As the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale moves into its second week, Spendthrift Farm's Vino Rosso has emerged as one of the early stars among the first-crop weanling sires.
The Breeders' Cup Classic-winning son of Curlin was responsible for the auction's most expensive first-crop weanling through the auction's first three sessions, and has established himself as one of the rookie stallions with the highest average weanling sale price during the select sessions of Kentucky's fall mixed sales.
In this installment of Toast To Vino Rosso, we'll look at a pair of weanlings by the stallion from the Gainesway consignment. One turned heads in the sale ring on Friday with a six-figure hammer price, while the other will get her chance to shine during Sunday's session.
Hip 645 – Bay filly out of Shaken, by Uncle Mo
The second-most expensive Vino Rosso weanling of the Keeneland sale through the end of Friday's session went to Scoot Stable for $300,000.
Bred in Kentucky by Mark Stansell, the bay filly is the first foal out of the Grade 2-placed Uncle Mo mare Shaken, who is herself a half-sister to the multiple Grade 2-placed runner Sway Away.
We checked in on this filly back in May, when she was boarded at Waggoner Farm in Lexington, Ky., for Texas-based Stansell. At the time, he said the decision to send Shaken to Vino Rosso was based on the stallion's race record and his expectation that the first foals would be received well at auction.
Brian Graves of consignor Gainesway was quick to note the filly's quality after the fall of the hammer.
“The Vino Rosso that we sold was just a really beautiful filly,” he said. “She'd be a select session-type filly at any sale she'd go to. She's beautifully-balanced, great hip. We've seen quite a few Vino Rossos that we liked over the sale, so the stallion looks like he's off to a good start producing nice stock.”
Hip 1469 – Gray or roan filly out of Snagglepuss, by Holy Bull
Sunday's session will feature this filly out of the winning Holy Bull mare Snagglepuss, who is the dam of one winner from two runners.
Bred in Kentucky by Tami Bobo, the filly hails from the family of Grade 1-placed Colorful Charades. The mating that produced this foal was set up by Milan Kosanovich, and Bobo acquired the pregnant mare after her visit to Vino Rosso.
“She's a beautiful filly, very forward, always loved her,” Bobo said. “I thought the market might be one that would support a filly that's physically as presentable as her to maybe come and try early, and see if the market plays where I think it should play. I think she's a great specimen for the stallion.”
“As a group overall, I like the Vino Rossos,” Bobo continued. “Collectively, they've been a great group of horses, and I think the public's going to receive them well. In hindsight, I think I probably should have been earlier than later, but I played it safe and was busy with real estate, and really hadn't gone through my babies like I should have early enough. Sale deadline time came up, so I called my two consignors and said, 'Enter all my horses in Book 3.' Hopefully she's a standout where she's at, and hopefully the public sees what we see in her.”
Vino Rosso, a 6-year-old son of Curlin, stands at Spendthrift Farm for an advertised fee of $20,000.
Vino Rosso won six of 15 starts and earned $4,803,125 on the racetrack. In addition to his signature Breeders' Cup Classic score, the stallion picked up victories in the Grade 1 Gold Cup at Santa Anita Stakes, and the G2 Wood Memorial Stakes.
The post Toast To Vino Rosso Presented By Spendthrift Farm: Momentum Into The Weekend At Keeneland November appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
