Paul Pompa Dispersal | Horse Racing Free Tips

Pompa’s Legacy Lives On

When longtime owner and breeder Paul Pompa, Jr., who campaigned the likes of dual Classic winner Big Brown, passed away suddenly in October of 2020, it was a big blow to many in the industry. Some 19 months after his passing, the owner of Truck-Rite Corp.'s legacy has reached new heights. In the past two months alone, four former Pompa horses have won stakes, topped by Grade I winners Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom) and Country Grammer (Tonalist).

“Mr. Pompa was a gentleman and a great sport to work for,” said Lane's End's Allaire Ryan, who supervised the sale of most of Pompa's horses. “First and foremost he cared about his horses and always made the right decisions for them. Alongside his trainers and the farms and training centers he entrusted with his stock, he built a very successful racing stable and commercial breeding operation. There was a plan for each horse from start to finish. Those plans might have had to change day to day, but Mr. Pompa was a discusser, a listener, a thinker and a decision maker through-and-through. Mr. Pompa was a student of the business, always took the time to talk about what was going on with his mares, foals and yearlings. He gave you his time because he was interested in the horses and genuinely cared about each of them. He enjoyed every conversation with him for being thorough, pragmatic, and above all caring.”

Shortly after Pompa's death, his family dispersed of all of his racing and breeding stock. Most of his stock sold in a dispersal handled by Ryan and the Lane's End team at the 2021 Keeneland January Sale. The headliner of that dispersal–and the entire sale–was 'TDN Rising Star' Regal Glory, who was purchased by Peter Brant's White Birch Farm for $925,000 and returned to her regular trainer Chad Brown.

A homebred out of Pompa's GSW Mary's Follies (More Than Ready), Regal Glory had won a trio of graded events prior to the dispersal, but her resume had one thing missing. She filled in that missing piece 10 months after selling to Brant when she captured the GI Martriarch S. in November. The chestnut has continued to honor her late owner and breeder Pompa this year with wins in the GIII Pegasus World Cup F/M Turf Invitational S. in January and another top-level score in the GI Jenny Wiley S. at Keeneland in April.

“This filly gave Mr. Pompa a lot to be proud of as she was a homebred for him,” Ryan said. “She dead-heated in the [GII] Lake Placid at Saratoga on very dark, stormy afternoon. I remember how long the stewards deliberated the race call afterwards–a frustrating moment for Mr. Pompa as an owner to share a big win in such tough conditions, but again, he was always the one to see the glass half full and be a good sport in trying situations. There was always tomorrow. He was so proud of this filly after that race.”

Ryan continued, “Mr. Pompa decided after he bred Mary's Follies to Curlin in 2020 that he would sell the mare in November at a time when her commercial value was at its highest. In turn, his plans for Regal Glory were to continue her career and retire her to his broodmare band at [Lane's End] farm. With Chad Brown, Mr. Pompa had this filly on the trajectory to improve with age and she's done exactly that. It's been incredibly satisfying to see Chad and Mr. Brant guide her to this stage in her career and keep her sound and happy at this age. We still cheer for her!”

A $450,000 OBSAPR purchase for Pompa, Country Grammer captured the GIII Peter Pan S. in July of 2020 and gathered some hype heading into that year's GI Runhappy Travers S. Unfortunately, he did not hit his best stride that day, finishing fifth behind GI Belmont S. winner Tiz the Law (Constitution). Shelved for the rest of the season, he was purchased by WinStar for just $110,000 at the KEEJAN dispersal.

Sent to Bob Baffert, Country Grammer showed he was only getting better with age, winning the GI Hollywood Gold Cup S. in his second start for his new connections last May. Benched for the remainder of the year, the bay made his seasonal bow in the desert, finishing second in the G1 Saudi Cup in February and upended heavy favorite Life is Good (Into Mischief) with a decisive score in the G1 Dubai World Cup a month later.

“Country Grammer was another nice physical when he came under our care at the sale,” Ryan said. “I never saw his as a young horse, but from photographs he looks like a quality individual for his sire Tonalist. He had been at WinStar's training center for some R&R and was back training leading up to the sale, so they [Elliott Walden, David Hanley, Destin Heath and Dr. Nieman] appreciated where he was in his career having that insider knowledge. By design after his passing, several of the Pompa dispersal's horses of racing age were prepared here leading up to the sale. Again, credit is due for the programs that have managed these dispersal graduates and brought them–back in Country Grammer's case–to competing at not only the graded stakes level, but now the highest international level of our sport. The win in Dubai was thrilling to see. He validated his status as a top older horse amongst the best talent in the world. It was one of those moments when I thought to myself, if only Mr. Pompa could see this.”

The most recent former Pompa horse to achieve black-type is his homebred colt Ethereal Road (Quality Road), who rallied to a good-looking victory in the Sir Barton S. last weekend. Out of Pompa's War Front mare Sustained, who is also responsible for GSW Turned Aside (American Pharoah), the bay colt brought $90,000 from Dr. Aaron Sones at the 2020 Keeneland September just one month before Pompa's passing and was turned over to D. Wayne Lukas.

A second in the GII Rebel S. in February and fourth in the GIII Stonestreet Lexington S. in April earned Ethereal Road enough points for a spot in the GI Kentucky Derby starting gate. However, the day before the race, Lukas decided his colt needed more time and scratched, opening the door for upset winner Rich Strike (Keen Ice). The Hall of Fame conditioner still won a big prize that weekend thanks to GI Kentucky Oaks victress Secret Oath (Arrogate) and initially considered both sophomores for the GI Preakness S. Instead he sent the filly to the Classic and placed Ethereal Road in an easier spot on the undercard, which he won with ease.

“Ethereal Road was a big, physically forward yearling that we raised on the farm,” Ryan said. “From day one he was that way. I remember distinctly the order in which we showed yearlings at the farm in our September sale previews to potential buyers. He was the final yearling of each show because he completely filled your eye. Turned Aside had just come off his win in the [GIII] Quick Call S. at Saratoga, so for us at the farm, it was a very exciting time to showcase a yearling colt by Quality Road out of a young, successful producer. While he would keep the odd homebred each year to race, Mr. Pompa's plan was always to take this horse to the sale.”

Pompa's name could still be connected to the winner of a Triple Crown race this year in GI Belmont S. contender We the People (Constitution). Pete Bradley purchased the colt for $220,000 at the 2020 KEESEP sale on Pompa's behalf and he was turned over to Eddie Woods, who did the early conditioning on most of the businessman's horses. Instead of selling in the KEEJAN dispersal, We the People was sent through last year's Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Sale, bringing $230,000 from WinStar Farm, who partnered with Siena Farm and CMNWLTH.

Opening his account with a pair of wins at Oaklawn this winter, the 'TDN Rising Star' found the waters a bit too deep in the GI Arkansas Derby Apr. 2, finishing seventh. But, the bay showed he just needed time, coming back to romp in Belmont's GIII Peter Pan S. May 14 and is now headed for the Test of a Champion June 11.

“He was always a nice horse,” Woods said. “He is by a good stallion. He is a tough, hardy horse like all the Constitutions are. He was a bit disappointing in the Arkansas Derby, but I think it was just too soon for him. He showed how good he is the other day and he is a really nice horse going forward.”

Woods said he was not surprised to see Pompa's continued effect on the industry.

“He had quite an impact because he paid both ends,” the Ocala-based horseman said. “He was a good breeder and a buyer. He bought at every level. He bought yearlings and 2-year-olds. He usually spent plenty of money. He was really easy to work for and deal with. He took bad news as well as he took good news. He was a very straight forward person. You just had to be honest with him all the time. That's all he asked of you. It is ironic now to see all these horses he was involved in winning graded stakes because he would have loved it. He was so into it. It showed he had the right stock.”

Ryan echoed similar sentiments, saying, “It was a tragedy that he passed at a time when he was prepared to retire and focus solely on his racing and breeding. He enjoyed every day of it, but as we've seen since the dispersal, there was so much more coming in the pipeline that he didn't get to experience. It's been so gratifying to see the Pompa graduates compete successfully at the top levels of our sport, but it's definitely bittersweet knowing how much enjoyment Mr. Pompa would be having if they were still in his colors. I can only imagine how proud he would be!”

With the likes of Regal Glory, Country Grammer, Ethereal Road and We the People competing at the top of the game this year and even more in the pipeline, Pompa's legacy will not only grow, but leave an even bigger impact than he could have ever imagined.

The post Pompa’s Legacy Lives On appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Pompa Dispersal Provides More Fireworks As KEEJAN Concludes

by Jessica Martini & Christie DeBernardis

The Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale, propelled by a pair of power-packed dispersals and held in the shadow of the ongoing global pandemic, concluded its four-day run Thursday in Lexington. The dispersal of the Estate of the late Paul Pompa, Jr., which, along with the Sam-Son broodmare dispersal dominated much of Tuesday’s action, provided the auction with one last round of fireworks late in the day Thursday with a bevy of high-priced racehorse prospects. Leading the way was Carillo (Union Rags) (hip 1566) who sold for $875,000 to bloodstock agent Lauren Carlisle, bidding on behalf of an undisclosed client. Tabbed a ‘TDN Rising Star’ just a week ago in his winning debut for trainer Chad Brown, the sophomore will be joining the barn of trainer Tom Amoss. West Point Thoroughbreds and D J Stable teamed up to purchase graded stakes winner Turned Aside (American Pharoah) (hip 1563) for $725,000. That 4-year-old colt is expected to join the barn of trainer Mark Casse.

“The January sale of 2021 went off very, very well,” said Keeneland’s Director of Sales Operations Geoffrey Russell. “We appreciate the trust given to us by the people who had dispersals. Mr. Pompa’s racehorses today sold very well, which we expected. They were well-received in the marketplace. Overall, I thought the sale went very well.”

Over the course of four days, Keeneland sold 963 horses for a total of $45,522,100. The average was $47,271 and the median was $15,000. Forty-four horses sold for $200,000 or over.

During the five-day 2020 January sale, 1,050 horses sold for $40,453,300. The average was $38,527 and the median was $13,000. Forty-two horses sold for $200,000 or over a year ago, led by the $640,000 broodmare prospect Enaya Alrabb (Uncle Mo).

“The continued stability of the market is a testament to the hard work of all our sales participants, who have adjusted their operations and their expectations to meet the challenges of this unprecedented time,” Keeneland President, CEO and Interim Head of Sales Shannon Arvin said.

Held as it was in the midst of a pandemic and the ensuing travel restrictions and economic uncertainties, consignors seemed content just to be holding an auction.

“Whether we like it or not, we are still in the middle of a pandemic,” said Hunter Valley Farm’s Adrian Regan. “And to be having a horse sale, one, is fantastic and then to have a market is even better. We wouldn’t be complaining about the state of the market considering what is going on in the world.”

Hunter Valley sold the top-priced yearling of the auction and enjoyed strong Book 1 results, but Regan acknowledged demand fell off in Book 2.

“We would be slightly biased about how it all went in Book 1 for us because it was probably our best January sale ever really,” Regan said. “We felt going over there, we had good stock for Book 1. We were surprised by the amount of people that were there and the amount of views we had at the barn on Saturday and Sunday. In saying that, the market is very polarized still. Everybody seems to be landing on the same horse. When we got to Book 2, it was tough enough going. The middle to lower market is tough.”

As consignors adjusted expectations to account for the new realities of the market, the results seemed to follow.

“All things considered, I think it was a very fair market,” said Denali Stud’s Conrad Bandoroff. “We had a near 100% clearance rate. I think if you had realistic expectations going up there, you were able to get horses moved at all levels. There seemed like there were willing buyers at every segment of the market. That is comforting and encouraging to see. If you went up there with a horse, who is maybe a lower-tier horse, you were able to get them moved. If you had a horse with veterinary issues or by an off-flavor sire, you were hoping you were going to get a bid and in most cases you did. The market for mares continued to have some strength and resiliency and surprise me. We had a few mares that either had a little age on them or had a few foals and I was pleasantly surprised that there was appetite for those kind of mares. I think about two years ago, you were struggling to recoup your stud fee with those mares, so to see people willing to buy them and to do so at the upper end of our appraisal value, was encouraging.”

Bloodstock agent Michael Slezak, buying on behalf of various New York clients, purchased seven horses for prices from $13,000 to $55,000. He said he was happy with the horses he was able to get bought at reasonable prices.

“My mindset is to always find bargain at any price range,” Slezak said after concluding his bidding at the auction Thursday afternoon. “After I buy a horse, I want to feel like there is a chance someone is going to call 9-1-1 and report a robbery. That’s my buying philosophy. And I feel like I did that repeatedly at this sale. I did not do that in November. I had a hard time in November. I shopped exclusively for mares and in November I found that the mares that I liked were all going a little bit higher than I wanted them to, based on what I was expecting going in. I thought it was going to be a down market in November. I don’t know if a lot of people would have called it a strong market, but I didn’t want to pay that much for some of these mares.”

Slezak said that he found buyers more forgiving with less commercial covering sires than he had experienced at past sales.

“There were some mares in this sale who were in foal to sires I did not consider fashionable–maybe useful sires–and they were going to $30,000 or $40,000, sometimes higher than that,” Slezak said. “I’ve always found that people are shopping for the covering sire first and foremost. The prevailing philosophy is ‘be in foal to something sexy or you’re doomed.’ But at this particular sale, January 2021, it seemed like if you had a beautiful page or a couple of interesting things in the pipeline, people were willing to overlook an unsexy covering stallion. Which surprised me a little bit.”

Internet Bidding Continues to Grow

The January sale was the third auction at which Keeneland offered buyers the chance to bid online. The innovation, originally necessitated by the pandemic, continues to gain in popularity. A total of 1,258 bids were received over the internet during the four days, with 109 horses sold online for gross receipts of $3,106,900.

“It did prove popular once again,” Arvin said of the internet bidding. “That technology is important in 2021 and beyond.”

Russell added he was looking forward to welcoming crowds back to the normally bustling Keeneland sales pavilion.

“While we appreciate the ability to offer internet bidding for people who can’t be here, we are looking forward to the day when we can welcome everybody back to Keeneland,” he said. “We prefer them to be here. We enjoy their company and the hustle and the bustle it provides.”

Dispersals Draw a Crowd

Tuesday’s second session of the auction was dominated by the dispersals of Sam-Son Farm and the estate of the late Paul Pompa, Jr. The two dispersals shared the co-top price of the auction, with Sam-Son Farm’s Danceforthecause (Giant’s Causeway) (hip 587) selling for $925,000 to Gainesway Farm and Peter Brant’s White Birch Farm paying that same amount for Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom) (hip 587) from the Pompa dispersal. Eleven horses sold for $500,000 or over at the January sale and all were from the two dispersals.

A total of 21 Sam-Son broodmares sold for $6,733,000 and an average of $320,619.

“Mr. Samuel started Sam-Son Farm over 50 years ago and a lot of time and effort has been made by the operation in developing these strong families,” Russell said. “They very rarely get put on the public marketplace, so it was an opportunity for major breeders to get into those families. It’s a great testament to them and to the longevity of the operation.”

The Pompa dispersal, handled by Lane’s End Farm, was responsible for the top six offerings during Thursday’s final session of the sale. Overall, 38 horses from the late owner’s dispersal grossed $6,790,200 for an average of $178,689.

“The Sam-Son and Pompa dispersals are the legacies of two wonderful operations, and they infused a lot of positive energy into the January sale,” Arvin said. “Dispersals are always bittersweet, but we are honored that their families and connections entrusted Keeneland to present these dispersals and showcase their excellence.”

Lane’s End Farm was the auction’s leading consignor by gross, with 78 head sold for $8,741,200. Sam-Son Farm led consignors by average.

Quality Yearlings Remain In Demand

The demand for quality short yearlings remained strong, with a colt by Munnings bringing top price of $475,000 from Larry Best’s OXO Equine LLC during the Monday’s first session of the auction. The yearling was consigned by Hunter Valley Farm.

“We were surprised to see him get the amount he made in the end,” admitted Hunter Valley’s Adrian Regan. “It was the perfect storm. Two of the biggest players in town ended up battling for him. He was a very, very good horse.”

Ocala horseman Nick de Meric was active in the yearling market, purchasing eight horses on behalf of an undisclosed client.

“I would say there was a little bit less competition than we had in November,” de Meric said of the bidding on yearlings. “It is still never easy to buy the ones you want, but we did land a few of our top picks, which was difficult to do in November because it seemed like people were lining up for those horses.”

During the four-day January sale, 404 short yearlings sold for $14,565,600. The average was $36,053 and the median was $14,500.

In 2020, 462 short yearlings sold prior to the inclusion of post-sale transactions for $17,677,200. The average was $38,262 and the median was $13,000. A colt by Uncle Mo was the auction’s top-priced yearling at $400,000. That colt resold for $550,000 at last year’s Keeneland September sale.

Carillo a Star in the Sales Ring As Well

It was just a week ago that Carillo (Union Rags) was tabbed a ‘TDN Rising Star’ following a gritty debut victory at Aqueduct for trainer Chad Brown. He followed that effort with a star turn in the sales ring at Keeneland Thursday, selling for a session-topping $875,000 to the bid of bloodstock agent Lauren Carlisle. Carlisle declined to name the client for whom she was buying, but said the Paul Pompa homebred will now head south to the New Orleans winter base of trainer Tom Amoss.

The agent agreed Carillo’s debut (video) was a big draw.

“He didn’t break great, got pinched at the start and took a ton of dirt during the race and made a middle move pretty impressively,” she said. “Obviously, when he got in the clear, he won pretty easily. At the beginning of the race, it didn’t look like he had a shot and he definitely surprised, I’m sure, everyone being a first-time starter. To me that showed his raw talent that he was able to overcome that.”

Pompa purchased Carillo’s unraced dam Proper Mad (Bernardini), with the future Rising Star in utero, for $185,000 at the 2017 Keeneland November sale. The yearling’s third dam is Private Status (Alydar), dam of GI Kentucky Oaks winner Secret Status.

“For just running last week and then coming on a van from New York for 12 hours, I thought he looked pretty good,” Carlisle said of her impressions of the colt at the sales barn. “He is a good-sized colt and fit. I would expect nothing less coming from Chad. He does a great job.”

Of Carillo’s session-topping price, Carlisle said, “When you are shopping for a 3-year-old colt before the Derby who broke his maiden like that, they are not going to be cheap. We knew that. You always want to buy them for less when you are at a live auction, but I wasn’t entirely surprised by the price.”

Peter Brant’s White Birch Farm purchased Proper Mad for $260,000 during Tuesday’s session of the Keeneland January sale.

Turned Aside A Hot Commodity at KEEJAN

Talented turf sprinter Turned Aside (American Pharoah) proved quite popular (as expected) at Keeneland Thursday, hammering for $725,000 after a spirited round of bidding. David Ingordo signed the ticket on Hip 1563 on behalf of a partnership between West Point Thoroughbreds and D J Stable.

“What a lovely horse,” West Point’s Terry Finley said. “We are partners with D J Stable. This is the second horse that we’ve bought together. We bought a newly turned 3-year-old right before the turn of the year. They are wonderful people.”

Finley continued, “He will go to Mark Casse. When I said to Mark that he was a beautiful horse, he said, ‘I know. I know. He beat me several times in the last year.’ We are very excited.”

Consigned by Lane’s End as part of the complete dispersal of the Estate of the late Paul Pompa, Jr., Turned Aside captured two of his five starts during his 2019 juvenile campaign and kicked off 2020 with a second in the Sir Cat S. at Belmont in June. A decisive winner of the GIII Quick Call S. next out in July, the Linda Rice trainee did not seem to take to the unconventional course at Kentucky Downs, finishing fifth in the GIII Franklin-Simpson S. in September. The Pompa homebred rebounded with another good-looking score in the Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship S. Nov. 28. His record currently stands at 9-4-2-1 with earnings of $241,967.

“I was always a huge fan of Paul Pompa’s,” Finley said. “He was such a great guy and, year after year, he came up with runners. Like everybody else, I was heartbroken when he passed way too soon. I figured there would be a dispersal and it was in the back of my mind, the last couple of months, to try to get something to continue his legacy. So, it all just fell into place.”

He added, “It is very exciting. These are the types of horses we try to buy at the yearling and 2-year-old sales. You have to pay up. If they vet and carry themselves the right way. You aren’t going to get them at a discount.”

Turned Aside’s GSP dam Sustained (War Front) (Hip 463) sold during Tuesday’s session, bringing $320,000 from Phil Schoenthal, acting as agent for Determined Stud. She sold in foal to Pompa’s Grade I winner Connect and her 2020 Connect colt followed her into the ring, selling for $32,000 to bloodstock agent Steve Young (Hip 464).

A longtime friend of Pompa’s who purchased several horses on his behalf, Young, bought a total of four horses from the Pompa dispersal, topped by the newly minted sophomore colt Untreated (Nyquist) (Hip 1564), who hammered for $300,000. The bloodstock agent purchased the horse on behalf of an undisclosed client, but did say the colt would be trained by Todd Pletcher. A son of GSP Fully Living (Unbridled’s Song), the $550,000 KEESEP acquisition was hammered down to 4-5 favoritism for his Gulfstream unveiling Jan. 9, but failed to fire, finishing sixth.

“He was a horse that was always well liked, starting from the time he was in training with Eddie Woods,” Young said. “He trained very well for Eddie and went to Chad [Brown] and trained even better there. We are going to look past his first race and know that he is a good horse who just did not fire in his first start. American Pharoah and Secretariat didn’t either.”

Reflecting on the dispersal and loss of his friend, Young said, “It is sad on many levels, for the business and personally, for myself. He was a special friend, who the more you knew about him, the more you liked him.”

The Pompa dispersal consisted of 39 horses, a mix of racehorses, broodmares and yearlings, who sold with no reserves. One horse did not receive any bids, but the other 38 sold for a gross of $6,790,200 for an average of $178,689. Pompa horses accounted for six of the top 11 sellers in the Keeneland January Sale, including $925,000 co-topper Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom) (Hip 403) and Thursday’s $875,000 session topper Carillo (Union Rags) (Hip 1566). The other five horses in the top 11 came from the Sam-Son dispersal.

“Mr. Pompa’s program has been meticulously managed and it shows,” Lane’s End Sales Director Allaire Ryan said. “It is nice to see the top agents and buyers giving these horses the respect they deserve. Mr. Pompa would be pleased.” —@CDeBernardisTDN

De Meric Stays Busy at Keeneland

Nick de Meric was quite busy at Keeneland this week, securing a total of eight short yearlings for $905,000 total, an average of $113,125. The horseman was acting on behalf of an undisclosed client, signing for the yearlings under the name Sand Hill Stables.

“Those are largely on behalf of a client who races, but some will be pinhooked and we haven’t quite decided which is which yet,” de Meric said. “Sometimes if you buy them in the name of someone who races, people assume the ones who end up back in the sale are culls, which is not the case.”

De Meric’s purchases include a $200,000 colt by Maclean’s Music (Hip 275); a $155,000 son of Ghostzapper (Hip 186); a $130,000 filly by top freshman sire Nyquist (Hip 357); a $130,000 daughter of Horse of the Year Gun Runner (Hip 800F); a $110,000 More Than Ready filly (Hip 3); a $90,000 Mastery colt (Hip 256); a $50,000 daughter of Lord Nelson (Hip 159); and a $40,000 filly by Mastery (Hip 775).

“We are looking for yearlings that are good athletes,” de Meric said. “No matter what you are doing, that is what you’ve got to start with. We have to see what pedigrees we can afford and there are certain sires we are fond of, but, at the end of the day, we are looking for athletes.”

He continued, “You probably saw I bought a couple of Masterys, a Gun Runner. Those kind of sires don’t scare me if I am liking enough of them. In other words, second-crop sires that are consistently producing good individuals, I will take a shot with those. Very often, those are the ones who do jump up when there 2- or 3-year-olds get to the track. But the market, as we know, is not always kind to those sires, at least not initially, so that presents an opportunity in my view.” —@CDeBernardisTDN

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‘Rising Star’ Summons $875K at KEEJAN

It’s been quite a week for the 3-year-old colt Carillo (Union Rags). He captured his debut at Aqueduct in ‘TDN Rising Star’-fashion last Friday and summoned a whopping $875,000 from bloodstock agent Lauren Carlisle at Keeneland January Thursday. The Paul Pompa homebred sold as part of the complete dispersal of that late owner and breeder’s estate, which was handled by Lane’s End Farm.

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Dispersals Fuel January Market

by Jessica Martini & Christie DeBernardis

Propelled by the strength of a pair of marquee dispersals, the Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale churned out a powerful second session in Lexington Tuesday. Early in the day, Peter Brant’s White Birch Farm purchased Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom) (hip 403) from the Lane’s End consignment of the dispersal of the Estate of the late Paul Pompa, Jr. for $925,000. That bid was matched later in the session when Antony Beck’s Gainesway Farm purchased Danceforthecause (Giant’s Causeway) (hip 587) from the Sam-Son Farm dispersal. The two dispersals were responsible for the sessions top nine offerings.

“The power of the dispersal was very obvious here today,” said Keeneland’s Director of Sales Operations Geoffrey Russell. “It was bittersweet, but we appreciate the trust they put in us to put this show on today.”

While shoppers may have come into the January sale hoping to find bargains in a down market, the dispersals proved demand was still healthy at the top of the market as breeders looked ahead to what Keeneland President Shannon Arvin called, “blue skies.”

“The opportunity, especially with the Sam-Son dispersal, to get into these mares has been limited over the years,” Russell said. “So people are hungry to get into these strong female families. And the same is true with the mares of Mr. Pompa. These are strong female families and, as Shannon quite rightly said, breeders are looking for blue skies ahead. And they have to have the product to produce yearlings to sell.”

During Tuesday’s session, 247 head sold for $23,319,400. The session average was $94,411 and the median was $40,000. Through the auction’s two Book 1 sessions, 456 horses have sold for $35,484,800 for an average of $77,818 and a median of $37,000.

“I thought the market was very strong,” Russell said. “I thought the foals sold exceptionally well today. Obviously, Mr. Pompa had some foals in there, but the non-dispersal foals sold very, very well. It was strong from start to finish.”

Larry Best, who purchased the top-priced lot during Monday’s opening session of the auction, again purchased the top-priced short yearling Tuesday, going to $400,000 to secure a filly by City of Light (hip 660) from the Lane’s End consignment.

Lane’s End sold 41 horses Tuesday for a total of $5,601,000 and an average of $136,610.

“To be honest, I feel like it is fairly spotty,” Lane’s End’s Allaire Ryan said of the market. “It is pretty light for the average horse and the below average horses are tough to get moved. If you come up here with no expectations and no reserves, you can get them sold.”

Gainesway’s Alex Solis II agreed the top of the market remained strong.

“I think it is very fair,” Solis said of the market. “Anything that is quality is bringing a lot of money.”

The Keeneland January sale continues through Thursday with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m.

Regal Glory Jump Starts Pompa Dispersal

MGSW and ‘TDN Rising Star’ Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom) got the dispersal of the Estate of the late Paul Pompa, Jr., off to a quick start, summoning $925,000 from Peter Brant’s White Birch Farm just three hips into Tuesday’s session. Hip 403 sold as a racing or broodmare prospect.

Pompa, who campaigned the likes of dual Classic winner Big Brown (Boundary) and Grade I winner Connect (Curlin), passed away unexpectedly Oct. 10. In keeping with his wishes, his entire stock–which is a total of 39 horses, including broodmares, yearlings and racehorses–is being dispersed at this sale through the Lane’s End consignment. Regal Glory was the first member of the dispersal to go through the ring.

“She was one of the top-class mares in this catalogue and was consistently competitive at the top of her generation,” said Lane’s End’s Allaire Ryan. “In this setting, one like her just stands out. We were really pleased with that and the fact she is going back to Chad [Brown] at the track. Hopefully, she will do more good things.”

A daughter of MGSW Mary’s Follies (More Than Ready), Regal Glory currently boasts a record of 11-6-3-0 with earnings of $773,884. Trained by Chad Brown, the chestnut reeled off a trio of victories in the Penn Oaks, GIII Lake George S. and GII Lake Placid S. in 2019 and placed in two additional graded events. Kicking off 2020 with a second to her MGISW stablemate Newspaperofrecord (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) in Belmont’s GIII Intercontinental S. June 6, the 5-year-old mare was fourth to that foe again in that venue’s GI Just a Game S. 21 days later and closed out the year with a win in the GIII Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf S. Sept. 12.

Mary’s Follies (Hip 725) went through the ring much later in the day, bringing $500,000 from BBA Ireland. She was followed by her 2020 Connect colt (Hip 726), who sold for $185,000 to Larry Best’s Oxo Equine.

“She’s just a class mare through and through,” Ryan said of Mary’s Follies. “That type of quality doesn’t go unnnoticed. Despite the fact that she wasn’t pregnant, she was a mare that when people came to see her, she had the appeal. Even though she wasn’t pregnant, her produce record made her easy to like.”

Pompa privately purchased Mary’s Follies after her victory in the 2009 GIII Boiling Springs S. at Monmouth Park for trainer John Forbes. Transferred to Rick Dutrow, the bay finished second in the Lake George in her first start for Pompa and went on to win the GII Mrs. Revere S. at Churchill in 2010.

The now-15-year-old mare has been a blue hen for Pompa’s operation. Her first foal, Night Prowler, carried Pompa’s silks for five seasons, winning two graded events and placing in two others. He was claimed away from Pompa in 2018 and won the Barbados Gold Cup this term. Regal Glory was her fourth foal and she was followed by Cafe Pharoah (American Pharoah), a $475,000 OBSMAR buy, who is a multiple graded stakes winner in Japan.

Beautiful Lover (Arch) was another big-figure sale for the dispersal, hammering for $650,000 to Moyglare Stud. A stakes winner and MGSP, Hip 537 is a half-sister to GSW & GISP Zivo (True Direction).

“She was an exceptional-looking filly as well, especially for that sire line” Ryan said. “She just had the size, the scope, the depth and she is ready to go on training as well. She had the race record and the physical to go along with it, so everything just fell into place.”

A total of 19 of the 39 horses in the dispersal went through the ring Tuesday, selling for a gross of $3.777 million and an average of $198,789.

“Things seem to be going pretty well,” Ryan said. “At this stage of the year, you don’t have as many end users attending or the shopping the sale in the yearling market. Some of the short yearlings I thought they were a little bit light on, but that is the nature of the dispersal. You are the mercy of who is in attendance. By the same token, yearlings that are good physicals are making everybody’s lists and there are money for the quality ones. Overall, we are pleased with how it has gone and the top lots will exceed your expectations.” —@CDeBernardisTDN

Sam-Son Consignment Dominates

The Sam-Son Farm Broodmare Dispersal dominated the results at Keeneland Tuesday, as 21 mares sold for a gross of $6,733,000 and an average of $320,619. Gainesway Farm purchased the dispersal’s highest-priced offering when going to $925,000 for Danceforthecause (Giant’s Causeway) (hip 587). John Sikura’s Hill ‘n’ Dale Xalapa purchased Deceptive Vision (A.P. Indy) (hip 598) for $900,000. Danceforthecause was the co-top priced lot Tuesday and the dispersal was responsible for five of the session’s top 10 offerings.

“There were definitely mixed emotions, but pride was the main thing for me because these mares have been nurtured by a Canadian operation that competed on the world stage, or at least the North American stage, for many years,” said longtime Sam-Son manager Dave Whitford after the last Sam-Son mare went through the ring Tuesday night. “So to think that they came down here to be a big part of people’s future, and to be valued by those kind of dollars, speaks volumes. There is a lot of pride.”

Whitford admitted the uncertainties caused by the global pandemic were a concern for the operation, but the opportunity to buy into families that have rarely been offered at auction brought out the buyers.

“We thought long and hard about how to disperse the horses,” Whitford said. “The family was concerned about the market. They wanted to maximize their value, but they had made the decision to get out of the business. Keeneland January has always been very good to us. It’s a very strong market and we thought we would really stand out in here. We seemed to be able to attract plenty of buyers. Keeneland felt the same way and they agreed to put on the show for us. I think the market is definitely off a little bit, but when you bring mares like these, the families that haven’t been on the open market very often, it brings everybody out. And the fact that they can bid online and virtually, makes all the difference.”

Ernie Samuel founded Sam-Son Farm nearly five decades ago and the Canadian operation has earned 84 Sovereign Awards, including 2019 Owner and Breeder of the Year, and four Eclipse Awards, as well as 37 Classic victories and 14 Grade I wins.

“The family wants me to thank the Keeneland operation,” Whitford said. “When we sat down to go over this a couple of months ago, we asked for the stars and they were more than accommodating. They couldn’t have been any better to us.” @JessMartiniTDN

Sikura Has Eye for Sam-Son Mares

John Sikura, who purchased Desert Isle (Bernardini) (hip 187) for $1.1 million at the Fasig-Tipton November sale last year, added two more daughters of Canadian champion Eye of the Sphynx (Smart Strike) to his broodmare band at Hill ‘n’ Dale at Xalapa from the dispersal of the historic Sam-Son Farm Tuesday at Keeneland. Sikura acquired Deceptive Vision (A.P. Indy) (hip 598) for $900,000 and came back a few hips later to acquire her half-sister Fun in the Desert (Distorted Humor) (hip 637) for $530,000.

The 11-year-old Deceptive Vision, who sold in foal to War Front, won the 2014 GII Canadian S. and the 2015 GIII Doubledogdare S.

“Deceptive Vision was a very good race mare,” Sikura said. “She was in the minority of their runners who left Canada and won here in the U.S., which is an important factor for me. She won the Doubledogdare at Keeneland, she was on the Kentucky Oaks trail. So she was a high-quality race filly. She has a [yearling] War Front filly. If the yearling can run, you have some activity in the family.”

The 10-year-old Fun in the Desert is the dam of Canadian champion 3-year-old filly Desert Ride (Candy Ride {Arg}) and sold Tuesday carrying a full-sibling to that 2019 Woodbine Oaks winner.

“Fun in the Desert is the dam of an Oaks winner,” Sikura said of the mare’s appeal. “And Distorted Humor is a world-class broodmare sire.”

Eye of the Sphynx, Canada’s champion 3-year-old filly of 2004, is the dam of champion Eye of the Leopard (A.P. Indy), as well as stakes winners Hotep (A.P. Indy).

“I bet everything on the one pedigree,” Sikura said. “That’s not to take anything away from any of the others, but for me, I found that the most interesting family. The goal is to try to proliferate that pedigree, refresh it, make the success current and, over time, to have many daughters of all three of those mares enter the broodmare band and be successful both on the racetrack and in the commercial sales ring.”

Sikura grew up watching the success of the Sam-Son operation and he said the dispersal was a pivotal opportunity to get into the historic pedigrees.

“Dispersals are often important momentum shifts,” Sikura said. “If you look back at Overbrook and the [Ned] Evans dispersal and many others, there are usually one or more of those offspring who bear significant fruit to the next purchasers. That’s not to say what I bought will be the ones, but history shows that those dispersals, when you have a chance to buy those elite horses and pedigrees that have been distilled over 30 years, the best of the best, it’s a good opportunity. I take a long-term view in the business and adding multiple daughters from a very good family was something that was the goal.”

Sikura continued, “Ernie Samuel and the Canadian heritage and growing up knowing how important those families were from a distance, it was an honor to have the opportunity to buy those mares. Growing up, it was something I would never have dreamed of to be able to own those kind.”

Hill ‘n’ Dale was home to a band of Sam-Son mares and Sikura admitted it was special to watch their success over the years.

“It was like having a Hollywood friend,” he said. “To see them in the movies and then they call you on the telephone. So watching the success of those pedigrees, the mares and the foals that were on the farm, was rewarding.” @JessMartiniTDN

Gainesway Strikes for Danceforthecause

Grade I producer Danceforthecause (Giant’s Causeway) was the second mare of the day to reach $925,000 when selling to Gainesway Farm as Hip 587 from the Sam-Son Farm broodmare dispersal. MGSW Regal Glory (Animal Kingdom) (Hip 403) brought the same price at the start of the session as part of the dispersal of the Estate of Paul Pompa, Jr.

The unraced Danceforthecause’s first foal was GI Northern Dancer Turf S. winner Say the Word (More Than Ready) and her next foal was GII Canadian S. victor Rideforthecause (Candy Ride {Arg}). She did not produce foals in 2017 or 2018, but had a Distorted Humor filly in 2019 and a Street Sense filly in 2020. The 10-year-old mare is currently in foal to Twirling Candy.

Hailing from a deep Sam-Son family, Danceforthecause is a full-sister to SW Grand Style. Her second dam is Horse of the Year Dance Smartly (Danzig), who is the dam of Canadian champion and Grade I winner Dancethruthedawn (Mr. Prospector) and GSW Dance With Ravens (A.P. Indy).

“Right off the bat, her produce has been phenomenal,” said Gaiesway’s Alex Solis, II. “The first foal is a Grade I winner, the second foal is a Grade II winner. It is the family of Smart Strike and, of course, her second dam is Dance Smartly.”

As for the price, Solis said, “Being 10-years-old and the dam of a Grade I winner, you know you are going to have to be in this range or even more.” —@CDeBernardisTDN

Schoenthal Continues Determined Buying

Matt Dorman continued to build his burgeoning elite broodmare band during the Keeneland January sale, with trainer Phil Schoenthal purchasing five mares on behalf of Dorman’s Maryland-based Determined Stud. Leading the way was Southern Ring (Speightstown) (hip 452), a 9-year-old mare from the Sam-Son Farm dispersal purchased for $875,000. The multiple graded stakes winner, a daughter of Seeking the Ring (Seeking the Gold) and granddaughter of Radiant Ring (Halo), sold Tuesday in foal to Into Mischief.

“Matt has been wanting to buy a variety of top sires and a lot of the Speightstown mares are average size at best. [Southern Ring] was a really big, strong Speightstown mare,” Schoenthal said. “They really like the two foals she has on the ground. She is in foal to Into Mischief and she was a graded runner herself, so she kind of checked all of the boxes for what Matt is trying to do.”

Of the mare’s final price tag, Schoenthal added, “We had to stretch beyond the budget of what we had thought we would have to spend, but obviously that’s what you have to do when you are looking for these kind of horses. The opportunity to buy into some of these Sam-Son families obviously is a unique opportunity especially for someone who is trying to start off a broodmare band. So it all worked to his advantage today.”

Schoenthal took advantage of the January’s sales other marquee dispersal a few hips later when going to $320,000 to acquire Sustained (War Front) (hip 463) from the Estate of the late Paul Pompa, Jr. The 11-year-old mare, dam of graded winner Turned Aside (American Pharoah), is in foal to Connect.

“There were probably more higher-quality mares in the sale than there would have been in years past. So it provides opportunity that way,” Schoenthal said of the dispersals.

Also Tuesday, Determined Stud purchased Fluffhead (Animal Kingdom) (hip 631) for $165,000; Forecast (Malibu Moon) (hip 632) for $190,000; and Off Topic (Street Sense) (hip 762) for $570,000.

Dorman founded Credible Behavioral Health, a provider of electronic records for mental health, and sold the company over the summer. He purchased a farm in his native Maryland and has been steadily building his broodmare band since the November breeding stock sales. He purchased four mares–led by the $1.1-million Desert Isle (Bernardini)–at the Fasig-Tipton November sale, and a further 14–led by the $800,000 Style and Grace (Curlin)–at Keeneland November.

“I think he is taking the approach that opportunities to upgrade are what he wants,” Schoenthal said. “I believe he will keep his broodmare band at a tidy number in that 15-20 range. That might mean we will take a couple next year and put them back through the sale and just turn them over, always trying to add to the top and take from the bottom.” @JessMartiniTDN

City of Light Foals Prove Popular

Foals from the first crop of City of Light were very popular during the November sales and continued to be in demand as short yearlings in the January sale. A filly by the Lane’s End stallion was the day’s highest-priced yearling, summoning $400,000 from Larry Best’s OXO Equine (Hip 660).

“She was a star physical,” said Lane’s End’s Allaire Ryan, who consigned the filly. “She showed herself with a lot of class every time she came out. She was shown over 200 times over 2 1/2 days, which is pretty remarkable. For a young horse to have that kind of constitution is pretty cool. She has a good family as well, so she has appeal from a residual standpoint.

Bred by Baumann Stables, Aaron Sones and Eric Crawford, Hip 660 is out of the Bernardini mare I’ll Show Me, who is a half-sister to champion Proud Spell (Proud Citizen), dam of SW Indian Spell (Indian Charlie).

A total of seven of City of Light’s offspring have gone through the ring thus far at Keeneland for a total of $1.233 million and an average of $174,714.

“We have been super happy with the City of Lights,” Ryan said. “He has been a very consistent stallions with what he throws. When the physicals are as good as they are by him, the breeders are fortunate when they bring them to the market.” —@CDeBernardisTDN

Moyglare Buys and Sells

Eva Maria Bucher-Haefner’s Moyglare Stud was active on both sides of the sheets Tuesday at Keeneland, buying the racing/broodmare prospect Beautiful Lover (Arch) (hip 537) for $650,000 and selling the day’s top-priced short yearling colt (hip 418), a son of Speightstown, for $270,000.

Part of the dispersal of the Estate of Paul Pompa, Jr., the 5-year-old Beautiful Lover won the 2019 Boiling Springs S. and was second in the GII Hillsborough S. and GIII WinStar Matchmaker S. in 2020 for trainer Chad Brown. The half-sister to graded winner Zivo (True Direction) will remain in training.

“She’ll go down to Payson Park tomorrow morning and go to [trainer] Christophe Clement,” said Moyglare’s Fiona Craig. “Hopefully, she’ll run later this year.”

Moyglare Stud has had success buying racing/broodmare prospects and continuing their racing careers before adding them to the broodmare band. The operation purchased Celestine (Scat Daddy) for $2.55 million at the 2016 Keeneland November sale and the filly went on to add another graded race to her resume the following season. Discreet Marq (Discreet Cat), a $2.4-million purchase at the 2014 Fasig-Tipton November sale, added a pair of Grade I placings and a Grade III victory in the Moyglare colors.

Craig is hopeful Beautiful Lover fits the mold.

“Her form is good and she vetted very well,” Craig said. “She has loads of size and scope and she is by Arch from a solid American family full of winners. It’s a hard-knocking pedigree. She looks like she has a bit of racing left in her. We will see. If she hasn’t, then we will breed her.”

Of the filly’s final price tag, Craig added, “We would have liked to buy her for a little bit less, but there was a lot of interest in her because she was a big, pretty mare. Unfortunately, when you go in after those, even though the market may not seem that strong, there are always plenty of people for good horses. And she was very good-looking.”

Hip 418, consigned by Padraig Campion’s Blandford Stud and purchased by E.B.S., is out of Sansibar Jewel (Street Cry {Ire}), a daughter of group winner Irresistible Jewel (Ire) (Danehill) and a full-sister to group winner Princess Highway. After opening her career in Ireland, Sansibar Jewel was sent stateside and made three starts without success in New York for Clement.

“We brought the mare over from Ireland,” Craig said. “She didn’t do much at the races, but we put her in foal to Speightstown–she is a big rangy mare–and we got a lovely foal. If he had been a filly, we would have kept her, but because he was a colt, he went to the sale. And he sold very well.”

Moyglare currently has seven broodmares based in the U.S. with a basic plan to sell colts and keep fillies.

“We are trying to do that in Europe as well, but the sales schedule has been a little upended by COVID,” Craig said. “I think everything we have planned for this year has been put on hold and we’ll just have to think about it again next year. We have too many horses at the moment–so we sold three and got one. If we can keep doing that, then it works well. We sold a nice mare in November and we sold a nice mare at Tattersalls in December. If we can keep selling well and reinvesting, that makes a bit of sense. At least Eva thinks it makes a bit of sense and I agree with her.”

Craig admitted travel restrictions had made the trip to Keeneland an adventure, but she called the trip a success.

“We sold well and we bought well,” she said. “It was a bit of jumping through hoops to get into America at the moment, but Eva was able to come, so that was great. She came and I came and we had a great few days here.”@JessMartiniTDN

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