Mardi Gras Time, a colt by Not This Time, sold to Donato Lanni, agent, for $320,000 to lead Monday's eighth session of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
Stuart Morris, agent, consigned Mardi Gras Time, whose dam is the winning More Than Ready mare Ready at Nine. A half-brother to stakes-placed Drummer Boy, he is from the family of Grade 1 winner Classy Cathy.
On Monday, Keeneland sold 255 horses for $11,832,500, for an average of $46,402 and a median of $25,000. Cumulative sales are $224,099,700 for 1,520 yearlings, for an average of $147,434 and a median of $80,000.
The session's second-highest price was the $305,000 Nicoma Bloodstock, agent, paid for a filly by champion Nyquist. Candy Meadows Sales, agent, consigned the filly, who is out of the stakes-winning Northern Afleet mare Unforgotten. She is from the family of stakes winners Hot Storm, A Shin Gorgeous and Hidinginplainsight as well as Silverpocketsfull, who was third in Keeneland's Grade 1 Central Bank Ashland.
Ben McElroy, agent for Wesley Ward, purchased a colt from the first crop of Irish champion Caravaggio for $250,000. Consigned by Anderson Farm, agent, he is the first foal out of the Street Cry mare Back to Love and from the family of Grade 1 winner Over All and Irish stakes winner Sergei Prokofiev.
Taylor Made Sales Agency was Monday's leading consignor, selling 26 yearlings for $1,304,000.
The leading buyer was Woodford Thoroughbreds, which paid $395,000 for three horses.
The September Sale continues Tuesday and runs through Friday with all sessions beginning at 10 a.m.
C.J. Thoroughbreds acquired a filly by Ghostzapper for $210,000 to top Sunday's seventh session of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale in Lexington, Ky.
Consigned by Woods Edge Farm, agent, the filly is out of stakes winner Saxet Heights, by Outflanker. She is a half-sister to stakes-placed winner Wolverette and from the family of Grade 3 winner Angelina County and stakes winners Holiday Ball and Ribbon Cane.
On Sunday, Keeneland sold 237 horses for $11,516,500, for an average of $48,593 and a median of $40,000. To date, 1,265 horses have grossed $212,267,200, for an average of $167,800 and a median of $100,000.
Two colts from the first crop of Unified and a son of Maclean's Music sold for $190,000 each.
Redwings purchased a son of Unified out of stakes winner Promise Me a Cat, by D'Wildcat. Consigned by Michael and Julia O'Quinn, agent, the colt is from the family of Grade 1 winner Private Persuasion and Grade 2 winner Sierra Sunset.
The second Unified colt to bring $190,000 is a half-brother to Canadian Grade 3 winner A. A. Azula's Arch and was purchased by Kenny McPeek, agent. The colt is out of the winning Unbridled's Song mare Song of Solomon, a full sister to multiple graded stakes winner Rockport Harbor. Legacy Bloodstock, agent for Two Hearts Farm II, consigned the colt.
Downstream Racing (Kirk Robinson) acquired the son of Maclean's Music, who was consigned by Summerfield, agent for Stonestreet Bred & Raised. Out of the stakes-placed Yes It's True mare Yes Liz, he is from the family of Grade 2 winner Chimes Band.
By spending $377,000 for four yearlings, Downstream was the session's leading buyer.
Two fillies sold for $170,000 apiece.
Walnut Stream Enterprises purchased the first, a daughter of Union Rags consigned by Runnymede Farm, agent. Out of Grade 2-placed winner Glory, by Tapit, she is from the family of such European highweights as Trusted Partner, Easy to Copy, Free Eagle, Search for a Song, Custom Cut and Sapphire.
John C. Oxley paid $170,000 for a filly from the first crop of Practical Joke consigned by Scott Mallory, agent. She is the first foal out of Tuvalu, by Smart Strike, and from the family of Grade 2 winner Sweet Vendetta.
Gainesway, agent, led consignors by selling 24 yearlings for $1.27 million.
The September Sale continues Monday and runs through Friday with all sessions beginning at 10 a.m.
The entire September Sale is being shown on the Watch TVG app, which is available on Amazon Fire, Roku and connected Apple TV devices. The Watch TVG App also features TVG, TVG2, Racebook, race track feeds and more.
The auction also is being is streamed live at Keeneland.com.
Lady Speightspeare, under vigorous handling by Emma-Jayne Wilson, punched her ticket to the Breeders' Cup with a three-quarter length score in Sunday's Grade 1 Natalma Stakes at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario.
A victory in the $253,000 Natalma, a one-mile “Win and You're In” Challenge Series turf race for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, earned Lady Speightspeare a fees-paid berth in the Grade 1, $1 million Juvenile Fillies, which will be run at Keeneland this year on November 6.
Lady Speightspeare, owned and bred by Charles Fipke and conditioned by Roger Attfield, came into the Natalma off a front-running victory over seven furlongs on the E.P. Taylor turf course and was the slight 5-2 favorite in the field of seven 2-year-old fillies for the Natalma. And although the Kentucky-bred was skittish when first entering the starting gate, forcing Wilson to bail out, she was all business once the pair had reunited and reloaded.
“In the starting gate, she acted up a little bit, but a little bit was a testament to her intent. Last time she ran, she was such a racehorse,” said Wilson, who had ridden Lady Speightspeare to the front-end victory in her only previous start. “She broke through the pack early and went to the lead with such intent, I think it was the same thing today in the gate. She knew it was coming, they yelled 'last one,' she was anticipating the doors to open so she popped up a little.
“But kudos to the gate crew here at Woodbine, they kept her straight and steady so, despite her rearing, she didn't manage to get herself hung up or hurt in anyway, which meant she was able to compete and win today.”
While Lady Speightspeare had settled into second place in the Natalma after Big Big Plans, the rank outsider in the field, showed the way through fractions of :23.77, :47.92 and 1:11.59.
“It's interesting, she relaxed better than I expected but I wasn't overly surprised,” said the jockey.
“Like I said, in her first start, she ran to the lead with gumption and it took me by surprise. Today, there was little more pace in the race, and I didn't want to get hung up, caught up in between.
“When we've been training her since then, she's known more, she's settled more in her breezes with her intensity so I was hopeful that would translate into the race today and it did. The doors opened and I just kind of put my hands down and the outside horse out-stepped her the first little bit and she showed that composure of a race horse, she knew that she was going to get a chance to run and I had a chance to let that horse cross over and just put her right on her flank and she settled into stride, got into rhythm and, man, when they started to come to her, just like last time, she really leveled off and dug in.”
Lady Speightspeare finally put away the longshot leader with a furlong to run and held sway for her game victory.
Alda, returning from Fair Hill, Maryland after capturing the Catch A Glimpse over 6 1/2 furlongs of turf, held a decided edge in experience on the winner and while she loomed a serious threat in mid-stretch, she was simply unable to track her down.
The strong second choice at 2.60-1, Alda finished 2 3/4 lengths to the good of Seasons, who had trailed the field at the quarter pole but rallied to snatch third money by a head from Dreaming of Drew.
Dreaming of Drew, who had missed narrowly in the Catch A Glimpse, stalked throughout on the inside but was unable to mount an effective rally.
Sleek Lynx raced within striking distance but also was unable to close the gap and checked in fifth, another three-quarters of a length back.
Stunning Princess and Big Big Plans completed the order of finish as the mile was clocked in 1:34.61 on firm going.
Lady Speightspeare was the third Natalma winner for dual Hall of Famer Attfield, who sent out the superstar Alywow to capture the 1993 running and Llanarmon to turn the trick in 2013.
And the trainer was more than pleased that his charge had shown an ability to rate after her 3 3/4-length debut win.
“That's always nice to see,” said Attfield. “When you break your maiden and you're going into a race like this off of going wire-to-wire you really haven't had any education or anything going into something like this so it was nice to see that for sure.”
Regarding a Breeders' Cup venture, Attfield minced no words.
“Well, that would be up to Mr. Fipke, and I would say knowing Mr. Fipke we probably are,” he said.
A daughter of Speightstown and the Theatrical mare, Lady Shakespeare, Lady Speightspeare returned $7, $3.90 and $2.90. The 6-5 exacta with Alda ($3.70, $3) was worth $21.90, the 6-5-2 trifecta rounded out by Seasons ($3.50) came back at $97.70, and the 6-5-2-4 superfecta completed by Dreaming of Drew came back at $95.85.
Pirate's Punch left no doubt about the outcome this time.
Disqualified from first for interference in the stretch in the Grade 3 Philip Iselin Stakes four weeks ago, Pirate's Punch drew away coming out of the final turn to win the $150,000 Grade 3 Salvator Mile by two lengths on Sunday at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J.
Now it's onto the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile on Saturday, Nov. 7, for the half-brother to 2017 Haskell Invitational winner Girvin, according to trainer Grant Forster.
“The Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile is definitely our plan based on these last two races,” said the Kentucky-based Forster. “For us here in Kentucky it's a home game this year. He does have one race at Keeneland when he ran very well as he was just starting to improve last fall. I know the owners and I are on board.
“We were treating this as our `win and you're in.' He won it, so I guess we have to put our money where our mouth is and give a horse the chance to show what he can do on the national stage.”
The speedy 4-year-old son of Shanghai Bobby, who generally races on the lead, was kept off the early quick pace set by Prendimi and Wind of Change, with the duo taking the eight-horse field to an opening quarter of :22.69 and a first half in :45.80.
Entering the final turn, jockey Jorge Vargas, Jr. gave Pirate's Punch his cue, with the gelding sweeping three wide and immediately getting a jump on the field as he made the lead. Final time for the mile was 1:37.19.
Top Line Growth, the Laurel Park record holder for a mile, was able to get second, a head in front of Bal Harbour.
“I'm pleased they gave me another chance to ride this horse after the Iselin,” said Vargas. “I didn't feel what happened that day was all that bad but I still felt bad about it and apologized to the owners afterward. They told me I did everything right and rode a good race.
“Obviously today we wanted to be on the lead because that's the best way he has run before, but they went quick early on. I didn't panic. I just tried to keep him clean. I knew I was on the best horse in the race. After the three-eighths he just took off. I wasn't going to challenge that fast early speed. I know this is a good horse and he will get in gear.”
Now with a 5-3-4 line from 17 career starts, Pirate's Punch earned his first graded stakes win. He paid $6.60 to win as the favorite in the field.
“He really validated that last race,” said Forster. “I said before the race I was concerned about bringing him back this quickly with the travelling (from Kentucky), but every day he has been a 10 out there on the track for us and he gave us every reason to come back.
“The jockeys who have ridden him have always said he will rate. He has run some very good races from just off the pace, but of course this is the first time to get a win doing it that way with such a fast early pace being set. Credit to Jorge Vargas, Jr. He rode a brilliant race. He didn't panic being on the favorite. He knew what he had underneath him. The horse runs the turns very well and Vargas asked him around the turn and he responded as we know he can.”
Owned by Gulliver Racing LLC, Craig Drager and Dan Legan, Pirate's Punch boosted his career earnings to $332,751 with the $90,000 winner's share of the purse.
He also moved Vargas a step closer to what would be a career riding highlight.
“The Breeders' Cup is one of my dreams so I am hoping this horse goes now,” said Vargas. “To be able to ride him in the Breeders' Cup would be a dream come true.”
