Fasig-Tipton October | Horse Racing Free Tips

Arrogate Filly On Top As October Sale Remains On Record-Setting Course

LEXINGTON, KY – The Fasig-Tipton October Yearlings Sale continued its pace to another record-setting renewal with a solid day of trade during its third session Wednesday in Lexington.

Through three sessions, 804 yearlings have grossed $41,540,500. Following three sessions a year ago, the gross was $39,511,600 before the auction concluded it fourth session with an all-time high aggregate of $52,607,500.

The average of $51,667 is up 11.9% from the same point of the 2021 auction and the median is up 19% to $25,000. Still well ahead of the record figures of $45,627 and $22,000, respectively, that were set at last year's sale.

“It was a continuation of the strong market that we saw in the first two days of the sale,” said Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning Wednesday night. “There was wide-spread participation from buyers across the United States and around the world. Quality horses are in great demand. And we are fortunate to be in the midst of a strong and resilient marketplace.”

Legacy Ranch manager Terry Knight made the highest bid of Wednesday's session, going to $450,000 to acquire a filly by the late Arrogate. The session topper was one of 43 to sell for $200,000 or over during the three sessions, compared to 28 who reached that figure a year ago.

Looking ahead to the final session of the October sale, Browning said, “We anticipate some fireworks tomorrow and some strong highlights. We look forward to a successful conclusion of the October sale tomorrow.”

Thursday's final session of the auction begins at 10 a.m.

Wait Pays off For Legacy Ranch

Terry Knight of Legacy Ranch waited all day for a filly by Arrogate (hip 1152) to walk into the Fasig-Tipton October sales ring and as afternoon turned to evening, he would not be denied, ultimately going to $450,000 to acquire the yearling from the Mill Ridge Sales consignment.

“We just loved her,” Knight said. “We liked everything about her. She's the one we sat here and waited all day for. Fortunately, we got her.”

The filly was the second purchase of the week for Legacy Ranch, which acquired a daughter of Into Mischief (hip 226) for $190,000 during Monday's first session of the auction.

“We bought the Into Mischief on the first day and now we have this filly and I think we are done,” Knight said.

The yearling, bred by Robert Chasanoff's Gentry Stable, is out of stakes-winner Lemon Splendor (Lemon Drop Kid) and is a half-sister to stakes winner Mo Maverick (Uncle Mo).

“We've had a great privilege of raising horses for the Chasanoff family for a number of years,” said Mill Ridge's Price Bell. “Tom Bozarth works with the Chasanoff family and they picked this mare out a number of years ago when the market was down and they have bred her well and she's produced. It's a great reward for everyone involved.”

Bozarth's Arch Bloodstock signed for Lemon Splendor as a 4-year-old for $10,000 at the 2013 Keeneland January sale. Mo Maverick, the mare's first foal, sold for $200,000 at the 2015 Keeneland September sale. She also had yearlings sell for $375,000 in 2018 and $190,000 in 2019.

“I don't know that you can ever expect anything,” Bell said of the result. “I think what's most flattering is that there were a lot of really good judges who really liked her. That's a credit to her because she came in and she showed herself well, she took it all in and she showed a ton of class. It was a most rewarding moment for the whole team at Mill Ridge. We all wake up at all hours of the night to take care of the horses and when they come and perform like that, we are just so excited and appreciative.”

Into Mischief Filly to White Birch

A filly by Into Mischief (hip 991) attracted a host of bidders before ultimately selling for $400,000 to White Birch Farm. BSW/Crow Bloodstock's Jake Memolo signed the ticket on behalf of Peter Brant's operation.

The yearling is the first foal out of stakes-placed Hayworth (Arch) and from the family of Grade I winner Critical Eye and Takeover Target. She was bred by Richard Roberts's Brinker Hill Farm and was consigned by Francis and Barbara Vanlangendonck's Summerfield.

“Obviously, she's a very nice filly, very athletic,” said Francis Vanlangendonck. “And she's by the right sire. The mare could really run. Her race record got cut short with an injury and this is a really nice filly.”

Hayworth, bred and campaigned by Brinker Hill Farm, was third in the 2018 Purple Violet S. in her six-race career. Summerfield purchased her graded stakes-placed dam Glamorista (Unbridled's Song) for $200,000 at the 2012 Fasig-Tipton November sale.

Liam's Map Colt Makes Up for Lost Time

A mishap forced a colt by Liam's Map out of Book 1 of the Keeneland September sale last month, but the yearling was rerouted to the Fasig-Tipton October sale and attracted a bevy of admirers before selling to the $350,000 bid of bloodstock agent David Ingordo Wednesday in Lexington.

The yearling was bred by Brereton Jones and was consigned by Airdrie Stud. He is out of Listen to Libby (Indian Charlie) and is a half-brother to graded winner Chanteline (Majesticperfection).

“He's a colt who has been beautiful from the start,” said Bret Jones. “It's a family that's been good to us by a stallion who was certainly brilliant and could get you a brilliant horse. We had some bad luck with him right before the Keeneland September sale. He was entered in Book 1 and, just by a freak occurrence, got loose and hurt himself a little bit. But he lived to tell the tale and came here a healthy and happy horse and really delivered for us. We couldn't be happier. He was bought by a group that has weekend in front of them and I think they just had a special night here because they bought a real good colt.”

Of having to reroute the yearling to the October sale, Jones said, “This is a great horse sale. And we have all seen how many great horses come out of here. It would be tough to convince me otherwise that we didn't just see one there.”

Zito on the Board with War Front Colt

Hall of Fame trainer Nick Zito got in on the action at the Fasig-Tipton October sale, going to $150,000 to acquire a colt by War Front (hip 817) on behalf of Robert LaPenta. LaPenta and Zito have enjoyed plenty of success over the years, with the likes of champion War Pass and Grade I winners Dialed In and Ice Box, as well as longshot GI Belmont S. winner Da'Tara.

“I like Toby Keith,” Zito said. “I've had horses for him and I am friends with him. The song of his that I like the best the last few years, he sings, 'I ain't as good as I once was, but I'm as good once as I ever was.' And all trainers, Charlie Whittingham, Allen Jerkens, they all went through slumps. Right now I don't have the horses I used to have, everyone knows that. Bob sent me a couple of horses this spring, which was nice. Unfortunately, one was claimed. And he told me to pick one out for him here.”

LaPenta at first was surprised Zito picked a yearling by traditional turf sire, War Front. But the trainer pointed out the yearling's first two dams are by Scat Daddy and Fusaichi Pegasus.

“Bob said, 'What do you want with a War Front? You're not a turf trainer,” Zito said. “But if you look at Scat Daddy, you know what he did with Justify, you look at Fusiachi Pegasus, he won the Kentucky Derby. So the War Front might be turf, but with the rest, you have a chance to run on the dirt.”

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Notable US-Breds In Japan: Dec. 25 & 26, 2021

In this continuing series, we take a look ahead at US-bred and/or conceived runners entered for the upcoming weekend at the tracks on the Japan Racing Association circuit, with a focus on pedigree and/or performance in the sales ring. Here are the horses of interest for this weekend running at Hanshin and Nakayama Racecourses. Sunday's Boxing Day program at Nakayama features the world's biggest betting race annually, the G1 Arima Kinen, in which Chrono Genesis (Jpn) (Bago {Fr}) will look close her career on a winning note in defense of her title:

Saturday, December 25, 2021
4th-NKY, ¥9,680,000 ($85k), Maiden, 2yo, 1800m
DREAM AGENDA (f, 2, Curlin–Gender Agenda {GB}, by Holy Roman Emperor {Ire}) was sent off the 8-5 favorite for her Sept. 18 bow over a sloppy local course and distance and gave a strong account of herself with a runner-up effort. A $200K buyback at Keeneland September last fall, the bay is the first foal from her Grade III-winning dam, herself a half-sister to the dam of champion and G1SW Pretty Pollyanna (GB) (Oasis Dream {GB}). The third dam includes European Horse of the Year User Friendly (GB) (Slip Anchor {GB}). Gender Agenda was sold on for $55K in foal to More Than Ready at KEENOV last month. B-Profoal Partners 7 LLC (KY)

7th-NKY, ¥13,830,000 ($121k), Allowance, 2yo, 1200m
FREUD SENSE (c, 2, Street Sense–Fenwick Hall, by Freud) made light work of his debut assignment Dec. 5, easily accounting for a field of newcomers over this track and trip by five lengths as the 9-10 chalk (see below, SC 7) and figures tough right back. A $110K KEESEP RNA last year, the New York-bred, produced by a stakes-placed full-sister to MSW Miss Narcissist, fetched $160K at this year's OBS March Sale. B-Final Furlong Racing Stable (NY)

9th-HSN, ¥19,110,000 ($167k), Allowance, 2yo, 1400mT
SEA VIXEN (f, 2, Into Mischief–Sly Warrior, by First Samurai) placed twice from three starts on the turf to begin her career, but most recently switched to the dirt and galloped to a seven-length graduation at Tokyo Nov. 28 (see below, SC 2). That success notwithstanding, the $130K KEESEP yearling turned $500K OBSMAR breezer gets back on the grass this weekend. In addition to the ability she has already demonstrated, she has some pedigree for it, as her is a half-sister to SP Pull Dancer (Alywow), whose son Good Samaritan (Harlan's Holiday) was a two-time graded winner on dirt, but also took the GII Summer S. on the turf. B-Breeze Easy LLC (KY)

Sunday, December 26, 2021
4th-HSN, ¥13,400,000 ($117k), Newcomers, 2yo, 1800m
GONE QUEST (c, 2, Quality Road–Gone Callin, by Proud Citizen) is out of an unraced half-sister to champion Caledonia Road (Quality Road), who was purchased by Nathan McCauley for $55K at KEEJAN in 2018. Put in foal to the Lane's End star, Gone Callin was reoffered at KEENOV that fall, hammering for $280K. The mare's first foal, Gone Quest was RNA'd for $225K at KEESEP last fall and again for $145K at FTKOCT. Caledonia Road, whose half-brother Officiating (Blame) recently took out the GIII Mr. Prospector S., also resides in Japan, where her filly foal by Justify fetched $1.22m at this year's JRHA Select Sale. B-Chiyoda Farm (KY)

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Record-Setting Fasig October Sale Concludes

LEXINGTON, KY – The Fasig-Tipton October Yearlings Sale, which had already surpassed its previous highest gross with a day to go, concluded Thursday with new high-water marks for average and median and its lowest buy-back rate since 2013.

“Day four was another outstanding day for the October sale,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “It was a fitting conclusion to a great horse sale. It's been a great week. The numbers have been tremendous all four days across the board. There were dramatic increases in gross, dramatic increases in average and dramatic increases in median and a pretty meaningful reduction in the RNA rate also. It was a very vibrant marketplace with tremendous depth in the bidding activity. There was a very diverse group of buyers to the bitter end. The sale exceeded our most optimistic expectations.”

By the close of business Thursday, 1,153 yearlings had sold for $52,607,500. The average of $45,672 was up 33.9% from 2020 and bettered the sales previous record figure of $37,955 set in 2019. The median of $25,000 was up 66.7% from 2020 and bettered the previous record of $18,500 set in 2014.

With just 205 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate was a sparkling 15.1%.

Jacob West, bidding on behalf of Vinnie Viola's St. Elias purchased four of the auction's top five lots. West signed on behalf of the partnership of Viola and Mike Repole at a record-equaling $925,000 to secure a colt by Street Sense Wednesday. He made the highest bid of Thursday's final session of the auction when going to $500,000 to secure a colt by Nyquist (hip 1281).

Thursday's session topper was consigned by St. George Sales.

“It's been a really good sale, top to bottom,” confirmed Archie St. George. “We have sold nearly everything through the ring. There is money here, obviously, for good horses, but the middle and bottom market is good. I'd say it's carried on from September. Everything is positive. Long may it last. It's a fun time to sell horses.”

Patience Pays With Nyquist Colt

Vinnie Viola's St. Elias Stable added a colt by Nyquist (hip 1281) to its October haul when Jacob West, bidding over the internet, went to $500,000 to acquire the yearling from the St. George Sales consignment Thursday. The dark bay is out of Froyo Star (Rockport Harbor), a half-sister to multiple Grade I winner Sweet Reason (Street Sense) and graded winner Don't Forget Gil (Kafwain).

“He's a beautiful colt,” said Archie St. George. “He's got a lot of quality and presence. I'd like to thank Vinnie Viola and St. Elias for purchasing him and wish them the best of luck with him. We loved him and hopefully Vinnie will love him down the road.”

St. George and partners purchased the colt for $270,000 as a weanling at last year's Fasig-Tipton November sale. The yearling was making his second trip through the sales ring this year after RNA'ing for $295,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale in August.

“He was probably in a bit of a growthy spurt then,” St. George said of the yearling's trip to Saratoga. “He did really well when he came home. The extra month to October helped. He just matured and filled out. To me, he's the whole package and I hope he runs now. We bought him here last November. We gave him a lot of money for him, so it's nice when it turns out.”

St. George has had success selling into a competitive yearling market. Asked if he was concerned about buying weanlings in that market when the calendar shifts to bloodstock sales in two weeks, he said, “It will be tough, but it always is. It's always very competitive to buy foals. There are a lot of good judges out there, people who do well year in and year out. And you have to work the sale hard. We are lucky between my wife, Michelle, and Roger O'Callaghan, we have a great team and we've had a lot of luck together. So we just have to work hard and hope we get lucky.”

Glen Hill Gets Its Gun Runner

After getting outbid on yearlings from Saratoga to Kentucky, bloodstock agent Donato Lanni finally signed a ticket on behalf of Glen Hill Farm when going to $335,000 to acquire a filly by Gun Runner (hip 1584) just two hips before the end of the Fasig-Tipton October sale Thursday night.

“If there is a good horse here, people will wait around for her,” Lanni said. “We've been trying to buy a horse for Glen Hill all year and we've been outbid all year. This is the first horse I bought for [Glen Hill's Craig Bernick] all year. We waited for the last sale of the year and one of the last horses through the ring. He said he wanted to buy something. We stretched a little bit for her, but we had been outbid at Saratoga, September and here. So we feel fortunate we were able to get her.”

The bay filly is the first foal out of stakes-placed Lunar Gaze (Malibu Moon). She was bred by Waymore LLC of the late Tom Conway and Charles Moore and was consigned by Taylor Made. Waymore purchased Lunar Gaze, in foal to Pioneerof the Nile, for $450,000 at the 2018 Keeneland November sale. The mare sold in foal to Vino Rosso for $90,000 at the 2020 Keeneland November sale.

“Gun Runner is off to a great start,” Lanni said. “And this filly was very nice. She had a lot of tone to her and a lot of strength to her.”

Zacney Strikes for Two Thursday

Chuck Zacney had been outbid on a couple of horses earlier in the October sale, but came back strong to take home two yearlings in the name of his Cash is King Thursday. First up, bloodstock agent Michael Hernon signed the ticket for the operation at $230,000 on a colt by Bolt d'Oro (hip 1332) and, as the sale was winding down Zacney, bidding on the phone, went to $290,000 to acquire a colt by Street Sense (hip 1580) from the Burleson Farms consignment.

Hip 1580 is the first foal out of Lucky Cover (Medaglia d'Oro), a daughter of multiple graded stakes winner Teammate (A.P. Indy).
“He was a big, strong, athletic colt with a great page,” Zacney said of the colt. “With Medaglia d'Oro on the bottom and I'm a big fan of Street Sense. When I saw him, I loved everything about him.”

The yearling was bred by Nice Guys Stable, which purchased Lucky Cover for $195,000 at the 2018 Keeneland November sale.
Hip 1332 is out of the unraced Gwithian (Street Sense), a half-sister to multiple Grade I placed Solomini (Curlin). He was bred by Clark Brewster and was consigned by Fort Christopher's Thoroughbreds.

“We are hearing a lot of good things about Bolt d'Oro, so we decided to jump in and get one,” Zacney explained. “We thought he was one of the better ones.”

Of his October shopping, Zacney said, “I actually came in last night and bid on one or two earlier in the sale and didn't get them. They were fillies, so I had to step up my game a little bit and jump a little higher for the colts, and I did.”
Zacney said both yearlings will likely be trained by Butch Reid.

Legion Bloodstock Takes Off

A group of four friends, each with sales and racing interests, decided to pool their resources and their talents under one umbrella and Legion Bloodstock was formed. Travis Durr, Evan Ciannello, Kristian Villante and Kyle Zorn debuted the new agency at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale and came away with 17 yearlings for a total of $2,110,000. The group continued to be active at this week's Fasig-Tipton October sale, signing for five yearlings for a total of $373,000. Leading the Fasig purchases was a $250,000 filly by Good Magic.

“Travis Durr is a good friend of ours and he breaks all of our yearlings for us,” Ciannello said. “He approached us and said, 'What if we combine forces? We can work on marketing and getting our name out there.'”

Ciannello continued, “We have another syndicate, and we have other clients that we've bought for in the past, we had never bought under a banner. We've used different agents, but we mostly use different trainers and then the trainer would get the horse. So it just made sense to pool our talents.”

Also joining the new venture was Kristian Villante and Kyle Zorn.

“Kristian Villante is a bloodstock agent, he's been doing this and he has his own clients,” Ciannello said. “Kyle works for Hagyard Pharmacy. He worked for [trainer] Pat Byrne for years and now he manages Chuck and Maribeth Sandford's racing operation. So he brings that background with the horsemanship and the racing side of it.”

Pooling their talents and resources, the group works as a committee.

“At the sale, we will look at everything and everyone will say, 'OK, here are the horses I like.' We will all go off of different short lists and everybody splits up and then we compare notes. Then we do a second look and, if everybody signs off, we go after that horse.”

Joining forces has also allowed the agency to have coverage at, not just all the major sales, but also regional auctions. In additional to Keeneland September and Fasig October, Legion Bloodstock was on the results sheets at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Fall Sale, the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Fall Yearlings Sale, and the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's October Yearling Sale.

“We buy at every level, from the bottom, the top and everywhere in between,” Ciannello said. “We do some pinhooking. We have a partnership where we bought four yearlings this year all for $30,000 or less and the goal is to sell them. Hopefully they will be precocious, maybe get a start at Keeneland in April and have a good showing and get sold privately. If not, the July Horses of Racing Age Sale here [at Fasig-Tipton] will be the end of the road.”

Have a broad base of clients to draw from also gives Legion Bloodstock the flexibility to put together various partnerships to better compete in a competitive market.

“We will get creative,” Ciannello said. “We will put together partnerships. We aren't afraid to partner with partners. We bought a filly Tuesday for $250,000, a Good Magic filly, and we had to stretch, but we got her. For the perceived good ones, they are hard to buy. So we go back to the drawing board at the end and talk to everybody and say this is what we got and who wants what percentage. It's very flexible and everybody is like-minded. We can say these people will gel well with these people, so we can put together a group. Let's face it, the partnerships are the future. Even the billionaires out there are partnering, so if we want to compete, we have to do the same thing.”

Legion Bloodstock has already gained a toe-hold in the sales arena.

“So far, it's been very encouraging,” Ciannello said of the agency's early reception. “I didn't think it would grow so far this fast, but already we have our hats and people saying, 'Hey, Legion Bloodstock!' So it's been pretty cool so far. Hopefully, some horses from this first group hit. That would be great for us and we can keep it growing.”

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Strong Opener To October Sale

LEXINGTON, KY – The start of the opening session of the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearlings Sale was delayed an hour by heavy rain, but the weather seemed to be the only thing that could hold back the auction once the bidding got started Monday at Newtown Paddocks.

“We were very pleased with the opening session of the October sale,” Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning said Monday night. “I don't think there was any surprise that there was a lot of demand. We've seen strength in the yearling sales from the start to, hopefully, when we finish on Thursday. There was a lot of activity at all levels. There was spirited bidding at all levels with lots of competition and a very diverse crowd that was here buying horses with lots of representation from all over the world.”

During the session, 274 yearlings sold for $11,016,900 for an average of $40,208 and a median of $17,000. At the opening session of the 2020 auction, 248 head sold for $8,393,800 for an average of $33,846 and a median of $15,000.

Of the 396 head catalogued for Monday's session, 341 went through the ring with 67 reported not sold for a buy-back rate of just 19.6%. It was 22.2% a year ago.

“I think people feel more confident, in terms of the overall clearance rate and the percentage of horses sold who were catalogued,” Browning said. “I think there are fewer scratches, in part, because people now realize based on where the market is right now, you might still be able to sell a horse reasonably successfully without a lot of pre-sale vet activity because there is so much activity that is taking place in the back walking ring.”

Bloodstock agent Donato Lanni made the day's highest bid when going to $700,000 to acquire a colt by Tapit (hip 22) from the Bedouin Bloodstock consignment early in the session. The price was the co-second highest for a colt in the sale's history.

The Fasig-Tipton October sale continues through Thursday with sessions beginning at 10 a.m. daily.

Early Fireworks for Tapit Colt

Bloodstock agent Donato Lanni, bidding on behalf of the stallion-making partnership of SF Bloodstock/Starlight/Madaket, helped the Fasig-Tipton October sale get off to a rousing start when making a final bid of $700,000 to secure a colt by Tapit (hip 22) from the Bedouin Bloodstock consignment.

“He just checked every box,” Lanni said of the yearling. “He has a fast look about him and he's by Tapit. He looks fast, he looks early and he looks sound. He is the kind of horse who just looks like he fits our program. When they possess everything, they end up bringing quite a bit.”

Lanni signed for 24 yearlings for a total of $10,590,000 on behalf of the partnership at last month's Keeneland September sale.

Of his continued buying spree as the yearling sales season winds down, Lanni said, “Some horses need a little more time to develop and maybe the earlier sales weren't the right place for them. I think this is a good place to sell. The sale has gotten better and better and it has a lot of momentum.”

Hip 22 is the first foal out of stakes winner March X Press (Shanghai Bobby). He was co-bred by SF Bloodstock and Henry Field Bloodstock. The co-breeders purchased March X Press, with the colt in utero, for $330,000 at the 2019 Keeneland November sale.

The bay colt had originally been targeted at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Selected Yearlings Sale in August.

“We were supposed to take him up to Saratoga and about two weeks before the sale he tangled with a fence,” Bedouin Bloodstock's Neal Clarke said. “So that put him out of Saratoga and then this was the next likely option for him. He went down very well here, people loved him and he sold well.”

Of the session-topping price, Clarke said, “You can't hide a good horse. If you have a nice one, they will find it. These people are professionals and they work hard and they will find them.”

Justify Colt to Fort

A colt from the first crop of Triple Crown winner Justify (hip 21) sold for $350,000 to John Fort early in Monday's first session of the October sale. The colt was bred and consigned by Blue Heaven Farm, which bred and campaigned his multiple stakes winning dam Maple Forest (Forestry).

“We haven't been in this business too long, so it's nice to see those third generation-type horses of ours succeed,” said Blue Heaven President and General Manager Adam Corndorf. “Maple Forest is a very special mare for us. She's a homebred stakes winner and won several stakes for us with Todd Pletcher. She has been a wonderful mare for us. She has had some very nice sales yearlings for us and some of them have earned blacktype.”

Hip 21 had originally been targeted at the Keeneland September sale.

“He was in the September sale at Keeneland, but he had a little paddock accident about a week before the sale,” Corndorf said. “We were lucky that we still had a sale to target after that. He just needed a couple of extra weeks and he stood out here.”

Blue Heaven founder Bonnie Baskin purchased Maple Forest's dam Maple Syrple (American Chance) for $320,000 at the 2006 Keeneland November sale. Maple Forest, who RNA'd for $200,000 at the 2009 Keeneland September sale, won three stakes and was second in the 2011 GIII Victory Ride S. She is also the dam of multiple stakes winner and graded placed Heartwood (Tapit) and stakes-placed Luzmimi Princess (Malibu Moon).

“We have a small operation, we have about 15 mares and produce about 12 horses a year,” Corndorf said. “We are hoping to just keep building. We would love to get to a point down the road where we could keep a couple of nice fillies as broodmare prospects, but for right now we are sales-focused and trying to sell everything.”

The Blue Heaven breeding operation enjoyed Grade I success earlier this year when Grace Adler (Curlin) won the GI Del Mar Debutante. The farm is also home to Starship Jubilee (Indy Wind).

“She's in foal to Medaglia d'Oro,” Corndorf said of the 2019 Canadian Horse of the Year who the operation acquired in 2018. “She is living the good life. She has a place with us forever. And we look forward to keeping some fillies out of her in the future.”

Union Rags Colt Destined for Resale

A colt by Union Rags (hip 266) is likely to return to the sales ring next spring after selling for $235,000 to the bid of pinhooker Ciaran Dunne, who signed under the name of the Redwings partnership. The yearling is out of stakes winner Purely Hot (Pure Prize) and is a half-brother to Grade I winner Eight Rings (Empire Maker). He was consigned by Taylor Made.

“He's by a proper stallion and he's a half-brother to a talented horse,” Dunne said of the yearling's appeal. “You've got to take a shot somewhere, so we took a shot there.”

Dunne was among the bidders on the Taylor Made-consigned and Three Chimneys-bred son of Gun Runner (hip 264) who RNA'd for $425,000 two hips earlier.

“The market is very strong,” Dunne said. “That's not surprising based on what happened earlier in the year. There were a lot of orders unfilled, ours included, so we knew people were going to come in here and be aggressive. It seems the ones people want bring way more than you'd anticipate.”

Dunne admitted the partnership groups which were so active at the Keeneland September sale had made his job more difficult.

“I think the different groups that are trying to make stallions seem to be playing more in our territory, in terms of physicals over pedigree, so they are a bigger pain in the ass than they normally are.”

Hip 266 was bred by Orpendale/Chelston/Wynatt. Bloodstock agent Hugo Merry purchased Purely Hot, with the colt in utero, for $1.2 million at the 2019 Keeneland November sale.

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