Tag: Keeneland September Sale

Curlin Colt On Top As Keeneland Powers Into Book 3

LEXINGTON, KY – The Keeneland September Yearling Sale might have taken a day off Friday, but the auction lost none of its momentum when bidding returned for the first of two Book 3 sessions Saturday in Lexington. A colt by Curlin paced another competitive session when selling for $900,000 to the BSW/Crow Colts partnership. For the session, 287 yearlings grossed $50,747,500. The session average was $176,821–up 5.69% from last year's corresponding session–and the median rose 3.7% to $140,000.

Through five days, 956 head have sold for $287,737,500. The average is $300,981, up 9.03% from the same point of last year's auction, and the median is up 12.5% to $225,000. The buy-back rate is 24.67%. It was 28.82% at this point in 2021.

Saturday's session began on a familiar note when Jacob West, bidding on behalf of the omnipresent Repole Stables, signed for the very horse through the ring and, by the end of the session, Mike Repole's name was on the tickets of 67 yearlings for the entire sale for a gross of $25,420,000.

St. Elias Stables, a partner on many of the Repole purchases this week, is named on the tickets of 44 head for a gross of $18,210,000. Bloodstock agent Michael Wallace was in action for four yearlings purchased soley for Vinnie Viola's operation Saturday, led by a $725,000 son of Omaha Beach.

“Obviously, we've been a big part of the market, but it's been incredibly strong across the board and we haven't had things all our own way either,” Wallace said Saturday. “Everybody still has a lot of horses to try to buy and people still have plenty of money in their pockets. I think what we've seen here is a push-down in the market and we will see into today and tomorrow and probably into the next week. Probably if you had asked me three weeks ago, would it be this strong, I would have said no. But after seeing Book 1 and knowing people were getting pushed back to the next day, it was always going to end up like this.”

Peter O'Callaghan's Woods Edge Farm continued to enjoy strong results in the sales ring at Keeneland. The operation sold 10 horses Saturday for $2,787,500, led by a $700,000 colt by Arrogate.

“The market is excellent, but you've got to be good,” O'Callaghan said. “It's so hard for breeders and pinhookers to breed or purchase a very nice foal. So when we do have one, it's just so gratifying to get rewarded like that. Because believe me, we go through enough of the ones that don't qualify. When it all falls into place, it's extremely gratifying, but also there is a lot of relief involved.”

O'Callaghan continued to see a polarization in the marketplace, with leading buyers all landing on the same horses.

“Everybody is very selective in what they want,” he said. “They really know what they want. Most of these guys are almost all on most of the same horses. They can't all buy the same ones. They win one, they lose one, they just have to keep going. They want to buy in the top 10% of each session. And so those horses are so highly sought after and they sell very well, but the next ones down don't quite hit the headlines.”

The Keeneland September sale continues through Saturday with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m.

BSW/Crow Partnership Stretches for Curlin Colt

The BSW/Crow Colts Group/Spendthrift/Gandharvi made its biggest purchase of the Keeneland sale so far when going to $900,000 to acquire a colt by Curlin (hip 1232). The yearling was consigned by Elm Tree Farm as agent for his breeder, Barbara Banke's Stonestreet.

“It's been very hard to buy this sort of horse,” admitted Brad Weisbord after signing the ticket on the yearling. “Obviously we stretched a little bit.”

The high-profile colt-buying partnerships of Mike Repole and Vinnie Viola and SF/Starlight/Madaket have dominated the marketplace at Keeneland this week. That domination forced Weisbord and team to modify its approach Saturday.

“We try to buy them a little cheaper, but Liz [Crow] and [Spendthrift's] Ned [Toffey] said to keep going, so that's what we did,” Weisbord said. “We try to stay in the $500,000-$600,000 range, but he was, for us, the top colt today, so we stretched a little bit. I believe the breeder is going to stay in for a piece, so we love to have them. We think they are one of the top breeders in the game. For us, all of the stars lined up. And hopefully we will see him next year in the big races.”

Hip 1232 is out of Tangere (Malibu Moon), a half-sister to Grade I winner Tara's Tango (Unbridled's Song) and Visionaire (Grand Slam). The 9-year-old mare, in foal to Hard Spun, sold for $52,000 at this year's Keeneland January sale.

The BSW/Crow Colts Group has now purchased 11 yearlings through five sessions of the 12-day auction for a total of $4,840,000.

McElroy Strikes for Bolt d'Oro Colt

Bloodstock agent Ben McElroy, bidding on behalf of an undisclosed client, acquired a colt by Bolt d'Oro (hip 1320) for $775,000 midway through Saturday's session of the Keeneland September sale. The yearling, consigned by Hill 'n' Dale Sales Agency on behalf of breeder George Krikorian, is out of the unraced Beautified (Congrats) and is a half-brother to 2021 GI Del Mar Debutante runner-up Dance to the Music (Maclean's Music).

“He is by Bolt d'Oro, who is off to a very good start to stud,” McElroy said of the yearling's appeal. “He's already had a graded stakes winner and a lot of winners, whether in Europe or Saratoga. He's just winning at all the top tracks and it looks like, as they go further distances, they are going to get better.”

Dance to the Music sold for $575,000 following a :10 flat work  at last year's OBS April sale.

“I remember this colt's sister at the 2-year-old sale,” McElroy said. “She was a really nice filly who breezed great. I remember when she broke her maiden at Del Mar, she was very impressive and subsequently she was second in the Del Mar Debutante. So that gave us a bit of extra confidence. We just really believed in what the mare had thrown so far.”

McElroy said he has seen an increased focus on sire power in the sales ring in recent years.

“I think, on the ones who are by the right sires and vet, it's extremely strong,” he said of the market. “There are obviously spots where people have trouble with vetting and maybe do not have the right sire. There is a huge emphasis on sire power. I think in the last two years, if you have the right sire, you are getting double, if not triple, what you probably should.”

Krikorian purchased Beautified's dam Makeup Artist (Dynaformer) for $250,000 at the 2001 Keeneland September sale and the mare won the 2003 GIII Senorita S. in his colors.

“It's always tough to sell, but it's better to sell the dream then to buy the dream,” Krikorian said after watching the colt sell Saturday. “That's why we sell.”

He continued, “I probably have about 90 [mares]. And we breed mostly to sell. We couldn't afford to race them all.”

Of Saturday's result, Krikorian said, “We thought he would be well-received. I didn't know that he would be that well-received. I am grateful for that. Typically in Book 3, they don't go for that much. So this was a nice surprise to have him bring that much.”

Omaha Beach Colt for St. Elias

Vinnie Viola's St. Elias Stables, which has accounted for a huge portion of the market this week at Keeneland in its partnership with Mike Repole, as well as with other various partners and on its own, added a colt by Omaha Beach to its roster when bloodstock agent Michael Wallace, seated with St. Elias advisor Rory Babich, made a final bid of $725,000 to acquire hip 1370.

“We've been looking for an Omaha Beach and looking at them pretty hard and he was the one that got the attention of the whole team,” Wallace said. “We were determined to try to get him if we could. Obviously, we didn't think we would have to be pushed as far as we were by WinStar, but that's the nature of this week, it seems.”

Yearlings from the first crop of Omaha Beach (War Front) have been in demand all week at Keeneland, with Repole and St. Elias purchasing a colt (hip 336) by the multiple Grade I winner for $900,000 from the Clarkland Farm consignment and Peter Brant's White Birch Farm purchasing another son of the stallion (hip 123) for $775,000. In all, 38 yearlings by the sire have sold at Keeneland September for $9,705,000.

“They all seem to have good brains,” Wallace said of Omaha Beach's yearlings. “Walking around the grounds, they are handling things well. They have good strength across the back. I am liking the look of them. I think they are good, athletic horses and bigger than you'd think with the War Front line.”

Bred and consigned by the Cleary family's Clearsky Farms, hip 1370 is out of Color Me Flying (Distorted Humor), a half-sister to graded winner Teresa Z (Smart Strike) and from the family of My Flag and her daughter, champion Storm Flag Flying.

Clearsky purchased Color Me Flying for $250,000 at the 2014 Keeneland November sale. St. Elias purchased the mare's Into Mischief filly, Colorful Mischief, for $300,000 at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase. Her Quality Road filly sold for $700,000 to Juddmonte at last year's Keeneland September sale. The 10-year-old mare has an Audible weanling filly and she was bred back to Munnings this year.

Also Saturday on behalf of St. Elias, Wallace acquired a colt by Liam's Map (hip 1362) for $500,000; a colt by Mendelssohn (hip 1432) for $210,000; and a son of Ghostzapper (hip 1260) for $175,000.

Lynnhaven Racing Stays Busy at Keeneland

The fledgling Lynnhaven Racing of Baton Rouge businessman Jim Bernhard and his wife Dana was in action early in Saturday's session of the Keeneland sale, purchasing a son of Audible (hip 1167) for $675,000, and the operation kept right on buying throughout the day. The couple had quick fire action later in the session when going to $700,000 to acquire a colt by Arrogate (hip 1436) from Woods Edge Farm and came back just hips later to pay that same price for a Street Sense colt (hip 1441) from Gainesway, as agent for Bonne Chance Farm.

Hip 1436 is out of Ghostslayer (Ghostzapper) and he is a half-brother to graded winner Biddy Duke (Bayern). The yearling was bred by Peter and Jenny O'Callaghan's Woods Edge Farm, which purchased Ghostslayer, in foal to Street Sense, for $110,000 at the 2018 Keeneland November sale. The mare's Street Sense filly sold for $215,000 at the 2020 Keeneland September sale before the O'Briens hit it out of the park with a $1.05-million City of Light colt out of the mare at last year's September sale.

“He was probably the most vetted horse we've had a in a couple of years,” Peter O'Callaghan said. “I have two pages of vettings on him. It was incredible. My wife Jenny and I bred him and he was a fabulous foal from day one. The mare is a beautiful, robust mare with a big hip on her and it was a great mix with Arrogate. It was a great result and we are delighted.”

The Bernhards, who did their bidding sitting alongside Equine Analysis Systems CEO Matt Weinmann, ultimately purchased eight yearlings for $2,870,000 to be the leading buyers Saturday.

Audible Colt a Score for Kinsman

The Steinbrenner family's Kinsman Farm made the most of a limited number of pinhooking prospects when selling a colt by Audible (hip 1167) for $675,000 to Jim and Dana Bernhard's Lynnhaven Racing early in Saturday's session of the Keeneland September sale. The team had purchased the colt for $85,000 at this year's Keeneland January sale.

“He did everything right for us,” said farm trainer Emily Dawson after watching the yearling sell alongside Jessica Steinbrenner and farm vice president Kevin Adler. “He was a little weaker when we bought him and he just really flourished on the farm. He got big and strong.”

About the colt's appeal in January, Dawson said, “He had a big, ground-covering walk. That's really why we bought him.”

“We do very little,” Dawson said of Kinsman's pinhooking program. “We bought three short yearlings this year. We just sort of dabble in it.”

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Stonehaven Steadings’ Faith Rewarded at Keeneland September

Five years ago, Aidan O'Meara left his position at Hill 'n' Dale Farm, where he served as Stallion Division Manager for 20 years, to join his wife Leah and her family in running Stonehaven Steadings.

The decision was not an easy one. As Leah O'Meara recounts, John Sikura had seen something in Aidan when the native of Ireland was fresh out of college. Over the years, O'Meara worked his way to managing the likes of Curlin, Medaglia d'Oro and Candy Ride. The O'Mearas lived on site at Hill 'n' Dale for years at its former location on North Yarnalton Pike in Lexington and the farm was the first home of the couple's three children.

Now just a few years after O'Meara joined Stonehaven Steadings as the Director of Bloodstock and Client Development, the fruits of his increased presence on the farm are becoming even more apparent as the family-run operation is riding high through an unforgettable Keeneland September Sale.

On the first day of the auction, Stonehaven Steadings sold what will likely be the sale topper in their Quality Road colt out True Feelings (Latent Heat). Their success didn't stop with that $2.5 million achievement. Also in Book 1, they sent an $825,000 filly by Into Mischief and $775,000 Gun Runner colt through the ring. During Book 2, they sold four yearlings including a $900,000 Into Mischief filly and an $800,000 Street Sense filly.

“It's almost like twilight zone kind of stuff right now, to be quite honest,” O'Meara said during Book 2 after returning to the barn from selling a sixth offering for over half a million. “The first year after I moved from Hill 'n' Dale we had a couple of nice ones in Book 1 and we have been able to build off those since then. We came here this year thinking we would have our strongest sale, but this has been incredible.”

“We're so proud of all the horses,” he continued. “You can like them at home when they act like they do there, but to get out here and walk up and down 200, 250 times for people, you quickly find out the mentality of a horse. We're very fortunate that everybody acted so well.”

No yearling in their consignment handled themself better, O'Meara said, than the Quality Road colt that went on to become the highest-selling yearling in North America so far this year.

“He improved with every show and never balked at anything he was asked,” O'Meara explained. “He had almost a two-foot overstep and was just a locomotive with the way he used his shoulder and how he got his hind leg up. I've never seen so many people be so enamored by a horse with the way he moved at the sale. We started getting a little bit excited when we had 25 or 30 vet hits on him from all the right players.”

Last year at the same sale, Stonehaven Steadings celebrated their first million-dollar yearling when this colt's half-brother by Justify sold for $1.55 million to West Point Thoroughbreds and Talla Racing. Now named Nuclear, the juvenile is putting in steady works at Del Mar for John Sadler.

“We were blown out of the water at that stage,” O'Meara recounted. “We pretty much figured we had peaked in life as far as selling yearlings, but his brother at home was always one that we thought in the back of our mind maybe could have the potential to be that kind of quality horse again for the next year.”

Throughout the winter, the Stonehaven Steadings crew hesitated to get overly-excited, knowing the May-foaled colt might not reach the level of his older brother by the time of the auction, but the youngster blossomed as a yearling and was regarded enthusiastically by the Keeneland sales inspection team as the auction grew near.

When it came time for the colt to make his entrance into the sales ring, he was preceded by an air of anticipation. O'Meara turned to his wife to celebrate when the bidding stalled at $1.3 million, then stood dumbfounded as the number continued to grow.

Going to the same connections as his older brother with the addition of Woodford Racing, this colt will also train under John Sadler. As they did with Nuclear, Stonehaven Steadings stayed in for a small piece of the youngster.

“We're very fortunate that West Point has let us stay in on some of these good horses,” O'Meara said. “We had two with them last year and then three with them so far this year, so we're pretty excited to see what the future brings.”

Aidan O'Meara and the $2.5 million colt out of True Feelings | Keeneland

Stonehaven Steadings already has a reputation for breeding champions in its relatively short history. The list includes 2012 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile champion Shanghai Bobby (Harlan's Holiday) and most recently, 'TDN Rising Star' and juvenile champion Corniche (Quality Road).

The farm was founded by Leah's parents Jeff and Chiquita Reddoch. The couple from Louisiana took an interest in the industry when Leah moved to Lexington for college. Starting off with just a handful of $30,000 broodmares, they eventually purchased property off Old Frankfort Pike.

The name Stonehaven Steadings was easy to come by. During their time in the oil field industry, the Reddochs traveled throughout Europe for business. Their favorite village in Scotland was called Stonehaven. There, a farmstead can be referred to as a steading.

Chiquita Reddoch is quick to credit her daughter and son-in-law for their operation's many achievements.

“Leah and Aidan have a really good talent to work together and do this,” she said. “Aidan is such a good horseman. When they first met and he was working at Hill 'n' Dale, I was always amazed at how he could speak about the horses and their races, conformation and pedigrees. Leah has always been interested in it also. They're together every day and they live and breathe the farm. It's not anything I could ever do. We turned this over to Leah and Aidan and now we get to do the things mommas and daddies do behind the scenes.”

While Aidan is on the farm every day, Leah focuses on marketing their business, organizing the sales consignments, and shopping year-round for potential additions to their broodmare band.

Asked what makes the couple such a good team, Leah laughed.

“His patience,” she retorted, but then gave a bigger-picture reply as she explained, “I think it's the reality that everything happens for a reason and it's about having faith when something seems like it might be a terrible thing. That will calm you down right away. There's no point in fretting when you've got faith like that.”

The O'Mearas also credit their longtime farm manager Colby Marks for their recent accomplishments. Marks was the one that picked out their star broodmare True Feelings in 2012. The daughter of Latent Heat ran second in the 2011 GIII Schuylerville S. and is from the family of champion Wait a While (Maria's Mon). Marks picked up the maiden mare for $210,000 at Keeneland November.

Farm manager Colby Marks and True Feelings | photo courtesy Stonehaven Steadings

“I think a lot of broodmares are like these top-class stallions in some ways in that either they have it or they don't,” O'Meara said. “You just try and pick the right kind of sires and match them up pedigree-wise, but you never know what you're going to get. We like to give these younger mares as good an opportunity as we can when we breed them to these better, proven sires. That helps build a mare's resume and you hope that down the line you have one that comes out looking the right way with a couple of half-siblings that are already stakes horses.”

Their $2.5 million colt is a shining example of this game plan. His dam already has three winners on her produce record including Royal Act (American Pharoah), a $500,000 yearling that went on to run second in the 2020 GIII Robert B. Lewis S., as well as stakes winner Feeling Mischief (Into Mischief).

“True Feelings is a really classy mare to mess with, but she's got a little grit to her as well when she wants to,” O'Meara said. “Everything out of her has been a beautiful mover. She has thrown all different kinds of types, but they all have had that class and that big walk to them. We kind of call her our Leslie's Lady now. To get one million-dollar yearling out of any mare is incredible, never mind to get two. It's just crazy.”

It was only a few years ago that Stonehaven Steadings was aiming to sell a few yearlings for $300,000 or maybe $400,000. Now after breeding and raising a $2.5 million yearling, what do they hope to do next?

“I just want to be here,” Leah said with a small shrug and a smile. “I want to live on the farm and have a thriving farm. I want to have staff who are like family that you can lean on and trust. We just want to enjoy it because horses are what we love. If we can do that for the rest of our days, I think we'll be pretty happy people.”

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Keeneland Book 2 Strong to the Finish With Pair of $1M Yearlings

by Jessica Martini & Christie DeBernardis

LEXINGTON, KY – The Keeneland September Yearling Sale continued to churn out strong results straight through to the conclusion of its Book 2 section Thursday night in Lexington with an additional two yearlings selling for seven figures, led by a $1.7-million son of Quality Road, bringing the four-day total for the auction to 30 seven-figure yearlings. Fifteen reached that mark last year.

“It was an incredible week,” said Keeneland's Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy.

Over the two Book 2 sessions, Keeneland sold 449 horses in the ring for a gross of $123,330,000. The book average was $274,677–up 6% from the 2021 Book 2 average and the median of $225,000 was up 12.5% from a year ago.

The Book 2 section produced the auction's highest-priced yearling in 2021 when a colt by City of Light sold for $1.7 million. The yearling was one of four million-dollar yearlings in the section. Eight reached that mark in the 2022 Book 2 section.

“This session last year was extremely strong and was up quite a bit from the previous year,” Lacy said at the close of business Thursday. “So, the fact that we are just ticked up slightly over last year is really encouraging. I think it is holding steady. The clearance rate is ticked up a little bit as well, but again, it is probably a little higher than we'd like. We are up to 30 million-dollar plus yearlings over the four days and that is, in any metrics, really strong. That is a lot of different sellers, different breeders, large to small. I think the competitiveness among the buyers was really energetic. We were pleased overall. It is never perfect and we are trying to analyze carefully how it can be better going forward.”

Mike Repole, part of last year's leading buyer partnership with Vinnie Viola's St. Elias Stable, remained front and center in the pavilion through the first week of the auction. Repole and Viola were the leading buyers through four sessions of the 12-day sale with 30 yearlings purchased for $12.54 million. In his own name, Repole is the fourth-leading buyer with 23 head purchased for $6.765 million. And in total, Repole, with various partners and by himself, purchased 60 yearlings for a total of $23.49 million.

“Having Mike Repole and his team here in person has really given the sale a lift,” said Keeneland's Director of Sales Operations Cormac Breathnach. “Todd Pletcher has been here and I think they have spent 90% of their time in their seats in the pavilion and buying so much quality. With Mick Wallace and Rory Babich working so hard on behalf of Vinnie Viola as well, both in partnership and individually, it is creating the energy around the sale we really strive for.”

The SF/Starlight/Madaket partnership was the second leading buyer through four sessions, with 15 yearlings purchased for $10.58 million. Don Adam's Courtlandt was the third-leading buyer with 11 purchased for $8.235 million.

Through four sessions, 898 yearlings have grossed $236,990,000. The average is up 9.59% to $354,245 and the median is up 10% to $275,000. The buy-back rate is 25.50%. It was 30.18% at this point a year ago.

The strength of the market this week at Keeneland is no surprise to Chris Baker of Three Chimneys Farm, which sold Thursday's second million-dollar yearling, a colt by Gun Runner, for $1.2 million.

“I'm not surprised because of the way [Fasig-Tipton] Saratoga was and the way things have been recently,” Baker said. “I anticipated it being very strong. There are a lot of good things happening. Even though racing is smaller and a little more concentrated, there are a handful of tracks that you can run a maiden for $100,000 and maybe win a race and pay your training bills for a year. There are just so many positives going on in racing in general and in Kentucky in particular. It's an exciting time and the principals are excited and optimistic.”

The Keeneland September sale will have an off-day Friday and the action will resume with the first of two Book 3 sessions Saturday with bidding beginning at 10 a.m. The auction continues through Sept. 24.

Lanni Wins Out On Quality Road Colt

A colt by Quality Road (Hip 886) shook things up about halfway through Thursday's session, igniting a spirited bidding war that came down to Mike Repole, bidding from the left side of the pavilion besides trainer Todd Pletcher, and Donato Lanni, who was bidding over the phone. Repole was in up until $1.65 million, but gave an emphatic no after Lanni upped his bid to $1.7 million and the hammer fell. Lanni did not disclose his client when signing the ticket, but Amr Zedan's Zedan Racing Stable announced on Twitter that the session topper had been purchased on Zedan's behalf.

“Bob [Baffert] Loved him,” Lanni said. “We all loved him. Everybody loved him it looks like. Everybody was waiting for him. All of the usual suspects were visible.”

Lanni continued, “He is a beautiful horse. He is just super athletic, a really laid back, good-looking Quality Road. He is made really well. He is the right kind.”

Consigned by Nardelli Sales, Hip 886 was bred by Kim and Rodney Nardelli, William Werner and W.S. Farish. Werner purchased the colt's dam Act Now (Street Sense) for $150,000 at the 2020 KEEJAN sale carrying a foal by Kitten's Joy. The resulting foal brought just $70,000 last year. Hip 886 hails from the femail family of MGSW & MGISP Fed Biz and GISW Joking.

“He's a lovely horse we bred and raised,” said Rodney Nardelli. “He's got everything. He's beautiful, he's correct, he vets. He's been nice all his life. We're appreciative of Keeneland's format and the support of the buyers.”

Quality Road has had a sensational September Sale so far. He is responsible for the current $2.5-million topper and seven of his foals have brought seven figures through the first four days. The Lane's End stalwart has had 29 yearlings sell so far for a total of $18.75 million and average of $646,552. —@CDeBernardisTDN

Late Fireworks for Gun Runner Colt

A colt by Gun Runner (hip 1086) set off late fireworks as the fourth session of the Keeneland September sale began to wind down Thursday night, ultimately selling for $1.2 million to bloodstock agent Mike Ryan. The yearling is out of Grade I winner Malibu Prayer (Malibu Moon) and was consigned by Four Star Sales, as agent for her breeder, Three Chimneys Farm.

“Obviously, he's a Gun Runner,” Ryan, who did his bidding out back alongside trainer Chad Brown, said of the yearling's appeal. “He reminded me quite a bit of Early Voting. He's from one of Ned Evans's best pedigrees. He was a big, impressive, imposing horse that moved like a cheetah. I said to Chad, 'Can you imagine Flavien Prat or Irad Ortiz on his back right now?' He was a magnificent horse with a lot of class and quality. He's bred to get 1 1/8 miles, 1 1/4 miles.”

Early Voting (Gun Runner), a $200,000 Keeneland September yearling, won this year's GI Preakness S. for Klaravich Stables and Brown.

“He's been bought for a partnership–he'll got to Chad and hopefully we can win a Preakness with him,” Ryan said of the yearling.

Three Chimneys Farm's Chris Baker said the million-dollar sale exceeded expectations.

“It was outstanding,” Baker said of the result. “Gun Runner will do that for you. And the female family didn't hurt any either.”

Baker, who served as racing manager to the late Ned Evans, is plenty familiar with the yearling's female family.

Malibu Prayer sold for $2 million out of the Evans dispersal at the 2011 Keeneland November sale, a year after she had won the GI Ruffian Invitational S. The mare is a daughter of Grand Prayer (Grand Slam).

“I'm always partial to ones we bred and raised,” Baker said. “That's a family I've known generations back to when I was in Virginia. It's always hard to part with them. But the colt will have a great opportunity and we are excited to see what he does. We were well paid for our efforts.”

Three Chimneys stallion Gun Runner, who continues to produce on the racetrack, has been represented by five seven-figure yearlings during the first four days of the Keeneland September sale.

“I don't remember a stallion like him,” Baker said. “I am a little close to the fire, so it's easy for me to be biased. But it's just remarkable what his offspring are doing on the racetrack and what he's doing at the sale with a wide variety of mares, physically and on pedigree. He just suits so many. It's great. We are just very fortunate to be a part of it.”

Asked what he is seeing in the young stallion's offspring, Baker said, “Mentally it's the train ability and willingness. And physically, it's athleticism and movement and just how they carry themselves. To get the two of those together like he had, and he conveys to so much of his offspring, is why we are getting the exceptional results we are.” @JessMartiniTDN

Gun Runner Filly Continues Big Week for Stoneway

Jim Stone's Stoneway Farm, which had its first million-dollar sale during the first session of the Keeneland September sale, just missed having a second seven-figure yearling when a filly by Gun Runner (hip 833) sold for $925,000 Thursday in Lexington. Bloodstock agent David Ingordo, standing alongside CRK Stables' Lee Searing, made the winning bid on the filly who was consigned by Paramount Sales.

“I am pretty dang excited,” Stone's racing manager and partner Terri Burch said after watching the filly sell Thursday. “I am thrilled and over the moon.”

Hip 833 is a chestnut filly out of Stonetastic (Mizzen Mast), a mare purchased by the Stoneway team for $77,000 as a Keeneland September yearling in 2012 who went on to win the 2014 GII Prioress S. and 2016 GII Inside Information S.

“We were expecting about what she brought,” Burch said of the filly. “She was very popular here. We loved her and she looked so much like Gun Runner with the pretty head of Stonetastic.”

During Monday's first session of the Keeneland sale, Stoneway sold a filly by Into Mischief for $1.25 million (hip 52) to Frank Fletcher. The yearling is out of Song of Spring (Spring at Last), who was purchased by Stoneway for $80,000 as a yearling at the 2015 Fasig-Tipton October sale. She won the 2018 GIII Allaire du Pont Distaff S.

“She looks so much like Malathaat,” Burch said of the yearling who is from the family of the GI Kentucky Oaks winner's dam Dreaming of Julia (A.P. Indy). “I had the pleasure to see Malathaat over at Churchill. And that family sells really well. And again that was one that we would have raced, but again too expensive for our farm to leave that money on the table.”

“It is bittersweet,” Burch admitted of the decision to sell the prized fillies. “We love them. I am a horseperson and I see them born and I see them develop, but I also know that the farm has to have an income so that I can breed again to Into Mischief and Gun Runner. If I don't sell, then we are not going to breed up there.”

Stoneway has about 20 broodmares and the group includes Stonetastic's unraced first foal Stonetonic (Candy Ride {Arg}).

“We actually have another daughter of Stonetastic who wasn't able to race and she is in the November sale and she looks dead on like Stonetastic,” Burch said. “She is a Candy Ride and is just gorgeous.”

Both Stoneway fillies were out of mares who were acquired inexpensively before going on to graded stakes-winning careers. Now the challenge for the team is to reinvest in fillies who will carry on that tradition.

“$77,000 and $80,000, you can't do better than that,” Burch said of the two purchases.

Burch continued, “This is our best crop of babies from top to bottom that we have ever raised. We had a good July sale with the three horses that we sold there, as well.”

Later in Thursday's session, Stoneway sold a Vino Rosso half-sister to multiple graded winner Ahh Chocolate (Candy Ride {Arg}) (hip 891) for $235,000 and a Liam's Map half-brother to Instagrand (hip 902) for $200,000. @JessMartiniTDN

 

SF/Starlight/Madaket Still Going Strong

The powerhouse colt-buying partnership lead by SF, Starlight and Madaket Stables did not slow during Thursday's session, buying a $700,000 Uncle Mo colt (Hip 832) early in the day. He was consigned by Taylor Made Sales.

“Uncle Mo is a proven stallion,” said SF's Tom Ryan. “The colt is a beautiful horse out of a good racemare with a deep family. Donato [Lanni] and Bob [Baffert] really love this horse. We are happy to land him. He will make his way to Eddie Woods for the winter and hopefully find his way to California next spring.”

Breeder PTK purchased Hip 832's dam Still There (Union Rags) for $160,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale in 2015. She went on to win a stake at Laurel and finish second in Saratoga's GI Ballerina S. This is her first foal.

The SF, Starlight and Madaket-led group purchased X more colts Thursday, adding to the 14 they acquired during the first three sessions. —@CDeBernardisTDN

 

West Signs for New Partnership

Bloodstock agent Jacob West left his seat in the pavilion next to owner Mike Repole to head out back where he went to $600,000 to acquire a colt by Uncle Mo (hip 828) for $600,000 from the St George Sales consignment. The yearling, who is out of stakes-placed Spring Eclipse (Unbridled's Song) and is a half-brother to stakes winner Bet She Wins (First Samurai), was purchased for new clients.

“He's for a new partnership, some new guys who are getting into the business,” West said. “And like everyone else in this game, they want to win the Kentucky Derby. We just figured a son of Uncle Mo, with his physique and pedigree, he might be a horse for the future. We will keep our fingers crossed.”

While declining to name the new clients, West said, “There are two guys from the East Coast and two guys from the West Coast, so it's four guys all together. We've been trying to spot some horses and it's been tough. They've actually gotten outbid on three or four other horses earlier in Book 1 and one earlier today. I think they are going to be guys that are going to stick around for a long time.”

West said the colt could be trained by Todd Pletcher on the East Coast or Michael McCarthy if he heads west. @JessMartiniTDN

Rigney Secures Pair of Pricey Fillies

Richard Rigney's Rigney Racing came to Keeneland looking for fillies that would one day join their broodmare band. With trainer Phil Bauer signing the tickets, the operation acquired a pair of pricey fillies during Book 2, going to $925,000 for a Twirling Candy filly (Hip 621) Wednesday and taking home a daughter of the late Arrogate Thursday (Hip 805) for $590,000.

Bred and consigned by Peter O'Callaghan's Woods Edge Farm, Hip 621 is out of the Distorted Humor mare Double Sharp, who is a daughter of MGSW & MGISP Bsharpsonata (Pulpit).

“She was a standout for us,” said Bauer. “We stretched further than we anticipated, but we are thrilled we got her. Hopefully, we can get some black-type. Everything is geared towards the long term with the broodmare program. We will race them first and hopefully turn out some blue hen mares.”

Hip 805 was bred and consigned by the Bell family's Mill Ridge Farm. They acquired her dam Scarlet Love (Not For Love), who hails from an accomplished Stonestreet family, for $130,000 in foal to Indian Charlie at the 2011 Keeneland November Sale. Already the dam of SP Cursor (Quality Road), Scarlet Love is a half-sister to Grade I winners Tara's Tango (Unbridled's Song) and Visionaire (Grand Slam), as well as GSW & GISP Scarlet Strike (Smart Strike) and GSW Madison's Luna (Tapit).

“She's got all the right parts,” said Bauer. “She has a nice physical. We know the family. We've had two out of the second dam, so we are really big fans. There is enough page there that she can be a nice broodmare for us and, hopefully, a nice racehorse before. She looks early. Hopefully, she will be a good one.”

“That was well beyond our hopes and dreams,” said Price Bell Jr., General Manager of Mill Ridge Farm “She was a very special filly and was a standout on the day.  She is lovely. Some very good judges were all around her. The dam has one ovary. We bought her from our friends at Airdrie Stud and she has been really good to us. The buyers Richard Rigney and Phil Bauer bought a filly from us several years ago named Mariah's Princess that turned out well. They are good people and take good care of their horses. When Arrogate went to $50,000 we felt like it was good value and the mare deserved a shot.”

Champion Arrogate passed away in 2021 after producing only three crops. A filly from his first crop, Secret Oath, took the GI Kentucky Oaks this year and he had a phenomenal weekend at Del Mar with And Tell Me Nolies winning the GI Del Mar Debutante Saturday and 'TDN Rising Star' Cave Rock capturing the GI Del Mar Futurity Sunday.

“It is a shame we lost him,” Bauer said. We have a nice 3-year-old filly by him, so we are a fan of the stallion.”

Arrogate had 22 yearlings sell during the first two books for a gross of $6.17 million and average of $280,455.

—@CDeBernardisTDN

 

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Pope Strikes for Tapit Filly at KEESEP

Mandy Pope outlasted Chad Brown, who was bidding on behalf of Peter Brant, to take home a Tapit filly out of MSW & GSP Danzatrice (Dunkirk) (Hip 603) for $1.1 million during the Book 2 opener at Keeneland Wednesday. The chestnut was bred and sold by Gainesway. Her dam is a half-sister to champion Jaywalk (Cross Traffic). Pope purchased the filly's full-brother for at the auction last year for $1.3 million with Gainesway staying in for a piece. He is now named Tapit Trice and is in training with Todd Pletcher.

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