Into Mischief Topper, Keeneland September Sizzles from Start to Finish Tuesday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Elm Tree Rooted in Solid Ground

They were already through the show ring and into the Keeneland pavilion, circling for their turn. Jody Huckabay knew that the dam's only previous foal, a Ghostzapper colt, had coincidentally been declared to make his debut at Churchill the same afternoon. Still more fortuitously, the rate of selling that session last September had now conspired to let him advertise their genes even as his half-sister by Flatter was strolling the back ring.

“I couldn't see the race but had people watching,” Huckabay recalls. “And suddenly my phone was going off, and they were running back in to tell me this horse just freaked at Churchill.”

By eight and a half lengths, in fact, having started odds-on for Brad Cox. Huckabay had already told their breeder, P.L. Blake of Pop-A-Top Stables, not to give this filly away. Okay, she wasn't a total paragon, conformationally, but she was very intelligent and never seemed to get tired. They had set a $75,000 reserve.

“Look, let's not sell her,” Huckabay suggested now. But Blake told him to let the market decide, and didn't even elevate the reserve.

Well, people are busy at that sale. But the fact is that nobody was sharp enough to clock what had just happened, and the filly was led out unsold at $70,000.

“And afterwards, of course, a multitude of people came back and tried to buy her!” Huckabay says. “If they're consigned, we try to get them to the ring and give the public the opportunity. But as soon as somebody didn't buy her, Mr. Blake said, 'That's it. They had their shot.'”

And that is the real point of this story. It's not just that the filly's half-brother happens to be none other than Loggins, beaten only a neck by champion Forte (Violence) in his only subsequent start despite being exposed to a grueling pace in the GI Claiborne Breeders' Futurity. For now, admittedly, Loggins must rely on Forte as his proxy on the Derby trail when resurfacing at Gulfstream on Saturday, his own resumption having been delayed so that he will have to renew their rivalry down the line. But whatever happens, it's already hugely fulfilling for both the Blake family and Elm Tree Farm to see a young mare vindicate their shared insistence on doing things right.

They know that it's a long game, but that you may get rewarded if you trust the process and stay patient. The Blakes had retained Beyond Blame (Blame), the dam of Loggins, for their own small operation though she could have been cashed in after winning four of her eight starts including the GIII Regret S. After all, she'd been homebred from a mare found in the same ring by Huckabay, at the 2011 November Sale, for $140,000.

So this third-generation filly by Flatter was a classic example of playing it straight: Blake didn't try hastily to exploit the situation, but nor did he let other people move the goalposts, either.

“I'm glad we didn't sell her, I'll be honest,” Huckabay says. “She could be a nice broodmare. She's with Dr. Eisaman in Florida now and doing well so far. It's fulfilling, very fulfilling, to work for good people. Our very first paying customers, Danny and Cindy Bockmon from East Texas, are still here with us. They only keep a couple of horses, but they've been very loyal clients, for many years, and we bought a mare with them in November.

“So when you get a horse like Loggins coming along, that's what gets me up in the morning. I get emotional about it, because this is a tough business and a hard life. And we've been doing it a while. Man, we've been trying for 38 years. It takes time to get all this to come together.”

Yes, indeed: if “mighty oaks from little acorns grow”, then that is no less true of Elm Tree Farm. The very name has deep roots: Huckabay's grandfather owned a plantation in Louisiana named Elmwood, but lost it in the Depression. In the 1970s, Huckabay's father was able to buy back some of that lamented acreage. When Huckabay and his wife-to-be Michelle founded their farm in 1989, it was named in homage to those original steadings.

Though his father and grandfather had both been country doctors, neither Huckabay nor his sisters turned out to share the family vocation.

Jody and Michelle Huckabay | Keeneland

“My father and a partner had the last privately-owned hospital in the state of Louisiana,” Huckabay recalls. “But he worked 24/7, there was hardly time for family. Thank goodness my mother had time to raise us! But both my parents were certainly instrumental in helping us get that first parcel of land, here in Kentucky, besides giving us lots of direction and guidance. Without them, we'd never have been able to get where we are now.”

But a less literal inheritance was equally important. Raised among cattle and horses, Huckabay had absorbed stockmanship throughout his boyhood. He showed Arabian horses for his father all around the country, and was no more than nine when daily feeding “a hundred and something mares” after school. Moreover, it was his responsibility to alert his father at the surgery if anything were then amiss.

Huckabay was introduced to Thoroughbreds when his father became a founding shareholder of Louisiana Downs in 1974. And by the time he finished college in his home state, Huckabay was opting for the University of Kentucky as graduate school specifically to “get my feet wet” in the Bluegrass.

It was at U.K. that he found a partner in life and work. Michelle had grown up riding hunter jumpers in North Carolina, and together they established a farm near Paris comprising “one barn, two fields, three paddocks and a wheelbarrow.” They also had one half of a $500 mare, albeit not especially certain where to find the $250.

“We started out with 112 acres but only about 60 ready for horses,” Huckabay recalls. “The rest wasn't even fenced and had sat idle for several years. There was a recession at the time, and we had one paying boarder. It was pretty dire at times.”

Dire enough that Huckabay couldn't turn down an offer to return to the University of Kentucky and run their horse farm for a spell. But after marriage and the arrival of a daughter, Huckabay told Michelle that trying to do two things at once meant doing neither properly. He brought a trailer house to the farm, promising to build a house after six months. In the event they lived in that trailer for four years.

“For years we parlayed everything we had back into the farm,” Huckabay recalls. “But both of us are cut of the same cloth, in that failure was not an option. We were going to persevere no matter what. Even today it seems like I'm never content: I'm always wanting to do better, always pushing for the next stakes horse, for a better sale. That's probably one of my faults. But when you think how many years we've been doing it now, and all the people that have come and gone, and we're still pressing forward… Well, we're very proud of that.”

The farm has since expanded to 600 acres with eight barns, 125 stalls and a faithful core of returning customers. Around 15 of the 105 mares to be bred this spring are Elm Tree's own; the rest belong to clients large and small. (Those who sell through their consignment, meanwhile, extend right the way to Stonestreet.)

What brings them to Elm Tree? Well, it certainly isn't bragging; nor even advertising. “It's always been word of mouth,” says Huckabay. “Secondly, the land. As far as I'm concerned, it's the best in the world. You could raise anything out here. And thirdly, our motto is 'solid from the ground up'. We believe in treating every individual horse as if we own it. From the matings, to raising them the very best we can. If you do that, every one of them has a chance to run. We've had several that were mediocre sale horses come on to be leading runners. For example, the mare You (You And I) that we raised for Mr. Dolphus Morrison. We couldn't get $7,500 for her as a yearling [Keeneland September 2000] and she won six Grade Is.”

Huckabay's degree in equine nutrition signposts another key element of the Elm Tree regime.

“But I'm also a big believer in raising horses outside,” he stresses. “Yes, our horses come in and they're fed and checked once a day, but then they're turned back out. Unless it's inclement weather, they stay outside all but two hours a day. We know they have to be managed and taught proper etiquette, to get their feet trimmed and be groomed. But you have to let them be horses.”

You hear that often enough, but a less common dimension to this program is a herd of pedigree Angus cattle. That adds 125 calvings to the workload, but there are all kinds of dividends, whether in terms of emotional satisfaction or scientific inquiry. After all, John Magnier is famed for his eye for cattle; and Huckabay remembers reading how another great breeder, Bull Hancock, considered cattle to be useful aerators in their grazing.

“People ask me all the time, 'Why are you doing all that stuff?'” Huckabay admits. “Well, one, we enjoy it, me and my wife. It's a lot of work but we're homebodies. But we also do a lot of rotational grazing. It breaks the parasite cycle. And of course they eat a lot of grass. We've got tremendous grass in Kentucky, and the horses can't utilize it all. And finally, we recycle our muck. We put up a lot of bluegrass bedding, and then we feed that back to the cattle.”

Huckabay reckons you can learn a lot about cattle from horses, and vice versa. True, there are radical divergences-artificial insemination, embryo transfer-but someday he envisages horsemen informing their breeding decisions with similarly increased DNA testing. Above all, however, he feels that the cows help to hone his intuitions about the maze of genetics.

“I love the breeding side, whether it's horses or cattle or dogs,” he says. “And I think if you're a good stockman, you can apply it to about anything. You see that in your labor. Some people have that sixth sense, and just pick right up on it. And other ones don't, and never will.”

With the farm now embarked on another foaling cycle, Beyond Blame is actually one of those only on the covering loop. She missed on a late cover last year, but was duly booked for an early date with Life Is Good. Meanwhile she has a “very, very nice” colt by Authentic set for sales prep, while her “gorgeous” dam Quippery (Forest Wildcat), at 16, has a yearling filly by Game Winner.

This continuing dynasty represents a cherished memorial to Blake's late wife Shirley, who died in November 2018.

Loggins | Coady

“A very special lady,” Huckabay says. “She loved the horses, and Mr. Blake told me that one of the last things she said was, 'I don't want you to get out of the horse business! I want you to keep going.' And so they have, with some of the children now involved and enjoying it too. They've four mares with us right now: three are graded stakes-producing mares, while the other is half-sister to a couple.”

Loggins duly feel like an apt memorial to his departed breeder.

“He was a horse that we were always very high on,” Huckabay recalls. “He was kind of special from the time he was born. He wasn't mean, but always had a cocky air about him. And prepping him, he did everything right. He was never sick, never had any problems. He would do whatever you wanted, and never got tired.”

Cox had trained Beyond Blame, who had required patience with a couple of issues but combined talent with a notably tough outlook. And he was duly determined that his “Colts Group” take her $460,000 son from the Denali consignment at Saratoga.

After outclassing inferiors on debut, Loggins certainly showed his dam's fighting qualities in what proved a very demanding second assignment. “It was a very physical race, he got banged and bumped several times, but I thought he showed lots of courage,” Huckabay remarks. “He did a lot of the dirty work and was still fighting at the end.”

It feels instructive of the Elm Tree way that even a conspicuous new client should actually have had many years to learn what kind of people they would be dealing with.

“Michael and Susan Simpson lived across the fence from where I was raised in Louisiana,” Huckabay explains, when asked about their arrival on the scene. “I went to school with Susan, all the way from first grade to graduate high school, and we've been very good friends, well, my whole life. And out of the blue they called last year and said they were interested in buying a mare. Unfortunately, their first one had a dead foal-but they came back in November and jumped in with both feet to buy two very nice mares.”

Even in opening a new chapter, then, the Huckabays have built on a reputation earned over many years. And exactly the same applies to the growing involvement of their daughter Caroline, along with son Jack when not away at college.

Caroline was actually on another path until Huckabay had to tackle a bout of cancer three years ago. “She's a very good equestrian but hadn't really developed that passion for the farm until I got sick and we talked her into coming back in,” he explains. “Now she really enjoys it and she's doing a very, very good job. Both kids are certainly stepping up, and hopefully that keeps going. To have them involved as well now is very rewarding.”

Since his reprieve, meanwhile, Huckabay himself cherishes his way of life more than ever.

“I vividly remember being in the third grade and drawing on a piece of paper what I wanted to do,” he says. “And I had my horses, I had cattle, a dog kennel, my house: I had everything down on that piece of paper. So I'm one of those rare people that have been able to do exactly what they always wanted to do, from a very young age.

“I can hardly put it in words, how lucky I feel-especially after going through a life-changing experience like I did. I'd never been sick a day in my life and it came on very sudden. We caught it early but it certainly changed my perspective. It's a cliché, but I appreciate the little things a lot more. Just getting up in the morning and driving round the farm, it's a different feeling. And when you go to bed at night, you thank God for giving you another good day.”

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Elm Tree Stars Again as KEESEP Surpasses 2021 Gross

Jody and Michelle Huckabay's Elm Tree Farm consigned a son of Curlin on behalf of Barbara Banke's Stonestreet Bred & Raised that topped Saturday's fifth session of the Keeneland September Sale in Lexington on a bid of $900,000. Just 48 hours later, the couple sold a colt by leading sire Candy Ride (Arg) for $600,000 to repeat the dose during yet another solid day of trade Monday which saw the sale surpass its turnover from last year with fully five days of selling remaining.

Monday's topper was one of 10 horses sold for better than a quarter-million dollar during a session where 314 youngsters were reported as sold for $27,544,000. The average of $87,720 and median price of $67,500 represented gains of 2.4% and 12.5%, respectively, over the figures from 2021. As the sale began its second week, a total of 1,556 yearlings have changed hands for $355,453,500, shooting past last year's sale gross of $352,823,000. The average of $228,441 was an improvement of just over 11% year-over-year, while the median of $160,000 is up by a healthy 6.7%.

Topper Far Exceeds Expectations…

Jody Huckabay was as surprised as anyone in the Keeneland sales pavilion when hip 2214 proved as popular in the ring as he did. Former Barretts sales executive Kim Lloyd signed the winning ticket at $600,000 on behalf of owner Michael Talla's Talla Racing, a hammer price that far outpaced Huckabay's expectations. Same as the Saturday topper, Elm Tree was offering Monday's colt on behalf of Stonestreet.

“I really thought around $400,000,” he admitted when asked how he had appraised the colt. “That certainly wasn't the reserve, he was here to sell, but we are tickled with what he brought. I think the Stonestreet clan were pleased as well, so it's smiles all around.

“He was a very neat little horse,” Huckabay continued. “We certainly didn't expect him to do that, but we're very pleased that he did. I say we didn't expect it…as time went on, we heard that he was in the top two or three horses selling today, but we weren't expecting that kind of money, to be honest.”

Barbara Banke's high-class operation purchased hip 2214's second dam, Ticket to Houston (Houston) in foal to Storm Cat for an even $2 million at this auction house's November Sale back in 2005. Twelve months prior, the mare's daughter Runway Model (Petionville) carried the colors of owner Naveed Chowhan to victory in the GII Darley Alcibiades S. up at the local racetrack. The half-sister to SW Mambo Train (Kingmambo) would go on to become the dam of 'TDN Rising Star' and current Gainesway stallion McKinzie (Street Sense).

Hip 2214 is the latest produce from Ticket to Houston's daughter Essentially (Maclean's Music), whose now 2-year-old colt Twisted Tightly (Hard Spun) sold to Mike Ryan for $350,000 at last year's September sale.

“He was just a very, very good mover,” Huckabay said of Monday's topper. “He did it all with ease and just a very well-made colt. He moved like an athlete. It worked out that we moved him back a session or two and he ended up being a star.

People were here with enthusiasm bidding today at all different levels. Yes, we got lucky with him, but we sold our whole consignment, everybody sold today, so we are very pleased.”

The Huckabays consider themselves fortunate to be entrusted with horses for Stonestreet.

“Their team came to us several years ago, John Moynihan in particular, for us to sell for them and we were really excited and blown away to even be considered,” Jody Huckabay said. “Now after 10 or 12 years of doing this–every year they send us a nice horse and this year it just so happens we got two very nice horses, session-toppers. The Curlin was an absolutely gorgeous individual and we think he was a very special horse. I can't say enough positives about what Barbara brings to the industry and helping people in the business, big and little. She's just wonderful for the business all the way around.”

Take Charge Indy Back With a Vengeance…

The late Chuck and Maribeth Sandford's Take Charge Indy (A.P. Indy) covered sizable books of mares in his first two years at stud at WinStar Farm in 2014 and 2015, but by the end of the following season, the nursery's Elliott Walden announced that the difficult decision had been made to sell the son of Take Charge Lady (Dehere) to the Korea Racing Authority while retaining the right to return the stallion to the U.S. in the future.

From his first two crops, Take Charge Indy sired the likes of Triple Crown prep winners Noble Indy (GII Louisiana Derby) and Long Range Toddy (GII Rebel S.), as well as GIII Forward Gal S. victress Take Charge Paula. By the middle of 2019, Walden was in discussions to repatriate Take Charge Indy and about this time that year, it was announced that the ridgling would return to WinStar for the 2020 breeding season.

“He has been well received,” Walden said of Take Charge Indy's popularity since coming home. “I think he fits a great mix with being one of the last really good sons of A.P. Indy and at his price point, he's a proven stallion that people want to buy into. He's done well and we're excited about what he's thrown.”

During Monday's session at Keeneland, a member of that first crop–hip 2199–caught the attention of many sales-goers and was ultimately hammered down to WinStar entity Maverick Racing and Siena Farm for $425,000, the third-dearest price of the session.

“He was that best Take Charge Indy that I've ever seen,” Walden said. “He's got a great physique, tremendous strength, full of quality and had a very solid pedigree well. He wasn't cheap, he was pricey, but we just felt like being by a proven stallion that had really good success when he was here before we felt like it was worth taking a shot. We loved this colt today.”

A Mar. 10 foal consigned to the September sale by Taylor Made as agent, the bay is out of the unraced Ghostzapper mare Dynamic Doll, a half-sister to Grade III winners Lawn Ranger (U S Ranger) and Georgie's Angel (Bellamy Road). The latter is the dam of 'TDN Rising Star' Cave Rock (Arrogate), a perfect two-for-two in his young career and recent winner of the GI Runhappy Del Mar Futurity. Take Charge Indy is himself a half-brother to Charming (Seeking the Gold), the dam of Omaha Beach (War Front), whose first-crop yearlings have been hot commodities at the September sale.

According to Walden, Take Charge Indy bred 100 mares this year after covering 117 in 2021.

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First-Crop Yearling Sires: Vino Rosso

   The 2022 class of first-crop yearling sires features a diverse batch of Kentucky-based young stallions including a pair of Breeders' Cup champions, two sons of reigning top sire Into Mischief, five graded stakes winners at two and five Grade I winners on turf. Throughout the course of the yearling sales season, we will feature a series of freshman sires as their first crop points toward the sales ring. Check out the first few editions of our series here.

When no less a judge than Kenny McPeek purchases three colts by the same first-crop yearling sire, people take note. Known for his flair for picking out future stars from the sales ring, McPeek took home a trio of youngsters by Breeders' Cup champion Vino Rosso (Curlin – Mythical Bride, by Street Cry) at the Fasig-Tipton July Sale.

Spendthrift Farm's Mark Toothaker said it was the best stamp they could have asked for to get the young sire's yearling sales season off to a flying start.

“I had a chance to talk to Kenny afterwards and he just told me that they were his kind of horses,” Toothaker relayed. “Anytime you have horses in his barn, you've got a shot because as we've seen lately, he wins races everywhere.”

The three Vino Rosso colts were the highest-priced yearlings among McPeek's eight July Sale purchases, selling for $250,000, $200,000 and $180,000. Overall, the stallion's progeny averaged $135,000 from 11 lots at the one-day sale.

Vino Rosso himself was a $410,000 yearling purchase for Mike Repole and St. Elias in 2016. Now that the young stallion has a few crops on the ground, Toothaker said that his progeny are reflecting their sire's eye-catching physical.

“When we were starting to go out and see all the foals, we saw that he was really stamping them,” he explained. “They're not too coarse and not too heavy. They're more of a refined-looking horse and they're good movers. They've got a really solid hip on them and they seem to be horses that are very correct.”

Toothaker said that he believes the ball is just starting to get rolling for Vino Rosso, explaining that pinhookers who may have been hesitant to get behind the first-crop yearling sire are now joining the bandwagon.

“Talking to my 2-year-old buddies, they've been burned on some sons of Curlin that just weren't fast at the 2-year-old sales. After the [July] sale once they had a chance to watch them move and see who was buying them, I think there's a whole other take now on 'Vino' from the 2-year-old guys. It's a little bit like Bolt d'Oro last year where there was a little bit of hesitancy. Are these going to be fast enough? Then once they saw how they sold at the sales, everybody had to have one.”

Undefeated in two starts as a juvenile for Todd Pletcher, Vino Rosso went on to win the GII Wood Memorial S. as a sophomore. At four, he claimed the GI Gold Cup at Santa Anita S., was taken down to second after crossing the wire first in the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup S., and capped off his career with a memorable victory in the GI Longines Breeders' Cup Classic to earn Eclipse honors as Champion Older Dirt Male.

Vino Rosso colt out of Money Madness sells with Mill Ridge Farm at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale | Sara Gordon

Retired to Spendthrift Farm, Vino Rosso was launched at a stud fee of $30,000 and bred 238 mares in his first year at stud. With fees of $25,000 and $20,000 in his next two years at stud, the son of Curlin bred over 180 mares in 2021 and close to 140 this year.

The stallion ranked third in his class of first-crop weanling sires at last year's breeding stock sales when his progeny averaged $90,595 with 47 of 61 sold. Leading the way was his colt out of Fair Huntress (Tiznow), who brought $340,000 at the Keeneland November Sale.

Five yearlings by Vino Rosso are slated to sell at the upcoming Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale. The first to go through the ring is Hip 28, a colt out of Money Madness (Rahy). The Mill Ridge Farm-consigned chestnut was a $100,000 pinhook partnership purchase at the Keeneland November Sale and is a half-brother to LNJ Foxwoods' MGSW Boardroom (Commissioner). Mill Ridge's Price Bell said that the colt is thriving in the final weeks of sales preparation.

“Physically, he looks very fast,” Bell said. “[Our partnership] fell in love with his leg and his attitude when he was a foal and we feel like he has really progressed since that time. He has a really nice, quick look to him and in prep, he has been a workhorse. He has really enjoyed his exercise.”

Bell added that with the Vino Rosso yearlings they have had at Mill Ridge, he has been consistently impressed by their attitudes.

Also at the Saratoga Sale, a Vino Rosso colt out of the winning Pulpit mare War Relic sells with Denali Stud as Hip 115. The yearling was foaled and raised at Elm Tree Farm. Farm owner Jody Huckabay said that the colt has been special from the start.

Vino Rosso's Fasig-Tipton-bound colt out of War Relic was bred and raised at Elm Tree Farm. | Sara Gordon

“He came looking honestly very similar to what he looks like now,” Huckabay said. “He's just developed and he does everything we've asked him to do through the prepping process. You hear that all the time, but he's a horse that has been a joy to be around. We're very proud of him. He's very athletic. We think he's a special horse.”

Other Vino Rosso yearlings at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale include Hip 71, a filly out of GIISP Shaken (Uncle Mo) with Gainesway; Hip 133, a half-brother to GIIISP Aurelia Garland (Constitution) with Warrendale Sales; and Hip 172, a colt out of the stakes-placed mare Divergent View (Congrats) with Machmer Hall Sales.

An additional 10 sons and daughters of Vino Rosso are cataloged for the New York-bred Sale.

Toothaker indicated that Vino Rosso will have a strong backing from his ownership group as the yearling sales progress.

“[At the Fasig-Tipton July Sale] Mike Repole was in there bidding and they didn't end up getting anything, but they made sure everything got vetted and wound up selling very well,” he said. “There will be some yearlings that land in his lap as we go forward and it's exciting to know that there are going to be some in those orange and blue colors.”

Once Vino Rosso's progeny get to the racetrack, Toothaker said he believes the athleticism they display now will become even more apparent.

“I feel like they're going to be very efficient on the track with the way they move,” he said. “If they have any of that Curlin blood running through them, which they do, every time you look up you see something from the sire line having success, so we're excited about what the future holds for Vino Rosso.”

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