A $500,000 acquisition by Michael Hernon on behalf of Roy and Gretchen Jackson's operation from the Woodford draft at Keeneland September in 2021, Sunday Shoes was sent off as the 9-2 third choice on debut and was one of the first to break the line from her double-digit draw before easing back to sit in about midfield, albeit well out into the track. Waited with into the final three-eighths of a mile, the bay uncorked an eye-catching rally around the turn while still trapped out and was no better than five deep at the entrance to the stretch. Sunday Shoes wanted to have a good look around once she made the lead, but she was kept to her task and pulled nicely clear of what appeared on paper to be a strong group. OXO Equine's second-time starter Upper Case (American Pharoah), well-beaten behind future GISW Chocolate Gelato (Practical Joke) at Saratoga last August, was runner-up here as the 9-5 chalk, while firster Chelsea Pier (Arrogate) spiced up the triple at 24-1.

Sunday Shoes is a sixth 'Rising Star' for the much-missed Pioneerof the Nile, who is the sire of Lael's gifted turf sprinter Arrest Me Red, also a Ward trainee. Woodford Thoroughbreds acquired the winner's stakes-winning dam–also second in the 2016 GII Adirondack S.–for $800,000 in foal to Quality Road at the 2018 Keeneland November sale.

Silvertoni, herself a $230,000 KEESEP yearling, is a grand-daughter of Grade I winner Easy Now, a half-sister to the legendary champion and nine-time Grade I winner Easy Goer (Alydar) and GI Ballerina S. heroine Cadillacing (Alydar). Fourth dam Relaxing (Buckpasser) was the champion older mare of 1981 and Broodmare of the Year in 1989.

5th-Turfway, $68,852, Msw, 2-15, 3yo, f, 6 1/2f (AWT), 1:16.66, ft, 3 1/2 lengths.
SUNDAY SHOES, f, 3, by Pioneerof the Nile
1st Dam: Silvertoni (SW & GSP, $141,330), by Tapit
2nd Dam: Somasach, by Johannesburg
3rd Dam: Easy Now, by Danzig
Sales history; $500,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $42,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG. Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
O-Lael Stables; B-Woodford Thoroughbreds LLC (KY); T-Wesley A Ward.

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Spanish Loveaffair, trained by Hall of Famer Mark Casse, entered the Pebbles off a fourth-place finish in the Grade 2 Lake Placid on August 21 over a yielding turf at Saratoga, where she hit the gate at the start, stalked the pace from second, and came up empty in the stretch. On Saturday, the now three-time winner regained her triumphant form.

Breaking from post 10 under Junior Alvarado, Spanish Loveaffair rated a close third to the outside of Jordan's Leo, while Spirit of Bermuda commanded the field down the backstretch. Nearing the far turn, through a half-mile in :49.25, Spanish Loveaffair inched her way into second and leveled up to even terms with the pacesetter a few strides outside the quarter-pole.

Spirit of Bermuda dug in gamely in upper stretch, but ultimately gave way as Spanish Loveaffair drew off to a 2 ¼-length score in a final time of 1:35.82. Jordan's Leo finished second, one length ahead of Runaway Rumour in third.

Spanish Loveaffair earned her second career stakes victory after capturing the Sharp Susan in August 2020 on firm going at Gulfstream Park. She crossed the wire first in her seasonal bow in the Grade 3 Herecomesthebride on February 27 over firm footing at the South Florida oval, but was disqualified to fourth. She earned graded stakes black-type when finishing second in the Grade 2 Jessamine in October 2020 at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., and the Grade 3 Regret on May 29 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky.

Off at 30-1, Spanish Loveaffair rewarded her backers in $2 win payouts of $63.

The Pebbles was the first time Spanish Loveaffair had run over firm going since the Herecomesthebride.

“I thought with it being dry that she'd run well,” said Casse assistant Shane Tripp. “She's got enough speed to put herself in the race and Junior did a great job riding her. She's a miler through and through. I'm really proud of her.”

Alvarado said he was confident Spanish Loveaffair could outrun her odds.

“I couldn't believe the price,” Alvarado said. “I was talking with Shane and I thought we looked sneaky good in here. We weren't the favorite – I knew that for sure – but on paper she didn't look like a 30-1 shot.

“She ran great on firm turf at Gulfstream and today she got firm ground and ran very well,” Alvarado continued. “I was trying to hustle out of there because I didn't have a good post, so I had to try and get some position in the first part of the race. I followed in second and we were going pretty slow, so I wasn't in a rush at that point. I was taking my time to make sure I had enough horse to finish the race and she responded very well.”

Alvarado said the cutback in distance suited Spanish Loveaffair.

“A little turn back helped her for sure,” Alvarado said. “She's been running with tough company and she had a couple races where she didn't run that well, but it was soft turf. I had to hope with a little firmer turf she was going to run much better.”

Rounding out the order of finish were Our Flash Drive, Plum Ali, Spirit of Bermuda, Nazuna, Minaun, Third Draft, Keeper of Time, and Lovestruck.

Spanish Loveaffair enhanced her lifetime earnings to $236,590 after banking $55,000 in victory. The Karakontie bay's record now stands at 10-3-2-0. Bred in Kentucky by Gainesway Thoroughbreds, Spanish Loveaffair is out of the Unusual Heat mare Spanish Bunny, making her a half-sister to Grade 1-winner Spanish Queen. She was bought for $35,000 from the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, where she was consigned by her breeder.

Live racing resumes on Thursday with a nine-race card. First post is 2:05 p.m. Eastern.

America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the fall meet at Belmont Park on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont Park, and the best way to bet every race of the fall meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

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“She broke like a shot. Went out there with her ears pricked the whole time,” said the Indiana Grand-based West. “The jockey just kept her at her task. The second start, she's got tremendous gate speed. She shot out there, and they pressed her around there, with her ears pricked again. When Rodney asked her, she went.

“We wanted to give her a shot. She hasn't given us a reason not to try her in stakes company.”

As far as being in front, he said, “I think her ability put her there. We've had her since Turfway (over the winter), and we've always worked her in company, being a younger horse. She's always rated just fine. She's actually more relaxed by another horse than by herself. I think she just out-footed her early. I don't consider her a one-dimensional horse by any means.”

Takntothecleaners, a $15,000 2-year-old auction purchase, is 10-1 in the morning line. She breaks from post 7 among the nine 3-year-old fillies entered in the 1 1/16-mile grass race.

“I think she ranks somewhere in the middle,” West said of the competition. “Obviously she's not a standout. But I don't think she's going to be the longest shot.”

And off only two starts, there should be a lot of upside to Takntothecleaners.

“I've liked her since she came in,” West said. “She was very, very high strung when we got her. She still is a very high-energy filly. But her maturity is starting to come through. It's going to be tough. It's the first time she shipped, so we'll see how she handled that.

“We really didn't know what kind of filly she was when we got her. She just kept stepping up her game. She's gone a lot farther a lot faster than I thought.”

The Preview Oaks winner gets a fees-paid spot in the $500,000 Exacta Systems Dueling Grounds Oaks at 1 5/16 miles on Kentucky Downs' Sept. 5 opening card.

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Live Oak Plantation's Souper Sensational notched her first career graded stakes score when going five-wide in the upper stretch and surging home under jockey Flavien Prat to win the 6 1/2-furlong main track sprint for 3-year-old fillies. Her win over Ova Charged earned the Curlin filly a personal-best 95 Beyer Speed Figure as she improved her career record to 3-1-1 in seven starts.

Casse had Souper Sensational on the trail for the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks earlier in her sophomore campaign, where she finished third in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 Fair Grounds Oaks in March over a fast track. In her last start, she ran fourth in the Grade 2 Eight Belles in April at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., also over a fast track. The Victory Ride was the first time Souper Sensational ran over a track rated good.

“She's always shown a lot of talent,” said Casse. “We tried to get her to the Oaks and maybe in retrospect, she might just be a good sprinter type or going a mile. But the race set up for her yesterday and Flavien rode her well. She was impressive.”

In the Eight Belles, Hall of Famer John Velazquez was aboard for the seven-furlong sprint, and the veteran rider told Casse afterward he was disappointed in the effort based on Souper Sensational's ability.

“She trained really well into this race. [Assistant trainer] David Carroll, who had her for me at Louisville, thought she trained as well, if not better, than ever coming into the race, and he was right,” Casse said. “The last time she ran at Churchill, Johnny came back and was very frustrated. He said he was following a horse and a horse stopped in front of him and said we should have done a lot better than she did.

“So, we gave her a little break. She had been running hard,” Casse added. “I gave her just a little training beak. Sometimes you don't have to go home to get a break. We just didn't do anything with her for a little while. After the race at Churchill, our goal was the Test, and I figured, what's the best way to get to that race?' And yesterday was a great step.”

The G1 Longines Test for sophomore fillies is held at seven furlongs. Casse said Souper Sensational was headed upstate to Saratoga Springs to begin training for that contest next month.

“She got a 95 Beyer, which is very good for a 3-year-old filly. If you consider the wide trip too, it was impressive,” Casse said reflecting on the Victory Ride. “She's now headed to Saratoga this morning and we'll look at the Test.”

John C. Oxley's Palazzi had a troubled trip and finished sixth in Saturday's $1 million Grade 1 Belmont Derby Invitational at 1 1/4 miles on the inner turf. After breaking from the inside post under Tyler Gaffalione in the nine-horse field, Palazzi could not find racing room until it was too late, finishing 3 1/4 lengths behind winner Bolshoi Ballet. It was the third time in six starts Palazzi drew the inside post in a stakes race.

“Poor Palazzi, he can't catch a break,” Casse said. “He drew the one-hole again and there wasn't anything Tyler did wrong, but there was nowhere to go and there was too much to do when he finally got loose. I guess we'll go to the next big one in Saratoga.”

With the Belmont Derby Invitational serving as the first leg of the Turf Triple series, the “big one” at Saratoga will host the middle jewel of the series, with the $1 million Grade 1 Saratoga Derby Invitational at 1 3/16 miles set for Whitney Day on August 7.

Casse's other entry in a Turf Triple race, Spanish Loveaffair, ran last-of-eight in the $700,000 Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational for 3-year-old fillies going 1 1/4 miles on the inner turf. Casse didn't pick up a next spot yet but said a shorter distance could suit the Karakontie filly better. Spanish Loveaffair is owned by Gary Barber, Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners, and Michael Hernon.

“I just think we're going to cut her back and go a mile,” Casse said. “She wants a race where there's a little more pace. The problem is the further you run, the less pace there is. She was just too rambunctious early on yesterday.”

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“The June sale is all grown up now,” said OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski. “I am glad to see that both buyers and sellers are recognizing that June is a good sale in its own right. A consignor who needs to take some time with horses who maybe aren't the most forward, but they are still nice horses, they feel confident that they can give those horses the time and still have a market in which to sell them well. And the buyers are also patient enough that they know they can come here and end up with a quality racehorse.”

In 2020, 498 horses sold for $15,195,300 for an average of $30,513 and a median of $13,000. At the close of business, the 2020 buy-back rate was 20.5%. In 2019, 609 horses sold for $21,493,300. The average was $35,293 and the median was $17,000.

Four horses topped the $400,000 mark during the three-session auction, with a filly by Practical Joke bringing top price of $425,000. Mike Ryan made the highest bid of Friday's session, going to $410,000 to acquire a filly by Frosted from the Silvestre Chavez Thoroughbreds consignment.

“I've been studying the results all week,” Ryan said. “The first day was strong, yesterday was very strong. The money is here for the good ones. It's impressive. It's been a strong year and this is the last go-around.”

While the 2019 record top price of $900,000 and last year's top price of $700,000 were never approached, the top of the June market was competitive with 28 horses selling for $200,000 or more over the three days. Thirteen horses hit that mark in 2020 and there were 15 in 2019.

“It was solid at the top and there was still some good strength below it. It was a good horse sale,” Wojciechowski said. “We're glad that the momentum carried through all three days. We're happy for our consignors. They had a rough go of it last year and their fortitude and their willingness to keep pressing forward paid off for them this year.”

Frosted Filly to Ryan
Bloodstock agent Mike Ryan secured a filly by Frosted (hip 722) on behalf of Jeff Drown for $410,000 during Friday's final session of the OBS June sale.

“I drove down yesterday for two horses,” Ryan said. “I had watched all the videos and yesterday afternoon I looked at them and I had them vetted. And she was a beauty.”

Out of Saratoga Summer (Smart Strike), the gray filly is a half-sister to graded stakes winner Summersault (Rock Hard Ten).

“She's a very elegant filly with a lot of Tapit about her,” Ryan said. “Of course you hear it all the time, but I thought her breeze was exceptional; :10 1/5, but she did it at a gallop. The ease with which she did it was impressive.”

Ryan continued, “We'll give her a little freshening and get her ready and send her to the racetrack in six weeks or so and hope to see her in the fall.”

The filly was consigned by Silvestre Chavez on behalf of David Davila's Backstretch Farms, which purchased her for $115,000 as a weanling at the 2019 Keeneland November sale.

“David Davila gave me a chance to be part of this filly as a deal and of all three horses he gave me, this was by far the best. I appreciate that he gave me this opportunity. She's spectacular, she's going to be a nice, nice filly.”

Chavez continued, “When the filly came to me she was green broke. She was a little backwards, she was going through a growing stage. But coming into the sale, she was working really well on the dirt and she loved the polytrack here. She just glided over it.”

Chavez, who works with his brother Alex, started his consignment last year after spending time learning the business with Niall Brennan and Tony Everard.

“I worked for Niall Brennan–I learned from the best in Niall,” Chavez said. “When I left, he gave me a few clients. He and Tony Everard–I worked for him back in the day–are the best. Another guy who helped put me on the map was Steve Weston of Parkland Thoroughbreds. He's the one who got me started and gave me the big chance to go on my own. ”

Chavez, who is based at the Ocala Horse Complex, continued, “Last year I went out on my own. I had over 100 horses in training on my own this year. It's all about team, if you don't have good help, it's not going to happen.”

Gonzalez Gets His Quality Road
Mickey Gonzalez had already had one chance to acquire a colt by Quality Road out of a stakes-winning mare he had once co-owned, but he made the most of his second chance to take home the bay for $400,000 Friday in Ocala. The juvenile (hip 816) was consigned by de Meric Sales on behalf of breeder Bridlewood Farm.

“I made a private offer of $200,000 for him and they countered at $250,000 and I said no,” Gonzalez said with a rueful laugh. “But I saw the video of him breezing and–I live five minutes from here–and I just decided to come in and buy the horse. I just got in a half-hour ago.”

Gonzalez's M Racing was a partner on the colt's dam, Surfside Tiara (Scat Daddy), who won the 2015 Anoakia S. before selling for $675,000 at the 2017 Keeneland November sale. The mare subsequently sold to Bridlewood Farm, with this Quality Road colt in utero, for $575,000 at the 2018 Keeneland November sale.

The bay colt, from the family of Air Force Blue, was making his second trip through the sales ring this year. He RNA'd for $400,000 following a :10 flat work at the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream sale. He came back to work a quarter in :20 4/5 last week at OBS.

“The horse worked like a real horse in Miami, but it was a tough market there,” said Bridlewood General Manager George Isaacs. “I was a little nervous coming into the sale today. We had solid vettings, but my reserve was a lot more conservative than $400,000. We are very pleased with that price.”

Isaacs continued “The horse has never turned a hair. He's been to two sales and put up two really good works and vetted clean both times. He looks like he was chiseled out of granite. He looks like he's ready to run tomorrow.”

Gonzalez has about 15 horses in training split between Wesley Ward, John Sadler and Peter Miller. He said Sadler will train his newest acquisition.

Tonalist Filly Returns to Evans
When the pandemic shut down racing last year, Robert 'Shel' Evans decided to sell the majority of his yearling crop. One of the casualties of the sell-off was a filly by Evans's Tonalist out of Rapid Rhythm (Successful Appeal) who sold for $25,000 to bloodstock agent Michael Hernon at the Keeneland September sale. The filly blossomed through the spring and, with an eye towards promoting Tonalist, Evans purchased the filly (hip 683) back for $250,000 Friday in Ocala.

Evans's longtime advisor Patrick Lawley-Wakelin flew into Ocala to make the winning bid to acquire the filly from Scott Kintz's Six K's Training and Sales.

“We bought Rapid Rhythm, who was a very fast, almost a come-from-behind sprinter by Successful Appeal and we determined she would be the ideal kind of mare for Tonalist. So we bought her specifically for Tonalist,” Lawley-Wakelin said. “This was her first foal. And she was always a big, scopey filly. She was very clean through her knees with a beautiful face. Shel decided during the pandemic to sell the majority, if not all of his yearlings. I can't remember which book she was in, but it was in one of the later books. Michael Hernon stepped in and bought her.”

Of the filly's yearling price tag, Lawley-Wakelin admitted, “I was truly upset by how little money she fetched.”

Tonalist was represented by his first Grade I winner when Country Grammar took the GI Hollywood Gold Cup last month and his daughter drew plenty of interest at OBS.

“I have a great rapport with Scott Kintz,” Lawley-Wakelin said. “Scott was telling me, 'We love this filly and she's done nothing but improved.' And then of course she went and worked here in :10 2/5 and she galloped out in :46 1/5. I said to Shel at that point, 'We've got a problem.' He asked what I thought. We are still promoting Tonalist–he's had a great month–so for me, she is the ideal type that you want for Tonalist. She's got a great temperament and she vetted clean. So Shel said, 'You better get on the plane.'”

The result was another success for Hernon's fledgling bloodstock agency.

“She was immediately impressive,” Hernon said of the filly's appeal last year. “She was just real class. She stood up, she was proud of herself. She moved extremely well. I looked at her twice and the second time it was just a replica of the first time. I thought she was very composed with a big eye, a kind, genuine filly. And it's the same cross that produced [GI Belmont S. winner] Tapwrit [Tapit], being out of a quality Successful Appeal mare.”

Hernon continued, “At the time when I bought her, I still had a few bids left in my back pocket. So I was delighted to get her for that price.”

Hernon, who during his time at Gainesway was pivotal to the success of Tapit, continued to reap rewards with this filly by a son of the super sire.

“It means everything,” Hernon said of his association with Tapit's legacy. “He's just an amazing horse. I was sitting at home watching John Henderson's Thoroughbred Week show and I saw him win in the Laurel Futurity and I realized I had goosebumps up and down my arms. That's when I first got on him. So it's all interwoven and the story continues to write itself.”

Empire Maker Filly a Score for Navas
Jonathan Navas's Navas Equine, in just its second year of operation, recorded its highest result to date when selling a filly by Empire Maker (hip 791) for $260,000 to D. J. Stable Friday in Ocala. The filly, bred by Gainesway, is out of Starlight Tiara (More Than Ready) and is a half-sister to stakes winner Surfside Tiara (Scat Daddy), whose Quality Road colt sold for $400,000 during Friday's session.

Navas purchased the filly for $5,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton October sale.

“She was not developed at that time, but with patience and a lot of work, I was fortunate enough just to get her to this point,” Navas said. “She always trained very good for me at the farm and she has a good family and good updates with her siblings. And she did her job at the breeze show and I am just fortunate she did everything right.”

Of his career high sale, Navas said, “It was amazing. I am very happy. We are looking forward to do more.”

Fortuitous Find Takes Dunne to Ascot
Pinhooker Ciaran Dunne will trade in his Arsenal baseball cap for a top hat next week when the 2-year-old filly Artos (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) goes postward in the G2 Queen Mary S. at Royal Ascot. He calls his involvement with the filly, co-owned with wife Amy and partners Pat and Phyllis Harlow, John and Jean Wilkinson and Brenda and David Miley, “just pure blind luck.”

“We had bought some yearlings in France and they had gone to Mark Gittins in Ireland to get ready for a 2-year-old sale,” Dunne explained. “So when [daughter] Caitlin and I went back there in October to see the yearlings, by chance they were bringing the foals in out of the field. Mark was telling us who they all were. And he told us the Kodiac filly was out of a half-sister [Shimmering Moment] to Leinster. So we probably had a little bit of an attachment there.”

Leinster (Majestic Warrior) is a horse Dunne knows well. He purchased the bay for $85,000 at the 2016 Fasig-Tipton July sale on behalf of Wilkinson and Miley's pinhooking partnership. When he failed to sell the following spring, the partners put him in training. Leinster is now a four-time graded stakes winner and was third in last year's GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint.

“Mark said she was going through the foal sale in December, but I had half-forgotten about her,” Dunne recalled of Artos. “Over Thanksgiving, with nothing much left to do, I wondered what she had brought. I looked her up and she was selling the next day. So I called Kerri Radcliffe and had her look at her for me and got her vetted. It was pure sentimentality. We bought her and brought her home. Two of the couples that are involved in Leinster came in and took a piece and another friend of ours who has never owned a horse before, the Harlows, took a leg. So we split her up four ways like Leinster. Jokingly at the time, we said, 'We'll win at Keeneland and then take her to Ascot.' Never really thinking we had a chance.”

Of the Harlows first involvement in the industry, Dunne said, “Pat plays golf with us all the time and I think he got sick of hearing David and John talk about Leinster all the time. They have show jumpers and had been on the fence about it. This just seemed like a good opportunity.”

Artos joined trainer Rusty Arnold's string in Florida over the winter.

“Rusty took her to Palm Meadows in February and she's done everything right,” Dunne said.

Artos opened her career with a runner-up effort–beaten six lengths–Apr. 22 at Keeneland.

“She ran a really good second at Keeneland,” Dunne said. “She got left in the gate and ran through the rest of them, but never got close to Wesley [Ward]'s filly. But we kind of thought at the time, if she had broke a little bit better, not that she would have won, but that she would have had more say in it. And Rusty thought she was only 75-80% at the time.”

After that effort Dunne admitted, “I wanted to go straight to Ascot, but Rusty was a little more realistic. He insisted on running her at Churchill. There was a part of me that was afraid she might get beat and we couldn't go. But it was the right thing to do.”

Artos produced a memorable second start at Churchill Downs May 21. The Irish-bred carved out an opening quarter in :22.74, but approaching the quarter pole, she appeared to be going backwards only to re-rally with an eye-catching late move to just get up to graduate by a nose (video).

“It was bizarre,” Dunne said of the race. “I didn't see it live. Caitlin and Amy told me, 'You've got to watch this race, it's unbelievable.' People say stuff like that all the time and you think, 'Yeah, I'm sure it is.' I was sitting at home watching it and thinking what are they talking about. And then wow. She is very game.”

All indications are that Artos is doing well ahead of her tilt at Royal Ascot next week.

“Rusty thinks she's better now than she's ever been,” Dunne said. “She is better than she was at Churchill. She shipped really well. Kerri Radcliffe has her over there at Jane Chapple-Hyam's barn and she's keeping an eye on her. Brendan Walsh was kind enough to allow us to use his rider because with COVID it's all very difficult. We're obviously a fish out of water. But we are there, so it will be fun.”

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For the two-day Book 4 section, 492 yearlings sold for an aggregate of $23,349,000. The average was $47,457 and the median was $32,000. The book’s $320,000 top price was one of 11 to sell for $200,000 or over for the two days.

During last year’s two-session Book 4 section, 562 yearlings sold for $28,329,200 for an average of $50,408 and a median of $37,000. The top Book 4 price in 2019 was $310,000 and 10 horses sold for $200,000 or over.

“The good ones are tough to buy, they are really tough,” Lanni said. “You just have to bid extra and push a little bit more and hopefully you get them.”

Hip 2739 was one of two yearlings to bring over $300,000 Monday. The chestnut colt, bred by Stelly Stables and consigned by Stuart Morris, is out of Ready at Nine (More Than Ready) and is a half-brother to stakes-placed Drummer Boy (Parading).

“He is a neat horse, a cool dude,” Lanni said of the yearling, who will be trained by Bob Baffert. “He was one of the standouts today. Every day there are good horses coming through, you just have to find them. He was easy to find. He’s a nice horse. And the sire helped. The sire has been on a roll and people believe in the sire. They are willing to pay extra for them. Not This Time is a horse that came under the radar. You never know who is going to make it, but it looks like he’s going to do well.”

Also topping the $300,000 mark Monday was a filly by Nyquist (hip 2419), who sold for $305,000 to Nicoma Bloodstock. Consigned by Candy Meadows Sales, the yearling was one of five by the GI Kentucky Derby-winning freshman sire to bring six figures during the session.

“I think yesterday was a little light, but the quality of horses is a bit better today in day two of Book 4 and there certainly seems to be a little more high-end trade today,” said Nicoma’s Ben Gowans.

Oracle Bloodstock, bidding on behalf of Zilla Racing Stables, struck late in the day to acquire one of three fillies by Nyquist to sell for $200,000 Monday. Hip 2772 is out of Soarwiththebirds (Giant’s Causeway), a half-sister to Canadian champion Up With the Birds (Stormy Atlantic), who was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency.

“I loved her,” said Oracle’s Conor Foley. “She had a coltish body, but a feminine way about her. I don’t think she’s done improving. I thought she fit the mold of the nice Nyquists. I’m excited that Zilla Racing was able to get her. This was their first time to Keeneland and they were the underbidder several times over the last several days and we just decided this filly ticked all the boxes. We were lucky to get her.”

Of Nyquist, who was represented by his second Grade I winner when Gretzky the Great won the GI Summer S. at Woodine Sunday, Foley said, “I’m really impressed with them. Obviously they are showing themselves to be the real deal on the track. The Grade I win maybe cost my client a little bit more money than I would have liked, but I am happy for Darley that they stand the horse. I used to work there and I’m a big fan of the stallion.”

Oracle Bloodstock has been active at all levels of the market during the first week of the Keeneland September sale, purchasing horses from $1.1 million to $15,000. In all, the operation has signed for 19 yearlings for $3,534,000.

“I am shocked at how strong the market is with everything that is going on in the world,” Foley admitted. “It’s been punishing because I’ve been outbid a lot. There is still a strong desire for people to get really nice horses to compete all over the world. I still have barely even bought for my foreign clients. I am nervous–I would be shocked if I was going to be able to fill all their needs at this sale. But that’s great for everybody in the business. It’s been a weird year, but I’m relieved for the breeders. They need to do well, they are the synergy and the strength of our industry.”

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

Nicoma Strikes Early for Nyquist Filly

A day after earning his second Grade I winner from his first crop to race, Nyquist was responsible for the top-priced filly of Monday’s eighth session of the Keeneland September sale when Nicoma Bloodstock’s Ben Gowans made a final bid of $305,000 to secure a daughter of the GI Kentucky Derby winner (hip 2419) on behalf of an undisclosed client. Out of multiple stakes winner and multiple graded stakes placed Unforgotten (Northern Afleet), the bay filly is a half-sister to Grade I placed Silverpocketsfull (Indian Charlie).

“We thought coming in to today that this filly would be around $200,000 to $250,000 range, but Nyquist had a big weekend,” Gowans said.

Nyquist’s son Gretzky the Great captured Sunday’s GI Summer S. at Woodbine, adding to Vequist’s win in the GI Spinaway S. earlier this month.

“Seeing what Nyquist has done so far obviously gave us the confidence in the filly, but we loved her physically,” Gowans said. “She is a beautiful filly with good size, plenty of leg, really well balanced, and she moves really well.”

Of his client, Gowans said, “He is in it to race. We’ve really enjoyed working for him and he was delighted even though we went a little over [budget on the filly]. So that’s always a good thing.”

The yearling was consigned by Candy Meadows Sales and was bred by Matt Lyons’s Three Lyons Racing and Dennis Farkas. Farkas purchased Unforgotten, with this filly in utero, for $75,000 at the 2018 Keeneland November sale.

“Matt [Lyons] was the one who got me going on the mare a couple of years ago,” Farkas said from his home in Indiana. “I really liked her, but she was out of my price range and when she RNA’d in November, Matt asked me if I wanted to go partners on her. I said, ‘Sure.’ After that, it’s been all Matt.”

Of Monday’s results in the sales ring, Farkas said, “Matt was really happy with the way the filly had grown and thought we would do ok with her. He had high expectations, I don’t know if he thought we’d be the sale topper today, but he was very happy and I am, too.”

Unforgotten, who produced a filly by West Coast this year, is Farkas’s only Kentucky-based mare, but he has a band of some 10 mares in Indiana.

“Ian Wilkes trained [2012 GII Indiana Derby winner] Neck ‘n Neck and we ended up getting him back and we brought him up here to Indiana to stand stud,” Farkas said. “I bought five or six mares to breed to him, but toward the end of the breeding season, he got off a mare and kicked the wall and shattered his leg. So my dream of standing a stallion in Indiana ended. It’s pretty costly to take as many mares as I have right now, which is 10, to take them all to Kentucky and get them in foal and bring them back. So I have four I am going to sell in November. But we have some really nice Indiana-bred foals born this year. I have a Maclean’s Music, a Good Magic and a Practical Joke and I ended up getting five Neck ‘n Neck babies, all fillies. And they are good looking, so we’re really happy with that.

He continued, “They have the Indiana-sired program here. They can run against only Indiana-sired horses, which is a big advantage. It’s a great program and I’m leaning towards just staying with that for a little bit.”

Filly a First for Hernon Bloodstock

Michael Hernon, longtime director of sales at Gainesway, made the first purchase for his new bloodstock agency Monday at Keeneland, going to $42,000 to acquire a filly by Speightster (hip 2541) on behalf of Steve and Cynthia Sansone.

“This filly jumped out at me with her motion and she had a very good stride to her,” said Hernon, who partnered with trainer Mark Casse to purchase unbeaten stakes winner Spanish Loveaffair (Karakontie {Jpn}) for $35,000 out of last year’s September sale. “I looked at her three times and she’s a very positive type who moves forward willingly.”

The yearling is out of Diamondsandcaviar (Street Cry {Ire}), a half-sister to Grade I winner Haynesfield (Speightstown).

Hernon made his first purchase under the Michael Hernon Bloodstock banner on a single bid.

“I could have seen her bringing $50,000 and change,” Hernon said. “But we are happy with the price and we’re happy with the horse. She was the first one on our list to come up, I have a couple of other fillies to go through today and we have a short list for tomorrow, so we’ll see how it plays out.”

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“Two decades of selling at the highest level of the stallion market was a rare experience, but as Gainesway expanded their bloodstock sales agency, I worked on the farm consignment and

started helping our outside clients with everything they needed to be successful at the sales. We enjoyed a lot of success,” said Hernon.

“Before Michael took over, we were breeding for the top of the market, but not always succeeding at the sales,” said Waymore LLC’s Tom Conway. “He put us on the right track, from sales prep to setting reserves, and suddenly we were on fire with two yearlings selling for $800,000 and another for $700,000. We became fast friends and last year I was proud to attend when Michael became a U.S. Citizen.”

Additionally, Hernon is the co-breeder of champion 3-year-old filly Monomoy Girl, winner of the GI Kentucky Oaks and

GI Breeders Cup Distaff. From a small broodmare band, Hernon also co-bred two-time Grade I-winner Zazu, and graded-stakes winner Flashback, sire of champion British Idiom. This year in the U.S., he co-owns stakes-winning 2-year-old Spanish Loveaffair and while in his native Ireland, Hernon campaigned group-placed juvenile Sussex Garden. Prior to his tenure at Gainesway, Hernon served stints at Pedigree Associates, Fasig-Tipton and Walnut Green.

“I feel everything I have done in this industry has brought me to this new position. Helping people find the right horses and succeed in sales and racing is very satisfying. I look forward to

operating as a bloodstock agent and attending Thoroughbred racing and sales both in the U.S. and in Europe,” Hernon said.

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Starting in the mid-1990s, Hernon managed the stallion books of top sires like Broad Brush, Cozzene and Mt. Livermore. More recently, he oversaw the books of leading sires Tapit and Empire Maker, as well as the emerging young sire Karakontie.

“Two decades of selling at the highest level of the stallion market was a rare experience, but as Gainesway expanded their bloodstock sales agency, I worked on the farm consignment and started helping our outside clients with everything they needed to be successful at the sales. We enjoyed a lot of success,” said Hernon.

Tom Conway, with Waymore LLC, said, “Before Michael took over, we were breeding for the top of the market, but not always succeeding at the sales. He put us on the right track, from sales prep to setting reserves, and suddenly we were on fire with two yearlings selling for $800,000 and another for $700,000. We became fast friends and last year I was proud to attend when Michael became a U.S. Citizen.”

Hernon's greatest personal achievement was co-breeding champion Monomoy Girl, winner of the Kentucky Oaks and Breeders' Cup Distaff.

From a small broodmare band, Hernon has also co-bred two-time Grade 1 winner Zazu, and graded stakes winner Flashback, sire of champion British Idiom. This year in the U.S., he co-owns and races exciting stakes-winning 2-year-old Spanish Loveaffair, while in his native Ireland, Hernon campaigns group-placed juvenile Sussex Garden.

Prior to his tenure at Gainesway, Hernon served stints at Pedigree Associates, Fasig-Tipton and Walnut Green.

“I feel everything I have done in this industry has brought me to this new position. Helping people find the right horses and succeed in sales and racing is very satisfying. I look forward to operating as a bloodstock agent and attending Thoroughbred racing and sales both in the U.S. and in Europe,” Hernon said.

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Hat Trick became a success in America in the broadest sense; he was only a lukewarm success in North America, where Win Win Win became the sire's second Grade 1 winner. In contrast, Hat Trick was a triunfo caliente in South America, where he has four Group 1 winners and more strong crops to come.

On Aug. 3, however, the 19-year-old Hat Trick died in his stall of a presumed heart attack after covering his first mare of the 2020 Southern Hemisphere breeding season at Haras Springfield in Brazil, and the stallion's final full crop will be born in the next few months during the South American spring.

Foaled in Japan in 2001, Hat Trick won the G1 Mile Championship in Japan and the G1 Hong Kong Mile in Hong Kong and was champion miler in Japan in 2005. Imported to stand at Walmac Farm in Kentucky for the 2008 season, Hat Trick was the first high-class racing son of Sunday Silence brought to stand in Kentucky, and Walmac owner Johnny Jones (the younger) recalled acquiring the horse.

He said, “We'd been looking for a son of Sunday Silence to stand in America, and the Yoshidas, who controlled access to this deal, had a bunch of sons of Sunday Silence at their farms. So, there must have been some feeling that they didn't have to keep this horse, who was already six and would go to stud at age seven.

“Barry Irwin already had been in contact with the Japanese ownership, had arranged an option to buy him, and brought me the deal. He told me this, and we funded his option and bought the horse. It was a complex deal financially, and one point of concern was the horse's age. On the positive side, we were thinking of Speightstown's commercial success after going to stud rather late, and that made it seem a possibility.”

The financial side of the Walmac syndication was made possible by a set of anchor partners, as Andrew Rosen, Robert McNair, and a partnership controlled by John Stuart, joined Walmac in closing the deal.

Given a substantial group of mares, Hat Trick did his part, and from his first crop, he sired an unbeaten 2-year-old champion in France named Dabirsim.

The only Group 1 winner by Hat Trick in Europe, Dabirsim won all five of his juvenile starts, including the Prix Morny and Grand Criterium, both Group 1 races, but the striking near-black racer made only two starts at three, second on his seasonal debut in the G3 Prix de Fontainebleau, then was a close sixth in the French 2,000 Guineas. A sore foot and other physical issues kept the horse off the track the rest of 2012, and he was retired in April 2013, entered stud in 2014.

At Walmac in Kentucky, Dabirsim's successes in 2011 brought an offer to capitalize on Hat Trick's potential, and the owners sold a substantial interest in Hat Trick to Gainesway and moved the horse there for the 2012 breeding season.

Michael Hernon recalled the situation: “Antony and I both drove over and looked at the horse, who was just across Paris Pike at the stallion barn on Walmac. I had seen Sunday Silence late in his career at stud in Japan, and I thought that there was a good deal of resemblance between the sire and Hat Trick. Overall, Hat Trick was more elegant, wouldn't have weighed as much, was always a proud horse when he came out to show, and was a kind horse, good in the breeding shed. He was a top racehorse, and he was able to get a few top runners.”

Had the near-black son of Sunday Silence gotten racer after racer in a class with Dabirsim, he'd still be eating bluegrass.

However, as Hernon explained, “Hat Trick's appeal waned just as the market changed dramatically. He came to Gainesway in 2012, and yet by 2014 or 2015, with the aftereffects of the Great Recession and the resulting contraction in breeding, the stallion market had changed so radically that it favored the new stallion on the block too much and sent too many mares to those stallions, and those stallions alone. The number of mares being bred has continued to decline, while fewer stallions are widely used. The outside dynamic had changed, and since he was no longer a new item, that polarization of the market was so extreme that Hat Trick was sold” to stand in Brazil at Haras Springfield.

Early on in the stallion's term at stud, Hat Trick had shuttled to Argentina for the Southern Hemisphere breeding seasons in 2009, 2010, and 2012. From those covering seasons came four Group 1 winners: Hat Puntano, Hat Mario, Zapata, and Giant Killing. The first and third of those won the Gran Premio 2,000 Guineas, and they helped create a reputation for Hat Trick in South America. They and other top-level winners by Hat Trick showed their form at or near the sire's preferred distance of a mile.

Win Win Win, for instance, won his Grade 1 at seven furlongs in the Forego on Aug. 30, but the conditions of racing at Saratoga made the race as strenuous a seven furlongs as possible. The son of Hat Trick trailed early through quick fractions, was last turning into the stretch, and passed them all through the stretch while eight or nine paths wide to win narrowly in the slop and driving rain.

Bred and raced by Charlotte Weber's Live Oak Stud, Win Win Win is very similar to his sire in color and general type, being a horse with a lot of quality and one who likes to finish his races powerfully.

Although there are a moderate number of Northern Hemisphere racers yet to come from Hat Trick, Win Win Win's dramatic victory in the Forego was a symbolic climax for the stud career of Sunday Silence's son in North America.

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Consignors seemed eager to get back to business ahead of the auction, but were cautious about expectations.

“This sale is getting more popular every year and I think you are seeing some better horses sold in it, but it’s hard to say what this year will bring,” admitted Claiborne Farm’s Walker Hancock. “I don’t know who will be able to show up, but I know Fasig is going to provide the buyers with all the opportunities they can, whether it’s online bidding or phone bidding. We are doing videos for all of our horses, so even if you can’t make it to the sales grounds, hopefully you’ll be able to view them online and we’ll be able to provide any information the buyers may be looking for if they can’t be here in person.”

Fasig-Tipton debuted its online bidding platform during the recent Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale and will again offer out-of-town buyers the chance to bid online Monday. Hancock agreed the horses of racing age sales were a natural fit for on-line shopping.

“Yearlings, weanlings and mares are a little different,” he said. “With horses of racing age, you can just go and watch the races. As long as they vet, which you can get your vet to look at those online, you’re buying off results and have more information than when you are just looking for potential.”

The Horses of Racing Age sale has, since its inception, been conducted in tandem with Fasig-Tipton’s July Yearling Sale. With the yearling auction cancelled this year and travel restrictions still in place in many locales, activity at the sales barns will be predictably down.

While there may be fewer people at the barns, that won’t necessarily be a factor in the sale’s final results, according to Mark Taylor of Taylor Made Sales Agency.

“With these racehorses, it’s easier to do your due diligence without physically being here,” Taylor said. “You can have the horse vetted, you can look at their PPs, you can watch the videos of their races and  you can make a buying decision very easily and you don’t have to physically be here. So I think the traffic is going to be way down from a typical year, but I think at the end of the day, people are going to be here to buy racehorses.”

Last year’s July sale was topped by Jalen Journey (With Distinction), who sold for $510,000 and only weeks later finished third in the GI Bing Crosby S. That sort of ready-to-run offering is what appeals to many shoppers at the horses of racing age sale, according to Gainesway’s Michael Hernon.

“I think we are operating in an uncertain time obviously, but people want the ready-made article,” Hernon said. “They don’t want to wait. And the racehorse sale provides a lot of opportunity for immediate results. Horses are ready to run who have established form and can run in the new buyer’s colors in a matter of weeks. There is strong demand for current racehorses who can proceed to their next race without delay.”

The Black Album (Fr) (Wooten Bassett {GB}), consigned by Bluewater Sales, was added to the catalogue following his win in the July 8 Jonathan B. Schuster Memorial S. While, Liam’s Pride (Liam’s Map) was the final horse added to Monday’s auction following his win in Friday’s Gold Fever S. at Belmont Park. He will be consigned by Elite Sales.

With racing virtually shut down for months this spring and opportunities still limited, the demand for horses will likely be down, according to Elite’s Brad Weisbord.

“I think it’s going to be a very tough year,” Weisbord said. “There are not as many racetracks that are open, so you have more horses in a smaller spot. You have owners who were hemorrhaging all through the COVID crisis with no racing, so they probably have too many horses on their hands. I think it’s going to be a very hard year to attract a huge buying pool.

He continued, “We have seen decreases across the board in the 2-year-old sales, somewhere in the 20-35% range, and I think by the time scratches hit and RNAs hit, I think this sale is going to be down, especially on average. It’s a very tough environment to recruit a horse, it’s a very tough environment to get a buyer excited about a horse. And I expect us to suffer through it for 2020. It’s a bad year for virtually everybody unless you are selling cleaning supplies. But we’ll get through it.”

A total of 95 horses sold at last year’s July sale for a gross of $6,548,500. The average was $68,932 and the median was $45,000.

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