Keeneland | Horse Racing Free Tips

KeeNov Steal Produces Six-Figure Good Samaritan Filly

The next time Robert Traylor surveys the back walking ring at Keeneland, his eye for horseflesh is sure to be even more confident than before the start of the week.

At the Keeneland November Sale back in 2017, Traylor brought home a young mare for just $4,000. This week, her Good Samaritan filly sold for over 27 times that number, hammering down for $110,000.

Traylor is the farm manager for Maccabee Farm, a growing operation established by Steve Belford just seven years ago with locations in both Paris, Kentucky and Mount Gilead, Ohio.

Traylor still remembers the mare’s hip number- 3264. Twizzler (Twirling Candy) was one of the last twenty-some horses to go through the ring on the ninth session of the sale that year.

“It was getting late in the sale and I was standing in the back ring watching the individuals come in and I just fell in love with her,” he recalled.

The daughter of Twirling Candy had raced just three times two years prior, her best result being a second-place finish in her debut at Ellis Park, but pedigree made up for her lackluster race record. Her dam Twist Afleet (Afleet), a seven times graded winner and victress of the 1994 GI Test S., had four stakes horses under her name.

Twizzler herself had produced a Mineshaft filly earlier that year and was in foal to Noble Mission (GB) (Galileo {Ire}).

Before he could head up to the sales ring, Traylor called Maccabee Farm’s owner Steve Belford.

“Steve and I kind of work as a team,” Traylor said. “He knows all the pedigrees and I scope out the horses. I got Steve on the phone and asked if he was alright with the pedigree. He told me to go for it. She was a big, raw-boned mare and I figured she would go for between $25,000 and $30,000 because she was in foal to Noble Mission, but I got her for $4,000 so I was pretty excited.”

When Twizzler foaled her Noble Mission filly the next year, Belford decided to keep the youngster. The now 3-year-old is putting in her first works at Skylight Training Center.

“She’s doing great,” Belford reported. “She’s at Skylight with Tom Drury and her name is Natalie’s Charm.”

Twizzler was barren the following year, but was next bred to WinStar’s then first-year sire Good Samaritan (Harlan’s Holiday).

It was quickly apparent to Traylor that the resulting filly could be an exciting prospect.

“She had plenty of bone, plenty of size and a really nice hip on her,” he said. “She was really well-balanced. She had the attitude to be a racehorse. I told Steve that she’s probably one of the better fillies we’ve raised. I said she looks like a Classic horse.”

Belford had to put a lot of consideration into what to do with the youngster.

“We’re part of the syndicate on Good Samaritan with WinStar and we wanted to help promote the stallion by selling her,” Belford explained. “But it was really hard because she was such a nice filly and I wanted to keep her myself. She looked the part.”

Belford was satisfied with his decision to part with the filly when she sold to Young Squirrel Stable for $110,000 on the first day of the Keeneland January Sale, becoming her sire’s top seller to date.

“We felt she was worth it and we were rewarded,” Belford said. “She was very special. We knew that she was really exceptional and we’re starting to see that in a lot of the Good Samaritan foals. We have another colt that we’re going to offer in February and he’s also really nice.”

Belford reported that Twizzler, as well as five or six other mares from his band, will go to Good Samaritan again this year.

Most of what Belford’s Maccabee Farm breeds is retained to race, with the farm’s top earners including stakes winners Tough It Up (Lemon Drop Kid) and Strike Your Light (Majestic Warrior), both Ohio-breds trained by Tom Drury. In 2015, Maccabee Farm bred four-time graded stakes-winning millionaire Factor This (The Factor).

Despite the farm’s growing success, Belford says they prefer to stay out of the spotlight.

“We don’t really like publicity,” he admits. “If we’re going to promote anything it would be the Ohio program because we need to do better with that.”

So Belford and Traylor will look for their next quiet success story, perhaps in finding another mare overlooked by the throngs of buyers at the next sale.

Traylor will be keeping an eye out for just that.

“I was born and raised at Claiborne and I remember the Hancocks always talking about how they liked those big, raw-boned mares because you can get any kind of horse out of them,” Taylor said. “But certain horses, they just catch your eye, you know?”

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$375,000 Mare In Foal To Fast Anna Leads Wednesday At Keeneland January Sale

Baccari Bloodstock paid $375,000 for From the Hood, a daughter of Street Sense in foal to Fast Anna, to lead results of Wednesday's third and penultimate session of the Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale.

Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent, consigned From the Hood, a 6-year-old half-sister to champion Folklore, stakes winner Divided Attention and stakes-placed Delightful Quality, dam of undefeated 2020 TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and G1 Claiborne Breeders' Futurity winner Essential Quality.

A total of 255 horses sold Wednesday for $4,378,300, for an average of $17,170 and a median of $7,000.

Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent, was the session's leading consignor, selling 54 horses for $1,108,800. With its purchase of From the Hood, Baccari Bloodstock was the leading buyer.

Through three days, Keeneland sold 708 horses for $39,793,100, for an average of $56,205 and a median of $20,000.

Today's session marked the conclusion of the Spry Family Farm Dispersal for which Hill 'n' Dale Sales Agency served as agent. The second high seller on Wednesday, purchased by WinStar Farm for $180,000, was the Spry mare Heavenly Sis. A half-sister to Grade 1 winner Instilled Regard, Heavenly Sis is a 5-year-old daughter of Hard Spun out of Enhancing, by Forestry. She is from the family of champion Heavenly Prize and Grade 1 winners Oh What a Windfall and Good Reward and Grade 2 winner Pure Prize.

Another Spry horse to sell Wednesday was Mo Emma, a 4-year-old broodmare prospect by Uncle Mo out of American Cleopatra, by Pioneerof the Nile, a full sister to Triple Crown winner American Pharoah. She sold to Zilli Racing for $120,000.

A total of 41 Spry horses sold at the January Sale for $1,405,900, led by Sand Hill Stables' purchase of the Maclean's Music yearling colt Mac's Prize on Monday for $200,000.

On Wednesday, two daughters of Into Mischief – racing or broodmare prospect Risk Model and broodmare Ten Demerits – sold for $160,000 apiece.

Hidden Brook, agent, purchased Risk Model, a 4-year-old filly consigned by ELiTE, agent. A half-sister to stakes winner Hi Holiday, she is out of the graded stakes-placed Proud Citizen mare Boleyn and from the family of Grade 1 winner Magnificent Lindy.

Trackside Farm acquired Ten Demerits, a 6-year-old daughter of multiple Grade 1 winner Pussycat Doll, by Real Quiet, in foal to Girvin. Hunter Valley Farm, agent, consigned Ten Demerits, a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Aquaphobia from the family of additional Grade 1 winners Hookedonthefeelin and Jimmy Creed.

At $70,000, the session-topping yearling was a colt by Laoban purchased by Rascal Bloodstock. Consigned by Bill Murphy, agent, he is out of Jade, a daughter of Colonel John and from the family of Grade 1 winner Play Fellow.

The January Sale concludes Thursday with a session beginning at 10 a.m. ET. The session includes 19 broodmares, yearlings and horses of racing age consigned by Lane's End, agent for the Complete Dispersal of the Estate of Paul P. Pompa Jr.

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Street Sense Mare Tops Keeneland Wednesday

The Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale continued into its Book 2 section with a measured session of bidding Wednesday. Five broodmares brought six figures during the session, with the 6-year-old From the Hood (Street Sense), a half-sister to champion Folklore (Tiznow), bringing the day’s top price of $375,000. The mare was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency and Chris Baccari made the winning bid.

A colt by Laoban (hip 1053) was the session’s top-priced short yearling when selling to Rascal Bloodstock for $70,000. Bred in Ohio by Mark Toothaker and Gigi Chiandussi, the dark bay colt was consigned by Bill Murphy.

During Wednesday’s third session of the four-day auction, 255 horses sold for $4,378,300. The average was $17,170 and the median was $7,000.

At the third session of the five-day 2020 January sale, 226 head sold for $5,105,200 for an average of $22,589 and a median of $12,000.

Taylor Made Sales Agency was the session’s leading consignor, selling 54 horses for $1,108,800.

“It’s typical Book 2 January,” said Taylor Made’s Mark Taylor. “You have one walk in there and it’s life and death trying to get someone to raise their hand at $1,000. Then you have another walk in that’s a good-vetting foal and you’ll have 10 people trying to bid and there is a good bit of action. At Book 2 of January, you get a little bit of everything. What I think is very, very apparent is that anything that is in the bottom 20% of the market, nobody that is paying the fees and the bills that it takes in Central Kentucky wants to be operating in that environment. They’re fleeing to quality. Here it’s about trying to find these horses a good home where they can go on and hopefully be successful in a regional market or elsewhere. That’s the lay of the land and that is where we are at right now.”

Baccari agreed the market was all hit or all miss.

“I think it’s like anything, if you have something they are looking for, it’s very competitive to get them bought,” Baccari said. “If you miss the mark, you miss it completely. But if you are on the mark, you are probably going to be good to go.”

Wednesday’s session concluded the dispersal of Spry Family Farm. The day’s second-highest offering, Heavenly Sis (Hard Spun), who sold for $180,000 to WinStar Farm, came from the dispersal, which was handled by Hill ‘n’ Dale Sales Agency. A total of 41 Spry horses sold at the January sale for $1,405,900, led by Sand Hill Stables’ purchase of the Maclean’s Music yearling colt Mac’s Prize (hip 275) Monday for $200,000.

The Keeneland January sale concludes with a final session Thursday. Bidding begins at 10 a.m.

Baccari in the Hood

Chris Baccari went to $375,000 to acquire the well-related From the Hood (Street Sense) (hip 1019) from the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment at Keeneland Wednesday. The 6-year-old mare, in foal to Fast Anna, is a half-sister to champion Folklore (Tiznow) and to Delightful Quality (Elusive Quality), dam of likely 2-year-old Eclipse champion Essential Quality (Tapit). Folklore is also the second dam of last year’s Japanese Triple Crown winner Contrail (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}).

“The thing with her family, that female pedigree, all of those daughters are reproducing if you look down the list right now,” Baccari said. “All of them are reproducing.”

Baccari already has another member of the family in Miss Moon (Malibu Moon), a daughter of Folklore, whose son Savile Row (Quality Road) was a first-out winner for trainer Bob Baffert and SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Golconda Stables, Siena Farm and Robert Masterson.

“Miss Moon just throws really good-looking individuals that can run,” Baccari said. “That’s very hard for me, as a person who both races and sells commercially, to find. If I am selling commercially, I have to have mares that are going to throw the quality look that you need with the pedigree behind it. And she has that.”

Baccari continued, “I really want to have the best mares I can get my hands on to bring them back to the farm, so people will know that we raise a good quality horse. And you have to have good mares who can get big results.”

Baccari said mating plans were still undecided on From the Hood, but added, “The best thing about this mare is you can breed her to anything. She has the size, the scope, the strength, she has enough bone. There is nothing really to fix on her.”

From the Hood, bred by Godolphin and a $47,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase in 2016, made just one start for V-Leaf Stables and trainer Michael Tomlinson.

“It’s arguably the hottest pedigree going,” said consignor Mark Taylor. “You could have a [Kentucky] Derby winner out of that pedigree and you have Contrail, who is a Japanese equivalent to a Triple Crown winner. The whole page has just exploded. I think it was a fair price. I had her in the $350,000 to $500,000 range. She’s a beautiful mare and I think Chris Baccari made a good buy. I think that he’s got a good shot to make money in the long run whether he keeps her or turns her over.”

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Jack Wolf Joins TDN Writers’ Room

Fresh off a dominant Grade I win by his Starlight Racing’s Charlatan (Speightstown) and a newly-minted ‘TDN Rising Star’ for his outfit, Jack Wolf joined the TDN Writers’ Room presented by Keeneland Wednesday morning. Calling in via Zoom as the Green Group Guest of the Week, Wolf talked about the highs and lows of 2020 with his barn star, Thoroughbred aftercare and more.

Charlatan’s 3-year-old campaign featured dazzling victories but also a disqualification for a positive drug test in the GI Arkansas Derby and a long layoff that forced him to miss the GI Kentucky Derby. Luckily for Starlight, they also owned a piece of a colt named Authentic (Into Mischief) who carried the flag to a Derby victory and presumptive Horse of the Year trophy.

“It was a roller coaster,” Wolf said. “Initially we had three big horses in there of which Charlatan looked like he was probably going to be the best of the three with Eight Rings and Authentic. Then all this stuff happened. We went to Arkansas and got the disqualification there, then we had to remove a small chip [in his ankle] and that put everything up in the air. In any case, when you’ve got somebody like Bob Baffert adjusting to all these changes, I think we have a little bit of an advantage over everybody else. Then we had Authentic, who [because of the Derby postponement] had seven weeks between the Haskell and the Derby. I don’t think Authentic would have won the Derby if it was run May 2, and it all just worked out. Crazy business.”

Two weeks after Charlatan’s devastating GI Malibu S. win, 3-year-old filly Jouster (Noble Mission {GB}) kept Starlight spirits high with an 8 3/4-length maiden romp Sunday at Gulfstream to earn ‘Rising Star’ honors. The $360,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga buy was a beaten favorite in her first two starts on dirt before relishing the turf in Sunday’s graduation.

“I think we’ve got her on the right surface now,” Wolf said. “The field that she beat the other day, there were some pretty nice horses. I was talking to one of our partners last night and he asked if I thought we’d win the race. I was at the race. So, I’m not going to go down there without thinking we’re going to win the thing. But, in any case, I didn’t think we’d win by 8 3/4 lengths. She’ll probably run in an allowance race next and we’ll point for something like the Belmont Oaks and some of those longer turf races, in the summer.”

Elsewhere on the show, the writers reacted to the passing of Juddmonte Farms’ Khalid Abdullah, discussed the swift industry backlash to Eric Guillot in the West Point Thoroughbreds news segment and looked forward to the beginning of Derby prep season. Click here to watch the podcast; click here for the audio-only version.

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