Tag: fasig-tipton

Liberal Arts A Ferraro Family Adventure

His father had long since ceased training, but they still always stood at the same point by the Santa Anita paddock.

“There was a spot there, where the horses come out from the saddling enclosure and make a right,” Evan Ferraro recalls.

“From there you could look at them straight on, so you could see their conformation, their joints, and my dad would point stuff out to me.”

And there was one filly by In Excess (Ire) that just blew the veteran horseman away: a Harris Farms homebred, saddled by Carla Gaines to win on debut down the turf chute. This was 2005, soon after Evan had graduated USC as an English major.

Since then, he has become a familiar face through 15 years at Fasig-Tipton, where he is now director of marketing. But at the time he was still wondering about emulating his father Stephen, who had for 20 years operated a small barn on the Southern California circuit before retiring in 1990 to join the family's vending-machine business.

Stephen Ferraro | Ralph Merlino

“He liked to have a 12-to-16 horse stable, and back then you could make a good living doing that,” Evan says. “It was a different time. But he was well respected and had some nice graded stakes horses.”

Evan was doubly blessed, then, not only to grow up in the immaculate climate of Sierra Madre-around the corner from Charlie Whittingham-but also to have many formative experiences on the backside.

“I just loved getting up early and hanging out at the track,” Evan says. “I'd sit in the tack room while Dad worked, walk out with him to watch training, or he'd put me on the outrider's pony, things like that. Santa Anita was still getting 30,000 people at the races during the week, and 50,000 on the weekends, as standard.”

To this day, Stephen retains a box at Santa Anita. But his attention over recent months has shifted to Kentucky-and all thanks to that In Excess filly. Her name was Never to Excess, and Stephen knew the family well. The dam had won the Torrey Pines S. at Del Mar and was a half-sister to elite winners Fabulous Notion (Somethingfabulous) and Cacoethes (Alydar).

Never to Excess only managed a couple more starts. “But my dad just loved her in the paddock, every time, and it was a family he'd always revered,” Evan says. “In fact the first broodmare he ever owned, in the '60s, was from this family. So eventually he inquired whether John Harris would consider selling her. Mr. Harris already had a lot of the family, so fortunately he agreed and let us into it.”

The Ferraros sent her to Tribal Rule, a son of Storm Cat who tore up the track a couple of times in a curtailed career for Pam and Martin Wygod. Here they had some extra encouragement from Evan's mom Richmond, who had brought her own Turf pedigree from the opposite coast. Her mother had managed several farms in northern Virginia, including a stint running a training barn for none other than Liz Tippett.

View from the Santa Anita Park grandstand | Horsephotos

“Oh yeah, we're a racing family,” Evan says. “That's how I got the bug, being around it so much. My paternal grandmother was a racing commissioner [in California] in the '80s. And my mother did stallion advertising for years, and worked for Barretts during that company's whole existence. Anyway she was doing advertising for the Wygods, so we knew how talented Tribal Rule had been. He never won a stake or anything, but in his few races he'd put up a couple of incredible, open-length romps in fast times. And that speed was what worked for us, raising Cal-breds.”

So they bred Never to Excess to Tribal Rule three times running. The first foal was stakes-placed on his second start, albeit didn't really build from there. But the Ferraros struck gold with the third, a 2009 filly they named Ismene. (She was Antigone's sister, never inclined to excess: Stephen, demonstrably, had also majored in literature!)

“She was raised by Russell Drake, Mr. Wygod's farm manager,” Evan says. “And all along he told my dad, 'This is a really nice filly you've got here.' Dad put her in training with Bill Spawr, an old buddy of his. Patrick Valenzuela rode her at Del Mar in her first race, and she 'whistled.' And then she came back and won two stakes: the Anoakia at Oak Tree, against open company, and then the Cal Breeders [Champion S.] on opening day at Santa Anita.”

That qualified Ismene as champion state-bred filly of her crop. Unfortunately she had to sit out her sophomore campaign with a knee chip, but she returned to finish runner-up three times in stakes company at four. She even took a swing at the GI Breeders Cup' Filly and Mare Sprint, but that proved a bridge too far and they retired her.

Never to Excess had shown speed, class and versatility, being effective on dirt, turf and synthetic. Throw in the looks that had captivated Stephen, and some elite blood close up, and Ismene appeared a very eligible proposition for her next career.

Clocker's Corner | Zoe Metz

Her first date was with Lucky Pulpit, freshly exalted by his son California Chrome. And there was a sentimental connection here, too, Evan having held Lucky Pulpit in the breeding shed during his first season at stud.

“I'd gone to Harris Farms to get some experience,” he explains. “I'd worked at TVG for my last semester of college, as a production assistant, but wanted to get closer to the horses. So I went to work there and did a little bit of everything: breeding shed, worked with mares and foals, yearling sales prep, sales consignments, just learning all the aspects of a horse farm.”

Then one morning at Clockers' Corner he was introduced to Walt Robertson, at the time president of Fasig-Tipton, and sent him a resumé. Evan was offered an internship, and has never looked back.

“So that's how I ended up not being a trainer,” he says with a smile. “The hours were better, and it was a lot of fun. I got to travel-and I saw that these Fasig-Tipton guys all eat pretty well!”

We'll come back to life at Fasig, but meanwhile let's not forget the mare we left with Lucky Pulpit. Their daughter made $90,000 as a yearling and won a stakes. Next came an Acclamation filly, who brought $160,000 and was placed in four stakes. “She was gorgeous, still is,” Evan says. “I think she was as high a priced filly as her sire ever had. So after those first two, because she was showing herself to be a good producer, we decided to bring Ismene to Kentucky.”

Her first couple of covers in the Bluegrass did not prove productive, but then they rolled the dice with an upgrade to Arrogate.

“He was a horse my dad saw coming up the ranks in California, and always loved,” Evan explains.  “And he believed strongly in a cross to Caro [grandsire of In Excess]. That's what he got with that first foal, with Lucky Pulpit [whose dam is by Caro's son Cozzene]. And then with Arrogate, you get it through Unbridled's Song [out of a Caro mare].”

Right from the outset, James Herbener Jr. was upbeat about the resulting colt.

“Jimmy was just as good a horseman as there was in Kentucky,” Evan says. “And though he usually never said a whole lot, he was pretty high on this foal the whole way.”

So was there a temptation to convert that promise into dollars and cents, at a certain auction house down the road on the Newtown Pike?

“Yeah, we hemmed and hawed about it,” admits Evan. “You had to, because that's how you keep the whole thing going. But this was such a cool horse. And finally my dad just said, 'I want to race him.' We thought that potentially he could be a bit special, certainly he was the best-bred we'd ever had, and at my dad's age [80] he'd rather just give the horse a shot.”

Liberal Arts | Coady Photography

As a pair of English majors, with a mare named from Greek myth, Stephen and Evan named the colt Liberal Arts. They put him into pre-training with Robbie Medina. Then at Blackwood, Medina subsequently decided to open a public stable based at the Thoroughbred Training Center in Lexington.

“And when Robbie went out on his own, we just kept it simple, kept the horse where he was doing well,” says Evan. “Robbie had broken the horse for us, he'd spoken highly of him and wanted to continue on with him. I'd met Robbie several years back, through a good friend and colleague at Fasig-Tipton, Max Hodge. They'd worked together for Shug [McGaughey] way back when, and remained very close friends. So I knew how good a horseman Robbie was.”

For these patrons, Medina had to meet high standards. For Stephen had learned much about their calling from his friend Willard Proctor, the Texas hardboot who had trained his first winner in 1933. Sure enough, Liberal Arts has been given a fairly throwback grounding as a 2-year-old.

“He's had an old school campaign, really,” Evan notes. “He ran five furlongs at Churchill in May, six furlongs a month later at Ellis, and then broke his maiden five or six weeks later, going seven furlongs. Then he had a one-turn mile race in the [GIII] Iroquois. He had a bit of trouble, almost clipped heels in the stretch. I don't know if he would have caught the winner, but I think that cost him second anyways.”

But that's the whole point: if a horse gets to learn its trade by racing, those little reverses can be worn as learning experiences. Okay, this year we had a GI Kentucky Derby winner unraced until late January; but runner-up Two Phil's (Hard Spun) showed that the time-honored “school of hard knocks” remains as valid as ever. In the big picture, then, the Iroquois could be counted a net gain.

“Absolutely,” agrees Evan. “That was the deal all along. He was just starting to mature, and we knew that he was going to like going two turns. Robbie was really excited to stretch him out in the [GIII] Street Sense S., and he relished it. I know there was the off-going, but I think he benefitted from the distance more than anything.”

Certainly it was a revelatory performance, Liberal Arts bursting through from the rear to take control in the stretch, hitting the wire in full cry. While you sometimes see odd scenarios in slop, this just looked like a horse for whom everything is falling into place.

“I watched every race that day, and nobody else made up that much ground,” Evan reflects. “He's really learned to relax and turn off a little bit. He's an unusual horse. Truthfully, we thought he'd be a fall 2-year-old. He's a good-sized horse by Arrogate. I think Arrogate's only had one other 2-year-old colt win a graded stakes, and that was Cave Rock.”

“But Robbie broke this horse and then just went on with him, because he kept picking it up. He didn't want to stop on him, when he was going along so naturally. The horse has learned with each race, and hopefully he's only going to get better as he gets older. He's got a great foundation now, with five starts in him, and I think he's only just getting into what he wants to do. Hopefully, that bodes well for him as a 3-year-old.”

Liberal Arts under the Twin Spires | Coady Photography

The Ferraros know the game too well to be getting carried away. Its vagaries have already intruded poignantly, in that Ismene is no longer around. But for all the lows that must be weighed against its occasional highs, somehow the captivation of our sport never fades.

Certainly Evan adores the life. “I love going to farms, being on the road, working with the people breeding and raising these horses, and trying to direct them to the best place possible to get the best return they can,” he says. “I do advertising and marketing, but I'm also inspecting horses, recruiting for the November Sale, handling certain accounts. We all wear a lot of different hats at Fasig-Tipton. We have a tremendous team and a wonderful working environment.”

That team spirit at Fasig has certainly contributed to the enjoyment Evan and his father are deriving from Liberal Arts. Even the heartbreaking loss of Herbener, in September 2021, ended up widening the circle of engagement.

“We were all just rattled, it was such a sad deal,” Evan recalls. “And then when his family decided not to go on with a boarding operation, we had to find a spot for Liberal Arts to be raised. So then Bayne Welker, another colleague at Fasig-Tipton, steps in and says, 'I need one more colt on my farm to pair some stuff up. I'd be happy to take him.' So he and his wife Chris raise him as a yearling for us.”

Those extra layers have made the emergence of Liberal Arts feel extra special.

“I think about all that stuff,” Evan says. “We bred our only mare to this horse my dad always really liked; decided not to sell; he was raised by Jimmy; Jimmy passes away, a colleague and friend steps in; and then another one introduces us to the guy who trains him. Robbie goes out on his own, and Liberal Arts becomes his first graded stakes winner. And it's actually the first time I've been in partnership with my dad, the first time our names have ever been on the program together.

“So there's a lot of different pieces all fitting together. I can't say enough about the job Robbie has just done, developing this horse. He's a first-class horseman, with great staff. It's a long ways to get this horse to the big dance. If we get there, it's because he's going to take us there; we're not going to take him. But before the Breeders' Cup, he was the top-ranked horse by Derby points. That felt pretty wild. You've got to stay grounded, because so much can change or go wrong. But no, we're really excited.”

The post Liberal Arts A Ferraro Family Adventure appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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John Stewart Joins the TDN Writers’ Room Podcast

Prior to this year's Keeneland September Sale, John Stewart was largely unknown in racing circles. That changed when Stewart, the founder and managing partner of MiddleGround Capital, a private equity firm, spent $8.425 million on 13 horses. He was just getting started. Stewart returned to the fall breeding stock sales at Fasig-Tipton and Keeneland where he once again opened his check book, purchasing 11 mares and weanlings for a total of $17.35 million. The list included the two-time GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint winner Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper). Stewart spent $6 million on the Eclipse Award winner and plans to race her in 2024.

So what caused Stewart to get started in racing and why has he been so aggressive when it comes to his purchases? What are his plans and goals going forward? Is he doing this just to have some fun or does he believe his operation can be profitable?

Those were among the questions we asked Stewart when he was the Green Group Guest of the Week on this week's TDN Writers' Room podcast presented by Keeneland.

“If you get to know me, you'll find out that I don't do anything halfway,” Stewart said. “I bought my first horse last year after I had gone through a divorce. When I was married, my wife never wanted me to get into the horse racing. I always had a passion for it and went to the races and enjoyed it. And then I got divorced. So I was like, 'Okay, I'll buy a racehorse.' And then I started learning more about the industry. When I get involved in something, I want to research everything. I want to know everything, and I want to know the history. I've always respected the industry and how important it is to the Kentucky community and to the economy of the state and especially to the Lexington area. As I've been able to get successful in my career with my business, it affords you the opportunity to get involved in things that you're passionate about and try to make an impact for people other than yourself.”

He said that with the ambitions he has for his racing stable and future breeding operation, buying just a handful of horses was not an option.

“Anything I do, I'm going to do all the way,” he said. “My goals are to start a breeding and a racing operation and you need numbers to do that. You also have to be lucky at the end of the day to win these big races. With all the horses that are in the Kentucky Derby, they're all competitive horses and have had accomplished records. But you still need luck.  So you can't rely solely on just buying the best. You also have to have numbers because things happen, like injuries. So I decided that I needed more bullets in the chamber. Everybody was advising me to stick with buying fillies and mares because they're easier to make money with. But if you're going to have a racing program, you have to have colts. So that's why we really came out in a big way at Keeneland. We bought a lot of colts because I wanted to start getting the pipeline full of horses for racing.”

Stewart isn't the first newcomer to make a huge splash at the sales, coming in from out of nowhere to spend millions. Many who have done so have failed and disappeared from the sport within a short period of time. He said that's not going to happen to him.

“I'm going to make this profitable,” he said. “This won't be a hobby. I'm going to trust horsemen to run the business and let them make the decisions. Sometimes when you're an accomplished business person, you want to control every aspect of everything. That may be the way others go about it. I'm going to be involved, but I'm going to trust people, people that have been in the industry, people that know how things work to run my day-to-day operations of the business.  We have a very specific strategy of what we're trying to do. I'm going to be very involved strategically in what we're doing. I'm going to be involved, but I'm going to trust people that have been in the industry, people that know how things work, to run my day-to-day operations of the business. I'm not going to be micro-managing my farm manager. I'm not going try to tell him what to feed the horses. I'm not going to be micro-managing the trainers and try to tell them this is a race I want to run in and this is where I want to be. In my career, I've always surrounded myself with people that I think are very smart. And then I try to empower them to do the job that they've been hired to do.”

Elsewhere on the podcast, which is also sponsored by  the Pennsylvania Horse Breeders Association,https://www.kentuckybred.org/https://www.nyrabets.com/ West Point Thoroughbreds, WinStar Farm, XBTV.com and the Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders, the team of Zoe Cadman, Bill Finley and Randy Moss discussed the 60 Minutes story on horse racing, whether or not it was fair and if could be just one more thing that erodes peoples' confidence in the sport. The podcast was recorded three days before GI Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike (Keen Ice) was to be sold at the Keeneland November sale. What will he bring? Finley guessed $500,000, while Cadman and Moss both guessed $1.2 million. Still another topic of discussions was the decision to run the 2025 Breeders' Cup at Del Mar and why has Churchill Downs seemingly been taken out of the running as a Breeders' Cup host site. Cadman speculated that Bob Baffert's ban at Churchill Downs may a reason why the Breeders' Cup is apparently reluctant to go there.

Click here to watch the podcast and here for the audio version.

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‘Remarkable’ Fasig November Gross Tops $100 Million Again as Nest, Goodnight Olive Bring $6 Million

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis

LEXINGTON, KY – After a vibrant afternoon-into-night of bidding, the Fasig-Tipton November Sale grossed over $100 million for the third straight year with champions Nest (Curlin) and Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper) leading the way when bringing matching $6-million final bids Tuesday at Newtown Paddocks.

“It was another remarkable horse sale, literally from start to finish,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “It's really humbling to think that we've been able, for three years in a row, do over $100 million in sales in a single night. It's remarkable and beyond our wildest expectations. The first time we did $100 million [in 2021], I told you it was something I never thought we'd be able to achieve. And coming into this year, we would never have dreamt it would happen again. I'm really proud of that.”

During the single-session sale, 154 horses sold for $101,281,000. The average of $657,669 was up 9.8% from a year ago, while the median of $295,000 was up 18%. The buy-back rate was 24.9%.

A year ago, 169 horses grossed $101,214,000 for an average of $598,899 and a median of $250,000. The 2022 buy-back rate was 29.3%.

During Tuesday's auction, 25 mares sold for seven figures, with 16 selling for two million or more and 10 selling for $3 million or more.

Lexington financier John Stewart, who burst onto the sales scene at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale two months ago, dominated the domestic buying bench with seven horses purchased for $13,350,000. He purchased broodmares Queen Caroline (Blame) and Pizza Bianca (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) on matching $3 million bids and capped his evening with the $6-million acquisition of champion Goodnight Olive, who just four days ago won her second GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint at Santa Anita.

Earlier in the auction, Mike Repole bought out his partners to retain Nest for $6 million with plans to return the champion to the racetrack as a 5-year-old next season.

Also representing strength in the domestic buying bench, Spendthrift Farm purchased five mares for $7.7 million, led by the $3-million acquisition of GI Kentucky Oaks winner Secret Oath (Arrogate).

“It's plenty strong,” Spendthrift's Ned Toffey said of the market Tuesday. “They are not giving them away, that's for sure. I think there are plenty of people here with deep pockets.”

Ned Toffey | Fasig-Tipton

Japanese buyers were out in force at Newtown Paddocks Tuesday, with nine seven-figure purchases led by Emmanuel De Seroux's $4.2-million acquisition of Group 1 winner Sauterne (Fr) (Kingman {GB}) on behalf of Grand Stud.

“There was great international participation tonight–it probably wasn't as reflected on the sheets because of the number of people who got outbid consistently,” Browning said. “But there was great competitive bidding throughout the evening, particularly on the quality mares in-foal and the quality fillies and mares coming off the racetrack. It's remarkable what happens when you are entrusted with fillies like Goodnight Olive, Nest and Wonder Wheel and mares in-foal like Queen Caroline. I could go and on, because there were so many that sold remarkably well. It all comes down to the horses.”

The Fasig-Tipton November sale opened with an offering of 135 weanlings and the group was topped by a filly by Munnings who sold for $500,000 to Shadwell Racing. Shadwell also purchased a weanling filly by Gun Runner for $400,000.

That $500,000 price tag was matched with a pair of supplemented weanlings late in the sale when the En Fuego Stables pinhooking partnership purchased a son of Maxfield and Cherry Knoll Farm purchased a filly by Into Mischief. Both weanlings were consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency.

“We thought we had strengthened our weanling group this year,” Browning said. “And clearly the overall weanlings were better this year than last year.”

Browning said the Fasig-Tipton November sale has established a trusted record of success among buyers across the globe.

“I think we have clearly established, A) a lot of wonderful relationships and B) the trust and the confidence in the marketplace,” he said. “The buyers know they are going to be able to come here and have the opportunity to buy the best horses on offer anywhere in the world.”

Repole Buys Out Partners for Nest

Mike Repole, sitting with his team in the pavilion, jumped in the bidding around the $4-million mark and eventually saw off all challengers to purchase out his partners on champion Nest (Curlin) (hip 163) for $6 million Tuesday at Fasig-Tipton. The 4-year-old filly was consigned by Highgate Sales.

“I wasn't sure if I was going to get her or not,” Repole said. “At that price, I thought I wanted to give her another shot. If she had gone to $7 or $8 million, I probably would have let her go. But considering I own 50% of her, I feel like I just bought her for $3 million, not $6 million. My family CEO thinks we sold her for $6 million. He's got bad news coming, but I am not going to hurt his feelings right now.”

Racing for Repole, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Michael House, Nest put together a championship season as a 3-year-old in 2022. The bay filly won the GI Alabama S., GI Ashland S. and GI Coaching Club American Oaks and finished second in the GI Belmont S. and GI Kentucky Oaks.

During an abbreviated 4-year-old campaign, she won the GII Shuvee S. in July, was third in the GI Personal Ensign S. and fourth in the GI Spinster S.

“I am going to try my best to bring her back [to the races],” Repole said. “Hopefully, she will be 100%. If not, I own a couple of stallions, one Uncle Mo. She could have a date with him. But I really think the goal will be to bring her back. I think she has unfinished business.”

Repole continued, “I think last year she had a fever and got started late. And then she had that race at Saratoga where she was spectacular. I really think that took a lot out of her. I think if we get off to a better start, and space her properly this year, I think she is good for four or five good starts. Hopefully, she will run in May, June, and August and maybe in the Distaff and hopefully be a champion again.”

Nest, who was purchased by Repole and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners for $350,000 as a yearling at Keeneland September, is a daughter of Marion Ravenwood (A.P. Indy), who sold to Coolmore's M. V. Magnier for $2.6 million at Fasig-Tipton last November while carrying a full-sibling to the champion. The mare produced a colt this year and was bred back to Into Mischief. @JessMartiniTDN

Laymon Says Emotional Goodbye to Olive

After watching champion Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper) (hip 237) sell for $6 million Tuesday night at Fasig-Tipton, Steve Laymon admitted, “It's hard not to have a tear in my eye.”

Laymon and his First Row Partners, through bloodstock agent Liz Crow, had purchased the filly for $170,000 at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton October sale. Then watched as the dark bay mare won back-to-back renewals of the GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint and $2,196,200 on the racetrack.

“I followed her all the way around [the sales grounds],” Laymon said. “And it was just like going to the paddock and to the races, and just like Olive, she never turned a hair. She's such a smart mare. Her intelligence level was just amazing. She came in the ring and she showed who she was. You never dream of buying a horse and selling her for $6 million. I do not know John Stewart, I spoke to him tonight. But I am so thrilled to have him in the business. These mares need to stay in the U.S.–no disrespect to international buyers. But it's hard not to get possessive of one of these and want to keep them in the country.”

Laymon, an optometrist from North Carolina who founded First Row Partners five years ago, said it was an easy decision to send the 5-year-old mare through the sales ring.

“We are a racing partnership,” he said. “We keep a few mares. But at this level, you just have to part with them if you want to continue to race. Unfortunately, you make mistakes in this business. You try to learn from those mistakes, but you just have to have a horse so often that pays for some of those mistakes.”

Laymon's proceeds from the auction weren't his only winnings Tuesday.

“There are six First Row partners,” he said. “We were at dinner after the Breeders' Cup Saturday and I asked each one of them to get a one hundred dollar bill out and put their initials on it and put down the number they think she will bring. Guess who won that? I did. I put $5.95 million.”

Asked if he planned to reinvest some of that $6 million price tag in racehorses, Laymon smiled and said, “Slowly. We are in the racing business and this will keep us in the business a long time. We have been so blessed. First Row Partners is in its fifth year of racing and we've sent 15 horses to Chad in the last five years and we've won four Grade Is, four Grade IIs and three Grade IIIs and three Grade I placings. That's not supposed to happen in this business. It's the team. Liz Crow, she buys them, and her team is phenomenal. [Trainer] Chad Brown, I've been with him since the Frankel days. He is so focused. He is so darn smart. And he wins races because of his brain and his dedication.” @JessMartiniTDN

Stewart a Man on A Mission at Fasig-Tipton

With her Breeders' Cup blanket barely having lost its fragrance after last weekend's victory in the GI Filly & Mare Sprint, Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper) (Hip 237) added a slam-dunk in the sales ring, drawing a gaudy $6-million final bid from the red-hot John Stewart. While many had wandered away during the later stages of the sale, an expectant horde began to gather again along the perimeter of the pavilion in the moments leading up to the champion's arrival into the ring. With intermittent volleys being lobbed in rapid succession, Stewart–surrounded by his own entourage including bloodstock advisor Gavin O'Connor–was resolute. Reeling off counterbids without missing a beat, he saw off all competitors to land the session's co-topper at $6 million.

Stewart also secured a pair of mares for $3 million during the session: Pizza Bianca (Fastnet Rock {Ire}) (Hip 168), and Queen Caroline (Blame) (Hip 171), the dam of champion Forte (Violence).

The two-time Breeders' Cup champion was consigned by Elite Sales, who enjoyed a stellar day with 12 head grossing $18.5 million.

Bred by Stonestreet, Goodnight Olive was purchased by Liz Crow for $170,000 at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton October Sale. Campaigned by First Row Partners and Team Hanley, the filly enjoyed a spectacular 2022 season, winning all four starts, including the GI Ballerina S. in addition to her Breeders' Cup victory. This season, she added wins in the GI Madison S. and GII Bed 'O Roses S. before defending her title at the World Championships.

Crow said, “The owners enjoyed every moment with her. Our team [Elite] got to go along for the ride. And then to get to showcase her here, every major buyer is here at this sale, and to see her bring what she was worth, she is really a once-in-a-lifetime horse.”

Liz Crow | Fasig-Tipton

The 5-year-old mare joins champion Groupie Doll as only one of two horses to win two Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprints.

“I think she was the best horse in the sale,” Crow opined.

And Stewart certainly agreed.

“She was on my agenda from the beginning,” he said. “I knew there was a lot of foreign interest and I was determined that she was going to stay here.”

“With all the success she's had to date, I think she still has some opportunity to still run. To add what she's already done, we need to keep those horses here. That was my main objective. Once I decide I am going to buy them I buy them, they can bid whatever they want, but this horse is going home with me.”

Stewart confirmed that he is about a month away from closing on Shadwell Farm's Shadayid Stud in Midway.

“That's what's great about this sport,” he said. “I was just at the Breeders' Cup, and this horse wins four days ago and then you have the opportunity to actually buy it. What other sport can you actually do that? It's like Lebron James wins the NBA Championship and then you can buy Lebron or the team. This is really a great sport.”

During Tuesday's session, Stewart purchased seven head in total, including a pair of weanlings, for $13.35 million.

“We got the dam of Forte, we got Pizza Bianca and we got this horse, which I think is one of the best horses we've seen here for a long time,” he said. “I couldn't be happier right now.”–@CbossTDN

Stewart Full Tilt Ahead for $3-Million Pair

Firing in quick succession, Stewart, seated alongside by Gavin O'Connor at the back of the pavilion, went to $3 million Pizza Bianca before extending to the same price for Queen Caroline. The former was consigned by Elite Sales, while the latter was offered by Bluegrass Thoroughbred Servies on behalf of South Gate Farm. Queen Caroline represented a major score for Amy Moore, who purchased the Virginia-bred for a mere $170,000 at Keeneland September in 2014.

“Those were a lot cheaper than I thought they would be,” admitted Stewart. “I was thinking $5-5.5 million on Queen Caroline. I bought every horse that I bid on.”

John Stewart | Fasig-Tipton

He added, “And I would have paid a lot more for Queen Caroline. I am really excited with what we have bought and now we have some new horses to put on our farm.

A multiple stakes winner on the track, Queen Caroline hit paydirt in the breeding shed, producing champion juvenile colt Forte (Violence) in her first go around. She sold in foal to Horse of the Year Flightline.

“Queen Caroline is the whole reason we came to the sale,” added Stewart. “It's a funny story. As we were looking through the weanlings in the catalog, we were looking for something out of Queen Caroline. And then I saw that Queen Caroline herself was in the book and thought 'This is amazing!' Once we saw her, it was a done deal. She was 100% on the list. So I was very glad to walk away with her.”–@CbossTDN

'Pizza' to Go

Campaigned by celebrity chef Bobby Flay and trained by Christophe Clement, Pizza Bianca earned over $792,947 on the track, and counts the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf among her career highlights. The 4-year-old mare was offered in foal to Into Mischief.

Flay secured Pizza Bianca's dam White Hot (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) for 1.25 million guineas at Tattersalls October in 2014. Pizza Bianca was the first foal produced by the unraced mare. Offered at this sale last year, Pizza Bianca RNA'd for $3.45 million.

“We were very excited about buying [Pizza Bianca] as well,” Stewart said. “She had an impressive list of accomplishments. If you look at everything we've been buying, it's all about quality.”

He added, “We looked at a lot of horses, but to find the pedigree and the accomplishment level, that's what we're looking for. We're not just looking for the bloodline. And Pizza Bianca is a 100% of that.”

Stewart also put in a strong showing at Keeneland earlier this September, buying 13 yearlings for total expenditures of $8.425 million and was back in action at Fasig last month for the October Sale.

“These are all for me,” he affirmed. “These [resulting foals] are for me to race and for me to breed. I am not looking to sell either of these horses. I looked at them and thought 'you are not leaving this country.' They are staying in this country and it's even better that they are staying in Kentucky. That's been the whole goal is to keep the good bloodlines here. It's the best way that I can invest my money and I am super excited about that.” —@CbossTDN

Godolphin Strikes for Faiza

Most wouldn't be surprised to see Godolphin among the buyers of a top prospect at the nation's leading yearling sales. However, the operation made somewhat of a surprise appearance on the leaderboard with Faiza (Girvin) (Hip 228), who was purchased by the 'Boys in Blue' for $4 million. The Grade I stakes winner was consigned by Hill 'n' Dale.

“She was a very good racehorse and had a lot of quality about her,” said Godolphin's Michael Banahan. “She was a nice type to be able to bring back.”

Faiza brought $90,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Select sale in 2021 before blossoming into a $725,000 Fasig Midlantic juvenile purchase by agent Donato Lanni for Michael Petersen in 2022. Trained by Bob Baffert, she won her first five starts, including the GI Starlet S. and GII Santa Anita Oaks.

Faiza | Benoit

“Bob Baffert and Donato Lanni buy beautiful horses that win Grade I races,” said Hill 'n' Dale's John Sikura. “I am really so happy for Michael Petersen and for the entire team. It was a great result for us, too. I am happy for everybody.”

Out of MGSW and MGISP Sweet Pistol (Smart Strike), Faiza's dam Sweet Pistol is a half-sister to two-time grades stakes winner Thousand Words (Pioneerof the Nile). The 10-year-old mare was purchased for $33,000 by Faiza's breeder Brereton Jones at Keeneland November in 2016.

Sikura added, “Those Grade I winners as mares are hard to find and the Japanese buyers are particularly interested in and respect that Grade I form and they really chase those mares. When they also have the looks to go with it, they have all the questions you can answer. And those are the ones that historically produce stakes winners and graded stakes winners.”

The purchase represented the first broodmare/prospect purchase for Godolphin since going to $3.5 million for GI Spinaway S. winner Pretty City Dancer (Tapit) at this venue in 2018. Pretty City Dancer would go on to produce a Classic winner in the form of GI Kentucky Oaks heroine Pretty Mischievous (Into Mischief).

Godolphin enjoyed another fruitful Breeders' Cup with Cody's Wish (Curlin) repeating in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, while completing the exacta in the GI Breeders' Cup Mile with Master Of The Seas (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire)) and Mawj (Ire) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}).

Named after Cody Dorman, the colt repeated at this year's World Championships with another Dirt Mile win. The victory was bittersweet as Dorman passed away traveling back to his home in Kentucky Sunday.

“It was a fantastic story and a wonderful family,” said Banahan. “It was so special that we had that opportunity with them the last five years. I hope the [Dorman] family gets a lot of strength from the people both in and outside the industry while they go through their grieving process. It's heartbreaking for them, I'm sure. I hope they get a lot of strength for the last five years that Cody was able to share this special bond with Cody's Wish.”

Commenting on the operation's year overall, “We've had a great couple of years and this has been a really phenomenal year. From winning our first Kentucky Oaks, winning at the Breeders' Cup and helping give Bill Mott his first Met Mile. We've had multiple highlights through the year so we've been fortunate that our horses have performed at a high level. We're so grateful for it.” —@CbossTDN

Sauterne to Grand Stud

Bloodstock agent Emmanuel De Seroux, bidding on behalf of Japan's Grand Stud, purchased French Group 1 winner Sauterne (Fr) (Kingman {GB}) (hip 178) for $4.2 million Tuesday evening at Fasig-Tipton. The 3-year-old racing/broodmare prospect was consigned by Nicky Drion Thoroughbreds.

“She has a fantastic pedigree, as you can see,” De Seroux said of the filly's appeal. “She's beautiful and she was a great racehorse. In the Group 1 in France that she won, she beat the colts. The horse that was second to her just won the mile race at Ascot by six lengths. So her form is outstanding.”

Sauterne was making her second trip through the sales ring Tuesday night in Lexington. She had RNA'd for £1.2 million at the Goffs London sale in June just weeks after finishing third in the G1 French 1000 Guineas and second in the G2 Prix de Sandringham. In July, the bay was second in the G1 Prix Jean Prat and third in the G1 Prix Rothschild before beating the boys in the G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp Sept. 3 for her owner/breeder Jean Pierre Joseph Dubois.

Sauterne is out of Salicorne (Aragorn {Ire}), a half-sister to multiple Group 1 winner Stacelita (Fr) (Monsun {Ger}), whose daughter Soul Stirring (Jpn) (Frankel {GB}) was champion 2-year-old and 3-year-old filly in Japan in 2016 and 2017. Stacelita's daughter Southern Stars (GB) (Smart Strike) produced Japanese champion Stars on Earth (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}).

“We just bought her five minutes ago,” De Seroux said with a smile when asked about plans for the filly. “She will probably be bred in Kentucky and then go to Japan.”

De Seroux returned a few hips later to acquire And Tell Me Nolies (Arrogate) (hip 206), also on behalf of Grand Stud, for $2.3 million. Consigned by Indian Creek, the 3-year-old filly sold as a racing/broodmare prospect. A $230,000 OBS Spring purchase, the bay won the 2022 GI Del Mar Debutante S. and GI Chandelier S. for Peter Redekop B.C., Ltd. She was second in this year's GII Santa Anita Oaks and GIII Santa Ysabel S. and third in the GII San Clemente S.

She is out of graded winner Be Fair (Exchange Rate), a half-sister to Grade I winner Macho Again (Macho Uno). @JessMartiniTDN

Secret Oath Leads Spendthrift's Fasig Haul

GI Kentucky Oaks winner Secret Oath (Arrogate) (hip 180) will be joining the Spendthrift Farm broodmare band after selling for $3 million Tuesday in Lexington. In addition to the Oaks, the 4-year-old broodmare prospect won the 2023 GII Azeri S. and 2022 GIII Honeybee S. in the colors of her breeder, Robert and Stacy Mitchell's Briland Farm. She also hit the board in seven other Grade I events, including the GI Arkansas Derby.

“Her race record needs no explanation,” Spendthrift's Ned Toffey said after signing the ticket on Secret Oath. “She is a big, classy mare. We think she is a perfect type of mare for Into Mischief. She's a really special mare and we need to get that kind.”

Secret Oath | Coady

Of the filly's final price tag, Toffey admitted, “We thought she might be a little bit more money. That's a lot to pay for any horse, but we thought she could have brought a little more. We were happy to get her for that number.”

Secret Oath, who is out of stakes winner and multiple Grade I placed Absinthe Minded (Quiet American), was consigned by Bluewater Sales.

Spendthrift was busy through the auction. In addition to Secret Oath, the operation also purchased graded-stakes winning broodmare prospect Travel Column (Frosted) (hip 193) for $2 million and paid that same amount for graded winner Merneith (American Pharoah), in foal to Flightline. In all, Spendthrift purchased five mares for $7.7 million. @JessMartiniTDN

Search Results, Wonder Wheel to Northern Farm Japan

Grade I winner Search Results (Flatter) (hip 179) and champion Wonder Wheel (Into Mischief) (hip 200) led a trio of seven-figure purchases by Katsumi Yoshida's Northern Farm. Bidding on behalf of Yoshida, Shingo Hashimoto bid $3.6 million to acquire Search Results from the Elite consignment. The 5-year-old mare, who was a $310,000 Keeneland September purchase, won the 2021 GI Acorn S. and was second in that year's GI Kentucky Oaks. A five-time graded stakes winner, she hit the board at the Grade I level seven times and earned $1,943,810 for Klaravich Stables and trainer Chad Brown.

“She was one of the best 3-year-olds [of her generation],” Hashimoto said of the mare, who is out of graded-placed Co Cola (Candy Ride {Arg}). “And we really liked how she looked.”

Hashimoto returned just a few hips later to purchase 2022 champion 2-year-old filly Wonder Wheel for $3.2 million. The 3-year-old, who was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency on behalf of the Green family's D J Stable, won last year's GI Darley Alcibiades S. and GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. She is out of multiple stakes winner and multiple Grade I placed Wonder Gal (Tiz Wonderful).

“Her appearance was very good and she's a champion 2-year-old, so we know she's very good,” said Shingo Hashimoto, who signed for the broodmare prospect. “We will take her back to Japan and keep her as a broodmare.”

Wonder Wheel was purchased by the Greens for $275,000 as a Keeneland September yearling and earned $1,591,857 on the racetrack.

“We were very confident bringing her here that she was going to bring a good amount of money,” Jon Green said after watching the champion sell. “You can never handicap it perfectly as far as who is on the horse and who liked the horse and to what extent. But I feel like Taylor Made did a phenomenal job of giving us the proper information to handicap who was going to be on her. And Fasig-Tipton, you can't say enough about this night and this venue. And just of competitiveness here. It's just a fun place to be on a night like tonight.”

Len & Jon Green | Fasig-Tipton

Green admitted the sale was bittersweet, particularly following the death of his mother, Lois Green, in May.

“This was the last horse that my mom ever named,” Green said. “We were fortunate as a family to watch Wonder Wheel compete and win in our silks. The last trip that my mom went on was to watch her run in Kentucky. So it was very difficult decision [to sell] from an emotional standpoint, but from a business standpoint, it makes all the sense in the world.”

Green continued, “From the moment that we bought her, Kim Valerio picked her out, Mark Casse trained her, Tyler Gaffalione did a phenomenal job riding her. And of course, Taylor Made and Fasig-Tipton did an absolute perfect job of marketing her. Everyone along the way added value. And I can't thank everyone enough for what they've done.”

Yoshida's shopping spree at Fasig-Tipton Tuesday also included Armony's Angel (To Honor and Serve) (hip 207), who was acquired for $1.8 million from the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment.

In foal to Gun Runner, the mare is already the dam of this year's GI Arkansas Derby winner Angel of Empire (Classic Empire).

Late in the sale, Yoshida concluded his Fasig purchases with Ceiling Crusher (Mr. Big) (hip 265) acquired for $750,000.

Asked if he was able to purchase the mares he was aiming for, Hashimoto said, “Some of them, yes. Not all of them. That's always a part of the game. It's always tough.” @JessMartiniTDN

'Holiday' Brings $2.1m from Alpha Delta

With Tuesday's session already in full swing, Stolen Holiday (War Front) (Hip 189) realized a cool $2.1 million from Jon Clay's Alpha Delta Stables. Reynolds Bell, seated next to Clay inside the pavilion, was resolute in securing the half-sister to Group 1 winners Eishin Apollon (Giant's Causeway), Master of Hounds (Kingmambo) and Minorette (Smart Strike).

Consigned by Taylor Made Sales, the 6-year-old mare is out of Grade II scorer Silk and Scarlet (GB) (Sadler's Wells). This represents the family of English Highweight Sanglamore. She sold in foal to Into Mischief.

“We have been working the sale, and she fell in the sale the way we like it,” said Bell. “We liked her pedigree and he ability on the racetrack. And we liked who she is in foal to.”

He continued, “We find what we like. Whether it's dirt or grass, it doesn't really matter. They have to have some ability and they have to be in foal to something that can give them a good start.”

Very late in the sale, Alpha Delta also struck for Hip 264, Strong Incentive (Warrior's Reward), who brought $2.15 million. In foal to Good Magic, she was consigned by Elite.

Alpha Delta also went to $900,000 for Hip 159, Canadian champion Munnyfor Ro (Munnings) earlier in the session. Consigned by Hill 'n' Dale, she sold in foal to Curlin.

“The market has been strong,” said Bell. “But that's been the market we've been in for a while now. The ones that make sense to go for, everyone is there. And the ones that don't make the cut, nobody is there for. Whether it's yearlings, 2-year-olds, broodmares, it's pretty much the case.” —@CbossTDN

Shadwell at the Fore of Weanling Action

Highlighting the early swath of weanlings on offer at Fasig-Tipton's November Sale Tuesday, Shadwell emerged at the forefront, purchasing a pair of fillies, including Hip 62, a daughter of Munnings for $500,000.

Consigned by St George Sales, the Ontario-bred foal–bred by Narola and Anderson Farm–is out of Grade III winner Summer in Saratoga (Hard Spun). Out of MSW Diversa (Tabasco Cat), the 7-year-old mare, a $630,000 purchased by Anderson Farms at Fasig-Tipton at this venue in 2021, is a daughter of GI Vanity S. heroine Love Theway Youare (Arch).

“She was just a beautiful Munnings, I have never seen a Munnings like that, so we are happy with her,” said Shadwell's Jonny Smyth. “I spoke Sheikha Hissa and made some budget decisions, so we were happy to get her.”

Back in action later in the session, Smyth–bidding from inside the pavilion–extended to $400,000 for Hip 109, a filly by Gun Runner. Consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, the dark bay is a daughter of Classofsixtythree (Include). The 10-year-old mare is also responsible for GSW and GISP Gunmetal Gray (Exchange Rate) and Grade III-scorer Sixtythreecaliber (Gun Runner).

“She is a nice, leggy filly,” he said. “She was a beautiful mover as well.”

Offered at Keeneland January in 2019, Classofsixtythree had failed to meet her reserve at $385,000 while carrying Sixtythreecaliber.

Of Shadwell's purchases Tuesday, Smyth added, “Both are from beautiful families, so they have some nice residual value.”

Commenting on the overall quality of the weanlings on offer at Fasig-Tipton Tuesday, he said, “It's a nice group. Fasig has put together a nice group of weanlings. We've had a few on our list and we were very happy to get them.”

Active both in the sales arena and the racetrack both domestically and abroad this season, Smyth indicated there was also plenty to look forward to on the farm as well.

“It's been an exciting year. We have [six-time Grade I winner] Malathaat [Curlin] on the farm and she is in foal to Into Mischief,” he said of the two-time champion. “We're looking forward to what she will produce. And it's also been a phenomenal year in Europe, so we're very happy with the entire program overall.”

Later in the session, a colt by Maxfield (Hip 213) and Hip 268-a colt by Into Mischief-also reached that mark. Both top weanling colts were consigned by Taylor Made Sales. The former was purchased by Cherry Knoll Farm and the latter was secured by Enfuego Stables–@CbossTDN

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Dual Breeders’ Cup Winner Goodnight Olive Sells to John Stewart for $6M

Champion Goodnight Olive (Ghostzapper–Salty Strike, by Smart Strike), who on Saturday captured her second GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, sold for $6 million Tuesday night at the Fasig-Tipton November sale to John Stewart. The amount matched the price Mike Repole spent on three-time Grade I winner Nest (Curlin) earlier in the evening.

Consigned by Elite, agent as hip 237, Goodnight Olive went through the ring as a racing or broodmare prospect. She had first stepped into the same Fasig-Tipton ring in 2019 as an October yearling, where she was picked up by First Row Partners, Liz Crow agent for $170,000. The dark bay or brown mare, now a 5-year-old, raced for First Row Partners and Team Hanley. Trained by Chad Brown, the Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings-bred is nine for 12 lifetime. In addition to her back-to-back Breeders' Cup victories, she also captured the GI Madison S. and GI Ballerina H. She was honored with the Eclipse Award for champion female sprinter in 2022 and has earned just shy of $2.2 million.

Gavin O'Connor signed for Goodnight Olive on behalf of John Stewart. The two also paired earlier in the sale on a duo of $3-million mares in Breeders' Cup winner Pizza Bianca (Fastnet Rock {Aus}) and champion Forte's dam Queen Caroline (Blame).

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