“I think the activity is very good, particularly for Book 1,” said Peter O'Callaghan, whose Woods Edge Farm will warm up with  four yearlings during the first two days of the sale before offering 11 head in Book 2. “I think we did 83 all-shows on Friday and we did 116 yesterday, maybe not all-shows, but we had a full day's showing. We are showing the next group already today and we've had quite a busy morning for the Sunday morning up there. I think the signs are good.”

The first three days of showing featured an eclectic mix of buyers from around the world, according to Legacy Bloodstock's Tommy Eastham, who expects momentum to build on from a strong group of Book 1 offerings.

“Traffic has been really encouraging, not just volume-wise, but quality of shows,” Eastham said. “Keeneland has done a good job of bringing every accent in the world here. And I think they've done a really good job of picking out the horses. [Keeneland Vice President of Sales] Tony [Lacy] and [Keeneland Director of Sales Operations] Cormac [Breathnach] have done a really great job of putting some quality horses up front here. It's always been difficult for us in Book 1, if we started the sale with a little bit of a thud, then it takes to Book 2 for everyone to get confident in where they are. But the buyers keep mentioning what a great group of horses is here and I think there is a great deal of excitement.”

Consignors expect to see a continuation of familiar marketplace conditions over the next two weeks at Keeneland, with strong demand at the top and a polarization between the perceived quality offerings and those less-fancied horses.

“I am sure it will be a strong sale, but selective as every sale has been this year and for past years,” said Hill 'n' Dale Sales Agency's John Sikura. “There is plenty of money here and all of the right people. There is great pre-sale activity. They will do their scrutiny and they will land on the horses they like physically and the ones that vet to their satisfaction. Hopefully, we will have several that appeal to the elite buyers.”

Sikura continued, “I think [the polarization] is here to stay. You have a shrinking foal crop combined with a shrinking number of racetracks. So people are going to buy what they like and there probably isn't a buyer for every horse. You are rewarded on the ones that meet the scrutiny of multiple buyers and they make extra and then there are the ones that don't quite make it. There are savvy people who sometimes bid under the crazed market and then there are people who want exactly what they want and those cost more.”

Foreign buyers come to Keeneland this year while facing uncertain economic conditions in Europe and less-than-favorable exchange rates across the globe.

“Every year you are hoping you have a global market and that people from all marketplaces are here,” Sikura said. “You can't change the economic environment in various nations. That's sort of beyond your control. You just make the horses as good as you can make them and bring your best product to sale.”

Sikura added that economic conditions are less likely to impact top-end buyers.

“I think there is a lot of insulation of very wealthy people and in tough times they are still in a position to buy what they like,” he said. “Everything is cyclical to a degree. But I don't think inflation and potential economic slowdown has a lot of impact on our marketplace. A global recession would, but I don't think the vagaries of marketplaces in different countries would make that much difference because in every environment when things are tough for one sector, they are good for another. If you are in the oil and gas business, it's probably been good, but the stock market hasn't been as good, but it was good before. I think there is an ebb and a flow.”

After years in which overseas interests dominated the buying sheets, the domestic buying bench stepped up at the last two September sales to fill the void left by major buyers Godolphin and Shadwell, with partnership groups leading the way. Mike Repole and Vinnie Viola's St. Elias Stables teamed up to buy 43 yearlings at last year's September sale for a leading $16,045,000. They were followed by the SF Bloodstock/Starlight/Madaket partnership which purchased 24 head for $10,590,000. The powerhouse partnership buyers also included the BSW/Crow Colts Group which purchased 20 horses for $6,805,000.

Representatives from all three groups were out in force at the Keeneland barns ahead of Monday's first session.

“This sale has been very successful without Sheikh Mohammed the last couple of years and no Sheikh Hamdan last year,” O'Callaghan said. “The domestic buyers are very strong. I think it's given the high-end domestic buyers more confidence that they can buy these horses now. For years, I think they thought when they were bidding against the Maktoum families they had no chance. Since COVID, the domestic buyers have really stepped in and gotten in early and been great supporters of the sales. And then there are all the new buying groups–they've just been an absolute gift to the game. Whether it's the SF group or the Liz Crow group, Todd [Pletcher] last year, the way they are working it this year, they are working it very hard. All these guys are very committed–as they should be because racing is strong at the moment.”

Book 1 horses have had to deal with a perception problem in recent years with consignors seemingly happier to be a big fish in a Book 2 pond than overshadowed in Book 1. The Keeneland sales team has made a point of countering that image (Keeneland's Premier Book in Every Way).

“Keeneland has done a good job getting more people in early,” O'Callaghan said. “I think that ad they ran highlighting the success of the first 20 hips was a good ad and they need to sell that message. It's important that people can have confidence to bid on the early horses, because year after year, it's where the value is.”

The Keeneland September sale is often considered a bellwether for the marketplace as a whole and the auction comes in the midst of a series of strong yearling sales throughout the country, giving consignors the optimism that demand for horses will remain beyond the auction's opening books.

“The market has been really strong,” said Eastham. “I think it's been fair. I think horses are bringing what they are worth. We always worry about what happens when we go past these select horses but, just me as a consignor, the Iowa sale was up almost twice as much, the New Mexico sale and the Texas sale were up. I think that mid-market horse, we are going to be fine there. I think there is still going to be enthusiasm for that market.”

In an effort to create a festive atmosphere to the pavilion on sales days, Keeneland added live music, as well as passed hors d'oeuvres and cocktails a year ago. Those amenities, plus facility upgrades, will return this year.

“The success of September Sale graduates combined with the availability of quality yearlings at all price levels make the September Sale a can't-miss event for horsemen from around the world,” Lacy said. “This year, we are excited to share our latest capital improvements and facilities around the grounds–from renovated barns to the Saddling Paddock Chalet here for the Breeders' Cup World Championships–and we are continuing to elevate the September sale atmosphere with fun touches and elements that enhance the experience.”

The Keeneland September sale opens with Book 1 sessions on Monday and Tuesday beginning at 1 p.m., while Book 2 sessions on Wednesday and Thursday begin at 11 a.m. Following a dark day Friday, the auction resumes Saturday and continues through Sept. 24 with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m.

The post ‘Can’t Miss’ Keeneland September Sale Starts Monday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Grade 1 producer Magical World in foal to multiple leading sire Into Mischief topped the sale when sold for $5.2 million to Whisper Hill Farm and Three Chimneys Farm (video).

Hill 'n' Dale Sales Agency, agent, offered the 11-year-old daughter of Distorted Humor as Hip 203. Magical World has produced four winners from four to race, including multiple Grade 1 winning millionaire Guarana (Ghostzapper); Grade 2 placed stakes winner Magic Dance (More Than Ready); and current 3-year-old winner Beatbox (Pioneer of the Nile). Magical World is out of Breeders' Cup Distaff winner Pleasant Home, from the immediate family of champion Sky Beauty and Grade 1 winners Violence and Tale of Ekati. Magical World also has a yearling colt by Gun Runner and foaled a colt by Quality Road this year.

“[It was a] remarkable evening tonight,” said Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning. “We were so fortunate to have a tremendous group of horses… It was almost impossible to believe the quality of horses on the grounds.”

Record-setting Kentucky Oaks winner Shedaresthedevil topped the racing/broodmare prospects on offer, selling for $5 million to Whisper Hill Farm, Flurry Racing, and Qatar Racing from the consignment of Hunter Valley Farm, agent (video).

Offered as Hip 232, the four-year-old daughter of Daredevil ran the fastest Kentucky Oaks in history, going 9 furlongs in 1:48.28 while defeating champions Swiss Skydiver and Gamine and Grade 1 winner Speech. Shedaresthedevil's seven graded stakes victories also include this year's Grade La Troienne Stakes and G1 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes. To date, she has earned $2,331,458 under the tutelage of trainer Brad Cox and has won or placed in 15 of 17 career starts.

Eclipse champion Swiss Skydiver was the sale's top broodmare prospect, selling for $4.7 million to Katsumi Yoshida from the consignment of Runnymede Farm, agent (video).

Offered as Hip 246, the 4-year-old daughter of Daredevil won five graded stakes last year en route to champion 3-year-old filly honors, including a victory in the Preakness Stakes over Kentucky Derby winner and subsequent Horse of the Year Authentic. Swiss Skydiver captured the prestigious G1 Alabama Stakes at Saratoga last year at three and won this year's G1 Beholder Mile Stakes. She won or placed 12 of 16 career starts and earned $2,216,480 for owner Peter Callahan and trainer Kenny McPeek.

“Our friends from Japan have become a major component of this sale,” said Browning when asked about the high level of participation from Japanese buyers. “We live in a global world and we're fortunate that we have a global marketplace here.”

The sale's top weanling was Hip 107, a filly by Curlin out of Grade 1 winner Sippican Harbor, which sold for $750,000 to West Bloodstock, agent for Robert and Lawana Low from the consignment of Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent.

The chestnut filly is the second foal out of G1 Spinaway Stakes winner Sippican Harbor, from the immediate family of Group 1 winner Peter Davies. Hip 107 was bred in Kentucky by Lee Pokoik.

“We were supported by an unbelievable cross section of horses from an unbelievable cross section of consignors and owners,” added Browning. “That's what it's all about: it's the quality of horses that you have the opportunity to sell, and we were fortunate tonight to have an all-star cast of offers and support (from) a tremendous buying base from all over the world. I couldn't be any more pleased.”

Overall, 149 horses changed hands for a sale-record gross of $103,699,000, a 15.9 percent increase over the previous highwater mark, set in 2018 when 141 horses sold for $89,473,000.

The average rose 23.2 percent to $695,966 from $565,049 in 2020 and was good for second-highest average in sale history. The median was $300,000, up 50 percent from 2020 and good for third-highest median ever recorded at The November Sale. The RNA rate was 21.1 percent. Twenty-six fillies and mares sold for $1 million or more.

Results are available online.

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Out of the winning Henny Hughes mare Henny's Hurricane, the filly is a half-sister to stakes winner Amynta. She was consigned by Hill 'n' Dale Sales Agency, agent.

A total of 325 yearlings sold Wednesday for $12,929,500, for an average of $39,783 and a median of $30,000. With two sessions remaining, Keeneland has sold a total of 2,125 horses through the ring for $339,691,500, for an average of $159,855 and a median of $90,000.

Mark Glatt, agent went to $230,000 for a colt by Arrogate out of Grade 2-placed Wicked Lick, by Maclean's Music to be the day's second highest price. Woods Edge Farm, agent, consigned the colt, who is from the family of Grade 2 winners Noble Moon and Silver Music.

Jerry Crawford for Donegal Racing purchased a colt by Noble Mission (GB) for $155,000. Out of the winning Smart Strike mare Clever Run, he is from the family of Grade 2 winner Chamrousse. Lane's End, agent, consigned the colt.

John Oxley paid $150,000 for a colt by Cross Traffic from the family of Kentucky Oaks winner Summerly. Consigned by Mulholland Farm, agent, he is out of the Super Saver mare Summer Place.

With five purchases for $382,000, Oxley was the session's leading buyer.

A filly by Violence from the family of multiple Grade 1 winner Emollient sold for $140,000 to Gerry O'Meara, agent for Frank Bertolino. Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent, consigned the filly, the first foal of the Malibu Moon mare Turning Tide.

Two yearlings sold for $135,000 apiece.

Clear Ridge Stables purchased a colt by Maclean's Music from the family of Grade 1 winner Sweet Talker. Consigned by Hill 'n' Dale Sales Agency, agent, he is out of winner Keep the Magic, by Malibu Moon.

Little Hound went to $135,000 to acquire a colt by Malibu Moon from the family of champion Queena. Out of the Empire Maker mare Lost Empire, he was consigned by Denali Stud, agent. His family also includes Grade 2 winner Chief Havoc and Grade 3 winner La Reina.

Leading consignor Taylor Made Sales Agency sold 29 horses for $1,279,000.

The September Sale continues tomorrow and runs through Friday. All sessions begin at 10 a.m. ET.

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The top-priced colt at the sale was a son of Silent Name (Jpn) out of stakes-placed Sweet Bama Breeze (City Zip) (hip 94). The bay is a half-brother to stakes winner Will She (Wando). He was consigned by Hill 'n' Dale Sales Agency and was purchased for $160,000 by Stuart Simon, as agent for William and Anne Scott.

A total of 158 yearlings sold Wednesday for a gross of $3,144,400. The average was $19,901 and the median was $10,000. At last year's auction, 142 horses sold for $2,795,300 for an average of $19,685 and a median of $14,500.

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Wednesday's auction saw 158 horses change hands for revenues of $3,144,400 (Canadian), up 12 percent from last year's sale, when 142 horses brought $2,795,300. The average sale price rose one percent to $19,901 from $19,685, while the median dipped 31 percent to $10,000 after finishing at $14,500 in 2020.

The ticket read “J. Nelson” on the buyer line for the sale-topper, Hip 75, a Practical Joke filly who hammered for $180,000.

The bay filly is the second foal out of the multiple stakes-winning Silent Name mare Silent Treat, hailing from the family of Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint winner Wavell Avenue.

Bred in Ontario by Stablemates, the filly was consigned by Shannondoe Farm.

The auction's most expensive colt was a son of Silent Name who sold to William and Anne Scott for $160,000.

Offered as Hip 94, the bay colt is out of the stakes-placed City Zip mare Sweet Bama Breeze, whose five foals to race are all winners, including stakes winner Will She, and stakes-placed Sweet Grass Creek and Sweet Crimson. Graded stakes-placed runners Bushetta Buck and Railroad are in the Ontario-bred's extended family.

Hill 'n' Dale Sales Agency consigned the colt, as agent.

To view the auction's full results, click here.

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SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – Following a bidless 2020, the sizzle was back at the Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion with a vibrant concluding session of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Selected Yearlings Sale Tuesday in upstate New York. The session was punctuated by three seven-figure transactions, led by a colt by Into Mischief who sold for $2.6 million to Coolmore's M.V. Magnier.

“Whatever adjectives you want to use to describe it: fantastic, vibrant, energetic, dramatic,” Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning said Tuesday night. “You've heard me say it before and I will say it again. It begins with the quality of horses that were on the sales grounds. We were lucky to have an exceptional group of horses on the grounds this week. You could feel the buzz on the sale grounds. We had a few more breakout horses today just purely by the alphabet. All in all, it was a near-record sale. To accomplish that coming off a disruption in 2020 was remarkable.”

Through two sessions, Fasig-Tipton sold 135 horses for a total of $55,155,000. The average was $408,556 and the median was $350,000. Records of $411,459 (average) and $350,000 (median), respectively, were set in 2019. With 45 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate was 25%.

“We were fortunate to have a very, very strong catalogue,” Browning said. “I could hardly be happier right now. It wasn't the sale of the century, but it was awfully close to the sale of century. It lays the foundation for us to begin to work for the next century of great horse sales in Saratoga. I promise you we will do our part to make sure that happens.”

The $2.6-million sale topper–super sire Into Mischief's highest-priced yearling ever–was consigned by Gainesway on behalf of his breeder Don Alberto Corporation. He was one of four lots to reach seven figures. That matches the number of million-dollar yearlings sold at the 2019 sale.

A colt from the first crop of Bolt d'Oro sold to Larry Best's OXO Equine for $1.4 million early in Tuesday's session and was followed some thirty hips later by a $1-million son of Quality Road purchased by Kindred Stables. Lane's End's Quality Road had five of the top 16 offerings Tuesday, while his first-crop stallion son City of Light occupied another two spots at that level.

The domestic buying bench continued to be deep at the boutique auction, with the top 15 lots purchased by 12 individual buyers.

While top lots were in high demand, consignors did see some weakening at the lower levels of the market.

“The right horse brings triple and the others are tough,” Hill 'n' Dale Sale Agency's John Sikura said. “I assume everyone is having the same experience. You have to have enough good individuals to make up for the others.”

Gainesway consigned two of Tuesday's top four yearlings and the operation's Brian Graves said he saw a noticeable uptick in activity during the auction's second session.

“It was a little spotty in here on the first night and you do get to wondering as a consignor sometimes if things are going to be fair or if you're just going to be in a buyer's market,” Graves said. “I was wondering that the first night, but when the quality came here tonight, they seemed to open up. I think there were better horses today and I think the market really opened up this evening.”

Bloodstock agent David Ingordo was busy buying at the auction and said he found plenty of activity throughout the market.

“It can be spotty if you don't have the right horse,” Ingordo said. “But if you do, you better get tied on. The middle market is still good. There are people buying horses, a buddy of mine, Tom McCrocklin, is buying horses in that middle-price range. I see him buying them in the $100,000 to $250,000 range and we bought a few, what I call value for here, and you just have to get lucky. But if the horse is nice, forget about it, they are throwing the reins at it.”

The 100th Saratoga sale also made history when the first-ever cryptocurrency purchase of a Thoroughbred at public auction. After Spendthrift Farm's Eric Gustavson made the historic purchase, he told Fasig-Tipton's Acacia Courtney, “It was really exciting. Hopefully, this will continue to happen. It will be like a snowball effect and other sales companies may be open to it.”

Another Sale Topper for Coolmore

The Coolmore team was relatively quiet during Monday's first session of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale, but the Irish operation jumped in with both feet Tuesday, securing a colt by Into Mischief (hip 168) for a sale-topping $2.6 million. The yearling was consigned by Antony Beck's Gainesway on behalf of his breeder, Don Alberto Corporation.

“He was a very nice horse. He is one that we've been talking about for the last couple of days,” Coolmore's M.V. Magnier said. “He was a very nice horse and he's by a very good sire out of a very good race mare. The way Practical Joke is going at the moment, it looks like Into Mischief is a sire of sires. He's a very nice horse and let's hope he's as good as Practical Joke.”

Magnier, flanked by members of the Coolmore team, did his bidding while standing at the back row of seats in the pavilion. The group stopped several times to discuss the progression of the bidding while battling with a determined bidder out back.

Asked what the conversation in the scrum sounded like, Magnier said with a laugh, “We just wanted to know what was going on.”

Magnier signed the ticket on four yearlings during the two-day Saratoga sale. He purchased a colt by Curlin (hip 166) for $500,000; a Practical Joke colt (hip 152) for $425,000; and an American Pharoah colt (hip 47) for $300,000.

Tuesday's sale-topping purchase was the second time this year Coolmore had purchased a $2.6-million colt from a Fasig-Tipton auction. The operation made that top bid at the Gulfstream sale in March to acquire a 2-year-old colt by Nyquist.

Hip 168 is out of 2016 GI Test S. winner Paola Queen (Flatter).  The Heller-Solari family's Don Alberto purchased the mare for $1.7 million at the 2017 Keeneland November sale.

“It is a tremendous opportunity for the mare and a tremendous success for Don Alberto,” the operation's executive director Chance Timm said of Tuesday's result. “Carlos Heller and the whole family have been so dedicated to this. It is very exciting. The commitment this family has made to the industry, with the investment in land and investment in mares, this is what we hope to achieve.”

Of the yearling's final price, Timm said, “It is hard to expect anything in that kind of range, but with the kind of interest we had, we knew he would sell well. He is a very rare type of horse. With that sire and that mare, those kind are very rare.”

Paola Queen produced a filly by Into Mischief this year and she was bred back to Tapit. Buyers can expect to see more of the 8-year-old mare's in the sales ring in the coming years.

“For the most part, everything goes to the market,” Timm said. “Mr. Heller is interested in partnerships every once in a while.”

Gainesway's Brian Graves said he was always high on the sale-topping yearling.

“We are just grateful for Don Alberto to send us such a nice horse,” Graves said. “He was a physical standout when we saw him on the farm. He was a horse that you got down on your hands and knees and said please let it be me and we were just lucky that they let us lead him around here.”

Graves continued, “He has a beautiful neck and shoulder, it ties in just beautifully, and a big square ass and just a walk that you see 2% of the horses you sell in a year walk that way and that will continue to walk like that. They walk that way on the last walk, the same as they did on the first walk. He was cool and calm the whole sale. And when horses do that and you are out of a Grade I winner and you're by the world's best stallion, you're supposed to have a chance to top the sale.”

Of the underbidder out back, Graves said, “I believe Fabricio Buffolo was the underbidder.” Buffolo, Don Alberto's former executive director, was reportedly bidding on behalf of Ben Leon's Besilu Stable. —@JessMartiniTDN

Half to Rachel Alexandra 'Bolts' Clear Early

A half-brother to Hall of Famer Rachel Alexandra (Medaglia d'Oro) gave his first-crop sire Bolt d'Oro a major boost Tuesday when becoming the first yearling to reach the seven-figure mark during an electric second session. After a fast and furious round of bidding, hip 132 hammered for $1.4 million to Larry Best, who did his bidding quietly near the main entrance to the pavilion. John Sikura, whose Hill 'n' Dale Sales consigned the colt on behalf of breeder Dr. Dede McGehee's Heaven Trees Farm, was first on hand to congratulate the Oxo Equine principal.

“This is a special horse and a special opportunity,” said Best, who sold hip 114, a Quality Road colt, for $800,000 earlier in the evening and struck late for a $725,000 City of Light half-brother to his MGSW 'TDN Rising Star' Travel Column (Frosted) (hip 209). “Obviously there are no guarantees. The horse is just beautiful. Then you look at the page and it has Rachel Alexandra on it, which helps. It is 90% physical. However, I love Medaglia d'Oros and Bolt d'Oro is close. He is clearly the standout of the sale. Some people may pay more for a horse and they already have. He didn't vet totally clean, so I can't send him to Eddie Woods tomorrow. It will take three or four months, but he is worth the bet.”

Hip 132's dam Lotta Kim (Roar) was a stakes winner and GSP for owner/breeder Dolphus Morrison and was retired to McGehee's Heaven Trees Farm for her broodmare career. She sustained a life-threatening injury in a racetrack accident which made the foaling process and the recovery difficult, but was carefully managed by McGehee, who is a veterinarian and longtime friend to the late Morrison. Her first foal was two-time Eclipse winner Rachel Alexandra, who romped in the GI Kentucky Oaks for Morrison before being sold privately to Stonestreet Stables and Harold McCormick. She of course went on to win four more Grade Is, including the GI Preakness S., and produced a Grade I winner of her own in Rachel's Valentina (Bernardini). Rachel Alexandra's first foal was 'TDN Rising Star' and young sire Jess's Dream and she has since been retired from the breeding shed due to a post-foaling medical scare in 2013.

Morrison dispersed his breeding stock in 2012, except for Lotta Kim, who was transferred to McGehee's ownership. Stonestreet purchased Lotta Kim's daughter Samantha Nicole (Medaglia d'Oro) for $700,000 at that dispersal.

Lotta Kim's first foal for McGehee was the sentimentally named Dolphus (Lookin at Lucky), who was Grade III-placed. Her next foal Fayeq (Malibu Moon) summoned $800,000 from Shadwell Stable at Keeneland September and he was followed by SP Wooderson (Awesome Again), who was a $400,000 KEESEP buy for Let's Go Stable. Her 2017 colt Airstream (Tapit) RNA'd for $375,000 at that auction and McGehee retained her 3-year-old filly Gladys (Medaglia d'Oro), who has won one of four starts for trainer Kelsey Danner. Lotta Kim did not have a foal in 2019, making hip 132 her first foal to be offered at auction in three years and first to sell at Saratoga, where Rachel Alexandra famously beat older males as a sophomore filly in the 2009 GI Woodward S.. The 20-year-old Lotta Kim had a Bernardini filly this spring named Brilliance.

“I was not expecting it,” said an emotional overwhelmed McGehee after thanking Best. “You always hope for great things. He looked good and they did a great job prepping him. He is probably the best thing that I have ever owned. Thank you to Dolphus Morrison.”

This was the first time Hill 'n' Dale prepped and sold a horse for McGehee's operation.

“This is a beautiful classy, long, smooth gorgeous animal,” said SIkura. “This colt was high class and very popular. We had high expectations and you can say he exceeded them, but I thought he would hit $1 million. Anything after that you can't expect. Larry Best puts a lot of money in the game and I hope he bought a champion. Dede is a lovely lady and this is the first horse we sold for her. He presented like a champion and never turned a hair all week.”

Hip 132 is the first seven-figure offspring for first-crop sire Bolt d'Oro, who brought $630,000 at the 2016 renewal of this auction and went on to win a pair of Grade I events as a juvenile. His introductory fee was $25,000 and he was one of many stallions to have his fee reduced due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, going to $15,000. Bolt d'Oro's offspring proved quite popular at Saratoga with 10 yearlings selling for $4.07 million at an average of $267,500. —@CDeBernardisTDN

Quality Filly Marks Sentimental Sale for Ryan

It's always a wonderful moment for a breeder when one of their homebreds reaches the $1-million mark, but it was extra special and a bit bittersweet for Mike Ryan Tuesday as his longtime partner and friend, the late Gerry Dilger, was not there to share in their success. Bred under Dilger and Ryan's Santa Rosa Partners banner, hip 160, a daughter of the operation's blue hen Above Perfection (In Excess {Ire}), summoned a cool million from Jeff Drown's Kindred Stables. Drown did his bidding over the phone with Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning and after the sale Ryan announced he would stay in for 50% of the filly.

“I stayed in for my half and Jeff bought out the other half. He is a great friend of mine,” Ryan said. “This is a family I'd find it very hard to replace. These kind are collector's items. You don't find them very often. This was a great price for the Dilger family. Gerry's widow, Erin, is very happy. I had great confidence in the filly and I told Jeff I'd stay in if he wanted to partner.”

The bloodstock agent added, “There is very little downside to this filly. The page speaks for itself. She will always have residual value and if she happens to win a stake her value multiplies.”

Ryan and Dilger acquired GSW Above Perfection for $450,000 in foal to Dixie Union at the 2006 FTKNOV sale. She had already produced three foals, none of which had any black-type. The foal she was carrying at the time of her purchase turned out to be Grade I winner Hot Dixie Chick, herself a $340,000 graduate of this sale. Her 2009 foal Abhaath (Hard Spun) was a $400,000 KEESEP yearling and her 2012 Tapit colt Chubasco brought $725,000 at that auction.

In 2014, Above Perfection produced a colt from the first crop of Bodemeister, who sold to Steve Young for $350,000 at Keeneland September. That colt was Always Dreaming who captured the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Florida Derby under the care of Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher.

He was followed by $485,000 KEESEP buy Safwah (Medaglia d'Oro) in 2015 and Above Perfection's 2016 foal was a filly named Positive Spirit (Pioneerof the Nile), who won a Grade II for Dilger and Ryan before selling to Spendthrift for $1.5 million at FTKNOV.

“This is a mare that did so much for the Dilger family and the Ryan family,” Ryan said. “She hadn't produced any stakes winners when we bought her, but she just threw one after another for us. It is a very bittersweet moment because he is not here to celebrate it, enjoy it and see the fruits of his labor. He was the one hands on and I was on the road, so to speak. He did it all. He was a great friend and a terrific guy and partner.”

Above Perfection's recent produce includes an unraced juvenile filly named Beyond Perfection (Curlin) and a 2021 colt by Justify. Sadly, she had to be euthanized shortly after producing that foal.

“We lost the mare this year,” Ryan said. “She had her last foal by Justify and she foundered a few weeks after foaling. She had never been sick a day in her life. She was a 23-year-old mare and she looked like she was 17. But, she foundered after foaling very quickly and we ended up putting her to sleep. We were going to pension her and let her live out her days, but we didn't get to do that.”

Ryan said of all the foals he and Dilger have bred out of Above Perfection, hip 160 reminds him of Hot Dixie Chick the most. Purchased by Barbara Banke's Grace Stables for $435,000 at the FTKFEB juvenile sale, she captured the GI Spinaway S. and GIII Schuylerville S. at the Spa and has produced GSW Pauline's Pearl (Tapit) and MSW Union Jackson (Curlin).

“She actually reminds me of Hot Dixie Chick, a medium-sized, strong, quality filly,” Ryan said. “She has a great mind and Hot Dixie Chick was the same way. When Hot Dixie Chick was training, you'd think she had a temperature, but that was just her demeanor, a very low-tempered filly. This filly is the same way. She takes everything in stride. She reminds me of Hot Dixie Chick and the mare more than Quality Road.”

Hip 160 was consigned by Shack Parrish's Indian Creek. —@CDeBernardisTDN

Best Sells, Too

Larry Best, who has frequently made headlines as a buyer over the last several years, is now two-for-two as a seller after a colt by Quality Road (hip 114) bred by Best's OXO Equine went for $800,000 to the online bid of WinStar Farm's Maverick Racing Tuesday evening in Saratoga. The bay colt is out of stakes winner Hung the Moon (Malibu Moon) and is a half-brother to Grade I-placed Brill (Medaglia d'Oro), who was purchased by Best for $1 million at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton July sale and is another mare in his broodmare band.

“It's my second in my homebred I've sold and to be honest with you, I didn't want to sell him,” Best said. “But when you are breeding and you're racing and you have the broodmare population, you have to support it. You can't just keep every horse. This was a beautiful colt. At $750,000, I was taking him home. But when it got to $800,000, I thought whoever owns him, I hope, will have Grade I wins and it will help my mare and Brill, who is also a mare of mine. And it will help fund the whole breeding operation.”

Best's first homebred to go through the sales ring, a colt by Candy Ride (Arg) out of Beyond Grace (Uncle Mo) (hip 111), sold for $350,000 to James Bernhard at last month's Fasig-Tipton July sale.

“I am two-for-two now,” Best said. “This is the only one I am selling today, but I have three or four at Keeneland and two with Fasig. But whoever bought this horse bought an outstanding specimen.”

It didn't take Best long to reinvest his profits, purchasing a colt by Bolt d'Oro half-brother to champion Rachel Alexandra for $1.4 million. —@JessMartiniTDN

Tapit Filly Heads West

A filly by Tapit (hip 139) will head out west to join the California-based stable of trainer John Shirreffs after selling for $800,000 to the bid of bloodstock agent David Ingordo Tuesday in Saratoga. The gray yearling was bred and consigned by Antony Beck's Gainesway, which campaigned her dam Madame Stripes (Arg) (Equal Stripes) to win the 2018 GIII Megahertz S. and a third-place effort in the GI Gamely S. Group 1 placed in her native Argentina, the 9-year-old mare hit the board in six additional graded stakes in California in 2017 and 2018.

“She is a good Tapit and we have been really lucky buying homebreds from Gainesway,” Ingordo said. “She came up here and looked awesome and she had the pedigree. She's going to end up in California and John Shirreffs will train her. The mother ran out there and I liked that. And I noticed Tapit has done well with South American mares. I think [GI Belmont S. winner] Creator was out of a similar pedigree.”

Madame Stripes has a weanling filly by Tapit and was bred back to that Gainesway stalwart.

“She was bred and raised at Gainesway out of a mare that Antony raced in partnership,” Gainesway's Brian Graves said. “We were thrilled with the result. I hear David Ingordo got her and is taking her out to California which is fitting because that was where her mother was successful. We wish them a lot of luck.” —@JessMartiniTDN

Quality Road Colt Gets Session Off to a Fast Start

The first hip through the ring during Tuesday's second session of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale was a good indicator of what was to come. Hip 111, a Quality Road colt out of GISW Harmonize (Scat Daddy), got things off and running in a big way, selling for $700,000 to West Point Thoroughbreds and Woodford Racing. He was consigned by Brookdale Sales.

“You are always a little nervous bidding on the first horse in the ring,” said West Point racing manager Erin Birkenhauer. “It is kind of a bad post position for the consignor, but you'd think it was a good post position for the buyer. When they have that much quality, it doesn't matter. People noticed he was super athletic. He was pretty much a carbon copy of Quality Road and we loved the Scat Daddy mare. She was a very good racehorse. This colt was a handy-looking horse. You wouldn't be surprised if he was a precocious 2-year-old.”

“We knew he was a top-end colt,” said Birkenhauer. “This was a one-horse consignment, so they aren't going to bring a horse up here that isn't going to create some fireworks. We expected we would have to be pretty strong, which is why we banded together with Bill Farish and his group [Woodford Racing] to get it done.”

Larkin Armstrong purchased Harmonize for $80,000 as a KEESEP yearling and she captured the GI Del Mar Oaks, as well as a pair of Grade IIIs, including Saratoga's Glens Falls S. Armostrong retained her first foal, the now 2-year-old Vocalize (More Than Ready), who is in training with J.J. Pletcher in Ocala.

“I thought this colt would be a good prospect for the sales, so I was very excited,” said Armstrong. “A lot of good agents and trainers were on him, so that was really cool.” —@CDeBernardisTDN

Rajput Makes Most of Spa Trip

Indian businessman Kuldeep Singh Rajput made the most of his first trip to Saratoga, with his fledgling Gandharvi Racing operation teaming up with China Horse Club to acquire three yearlings during the two-day boutique auction. The two operations partnered to purchase a filly by Practical Joke (hip 67) for $420,000, a colt by Street Sense (hip 206) for $350,000 and a colt by Good Magic (hip 18) for $325,000.

“While I was growing up back in India, I was really fascinated by horses, their elegance, speed and power,” Rajput said of his early interest in racing. “My great, great grandparents used to breed in India, but after that nobody took it forward. I always had a dream and a goal that one day I would own racehorses and get into the racing and the breeding scene.”

His dreams of a racing stable were put on hold as Rajput built up his digital health company Biofourmis which is focused on developing software-based therapeutics to provide better outcomes for patients, smarter engagement and tracking tools for clinicians, and cost-effective solutions for payers.

“The timing wasn't right, I was building my company, but at some point last year, I had an opportunity to buy a horse in Singapore,” Rajput said. “I bought it and since then I have built relationships and kept expanding, in Australia, in the U.K. and here in the U.S.”

“I have 24 horses, most of them are in pre-training and most of them are yearlings. In the U.S., we have a couple with Todd Pletcher. And in the U.K. we bought one 2-year-old, a Kingman (GB) colt, with China Horse Club. He is going to hopefully race this week.”

That Kingman colt, the €580,000 Arqana May Breeze-Up purchase Kingdom Come (Ire), is expected to be Rajput's first-ever starter when he goes to the post Friday at Newbury.

Rajput's partnership with China Horse Club came about after he purchased a yearling by the group's Group 1 winner Russian Revolution (Aus) (Snitzel {Aus}).

“I ended up buying a yearling in Australia by Russian Revolution and I bought the yearling for Singapore,” Rajput said. “That was the first Russian Revolution in Singapore and Teo [Ah Khing] reached out and congratulated me and he was excited. We started talking and we have built a good relationship and I think we have the same goals.”

Rajput expects his racing empire to eventually encompass breeding.

“We will probably start with the racing and hopefully get some fillies,” he said. “And hopefully have broodmares and breed our own. As you know, it all takes time, but I think we have the right partners.”

The 29-year-old Rajput, based in Boston and Singapore, was making not only his first trip to Saratoga, but also his first foray at an in-person auction.

“It's been fun. It's my first sale in person,” he said. “Most of the sales earlier this year were online. So far, in Australia and other places, I primarily deal with trainers. And trainers, of course, work with some agents. But I try to build good relationship with the trainers. We have Ciaron Maher and Chris Waller in Australia, Todd [Pletcher] here. So far we have done it that way.” —@JessMartiniTDN

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Seeing a name like Rachel Alexandra's high up on the page can have just that anchor-throwing effect.

Tuesday's session of the elite Saratoga sale will feature a half-brother to the 2009 Horse of the Year, from the first crop of Spendthrift Farm's Bolt d'Oro. They share plenty of similar blood, with Bolt d'Oro being the son of Rachel Alexandra's sire, Medaglia d'Oro.

The Bolt d'Oro colt is the ninth foal out of the Grade 2-placed stakes-winning Roar mare Lotta Kim, who gained notoriety with her first foal when Rachel Alexandra rocketed to the top of her class, with wins against male competition in the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes, Haskell Stakes, and Woodward Stakes, en route to Horse of the Year honors.

In the years that followed, breeder Dede McGehee's Heaven Trees Farm has typically offered the colts out of Lotta Kim at auction, meaning the opportunities to buy into the family have been few and far between. The colt to be offered on Tuesday will be just the fourth to go through the ring during the yearling season, three of which have hammered for $400,000 or more.

“It's hard to find a fault on him,” Heaven Trees manager Adolfo Martinez said about the Bolt d'Oro colt. “This kid's been perfect from day one. He's played the part the whole way. He's not had any trouble, he's very easygoing, good head, good mind, great body.”

Besides Rachel Alexandra, Lotta Kim's best runners have tended to be her colts. Dolphus, by Lookin at Lucky, finished second in the Grade 3 Pimlico Special, and he now stands at Darby Dan Fam in Kentucky. The Awesome Again colt Wooderson finished second in the Alydar Stakes at Saratoga, and he entered stud in Arkansas.

The Heaven Trees operation has obviously had outstanding fortune crossing Lotta Kim with the Medaglia d'Oro line, and Martinez said McGehee didn't want to stray too far from that line. The added size Bolt d'Oro brought to the table, along with a lower stud fee than top commercial sire Medaglia d'Oro, led McGehee to send the mare to the rookie stallion.

“We went to look at the stallion at Spendthrift, and he's a very good-looking horse,” Martinez said. “[McGehee] liked his race record. She was also not looking to go super expensive. The Medaglia d'Oro she had before was a little on the smaller side. Of course, the mare's 20 now, so she was a little cautious about her maybe giving you an 'old mare' foal, just a smaller foal.”

Lotta Kim delivered a Bernardini filly on March 21, and she was bred to Curlin later in the season. However, the 21-day checkup revealed she had lost the foal, and McGehee elected to give the mare the season off, instead of trying her again. Martinez said a decision hadn't been made for a 2022 mating, but given the mare's age, they would give her a thorough evaluation before deciding whether to send her back to the breeding shed or pension her.

Hill 'n' Dale Sales Agency consigns the colt at the Saratoga sale, marking the first time the operation has worked with Heaven Trees at the auction.

Martinez said Heaven Trees normally preps its yearlings in-house, but the labor shortage that has handcuffed many businesses across the country hit the Lexington, Ky., farm, as well. Heaven Trees will also work with Hill 'n' Dale at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, but Martinez said he expected the farm's slate of offerings for the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale will be prepared by the Heaven Trees staff.

Hill 'n' Dale has handled plenty of horses with household names in their pedigrees, but general manager Jared Burdine said he knew what he had with this colt.

“He's a gorgeous horse that's got a stallion's pedigree,” Burdine said. “He glides across the ground. He's a big, long scopey-looking horse, definitely that classy Saturday afternoon type.”

Martinez said he wouldn't be able to make it to Saratoga to watch the colt sell, but he was excited at the thought of which buyers might try to chase the horse, and what the future might hold from there.

After all, he's got some awfully big shoes to fill.

“I hope he satisfies his new connections as well as he's satisfied ours,” Martinez said. “We love him. He's a special horse, and it'd be great to follow him around. I hope he gets in the right hands, and may luck be on his side, and the connections' side, too. May it be a long, fun ride for whoever gets him. That's all I ask.”

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Consigned by Hill 'n' Dale Sales Agency, agent, as a racing prospect, Best Time has been twice third in three career races this year. He hails from a family that includes Kentucky Broodmare of the Year and Grade 1 winner Take Charge Lady, champion Will Take Charge and Grade 1 winners Omaha Beach and Take Charge Indy.

Poindexter Thoroughbreds paid the day's second-highest price of $27,500 for Brina, a 3-year-old filly by Frosted out of the stakes-placed Street Sense mare Humble Street. She was consigned as a racing prospect by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent.

The one-day mixed July Digital Sale grossed $70,000 for four horses. Summary results are available by clicking here.

The post Regally Bred Best Time Brings $29,500 To Top Keeneland July Digital Sale appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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At the auction, held Jan. 11-14, a total of 963 horses sold for $45,522,100, for an average of $47,271 and a median of $15,000.

The 2020 January Sale, which covered five sessions, had 1,050 horses sell for $40,453,300, for an average of $38,527 and a median of $13,000.

The Pompa Dispersal recorded sales of $6,790,200, and the Sam-Son Dispersal had sales of $6,733,000. The two dispersals generated the auction's 11 highest prices.

During Tuesday's second session of Book 1, the Sam-Son and Pompa offerings produced two horses each sold for the sale-topping price of $925,000. Gainesway Farm paid the amount for Danceforthecause, a daughter of Giant's Causeway in foal to Twirling Candy, from Sam-Son. Peter Brant's White Birch Farm went to $925,000 for the Animal Kingdom mare Regal Glory, a multiple graded stakes winner for Pompa, via phone bidding with a Keeneland representative.

“The continued stability of the market is a testament to the hard work of all our sales participants, who have adjusted their operations and their expectations to meet the challenges of this unprecedented time,” Keeneland president, CEO and interim head of sales Shannon Arvin said. “The Sam-Son and Pompa dispersals are the legacies of two wonderful operations, and they infused a lot of positive energy into the January Sale. Dispersals are always bittersweet, but we are honored that their families and connections entrusted Keeneland to present these dispersals and showcase their excellence.”

As it did for the 2020 September Yearling and November Breeding Stock Sales, Keeneland held the January Sale with extensive COVID-19 protocols for the health and safety of participants. Consignors were able to post videos and photographs of their horses on Keeneland.com to assist remote buyers in evaluating the catalog offerings. Buyers in attendance could bid from the outdoor Show Barn just behind the Sales Pavilion to permit greater social distancing, while others who did not attend could participate in the bidding by internet or phone.

Via the internet, buyers purchased 109 horses for gross sales of $3,106,900.

“This is our third sale during this uncommon time, and we thank our consignors, buyers and agents for their perseverance and for adapting to the changes we have had to make,” Keeneland director of sales operations Geoffrey Russell said. “As a result, the January Sale was able to provide a steady marketplace. Foals sold well, as did quality broodmares. As we've seen for quite some time, there is a competitive market for a nice horse.”

Keeneland director of sales development Mark Maronde echoed those sentiments.

“The pandemic has been difficult, but trade didn't stop,” Maronde said. “Buyers who were not able to attend found ways to participate. We now look forward to welcoming everyone back to Keeneland, hopefully soon, under more normal circumstances.”

On Day 2 of the sale, the Sam-Son Dispersal offered members of coveted female families nurtured for generations by the multiple award-winning breeding and racing operation founded in 1972 by the late Ernie Samuel. Six horses sold for $400,000 or more. Joining Danceforthecause in that group were Deceptive Vision (sold to Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa for $900,000), Southern Ring (purchased by Phil Schoenthal, agent for Determined Stud for $875,000), Mythical Mission (Shimokobe Farm/Polo Green Stable, agent, $575,000), Fun in the Desert (Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa, $530,000) and Theatric (Greg and Caroline Bentley, $400,000).

To help promote the dispersal, Sam-Son conducted a broodmare parade three days before the horses sold. Keeneland director of auctioneers Ryan Mahan and announcer Kurt Becker hosted the event, which Keeneland produced and livestreamed on its website.

“Keeneland was very good to us and the (Samuel) family was grateful for the show that was put on,” Sam-Son Farm manager Dave Whitford said. “Our courtyard (barn area) was wonderful; we could not have asked for better. We were very well received with people looking at our mares. We got a lot of compliments and were very pleased. The people who bought our mares also were very pleased.”

Whitford said the January Sale was a fitting showcase for the mares.

“We talked about waiting until November 2021, but of course we would have to foal all the mares and get them back in foal,” he said. “That would have delayed the process. We were confident we would stand out in January. We were very pleased.”

Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa's two purchases from Sam-Son are half-sisters out of Canadian champion Eye of the Sphynx, by Smart Strike. Deceptive Vision is an 11-year-old daughter of A.P. Indy in foal to War Front who is a full sister to Canadian champion Eye of the Leopard and stakes winners Hotep and Desert Isle. Fun in the Desert, a 10-year-old daughter of Distorted Humor, is the dam of Canadian champion Desert Ride. In foal to Candy Ride (ARG), she is carrying a full sibling to Desert Ride.

During the second session, Schoenthal, agent for Determined, purchased three members of the Sam-Son and Pompa Dispersals among the five horses they acquired through the ring for $2.12 million to be the sale's leading buyer. Their most expensive acquisition, the aforementioned Southern Ring, is a Grade 3-winning daughter of Speightstown in foal to Into Mischief. She is out of stakes winner Seeking the Ring, by Seeking the Gold, and from the family of Canadian champion Catch the Ring.

Into Mischief was the sale's leading covering sire by average (with three or more sold) with three in-foal mares averaging $531,667.

Held during the second and fourth sessions of the sale, the Pompa Dispersal included six horses that brought $500,000 or more.

“Mr. Pompa's program has been meticulously managed and it shows,” Lane's End sales director Allaire Ryan said. “It is nice to see the top agents and buyers giving these horses the respect they deserve. Mr. Pompa would be pleased.”

Among the highest-priced Pompa horses was stakes winner Beautiful Lover, a 5-year-old daughter of Arch sold to Moyglare Stud Farm for $650,000. A half-sister to Grade 2 winner Zivo, Beautiful Lover is scheduled to return to racing.

Schoenthal, agent for Determined, purchased two horses from the Pompa Dispersal. They paid $570,000 for Off Topic, a 5-year-old Grade 1-placed daughter of Street Sense consigned as a racing or broodmare prospect. She is from the family of Grade 1 winners Miner's Mark, Traditionally and My Flag.

They also spent $320,000 for Sustained, an 11-year-old, graded stakes-placed daughter of War Front in foal to Connect. Out of Sweetstorm Amy, by Lemon Drop Kid, Sustained is the dam of Grade 3 winner Turned Aside, who won the Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship (L) in November and sold to West Point and DJ Stable, L. E. B., agent, for $725,000 during the final session.

Selling to BBA Ireland for $500,000 from the Pompa Dispersal was Regal Glory's dam, Mary's Follies, a 15-year-old daughter of More Than Ready. She also is the dam of Grade 3 winner Night Prowler and Japan Group 3 winner Café Pharoah.

Horses of racing age from the Pompa Dispersal highlighted the final day of the January Sale. The session topper at $875,000 was Carillo, a 3-year-old colt by Union Rags who won his career debut Jan. 8 at Aqueduct and was purchased by Lauren Carlisle, agent. She said the colt would resume his career with trainer Tom Amoss.

“He's an exciting 3-year-old colt and hopefully he improves off (his first) effort and we will try to go longer with him,” Carlisle said. “We didn't want to spend that much but if you're in the market for a 3-year-old colt before (the Kentucky Derby) you're going to have to spend. We're happy to get him.”

Other top sellers from the Pompa Dispersal on the final day were the aforementioned Turned Aside ($725,000), Untreated (sold to Steven W. Young, agent, for $300,000), debut winner Spirit Maker (David Ingordo, $200,000), winner Perceived (DJ Stable, $140,000) and Grade 3 winner Country Grammer (WinStar Farm, $110,000).

West Point's Terry Finley said Turned Aside would be sent to trainer Mark Casse in Ocala, Florida.

“It is very rare to find a horse like this (to buy),” Finley said. “(Turned Aside's former trainer) Linda Rice did a great job with him. I got to know Paul about 10 years ago. He was a kind and classy guy, and you never heard a cross word about Paul Pompa. I hope we can carry on his legacy. He built a beautiful program. They won and they did it in style. I was a huge fan. We in the industry are heartbroken and sad that we don't have Paul around anymore. We will do our best to sustain his legacy.”

Held on the first and third days of the auction, the Spry Dispersal resulted in total sales of $1,405,900, led by Sand Hill Stables' purchase of the Maclean's Music yearling colt Mac's Prize on opening day for $200,000. He is out of the Tapit mare Heavenly Tap, a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Instilled Regard and from the family of champion Heavenly Prize and Grade 1 winners Oh What a Windfall, Good Reward and Persistently.

Acquiring seven horses for $1,654,000, Larry Best's OXO Equine was second among buyers at the January Sale by expenditures. Best purchased the three highest-priced yearlings: a colt by Munnings, who topped the opening session at $475,000, along with a $400,000 filly from the first crop of City of Light and a $320,000 filly by Speightstown.

Hunter Valley Farm, agent, consigned the son of Munnings. Lane's End, agent, sold the filly by City of Light, and Buck Pond Farm, agent, consigned the daughter of Speightstown.

City of Light was the sale's leading sire of yearlings with eight horses selling for $1,225,500.

On Thursday's final session, 255 horses sold for $5,729,000, for an average of $22,467 and a median of $7,000.

Lane's End, agent, was the January Sale's leading consignor, selling 78 horses for $8,741,200.

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