Bred by Elizabeth Merryman and raised on her farm in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, Caravel is heading to the breeding shed after she RNA'd for $2.4 million at the Keeneland November Sale.

“The ownership group has very much kept me in the loop and it's been a lot of fun enjoying her successes,” said Merryman, speaking to Cavalieri. “I'm so glad that she's at Hunter Valley because I know the way she has wintered there the last few winters. She's loved it there.”

Caravel earned nearly $2 million as a 15-time winner, which included her longshot performance in the 2022 Breeders' Cup at Keeneland. The ownership group decided to race her as a 6-year-old this year, and she rewarded them with three more stakes wins, including another Grade I victory against the boys at Belmont Park in the Jaipur S.

“Caravel always has been a little bit of a freak of nature,” Merryman told Cavalieri. “She's incredible. She puts so much into her racing but from day one she had so much personality and talent. She's a once in a lifetime horse.”

Her dam Zeezee Zoomzoom (Congrats) was also set to be sold at the same Keeneland November, but Merryman couldn't part with her life-changing mare.

“It might not be the best business plan, but it was the right move for me,” Merryman told the publication. “The mare owes me nothing and she is really, really happy where she is. I didn't want to put her through the stress of shipping somewhere new. I was worried she might not take it that well and it might be really hard on her. I promised her a good life and didn't want to go back on it.”

The 11-year-old is currently in foal to Justify and has also produced the MSW Witty (Great Notion), who is bred, owned and trained by Merryman.

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“Telocaset, Union, Oregon,” Neal says. “Snows an inch, drifts 10 feet. Cold country.”

But horses are tough, no?

“Well, they are,” replies Neal. “But we lost a heck of a nice Quarter Horse colt that climbed up on the snow drift, across the water trough, and drowned because the ice broke. That's why we moved to Hermiston on the Columbia River. Probably the mildest weather you can have in Oregon is right there.”

But all those experiences, across nearly half a century, add up to something that wouldn't be quite as special, nor as solid, if you could leave out the difficult days. The Christophersons have been raising or training horses for 48 years. Long enough, perhaps, to have developed some kind of X-ray vision when they saw Forever For Now (War Front) at the Keeneland November Sale two years ago. They could see straight into that mare's swaying belly, right?

“No,” says Neal with a grin, miming the opening of a catalogue. “It just said 'Uncle Mo' down there.”

That predilection, after all, was why they were there in the first place.

Six years previously, at the equivalent auction, the Christophersons had bought an El Prado (Ire) mare named Fresia for $35,000. She, too, was carrying an Uncle Mo colt, who they sold as a yearling for $60,000.

“When we took him down there to the sale at Pomona, they were all talking about something on his X-rays, a sesamoid I think,” Neal recalls. “But Eddie Woods bought the horse, took him to Florida, broke and trained him down there, and then brought him back to Barretts for the 2-year-old sale. And he sold him for $600,000! So right then and there, we knew we had something if we could just stay in the Uncle Mo business.”

That colt was raced as Galilean by West Point Thoroughbreds and his six stakes wins–which have now launched him on a stud career in New York–made his dam a suddenly lucrative proposition. Sure enough, having been returned to Uncle Mo on a foal-share, Fresia produced a filly that sold for $700,000 to Courtlandt Farm at the September Sale of 2021.

It was with their share of the proceeds that the Christophersons promptly spent $210,000 on Forever For Now that November. And, once again, a foal acquired in utero has raised the stakes. Because the mare delivered such a knockout son that he even broke new ground for horsemen as seasoned as the Penn brothers.

Their one-horse Book I consignment, so expertly handled that the colt was as mannerly and inquisitive after 300 shows as on his first, made nearly every shortlist. In the end M.V. Magnier had to go to $1.35 million to tap back into a family that his Coolmore team had helped to make one of the best in the book, Forever For Now's third dam being a full sister to Galileo (Ire) himself.

Okay, so maybe that kind of page doesn't really require X-ray vision.

“No, you just grab the dice and you roll,” Neal says. “See what happens. Because 99.9 percent of this game is luck.”

But you have to believe that you can put yourself in a position to be lucky. And the Christophersons' Bar C Racing Stable has been doing that for a long time now, albeit mostly in shallower waters.

“When we first met, we were down there at Corvallis,” Neal recalls. “That's where Oregon State University is. And I had a stallion and a mare, Quarter Horses, that I was actually using to rodeo. Pam and I ran into each other down at the bar. She'd just bought a mare off the track, to barrel race. So we both started with Quarter Horses.”

Since then, the Christophersons have excelled with Thoroughbreds on the West Coast scene in many different guises: as breeders, owners, vendors, and for 30 years as trainers. They stood a local phenomenon in Harbor the Gold, 14-time champion sire in Oregon; having bred or co-bred 11 champions over the state line, they were recently inducted into the Washington Hall of Fame; and they've topped a Barretts sale with a $600,000 Cal-bred.

Sadly, after decades of accomplishment, they feel disenchanted with the direction of their home circuit. Having for a long time upgraded the Pacific gene pool with Kentucky mares, they've gone up another level even as horseracing in Washington has been reduced to 55 days at a single track. The mares, as a result, are increasingly staying right where they are in the Bluegrass. Recently, the Christophersons have even toyed with prospecting for a farm of their own there.

“They've closed nearly all the tracks where we are,” Neal laments. “They closed Portland Meadows. They closed Playfair. Yakima. Now it's Golden Gate. The horse business in our neck of the woods is going downhill. These youngsters don't like to mess with horses, that's the only thing I can see. It's unfortunate. Like to see it keep going. We used to have five different racetracks just in Washington. But we took six head to the Seattle sale this summer, and only made $35,000.”

Of course, this kind of situation only tends to spiral downward: a struggling region tends to end up disillusioning precisely those whose experience, resources and skills it can least afford to lose–skills, it can now be seen, of uncommon transferability. Because the Christophersons have managed to hang in there, even against a growing headwind.

“This mare came into the ring at Pomona a couple of years ago and nobody's bidding,” Neal recalls. “So I opened the page, and I'm thinking, 'What's the matter with this?' So I raised my hand once, just for the hell of it, got her for $1,000. She was in foal to Stanford, who was just beginning there in California, so on our way home we went over to the ranch, dropped her off, said, 'Foal her out and breed her back!' When all that was done, we went back and got her, took her back to Oregon, had a foal. Brought the foal back a year later to the yearling sale at Pomona–and sold her for $100,000. Out of my $1,000 mare. But, again, all luck. She had good breeding, everything was good.”

So the Christophersons have been doing their best. They still have five stallions–even a young son of the inevitable Uncle Mo–and a score of broodmares.

“The Uncle Mo is a good-looking fella, but we'll see,” Neal says with a shrug. “In this business it always takes three years to find out if you've got anything. A lot of people ask us, 'Why do you do this? It takes so damned long!' But if that was how we started, every year now we've got horses going someplace or another.”

Increasingly, however, “someplace” means Kentucky. In fairness, this is hardly some overnight reaction to their September coup.

“No, what happened was that we were buying and selling in the Pacific Northwest and getting nowhere,” Neal explains. “We knew Gary Chervenell in Washington, and he's always been telling us, 'If you want the good stuff, go to Kentucky. That's where they're made.' So we made our first trip over with him 20 years ago, and really that's what has made us–the fact that we just got lucky buying some fairly well bred mares.”

One of the introductions Chervenell made was to Bo Davis, then broodmare manager at Overbrook. And when that farm's Seeking The Gold half-brother to GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Boston Harbor blew a knee, Davis wouldn't stop pestering them about him. “You guys really need to stand this horse,” he urged them. “I know him, I've been with him ever since he was born.”

“We had a darn good horse at that time, name of Tiffany Ice,” Neal recalls. “But he was 22, and Bo kept saying he wasn't going to last forever. And finally, one day when he called us on our way down to Portland Meadows, back when those bag phones had just come out, the first mobiles, we said 'Oh, just send him out.'”

“When he got off that van, after shipping all the way from New York, he didn't look very good at all,” Pam says.

“We looked at each other and said, 'What in the hell do we do now?'” says Neal, shaking his head.

“We got him fattened up, and I think he bred seven mares his first year,” Pam said. “But his first foal was Noosa Beach. He won the [GII] Longacres Mile, and was horse of the Emerald Downs meet four years in a row. Out of the first mare he ever bred.”

“And you know why we bred him?” Neal says. “Because the old horse, Tiffany Ice, if ever a mare looked like she's going to kick him, do anything bad, he would just turn away and go back in his stall. And this mare, she was pretty testy. So what we did, we brought the new guy up. Had no idea what he was going to do. He'd never tried to breed anything. And he was a wild man. Boy, she didn't kick no way when Harbor the Gold got ahold of her! And that was the first baby. Won over $500,000.”

“And Harbor the Gold went on to have 72 stakes horses at Emerald Downs,” Pam marvels. “The next closest to him had 27. And every year his babies made $1 million in racing.”

As it happens, Harbor the Gold died the same year that the Christophersons sold Galilean's sister, and played up the winnings on Forever For Now. As so often in this business, as one door closed, so another one opened.

“We were going back and forth at Hill 'n' Dale when they sold Fresia's filly,” Pam recalls. “And they had this cute little War Front mare there, in foal to Uncle Mo, and I just kept looking at her. She was young, and pretty nice. Kinda looked like Miss Piggy! A big broad thing with a white blaze down her face. They said she'd had a beautiful Justify filly, I don't know where she might have shown up meanwhile, but this was going to be her second foal. Anyway when we sold the filly so well, we thought, 'Well, let's get this mare.' And all we ever wanted from the colt she was carrying was to try to make back the $210,000 she cost.”

The Christophersons are clear that one of the reasons the colt so wildly exceeded those hopes is the diligence and hands-on attention of the Penn family: brothers John and Frank, plus John's son and daughter-in-law, Alex and Kendra. Certainly you couldn't hope to see a more obliging horse, loosely on the shank, after the number of shows he made in September. But that reflected the companionship established at home–over many a mile, and many a month–with Kendra, who was also tending him at Keeneland.

“She's a good hand, by golly,” Pam says. “She's walking them, ponying them, she knows everything about them. And that horse, he knew what he was supposed to do. They're sure good people, and they did a great job.”

“We really believe in them,” stresses Neal. “You can get lost in some of those big 'factories'. This horse came out and walked the same way, every single person that came to see him, didn't get pissy once. He's a smart horse. They'll go a long way with him, as long as they keep him sound.”

Forever For Now, who has a Caravaggio weanling and is in foal to Mystic Guide, is obviously slated to return to Uncle Mo next.

“We're pretty well Uncle Mo'd out,” says Neal wryly. “Own a share in Mo Forza, that's now standing in California. His first crop was on the ground this spring. We'll see what happens. But a lot was riding on September. A few hundred bucks a day, it starts getting 'old' after a while! Now we've got enough that we can leave them here. But we're just into it, and have been forever. Like I said, we've got something coming through every year now. And the real breeding program's going well, no matter what. We've got a couple of the best kids in the country.”

Their daughter is a nurse, and has managed to resist the lure of horses, but their son now has a few acres of his own, and is also boarding mares with the Penns. The Christopherson momentum, after all these years, remains ever forward. At the November Sale, a young mare in foal to War Front caught this observer's eye in the back ring: she was by an unjustly neglected sire, but out of a half-sister to Scat Daddy. It was going to be instructive to learn which person was smart enough to buy her. Sure enough, when the next sheet went up on the wall, there it was: sold to Bar C Racing, $160,000. And history tells us to keep an eye on that War Front foal!

So by no means was this amazing coup in September necessarily the climax of a story already 48 years in the telling. Its authors remain full of passion for the next chapter.

“Because here we are, 73 years old, looking at picking up stock and barrel and going to Kentucky,” says Neal with a chuckle. “Now, isn't that crazy?”

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At the close of business Thursday, 2,128 horses had sold through the ring for $176,571,000. The average of $82,975 was down 16.94% from a year ago, while the median of $32,000 was down 20.00%.

“Overall, it's been a very pragmatic, solid sale,” said Lacy. “Demand for quality is extremely strong, probably as strong as ever, and that's very encouraging. There's a lot of stability in the market. With a slight correction, we're down just 15% on most metrics, and that's within expected parameters considering we're dealing with increasing interest rates and a strong U.S. dollar. Early in the sale, there was some protectionism from sellers who weren't going to let nice horses go below a value they felt was reasonable. And the market is more sensitive to mares that are a little more exposed. That's not unreasonable. We saw that in September and in other markets. The middle market was extremely healthy. Sellers were pleased for the most part, and buyers found it tough to buy the quality stock.”

With 600 horses reported not sold during the nine-day auction, the buy-back rate of 21.99%–just a tick lower than last year's figure of 22.04%–was a bright spot in the November results, according to Keeneland Director of Sales Operations Cormac Breathnach.

“I think one thing we observed, a few sessions into the sale, sellers recognized the market in front of them and were very pragmatic in their approach, so as a result, we have had a very good clearance rate,” Breathnach said. “It's actually better than last year. When you do that and you manage expectations and have a high clearance rate, typically average and median are going to come down a little bit as well.”

The Keeneland November sale also featured a vibrant post-sale market this year.

“Our RNAs-to-sales activity is double what it was last year,” said Breathnach. “So the post-sale transactions are twice the gross total volume that they were last year. Which is a sign that the market is still hungry. There is still a lot of activity, a lot of horses being traded.”

There were 91 post-sale transactions at the 2023 November sale, resulting in an additional $12,265,000 in gross. In 2022, an additional 84 post sales grossed $6,402,500.

The most high-profile of those post-sale transactions this year was for Puca (Big Brown). Carrying a full-sibling to this year's GI Kentucky Derby winner Mage (Good Magic), the mare was originally led out of the ring unsold during Wednesday's Book 1 session, but she ultimately sold for what would have been a sale-topping $2.9 million to John Stewart.

With her inclusion, the November sale had 12 seven-figure offerings. The 2022 November sale had 13 seven-figure sales, including the $5.5-million sale topper Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute) and the $4.6 million fractional interest in Flightline (Tapit).

The Keeneland November results do reflect a softening in the market and that should be no surprise amidst swirling global uncertainties, said Gabriel Duignan of Paramount Sales.

“There's no denying there's a little correction, which kind of mirrors the rest of the world,” said Duignan. “I thought the good foal market was business as usual; if you had a good foal, you got well-paid for him. With the mares, the horses they want–the young mares and broodmare prospects–they're selling good. As a seller, it was a little sad that some of the mares that had just a little bit of exposure sold for cents on the dollar. The market just wants certain things and if you don't fit into that category, you're going to be penalized.”

High Demand in the Foal Market

While the 2023 November sale failed to come close to the seven-figure weanling from 2022, the overall foal market was strong.

“If you look at the foal market, it was incredibly strong and it shows that with quality breeding stock producing quality foals, you can get a great return, whether it's a yearling or a weanling,” said Lacy. “When you look at the weanling market, the weanlings who brought $400,000 or above, or $500,000 or above, were double the number from last year. And last year was widely considered a very strong market. So I don't think that there is a perception that the market is weak. The market has shown that they are willing to spend premium for quality stock.”

A colt by Gun Runner was the top-priced weanling of 2023 when selling to Shadwell Racing for $750,000. The youngster was one of 19 to sell for $400,000 or over this year.

A total of 775 weanlings sold at the 2023 November sale for a gross of $54,908,700. The average was $70,850 and the median was $35,000.

In 2022, 855 weanlings sold for $60,770,600 for an average of $71,077 and a median of $37,000. With a $1.5-million filly leading the way, 10 weanlings sold for $400,000 or over in 2022.

“We have had a couple of record September [yearling] sales in the last couple of years and the September market has been incredible,” said Breathnach. “So what we all noticed early on in the first few sessions [of the November sale] was strength in the foal market, which we feel is a reflection of confidence in next year's yearling market.”

Breathnach added that the strength of the weanling market may have boosted the mare market.

“Buyers saw an opportunity in the mare market,” he said. “If they were getting shut out or having to spend 20% to 30% more than the same foal might have cost last year, they pivoted and began buying mares carrying those pregnancies.”

Grade I winner Yaupon, whose first crop arrived this year, was the November sale's leading sire of weanlings with 31 foals bringing a total of $4,137,000. At $450,000, the most expensive was a colt out of the Bernardini mare Zetta Z who sold to Randy Hartley and Dean De Renzo's AAA Thoroughbreds, the sale's second-leading buyer with 18 purchases through the ring for $4.85 million.

Into Mischief was the leading sire of weanlings by average with three or more sold. His three weanlings averaged $433,333.

Leading Buyers, Sellers

Jacob West, as agent for Repole Stable, was the November sale's leading buyer with nine horses purchased for $5.22 million. Repole, whose week in Lexington began with the $6-million purchase of champion Nest (Curlin) at Fasig-Tipton, purchased Interstatedaydream (Classic Empire) for $1.4 million and Surprisingly (Mastery) for $1 million at Keeneland.

The auction's 12 highest-priced horses sold to 11 buyers representing interests from the U.S., Europe and Japan.

The November Sale also featured the first mares offered at Keeneland in foal to 2022 Horse of the Year Flightline, who was represented by seven mares sold for $6,625,000 to lead covering sires by gross and rank second to Into Mischief by average with $946,429. The most expensive mare in foal to Flightline was Grade I winner Dalika (Ger) (Pastorius {GB}), who is carrying her first foal and sold for $1.65 million to Pursuit of Success LLC.

For the 26th time since 1987, Taylor Made Sales Agency was the November sale's leading consignor, with 262 horses sold for  $22,889,900. The operation sold the auction's top-priced weanling, a colt by Gun Runner who brought a final bid of $750,000 from Shadwell Racing.

Pacific Pink Tops Keeneland Finale

Multiple stakes winner Pacific Pink (Private Vow) (hip 3310) brought the highest bid of Thursday's final session of the Keeneland November sale when purchased by Cary Bloodstock on behalf of Coteau Grove Farms for $85,000. The 11-year-old mare, who sold in foal to Volatile, was consigned by Denali Stud.  Her first foal, the 3-year-old Make the Boys Wink (More Than Ready), won a Churchill allowance Nov. 4 and, supplemented to the Fasig-Tipton November sale, sold for $450,000 to Gigi Stables three days later.

A filly by Beau Liam (hip 3359) was the session's top-priced weanling when selling for $70,000 to Buena Madera. Out of stakes-placed Sierra Aleone (Gemologist), the dark bay was consigned by Eaton Sales.

During Thursday's session, 255 horses sold for $2,645,700 for an average of $10,375 and a median of $7,000.

Horses of Racing Age Sell Friday

Selling will continue Friday at Keeneland with the company's second November Horses of Racing Age Sale. With entries still being added just days before sale time, 330 horses were catalogued for the one-session auction which begins at noon.

“We are excited for tomorrow's sale,” said Breathnach. “It's our second annual November Horses of Racing Age sale, so it's still a sale in its infancy. It's an important part of the market for us. This is where the purses really come into play and feed the demand for horses. Turfway is opening, Oaklawn is opening soon and Fair Grounds, so people are moving locations and it's a perfect opportunity for them to tweak their numbers and add or sell horses that have racing left in them.”

The Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale had included a section of horses of racing age before that portion of the sale was separated out for its own sale a year ago. The inaugural November Horses of Racing Age sale saw 161 horses sell for a gross of $11,029,500 and an average of $68,506. Extortion (Into Mischief) topped the sale when bringing $1 million from Mick Wallace on behalf of Gandharvi.

“It's a sale that takes a little time to get really established,” Lacy said. “But we are seeing that there is an interest level from the Middle East and from different parts of world that are looking at this sale as an option now to source individuals for their racing programs. I think as the sale goes forward–and also the Horses of Racing Age Sale in April–it's going to gain more traction.”

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LEXINGTON, KY – Three Witches (Into Mischief) provided the highlight of a workaday Book 2 section of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale when selling for $1.7 million Friday in Lexington. Book 2 opened with a uneven session Thursday at Keeneland, but activity was more consistent throughout Friday's Book 2 finale.

“It was a solid day of trade,” said Keeneland's Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy. “From start to finish, it felt a little more consistent and healthy today. Yesterday was a little bumpy, the clearance rate was a little higher than we probably would have liked, but today was a lot more consistent.”

Through the two Book 2 sessions, 444 horses sold through the ring for a total of $69,520,000. The section's average of $153,599 was down 15.1% from the 2022 Book 2 figure, while the median fell 20%.

“There is certainly a little bit of an adjustment through the marketplace, but I think everyone felt pragmatic about it,” Lacy said. “I think it was an encouraging day. The money is still here for the right horses.”

Consigned by Indian Creek on behalf of Bob Edwards's e Five Racing, Three Witches brought the section's top price when selling for $1.7 million in the name of Rifa Mustang Europe, Ltd.

“Quality mares, young mares, well bred with the right breeding and not overly exposed, were highly desirable,” said Lacy. “I think that's been the consistent theme that we've seen so far. When we saw Three Witches go through for $1.7 million going to a client that is pretty established internationally, that's really encouraging. We are seeing that international investment still here.”

Justify, who had a pair of winners on Breeders' Cup weekend, was represented by the top two weanlings during Friday's session. Paul Sharp went to $525,000 for a daughter of the Triple Crown winner and AAA Thoroughbreds acquired a colt for $425,000.

The Keeneland November sale continues through Nov. 16 with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m.

Three Witches Stars at Keeneland Friday

Three Witches (Into Mischief) (hip 936), just a week removed from a third-place finish in the GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint, became the 12th seven-figure filly of the Keeneland November sale when selling for $1.7 million to the internet bid of Rifa Mustang Europe, Ltd. The 4-year-old is expected to stay in training in the U.S. next year.

“She'll stay here in America and we'll try again on the racetrack,” said Keeneland Australian representative Barry Bowditch. “For a mare that raced five days ago, in one of the strongest Breeders' Cup races of the week, she looked so well and handled the trip back so well. You just feel that the best of her racing is yet to come. It will be great to have a new investor racing horses here in America.”

The spell is cast at $1.7 million for Three Witches.#KeeNov @IndianCreekKy @e5Racing pic.twitter.com/634fpWBgEB

— Keeneland Sales (@keenelandsales) November 10, 2023

Bowditch said a trainer is still being discussed for the filly's 2024 campaign.

Bloodstock agent Mike Ryan purchased Three Witches on behalf of Bob Edwards's e Five Racing for $350,000 at the 2020 Keeneland September sale. Trained by Saffie Joseph, the dark bay earned a trip to the Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita with a win in the GIII Princess Rooney S. in October.

“It's always a hard decision [to sell] when you have something special that's won a Grade III and you drop her in the Breeders' Cup and, at 30-1, she hits the board,” Edwards said. “We believed in her and Saffie did a phenomenal job suiting her up and getting that Princess Rooney win for us and getting to the Breeders' Cup. That was all Saffie.”

Of the decision to send the graded-stakes winner through the ring at Keeneland, Edwards said, “I have a fair number of mares now. I have graded-stakes-winning mares on the roster and I figured I would move some inventory and see what happens next. We need to make room for up-and-coming stars.”

Edwards admitted Three Witches' $1.7-million price tag was above expectations.

“I was super excited with that result,” he said. “We knew there would be interest, we knew she would be the big horse for today. Keeneland did a phenomenal job. Chip McGaughey and his crew did a great job recruiting her and obviously bringing in the buyers. We were super happy with the job they did and the outcome was phenomenal. I wasn't expecting $1.7 million, but I was very happy to get it.” @JessMartiniTDN

Sharp Splurges for Justify Filly

Paul and Sarah Sharp, sitting in a back row of the sales pavilion, went to $525,000 to acquire a weanling filly by Justify (hip 975) from the Elite consignment Friday at Keeneland. The filly was the day's highest-priced weanling.

“We have been trying to buy really nice horses like that from the beginning of the sale and across town [at Fasig-Tipton] as well,” Paul Sharp said. “It's been really hard.”

Paul Sharp | Keeneland

The bay filly is out of Ada Lovelace (Algorithms), a half-sister to sprint champion Mitole (Eskendereya) and to Grade I winner Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow).

“That was a legit family and a very athletic, really nice filly by one of the best sires in the world at this time,” Sharp said. “I feel like that justified the price and we are very happy to have her. It was a little higher than we wanted to go, honestly, but we are running out of bullets.”

The weanling was bred by Villa Rosa Stables, which purchased Ada Lovelace for $110,000 at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton November sale.

“Right now, the plan is to sell her back next summer,” Sharp, who signed for the filly as CSWV, said. “We're not sure where, but that's the plan.”

CSWV purchased another daughter of Justify Friday at Keeneland, going to $290,000 to acquire hip 793 from the Paramount Sales consignment. Through three sessions, the partnership has purchased five weanlings for $1,295,000. @JessMartiniTDN

Justify Colt to AAA Thoroughbreds

Randy Hartley and Dean DeRenzo's AAA Thoroughbreds, which has been busy buying weanlings from the Fasig-Tipton November sale Tuesday and into the first week of the Keeneland November sale, purchased a colt by Justify (hip 855) for $425,000 Friday in Lexington.

Hip 855 | Keeneland

“He's just a beautiful horse,” said Hartley. “We are big fans of Justify. When Scat Daddy passed away, we never dreamed that we would have another stallion that could replace him, let alone a Triple Crown-winning son of his. We came here in September and tried to buy every one that we could get our hands on. We bought, I think, six of them in September. We came here with the same goal in mind and the [Justify's two winners at the] Breeders' Cup just did it for us. He's the kind of stallion we haven't seen in a long time. I know Gun Runner got off to a really good start, but it looks like Justify is going to follow in the same suit.”

The chestnut colt, consigned by Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa, is out of Saralin (Curlin), a half-sister to graded winners Salutos Amigos (Salute the Sarge) and Sarah's Secret (Leroidesanimuax {Brz}). He was bred by Orpendale, Chelston, Wynatt, and Kaleem Shah.

Shah and M.V. Magnier purchased Saralin for $1.3 million at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream sale. She made just one racetrack appearance and her first foal, another colt by Justify, sold for $300,000 at this year's Keeneland September sale. The mare proceeded her weanling into the ring, selling not mated to Shah for $285,000.

Through three sessions, AAA Thoroughbreds has purchased 14 weanlings for $4,370,000. A filly by Curlin (hip 151) leads the operation's acquistions with a price tag of $550,000. Earlier in Friday's session, it acquired another colt by Justify (hip 812) for $250,000.

“I just had a big order for babies–I needed about 20,” Hartley said. “I buy some for Tom Durant in Texas. He likes buying babies because he feels like he gets a little bit of a discount. This colt might have made $600,000 or $700,000 as a yearling. He feels he can save a little if he can get some nice babies. Some [that we are buying here] will be for pinhooking and some will go to him in Texas.”

Also Friday, AAA Thoroughbreds added to its collection of weanlings by first-crop sire Yaupon. With the addition of a filly (hip 733) for $300,000, the operation has now purchased three weanlings by the Spendthrift stallion for $1.15 million. @JessMartiniTDN

Colt By Nyquist Goes For $385K at KEENOV

With the market continuing to remain competitive for weanlings, a colt by Nyquist (Hip 893) reached $385,000 at Keeneland Friday. Baroda Stud's David Cox signed the ticket on behalf of Goodwill Bloodstock. Hunter Valley Farm consigned the bay colt.

The Feb. 10 foal is out of the Bernardini mare Spa Treatment, a daughter of SW and GISP Silver Knockers (Silver Deputy) and a half-sister to SW Manipulated (Malibu Moon). This is the extended family of Grade I winner Joe's Tammie (Zoning).

“He's a real athlete, a great cross,” said Cox. “Hopefully, he'll be resold [pinhooked] next year. [Nyquist] is proven, and has good runners. We tried to buy a few more, but we got beat plenty, so we're delighted to get him.”–@CbossTDN

Charlatan Colt Brings $370K Early on Day 3

A colt by Charlatan brought $370,000 from Stonestreet Stables during Friday's Book 2 finale at Keeneland. He was consigned as Hip 695 by John Stuart's Bluegrass Thoroughbred Services, acting as agent for Merribelle Stable.

Charlatan | Coady

Out of Hillhouse High (Exchange Rate), the Jan. 23 foal hails from the notable Sam-Son Farm family, including Canadian champions Regal Classic, Sky Classic, Classy 'N Smart and Always a Classic.

Headed by this colt, 14 weanlings sold by the sire–with four surpassing the $200,000 mark–through three days of selling at Keeneland. The weanlings grossed $2,810,000, averaging $200,714. Charlatan stands for $50,000 LFSN at Hill 'n' Dale Farms in 2024.

Campaigned by SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Fred Hertrich, III, John Fielding,

and Golconda Stables, the son of Speightstown was trained by Bob Baffert. The 'TDN Rising Star' won his first four career starts, including the GI Arkansas Derby and GI Runhappy Malibu S. before finishing second in what would be his career finale in the 2021 G1 Saudi Cup.

“Barbara [Banke] owns Charlatan and we still own a good piece of him as a stallion,” said Stonestreet advisor John Moynihan. “She really wanted a nice one, so he was one of the better ones we saw. [Charlatan's] weanlings have been really well received and we're really excited. We bought him to run. Barbara saw him [Thursday] and really liked him. Hopefully, we'll get Charlatan off to a good start.”

Bluegrass Thoroughbred Services has already enjoyed a profitable run in the sales ring this week. Kicking things off with a bang, the operation sold Queen Caroline (Blame) (Hip 171), in foal to Flightline, for $3 million to John Stewart at Fasig-Tipton November Tuesday. And thus far at Keeneland, the consignment also hit a home run, selling Skims (Frankel {GB}) (Hip 125) for $1.8 million to Summer Wind Farm in Book 1. At Keeneland this week, the operation sold five head, grossing $2,437,000 with an average price of $487,400.–@CbossTDN

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“For the long-term plan, we are trying to get the quality is there for the buyers we are recruiting, Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said. “We spend many months throughout the year meeting our potential customers and current clients. When you look at that effort this year, the strong Middle East presence and the Japanese that are coming over her in greater numbers than ever before. We want to make sure that is something we are constantly doing. It is our job to create as good a marketplace as possible for the stock we have on the grounds. I think we're making real traction in that regard.”

Among the headliners in this season's catalog is Puca (Big Brown) (Hip 191), carrying a full-sister to GI Kentucky Derby winner Mage (Good Magic), and Grade I winner Dalika (Ger) (Pastorius {Ger}) (Hip 223), in foal to 2022 Horse of the Year Flightline.

“Keeneland is excited that Case has chosen us to offer these two exceptional broodmares in Book 1 of the November Breeding Stock Sale–and mark the debut of Case Clay Thoroughbred Management,” said Lacy. “While at Three Chimneys Farm, when it was owned by his family, Case oversaw the sale of a large number of million-dollar-plus broodmares over many years, including the great Take Charge Lady here at Keeneland in 2004. Along with this experience at the top end, he has an extraordinary amount of connections and relationships with domestic and international buyers.”

In addition to appearing on Puca's page, Flightline, an undefeated earner of over $4.5 million, is also listed as the covering sire of Grade I winner/graded producer Centre Court (Smart Strike) (Hip 213), and graded winners Another Broad (Include) (Hip 180) and Lady Scarlet (Union Rags) (Hip 338). He was bred to a limited book of 152 mares in his first season at stud, and will be represented by 10 in-foal mares at Keeneland November. Flightline made headlines at Keeneland's November sale last year when a fractional share in the champion brought $4.6 million.

“You have a stallion that gained a lot of focus because of what he did on the track and also finished off his career here at Keeneland. We were fortunate enough to sell that fractional interest here and this year we offer some very high-quality mares in foal to him. That is a great continuation. We're very excited about the mares, it is a select group and it's not over-flooding the market. It is going to gain serious attention, not just from domestic buying base but also from the international breeders as well because he is a fascinating stallion.”

Also making an appearance with their first in-foal mares are a trio of champions Corniche (Quality Road), Jackie's Warrior (Maclean's Music), Epicenter (Not This Time), and GI Preakness and GI Belmont S. winners Early Voting (Gun Runner) and Mo Donegal (Uncle Mo).

Caravel | Sarah Andrew

Among the mares certain to garner plenty of attention during Book 1 is 2022 GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint heroine Caravel (Mizzen Mast) (Hip 210), consigned by Hunter Valley Farm. The 6-year-old, a half-sister to MSW Witty (Great Notion), won three of six starts this term, including the GI Jaipur S. Bolstered by her recent form, Chilean Group 1 winner Le Da Vida (Chi) (Gemologist) (Hip 41) enters this off a third-place effort in last weekend's GI Breeders' Cup Distaff. Sold as a racing or broodmare prospect, the 6-year-old mare is consigned by Greenfield Farms. Also among mares to watch in this year's catalog, GI American Oaks heroine Rhea Moon (Ire) (Starspangledbanner {Aus}) is offered as Hip 101 from the Gainesway consignment, in addition to Grade I-producing Ack Naughty (Afleet Alex) (Hip 246), who sells in foal to Into Mischief. The dam of the late GI Santa Anita Derby winner Practical Move (Practical Joke) is consigned by Sequel Bloodstock, agent for Chester and Mary Broman.

“We have a lot of nice individuals. Obviously, we have Caravel. She was one we had in the sale last year and she's back this year. We've had a few defections like Zeezee Zoomzoom (dam of Caravel). They just felt they wanted to hang on a little longer, which is fine. What is good in a healthy market and is difficult in November is that sometimes feel like they don't need to sell because they had a good yearling market. We have some really nice stock in here, very high-class mares that people are attracted by.

“Midnight Bisou last year was a nice late addition that really stood out. I think this year, there is a broader range of high-quality stock and Grade I winners and producers.

“We're looking at long term. We're looking to build a solid foundation as we go forward. We're more focused that the whole structure of our sale's process is developing. That we are moving forward year over year.”

A bevy of sires also enter the stage with their first weanlings, highlighted by GISWs Yaupon (Uncle Mo) (46) and GISW Silver State (Hard Spun) (37), in addition to Horse of the Year Knicks Go (Paynter) (27) and champion and Classic scorer Essential Quality (Tapit) (10).

Last year's sale was topped by champion older dirt female Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute), who brought $5.5 million from Katsumi Yoshida. On Day 1 in 2022, a total of nine head brought seven figures or more, in addition to Flightline's fractional share. The initial session generated $68.53 million in gross revenue (including post sales) for 142 horses sold.

Launching its nine-day run Wednesday, the sale begins with 250 head catalogued on its opening day, with bidding commencing at 1:00p.m. The remaining eight sessions start at 10:00 a.m. The November sale concludes with a single-session Horses of Racing Age Sale Nov. 17.

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Consigned by Sequel New York, agent, Ack Naughty (Hip 246) is an 11-year-old stakes-placed daughter of Afleet Alex who is in-foal to Into Mischief. Her son Practical Move (Practical Joke), winner of the GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby, will make his next start during the Breeders' Cup World Championships.

“Ack Naughty is already one of the top broodmares in North America with a promising future,” Sequel's Becky Thomas said. “Her second foal, Practical Move, is undefeated in 2023. He has added multiple graded stakes victories to his résumé this year, and he is sure to be a strong favorite in the Breeders' Cup. Mares of this caliber, in foal to Into Mischief, do not become available often, and Sequel is happy to have had the opportunity to both buy and now sell this mare for Chester and Mary Broman at Keeneland.”

Another supplement is Gambling Girl (Hip 245), a 3-year-old stakes-winning filly by Dialed In. Consigned by Highgate Sales, agent, she is out of Tulipmania, a winning daughter of Empire Maker.

Additional supplements to the November Sale are:

• Hip 247 is Lady Edith (Street Boss) who is consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent.
• Hip 248 is a weanling filly by Authentic who is consigned by Paramount Sales, agent.

The November Breeding Stock Sale covers a total of nine sessions through Nov. 16 and supplements to Book 1 will continue to be accepted until then.

Keeneland will begin its November Horses of Racing Age Sale the next day with supplements will be considered until the day of the sale. A total of 285 horses have been cataloged, including eight additions, which include:

• Hip 4280 is Meow Meow Hiss, a 3-year-old filly by Creative Cause who is a half-sister to recent GI American Pharoah S. runner-up Wine Me Up (Vino Rosso) is consigned by Hidden Brook, agent.
• Hip 4284 is Tyson, a 4-year-old Tapit colt who this year captured the GII Seagram Cup and the GIII Dominion Day S. and was third in the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup and the GII Eclipse S. He is consigned by Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa, agent.

Click here for the November Breeding Stock Sale catalog and here for the November Horses of Racing Age Sale catalog.

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“Both Adrian and I are delighted to be selling such a unique package on the same day,” Fergus Galvin of Hunter Valley said. “We feel both will complement each other well. Obviously Caravel is a world-class turf sprinter, and her dam, Zeezee Zoomzoom, is in foal to Justify, who is having a phenomenal year. We're delighted to be selling this pair.”

Campaigned by Qatar Racing, Marc Detampel and Madaket Stables, Caravel scored a half-length victory against the boys in the 2022 GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint at Keeneland during a five-race win streak that began a few weeks earlier on the same track in the GIII Franklin S. Earlier this year, the 6-year-old mare defeated males again in both the GII Shakertown S. and the GI Jaipur S. at Belmont Park.

“Keeneland is excited to welcome back a star the caliber of Caravel, who turned in some of her most memorable performances here and, as a three-time stakes winner, raced into track history,” Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said. “Both Caravel and her dam, Zeezee Zoomzoom, will attract global attention from owners and breeders.”

Caravel is the first foal out of 11-year-old Zeezee Zoomzoom, who scored her maiden victory on the turf at Saratoga. The mare, who also produced multiple stakes winner Witty, by Great Notion, has four winners from four starters.

“She's not a big mare herself,” said Caravel's breeder, Elizabeth Merryman, about Zeezee Zoomzoom, “but she throws very big foals that are very correct, lovely, good movers – she's a really good mover. They all get a lot of natural speed from her. Some of them want to go long, and some want to sprint. They're really talented, smart, lovely horses that are well put together. I love the nick to Justify; I think it's just right for her.”

The catalog for the November Breeding Stock Sale will be posted Oct. 3.

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Unhurried near the back early, the bay gradually closed the gap from his outside perch through the opening mile, began to narrow the gap on front-running Pradaria (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) rounding the final turn and blew by that rival midstretch en route to a geared-down 3 1/2-length victory over Mantenro Leo (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}). Japanese Horse of the Year Efforia (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}) was pulled up and was later determined to have suffered from atrial fibrillation.

Pedigree Notes:
A winner of six starts, including the GII Gallant Bloom H. and GIII Sugar Swirl S. and runner up in the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint, Dust and Diamonds realized $1 million when offered at the 2016 Keeneland November sale after producing black-type performer Much Better (Pioneerof the Nile) earlier that season. In Japan, she dropped full-brother named Fulleren (Jpn), an earner of $699,654, before producing a 2018 Deep Impact colt of modest success. A May foal in 2019, Do Deuce is the sole black-type winner for his dam.

Sunday, Hanshin, Japan
KYOTO KINEN-G2, ¥119,800,000, Hanshin, 2-12, 4yo/up, 2200mT, 2:10.90, fm.
1–DO DEUCE (JPN), 128, c, 4, by Heart's Cry (Jpn)
1st Dam: Dust and Diamonds (MGSW & GISP, $496,260), by Vindication
2nd Dam: Majestically, by Gone West
3rd Dam: Darling Dame, by Lyphard
O-Kieffers Inc.; B-Northern Farm; T-Yasuo Tomomichi;
J-Yutaka Take; ¥62,910,00. Lifetime Record: Ch. 2yo Colt-Jpn,
MG1SW-Jpn, 9-5-1-1. *1/2 to Much Better (Pioneerof the
Nile), MGSP, $313,571. Werk Nick Rating: C. Click for the
   eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Matenro Leo (Jpn), 123, c, 4, by Heart's Cry (Jpn)–Saratoga
Venus (Jpn), by Brian's Time. O-Chiyono Terada; B-Inoke Farm;
¥25,260,000.
3–Pradaria (Jpn), 126, c, 4, Deep Impact (Jpn)-Chasse' Roll (Jpn),
by Kurofune. O-Nagoya Yuho Inc.; B-Orient Farm; ¥16,130,000.
Margins: 3 1/2, NK, 1 1/2; Odds: 1.50, 14.20, 7.80.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. Click for the JRA chart and video.

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“He's the only horse I bid on today,” Cannizzo said Tuesday afternoon. “He was a standout. It's what we came here to do and we did it. We got in a little dogfight with Mark Casse, but we won the battle. We were well within ourselves at the $225,000 and we didn't mind giving it.”

Cannizzo purchased the yearling's half-brother by Uncle Mo for $230,000 at last year's Keeneland September sale and came to Ocala specifically to add another member of the family.

“Obviously, Tapit brings a ton of interest to the table,” Cannizzo said of the yearling's appeal. “We purchased his now 2-year-old brother at Keeneland September and we really like him, so it pushed us in the right direction. He was a standout at the sale today. We knew we had to get him.”

Cannizzo said he purchased both brothers for the same client.

“[The yearling] will probably end up in the Saratoga sale or back at Keeneland September and we will go from there,” Cannizzo said. “I'm not sure about the other one–it's all up in the air. I bought them for a client who does some pinhooking and he races, too. We will see how it all unfolds and how it turns out.”

The yearling, who was bred by Aaron Sones, is out of Heat Street (Street Cry {Ire}), an unraced half-sister to multiple stakes winner Dash of Humor (Distorted Humor). The mare is also the dam of stakes-placed Miss Boom Boom (Run Away and Hide).

Tuesday's return to the sales ring was a quick turnaround for the colt, who was purchased for $70,000 at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale just over two months ago.

“He was purchased by a partnership of Ocala horsemen who purchased him to resell,” Morris said of the colt. “He was maybe in an awkward stage, maybe a bit immature in November, but he was heading in the right direction. He was a lovely colt who vetted well and looks like he'll make a nice racehorse.”

Morris said the market in Ocala–away from the pinhookers who were prevalent in Kentucky in November–may have helped produce the nifty profit Tuesday.

“I think he caught a good market with two end-users hooking up on him,” Morris said. “Mark Casse was the underbidder and he's always very aggressive down there buying horses for his racing program.”

During the consignor preferred session, 96 head sold for $2,601,700. The average was $27,101 and the median was $19,000.

At the close of business of last year's consignor preferred session, before the addition of post-sale transactions, 99 horses sold for a gross of $3,074,300. The average was $21,499 and the median was $10,000.

Hip 42 was one of two six-figure offerings during the consignor preferred section of Tuesday's sale. A colt from the first crop of Gunnevera (hip 29), consigned by Danielle Loya's Silver Oaks Farm, was purchased for $100,000 by Machmer Hall.

Riptide Rock (Point of Entry) (hip 342), part of a group of 11 supplemented horses owned by Stronach Stables and consigned by Richard Kent's Kaizen Sales, brought the highest price during the horses of racing age section of Tuesday's sale when bringing a final bid of $72,000 from Ocala horseman Randy Miles.

A 5-year-old gelding, Riptide Rock was second in the 2021 Queen's Plate and GIII Ontario Derby. He was seventh in the Nov. 6 GII Autumn S. in his most recent trip to the post for trainer Sid Attard.

The OBS Winter Mixed sale continues with an open session which begins Wednesday at noon.

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Purchasing two in-foal broodmares at the 2022 Keeneland November Breeding Stock sale doubled the size of Apricot Valley Thoroughbreds' broodmare band. The mares Tiptoe and Turning Point were the latest step in Colin Davis's methodical entrance into the racing game.

Davis, a resident of Cobourg, Ont., is new to racehorse breeding and ownership, but familiar with the equine stars of the sport. Growing up, he attended races at Kawartha Downs and in the last decade has owned multiple off-track Thoroughbreds.

As Davis went looking for more information on the racing industry, he found Ontario Racing's Horse Ownership 101 Sessions. An initial meeting with Elissa Blowe provided clarity on what style of ownership matched his vision. Blowe connected Davis to leading bloodstock agent Marette Farrell, and he headed to the Bluegrass State for the 2021 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale.

Davis spent four days, “pounding the pavement” with Farrell and left Kentucky with two mares purchased through Ontario Racing's Mare Purchase Program (MPP), a component of the Thoroughbred Improvement Program. When purchasing in-foal mares at recognized public auctions outside of the province, Ontario residents can apply for an incentive totaling half the purchase price, to a maximum of $25,000 per mare and $75,000 annually per person or partnership. The two mares Davis purchased in 2022 were also supported by the MPP.

“(The MPP) has been instrumental,” said Davis. “The first year I would have started with one mare, and then went to two. Each year you try and get an economy of scale, but it just sets you back because it's the same leg work, and the same expenses but no efficiencies.”

The program allowed Davis to target quality by stepping up to the price point where he and Farrell could purchase mares by proven broodmare sires. Tiptoe is by Tiz Wonderful the broodmare sire of 2022 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Wonder Wheel and Turning Point is by Hard Spun. In 2021, he brought home Johansson by Pioneer of the Nile and Renata by Medaglia d'Oro.

In addition to his burgeoning band of broodmares, Davis has dipped his toes into racehorse ownership. He connected with Sovereign Award-winning trainer Catherine Day Phillips and is a partner in three horses. One of them, an Ontario Bred filly named Millie Girl, made her racing debut July 16, and won at Woodbine. The Davis family, Colin, his wife, and their two daughters Josephine and Felicity, made their way to the winner's circle.

“It's a different world, with a lot to learn once you get into it,” said Davis. “But if you can bridge that gap, it will help people get in the door, because once you're through that door, it is a lot of fun.”

For more information on Ontario Racing's Mare Purchase Program click here. To learn how you can become a Thoroughbred breeder, click here.

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