Tag: Tom Ryan

Taking Stock: Donato Lanni’s (Almost) Perfect Weekend

I called the elite bloodstock agent Donato Lanni last Wednesday only to tell him I'd call him again Sunday and to expect my call. I was fortunate he picked up, because he was on a golf course enjoying a rare day off following a busy Keeneland September sale where he'd purchased a number of million-dollar yearlings among many others. When we made plans to speak again, neither of us mentioned why I'd be calling. I didn't want to jinx him, with Cave Rock (Arrogate), War Like Goddess (English Channel), and Moira (Ghostzapper) entered in three Grade l races Saturday at Santa Anita, Belmont-at-Aqueduct, and Woodbine, respectively.

The weekend was almost perfect for Lanni, except for the hex that jockey Rafael Hernandez put on Moira in the Gl E.P. Taylor S., choosing the wrong path for her at a crucial stage in the race. Turning for home, Moira was behind five runners fanned ahead of her, and Hernandez, looking for a seam, chose to go inside where there was no room. In the process, he nearly took down Peter Brant's Lemista (Ire), who checked hard. Once on the rail, Moira still had nowhere to advance until late in the stretch, and by the time Hernandez slipped her through a narrow gap, the finish was fast approaching. Rougir (Ire), owned by Brant and Michael Tabor, nailed her by a neck, flying uninterrupted on the outside. No surprise, Moira was disqualified from second to eighth, but with a clean run she may well have proven the best in the race.

Lanni was still steaming on Sunday when we spoke. He'd purchased Moira for $150,000 at Keeneland September two years ago for a group of Canadian horsemen and friends who race as X-Men Racing. Lanni clients Madaket Racing and SF Racing, who are a part of the “Avengers” group that race colts with Bob Baffert, are co-owners. “Brant's filly could have gotten hurt, and I'm worried about our filly,” Lanni said of the incident.

The local E.P. Taylor was carefully chosen for Moira to get Grade l black-type on her resume.

“She was like a greyhound as a yearling, a long-distance type for turf and all-weather, not a horse for dirt. She's a classy filly, but not a typical Ghostzapper physically. Ghostzapper looked like a miler, he could sprint and go a mile and a quarter. She's not that way.”

Bred in Canada by Adena Springs and trained by Kevin Attard, the 3-year-old had previously raced exclusively on Woodbine's all-weather course against other Canadian-breds her age, but blowout wins in the Woodbine Oaks and the Queen's Plate against colts suggested she was something special. That was confirmed in the E.P. Taylor, regardless of the outcome. The race was Moira's first start on turf, her first against open company, and her first against elders, and she proved she belongs. She's now won four of six starts and earned $908,682. Rougir was a Group 1 winner in Europe last year and was purchased by Brant and Tabor at Arqana for the equivalent of $3.4 million.

War Like Goddess

War Like Goddess, trained by Bill Mott for owner George Krikorian, is a 5-year-old mare. She defeated males in the Gl Joe Hirsch Turf Classic S. and goes next in the Gl Breeders' Cup Turf. A winner of nine of 12 starts and $1,612,184, the daughter of English Channel was bred by Calumet, sold for $1,200 as a weanling at Keeneland November, was unsold as a $1,000 RNA at Keeneland September, and made $30,000 at OBS June when Lanni bought her.

“You just don't see too many English Channels showing up at an OBS 2-year-old sale,” Lanni said. “That's not what they're supposed to do. They are long on the grass. Anyway, she shows up and works and goes in like :10 2/5 and does really well. She's got a great stride and great action, but she comes back and she's got some pretty good shins on her. They were pretty big. I call them summer shins–shins that last all summer. And so I said to myself, there's only one guy I know who'd take this filly, meaning you need to be patient with her and give her time, and that was George Krikorian. I hadn't bought him a horse in a long time, so I called him.”

Lanni developed a relationship with Krikorian during his early days in Kentucky at Texan Johnny T.L. Jones Jr.'s Walmac International, which stood standouts Nureyev and Alleged among other well-known stallions. An outsized figure with a grin as big as his personality, Johnny Jones also gave Lane's End Bloodstock's David Ingordo, WTC's Frances J. Karon, Stonestreet advisor and agent John Moynihan, and Four Star's Kerry Cauthen a home at one time or another.

“[George Krikorian] was the first guy who ever let me buy him a horse where I actually got paid a commission for buying the horse,” Lanni said. “That was Starrer in 1999 at Fasig-Tipton. We'd gotten to be friends, he said he trusted me, likes me, and said if I see anything I like, buy it.

“When I found Starrer, I called him and said I found him a filly, and he said to just buy it and hung up. I'm in my mid-20s, and I'm like, 'What does that mean, just buy it?' I'm nervous. I don't have a signed agent agreement, I don't have any money, and what do I do If this guy walks away from me?”

Lanni paid $35,000 for the yearling Starrer, a daughter of Dynaformer who became a multiple Grade l winner for Krikorian and trainer John Shirreffs, earning $1,043,033 through four seasons.

“He's been my longtime friend and a client since. He's the greatest,” Lanni said.

Cave Rock

Undefeated Cave Rock appears to be the leading 2-year-old colt heading to the Breeders' Cup. The son of Arrogate won the Gl American Pharoah S. at Santa Anita impressively–his second top-level win from three starts–and has now earned $408,000 for trainer Baffert and the “Three Amigos” partnership of Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman. Bred by Anne and Ronnie Sheffer Racing, Cave Rock was a $550,000 Keeneland September yearling.

After the Walmac stint, Lanni went next to John Sikura's Hill 'n' Dale, where he was a longtime presence until Sikura moved the Hill 'n' Dale operation to Xalapa a few years ago. It was through Sikura that Lanni established a relationship with Baffert, and it's under the Baffert banner that Lanni's reputation has grown.

“[Baffert] is not just an amazing horse trainer and person, he's also amazing at finding young horses at auction,” Lanni said. “He's been great at that forever, and he's taught me a lot. I can't ever take credit for what I do with Bob, because Bob is instrumental, but we work together closely and it's a team effort. I don't buy a horse for Bob if he doesn't agree.”

They agreed on Cave Rock.

Lanni said, “If he was a first-crop Arrogate, he would have made seven figures. He was amazing, he was beautiful. He had beautiful bone, he was correct, he had a great hind leg. But last year, no one wanted an Arrogate.”

Because the Avengers are usually looking for colts by proven sires to turn into stallions, Cave Rock didn't fit the profile, but he was a natural for the Three Amigos.

“Bob and Mike have been together from the beginning, and when we shop the sales, those guys are always ready to buy,” Lanni said. “They don't care about sires, they don't care about pedigrees, they want physicals and they want runners.”

Avengers and X-Men

Why Avengers and X-Men? Lanni said the Avengers nickname came about as convenient shorthand to refer to the string of owners in the SF/Madaket/Starlight group.

“And the reason I came up with Avengers is that my daughters and I watch all those Marvel movies, and I love them,” he said. “And it's great because everybody has a certain talent that they bring to the table, and it fit the group.”

When buying for the Avengers–a team effort with the principals, Lanni stressed–the criteria gets more specific: proven sires like Into Mischief, Quality Road, etc., and the physiques that will handle training and racing on dirt at the highest levels. “Tom [Ryan] put the Avengers together. It's Tom's masterpiece, and it's a great team.”

The SF/Madaket/Starlight group was a minority shareholder with WinStar and China Horse Club in Triple Crown winner Justify, who was purchased at Keeneland September for $500,000 and sold for $75 million to Coolmore in 2018. After breaking away and enlisting Lanni, the Avengers struck gold again at Keeneland that year, buying three of the 25 colts that would go on to win Grade l races from the catalogue: Eight Rings, a $520,000 yearling who was sold to Coolmore for $10 million; Charlatan, a $700,000 purchase that was sold to stand at Hill 'n' Dale for $10 million; and Horse of the Year and Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup Classic winner Authentic, who was purchased for $350,000 and sold to Spendthrift at a valuation of $36 million.

There were 10 fillies catalogued in the sale that also won Grade l races, and though Lanni didn't buy them there, he did buy two of them at the juvenile sales: Gamine, with Baffert, for $1.8 million at Fasig-Tipton Midlantic; and the previously mentioned War Like Goddess, for $30,000 at OBS June.

Lanni is from Canada, where he cut his teeth with Standardbreds, and some of his friends in the X-Men partnership for which Moira races go back a ways with him from those days. Lanni said Moira was one of seven yearlings he purchased for the first X-Men partnership. For the second batch, 2-year-olds this year, he already has Grade l winner Last Call, another English Channel filly. Bred by English Channel Co-Owners & Jodi Cantwell, Last Call, also co-owned by SF, was bought for $30,000 at Keeneland September last year and won the Natalma S. at Woodbine last month.

“I shop the entire catalog, from the first day to the last,” Lanni said. “I don't want to miss a single horse, and you never know where you'll find that good one.”

He seems to have a knack for finding them wherever they are, in all price ranges.

Sid Fernando is president and CEO of Werk Thoroughbred Consultants, Inc., originator of the Werk Nick Rating and eNicks.

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Keeneland Book 2 Strong to the Finish With Pair of $1M Yearlings

by Jessica Martini & Christie DeBernardis

LEXINGTON, KY – The Keeneland September Yearling Sale continued to churn out strong results straight through to the conclusion of its Book 2 section Thursday night in Lexington with an additional two yearlings selling for seven figures, led by a $1.7-million son of Quality Road, bringing the four-day total for the auction to 30 seven-figure yearlings. Fifteen reached that mark last year.

“It was an incredible week,” said Keeneland's Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy.

Over the two Book 2 sessions, Keeneland sold 449 horses in the ring for a gross of $123,330,000. The book average was $274,677–up 6% from the 2021 Book 2 average and the median of $225,000 was up 12.5% from a year ago.

The Book 2 section produced the auction's highest-priced yearling in 2021 when a colt by City of Light sold for $1.7 million. The yearling was one of four million-dollar yearlings in the section. Eight reached that mark in the 2022 Book 2 section.

“This session last year was extremely strong and was up quite a bit from the previous year,” Lacy said at the close of business Thursday. “So, the fact that we are just ticked up slightly over last year is really encouraging. I think it is holding steady. The clearance rate is ticked up a little bit as well, but again, it is probably a little higher than we'd like. We are up to 30 million-dollar plus yearlings over the four days and that is, in any metrics, really strong. That is a lot of different sellers, different breeders, large to small. I think the competitiveness among the buyers was really energetic. We were pleased overall. It is never perfect and we are trying to analyze carefully how it can be better going forward.”

Mike Repole, part of last year's leading buyer partnership with Vinnie Viola's St. Elias Stable, remained front and center in the pavilion through the first week of the auction. Repole and Viola were the leading buyers through four sessions of the 12-day sale with 30 yearlings purchased for $12.54 million. In his own name, Repole is the fourth-leading buyer with 23 head purchased for $6.765 million. And in total, Repole, with various partners and by himself, purchased 60 yearlings for a total of $23.49 million.

“Having Mike Repole and his team here in person has really given the sale a lift,” said Keeneland's Director of Sales Operations Cormac Breathnach. “Todd Pletcher has been here and I think they have spent 90% of their time in their seats in the pavilion and buying so much quality. With Mick Wallace and Rory Babich working so hard on behalf of Vinnie Viola as well, both in partnership and individually, it is creating the energy around the sale we really strive for.”

The SF/Starlight/Madaket partnership was the second leading buyer through four sessions, with 15 yearlings purchased for $10.58 million. Don Adam's Courtlandt was the third-leading buyer with 11 purchased for $8.235 million.

Through four sessions, 898 yearlings have grossed $236,990,000. The average is up 9.59% to $354,245 and the median is up 10% to $275,000. The buy-back rate is 25.50%. It was 30.18% at this point a year ago.

The strength of the market this week at Keeneland is no surprise to Chris Baker of Three Chimneys Farm, which sold Thursday's second million-dollar yearling, a colt by Gun Runner, for $1.2 million.

“I'm not surprised because of the way [Fasig-Tipton] Saratoga was and the way things have been recently,” Baker said. “I anticipated it being very strong. There are a lot of good things happening. Even though racing is smaller and a little more concentrated, there are a handful of tracks that you can run a maiden for $100,000 and maybe win a race and pay your training bills for a year. There are just so many positives going on in racing in general and in Kentucky in particular. It's an exciting time and the principals are excited and optimistic.”

The Keeneland September sale will have an off-day Friday and the action will resume with the first of two Book 3 sessions Saturday with bidding beginning at 10 a.m. The auction continues through Sept. 24.

Lanni Wins Out On Quality Road Colt

A colt by Quality Road (Hip 886) shook things up about halfway through Thursday's session, igniting a spirited bidding war that came down to Mike Repole, bidding from the left side of the pavilion besides trainer Todd Pletcher, and Donato Lanni, who was bidding over the phone. Repole was in up until $1.65 million, but gave an emphatic no after Lanni upped his bid to $1.7 million and the hammer fell. Lanni did not disclose his client when signing the ticket, but Amr Zedan's Zedan Racing Stable announced on Twitter that the session topper had been purchased on Zedan's behalf.

“Bob [Baffert] Loved him,” Lanni said. “We all loved him. Everybody loved him it looks like. Everybody was waiting for him. All of the usual suspects were visible.”

Lanni continued, “He is a beautiful horse. He is just super athletic, a really laid back, good-looking Quality Road. He is made really well. He is the right kind.”

Consigned by Nardelli Sales, Hip 886 was bred by Kim and Rodney Nardelli, William Werner and W.S. Farish. Werner purchased the colt's dam Act Now (Street Sense) for $150,000 at the 2020 KEEJAN sale carrying a foal by Kitten's Joy. The resulting foal brought just $70,000 last year. Hip 886 hails from the femail family of MGSW & MGISP Fed Biz and GISW Joking.

“He's a lovely horse we bred and raised,” said Rodney Nardelli. “He's got everything. He's beautiful, he's correct, he vets. He's been nice all his life. We're appreciative of Keeneland's format and the support of the buyers.”

Quality Road has had a sensational September Sale so far. He is responsible for the current $2.5-million topper and seven of his foals have brought seven figures through the first four days. The Lane's End stalwart has had 29 yearlings sell so far for a total of $18.75 million and average of $646,552. —@CDeBernardisTDN

Late Fireworks for Gun Runner Colt

A colt by Gun Runner (hip 1086) set off late fireworks as the fourth session of the Keeneland September sale began to wind down Thursday night, ultimately selling for $1.2 million to bloodstock agent Mike Ryan. The yearling is out of Grade I winner Malibu Prayer (Malibu Moon) and was consigned by Four Star Sales, as agent for her breeder, Three Chimneys Farm.

“Obviously, he's a Gun Runner,” Ryan, who did his bidding out back alongside trainer Chad Brown, said of the yearling's appeal. “He reminded me quite a bit of Early Voting. He's from one of Ned Evans's best pedigrees. He was a big, impressive, imposing horse that moved like a cheetah. I said to Chad, 'Can you imagine Flavien Prat or Irad Ortiz on his back right now?' He was a magnificent horse with a lot of class and quality. He's bred to get 1 1/8 miles, 1 1/4 miles.”

Early Voting (Gun Runner), a $200,000 Keeneland September yearling, won this year's GI Preakness S. for Klaravich Stables and Brown.

“He's been bought for a partnership–he'll got to Chad and hopefully we can win a Preakness with him,” Ryan said of the yearling.

Three Chimneys Farm's Chris Baker said the million-dollar sale exceeded expectations.

“It was outstanding,” Baker said of the result. “Gun Runner will do that for you. And the female family didn't hurt any either.”

Baker, who served as racing manager to the late Ned Evans, is plenty familiar with the yearling's female family.

Malibu Prayer sold for $2 million out of the Evans dispersal at the 2011 Keeneland November sale, a year after she had won the GI Ruffian Invitational S. The mare is a daughter of Grand Prayer (Grand Slam).

“I'm always partial to ones we bred and raised,” Baker said. “That's a family I've known generations back to when I was in Virginia. It's always hard to part with them. But the colt will have a great opportunity and we are excited to see what he does. We were well paid for our efforts.”

Three Chimneys stallion Gun Runner, who continues to produce on the racetrack, has been represented by five seven-figure yearlings during the first four days of the Keeneland September sale.

“I don't remember a stallion like him,” Baker said. “I am a little close to the fire, so it's easy for me to be biased. But it's just remarkable what his offspring are doing on the racetrack and what he's doing at the sale with a wide variety of mares, physically and on pedigree. He just suits so many. It's great. We are just very fortunate to be a part of it.”

Asked what he is seeing in the young stallion's offspring, Baker said, “Mentally it's the train ability and willingness. And physically, it's athleticism and movement and just how they carry themselves. To get the two of those together like he had, and he conveys to so much of his offspring, is why we are getting the exceptional results we are.” @JessMartiniTDN

Gun Runner Filly Continues Big Week for Stoneway

Jim Stone's Stoneway Farm, which had its first million-dollar sale during the first session of the Keeneland September sale, just missed having a second seven-figure yearling when a filly by Gun Runner (hip 833) sold for $925,000 Thursday in Lexington. Bloodstock agent David Ingordo, standing alongside CRK Stables' Lee Searing, made the winning bid on the filly who was consigned by Paramount Sales.

“I am pretty dang excited,” Stone's racing manager and partner Terri Burch said after watching the filly sell Thursday. “I am thrilled and over the moon.”

Hip 833 is a chestnut filly out of Stonetastic (Mizzen Mast), a mare purchased by the Stoneway team for $77,000 as a Keeneland September yearling in 2012 who went on to win the 2014 GII Prioress S. and 2016 GII Inside Information S.

“We were expecting about what she brought,” Burch said of the filly. “She was very popular here. We loved her and she looked so much like Gun Runner with the pretty head of Stonetastic.”

During Monday's first session of the Keeneland sale, Stoneway sold a filly by Into Mischief for $1.25 million (hip 52) to Frank Fletcher. The yearling is out of Song of Spring (Spring at Last), who was purchased by Stoneway for $80,000 as a yearling at the 2015 Fasig-Tipton October sale. She won the 2018 GIII Allaire du Pont Distaff S.

“She looks so much like Malathaat,” Burch said of the yearling who is from the family of the GI Kentucky Oaks winner's dam Dreaming of Julia (A.P. Indy). “I had the pleasure to see Malathaat over at Churchill. And that family sells really well. And again that was one that we would have raced, but again too expensive for our farm to leave that money on the table.”

“It is bittersweet,” Burch admitted of the decision to sell the prized fillies. “We love them. I am a horseperson and I see them born and I see them develop, but I also know that the farm has to have an income so that I can breed again to Into Mischief and Gun Runner. If I don't sell, then we are not going to breed up there.”

Stoneway has about 20 broodmares and the group includes Stonetastic's unraced first foal Stonetonic (Candy Ride {Arg}).

“We actually have another daughter of Stonetastic who wasn't able to race and she is in the November sale and she looks dead on like Stonetastic,” Burch said. “She is a Candy Ride and is just gorgeous.”

Both Stoneway fillies were out of mares who were acquired inexpensively before going on to graded stakes-winning careers. Now the challenge for the team is to reinvest in fillies who will carry on that tradition.

“$77,000 and $80,000, you can't do better than that,” Burch said of the two purchases.

Burch continued, “This is our best crop of babies from top to bottom that we have ever raised. We had a good July sale with the three horses that we sold there, as well.”

Later in Thursday's session, Stoneway sold a Vino Rosso half-sister to multiple graded winner Ahh Chocolate (Candy Ride {Arg}) (hip 891) for $235,000 and a Liam's Map half-brother to Instagrand (hip 902) for $200,000. @JessMartiniTDN

 

SF/Starlight/Madaket Still Going Strong

The powerhouse colt-buying partnership lead by SF, Starlight and Madaket Stables did not slow during Thursday's session, buying a $700,000 Uncle Mo colt (Hip 832) early in the day. He was consigned by Taylor Made Sales.

“Uncle Mo is a proven stallion,” said SF's Tom Ryan. “The colt is a beautiful horse out of a good racemare with a deep family. Donato [Lanni] and Bob [Baffert] really love this horse. We are happy to land him. He will make his way to Eddie Woods for the winter and hopefully find his way to California next spring.”

Breeder PTK purchased Hip 832's dam Still There (Union Rags) for $160,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale in 2015. She went on to win a stake at Laurel and finish second in Saratoga's GI Ballerina S. This is her first foal.

The SF, Starlight and Madaket-led group purchased X more colts Thursday, adding to the 14 they acquired during the first three sessions. —@CDeBernardisTDN

 

West Signs for New Partnership

Bloodstock agent Jacob West left his seat in the pavilion next to owner Mike Repole to head out back where he went to $600,000 to acquire a colt by Uncle Mo (hip 828) for $600,000 from the St George Sales consignment. The yearling, who is out of stakes-placed Spring Eclipse (Unbridled's Song) and is a half-brother to stakes winner Bet She Wins (First Samurai), was purchased for new clients.

“He's for a new partnership, some new guys who are getting into the business,” West said. “And like everyone else in this game, they want to win the Kentucky Derby. We just figured a son of Uncle Mo, with his physique and pedigree, he might be a horse for the future. We will keep our fingers crossed.”

While declining to name the new clients, West said, “There are two guys from the East Coast and two guys from the West Coast, so it's four guys all together. We've been trying to spot some horses and it's been tough. They've actually gotten outbid on three or four other horses earlier in Book 1 and one earlier today. I think they are going to be guys that are going to stick around for a long time.”

West said the colt could be trained by Todd Pletcher on the East Coast or Michael McCarthy if he heads west. @JessMartiniTDN

Rigney Secures Pair of Pricey Fillies

Richard Rigney's Rigney Racing came to Keeneland looking for fillies that would one day join their broodmare band. With trainer Phil Bauer signing the tickets, the operation acquired a pair of pricey fillies during Book 2, going to $925,000 for a Twirling Candy filly (Hip 621) Wednesday and taking home a daughter of the late Arrogate Thursday (Hip 805) for $590,000.

Bred and consigned by Peter O'Callaghan's Woods Edge Farm, Hip 621 is out of the Distorted Humor mare Double Sharp, who is a daughter of MGSW & MGISP Bsharpsonata (Pulpit).

“She was a standout for us,” said Bauer. “We stretched further than we anticipated, but we are thrilled we got her. Hopefully, we can get some black-type. Everything is geared towards the long term with the broodmare program. We will race them first and hopefully turn out some blue hen mares.”

Hip 805 was bred and consigned by the Bell family's Mill Ridge Farm. They acquired her dam Scarlet Love (Not For Love), who hails from an accomplished Stonestreet family, for $130,000 in foal to Indian Charlie at the 2011 Keeneland November Sale. Already the dam of SP Cursor (Quality Road), Scarlet Love is a half-sister to Grade I winners Tara's Tango (Unbridled's Song) and Visionaire (Grand Slam), as well as GSW & GISP Scarlet Strike (Smart Strike) and GSW Madison's Luna (Tapit).

“She's got all the right parts,” said Bauer. “She has a nice physical. We know the family. We've had two out of the second dam, so we are really big fans. There is enough page there that she can be a nice broodmare for us and, hopefully, a nice racehorse before. She looks early. Hopefully, she will be a good one.”

“That was well beyond our hopes and dreams,” said Price Bell Jr., General Manager of Mill Ridge Farm “She was a very special filly and was a standout on the day.  She is lovely. Some very good judges were all around her. The dam has one ovary. We bought her from our friends at Airdrie Stud and she has been really good to us. The buyers Richard Rigney and Phil Bauer bought a filly from us several years ago named Mariah's Princess that turned out well. They are good people and take good care of their horses. When Arrogate went to $50,000 we felt like it was good value and the mare deserved a shot.”

Champion Arrogate passed away in 2021 after producing only three crops. A filly from his first crop, Secret Oath, took the GI Kentucky Oaks this year and he had a phenomenal weekend at Del Mar with And Tell Me Nolies winning the GI Del Mar Debutante Saturday and 'TDN Rising Star' Cave Rock capturing the GI Del Mar Futurity Sunday.

“It is a shame we lost him,” Bauer said. We have a nice 3-year-old filly by him, so we are a fan of the stallion.”

Arrogate had 22 yearlings sell during the first two books for a gross of $6.17 million and average of $280,455.

—@CDeBernardisTDN

 

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Well-Bred Gun Runner Colt Opens Book 2 on a High Note

It did not take long for the action to get going during Book 2's opening session Wednesday with Hip 383, a colt by sensational young sire Gun Runner, summoning $1.05 million just minutes into the session. He was purchased by the powerhouse partnership headed by SF, Starlight and Madaket Stables with SF's Tom Ryan doing his bidding on the phone. Bred by Ann Fostock, the Feb. 2 foal was consigned by Pope McLean's Crestwood Farm. The bay hails from a deep Juddmonte family with his second dam being MGISW Flute.

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$1.5 Million Uncle Mo Colt Tops Electric Saratoga Opening Night

by Jessica Martini & Christie DeBernardis

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – The Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Selected Yearlings Sale opened with a lively session of trade punctuated by four seven-figure yearlings Monday evening in upstate New York. A colt by Uncle Mo, consigned by Lane's End as agent for his breeder, Summer Wind Farm, attracted the session's highest bid when selling for $1.5 million to the partnership of West Point Thoroughbreds and Woodford Racing.

In all, 69 yearlings sold at the Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion Monday for a total of $28,930,000. The average was $419,275 and the median was $350,000.

During last year's opening session of the two-day boutique auction, 70 yearlings sold for $25,280,000, for an average of $361,143 and a median of $300,000.

“We're very, very pleased with the opening session of the 2022 Saratoga Yearling Sale,” Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning said at the close of business Monday. “There were significant improvements in all the statistical categories. We hit the superfecta–average up 15%, median up 16%, gross up 17% and RNA right under 20%. In a highly selective sale, that is a tremendous accomplishment. We're thrilled with those numbers, but you could feel the excitement in the air tonight. The atmosphere was electric. The quality of horses was tremendous. The quality of people that were here to buy those horses was tremendous. It was just a really, really great environment to have an auction and the results were very, very, very strong.”

With 17 yearlings reported not sold, the buy-back rate for Monday's session was 19.8%. It was 27.1% during last year's opening session.

“The most encouraging thing continues to be the breadth of buyers when you go through the results,” Browning said. “It was a very diverse buying group. And as I say, to have an RNA rate under 20% for one of the most selective sales in the world is remarkable. And we know that there's already some competition starting for post-sale private sales. That's a really, really important thing to be able to have a clearance rate that's that high.”

Hot freshman sire Justify was represented by the evening's second highest-priced yearling, with Coolmore's M.V. Magnier going to $1.1 million to acquire a colt by the Triple Crown winner from the Warrendale Sales consignment. Spendthrift's super sire Into Mischief rounded out the seven-figure parade with a pair of $1-million colts.

Four yearlings topped the seven-figure mark during the entire 2021 Saratoga sale.

“You know, you're always thrilled when you have four horses in a session like this go for over $1 million,” Browning said. “I think we had four last year the entire sale sell for seven figures. So we've already matched that number. I've got a sneaking suspicion that we're going to eclipse that tomorrow night.”

The Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale concludes with a final session Tuesday. Bidding will begin at 6:30 p.m.

Summer Wind Blows Through Saratoga Once Again

When Jane Lyon named her Uncle Mo colt out of Secret Sigh (Tapit) (hip 68) Stop the Press, she did not know just how fitting a name it would be. It was a bit of deja vu for the Summer Wind Farm owner Monday night when the bay colt was the first to reach seven figures, hammering for a session-topping $1.5 million to West Point Thoroughbreds and Woodford Racing with Lyon staying in for a piece.

“I was certainly hopeful that we would have this kind of response,” Lyon said. “We had a lot of people who vetted him and came back numerous times. We knew that there were a lot of important buyers who seemed to like him a lot, so we were optimistic.”

The last time Lyon sold a seven-figure colt at Saratoga was in 2019 when the now unbeaten MGISW Flightline (Tapit) summoned $1-million from the West Point team. Woodford and Summer Wind are among the partners on that 'TDN Rising Star' as well. Flightline's success inspired a changed in Lyon's business model.

“I was very hopeful and let it be known that, if possible, I would like to stay in on him,” Lyon said of Stop the Press, who was consigned by Lane's End. “It's kind of a new plan for me. If I have a colt I feel extremely strong about, if I can stay in on him, I'd like to do so. It seems to be working out extremely well with Flightline. I thought, 'well, there are some I might try that again with.' Apparently, the buyers wanted to try it again too, which is very flattering.”

While Lyon is known for her deep love for all of her horses, she admitted that Stop the Press showed he was special as he developed at her Georgetown nursery.

“He has been special,” Lyon said. “I think [Summer Wind Farm manager] Bobby [Spalding] probably spotted it before I did, because I am barn blind. I think they are all special. But, that being said, he began to really take shape and we knew he would be one of our good ones to take to the sale. It is a good way to start the sales season.”

Stop the Press comes from a family near and dear to Lyon's heart. Her late husband Frank Lyon gifted her Stop the Press's third dam Misty Hour (Miswaki) as a 2-year-old. She went on to be a stakes winner and graded stakes-placed and is the matriarch of Summer Wind.

Misty Hour is the dam of stakes winner Pilfer, who is responsible Grade I winners Angela Renee and To Honor and Serve. Prior to that, she produced Stop the Press's MGSW second dam India (Hennessy), whose offspring includes MG1SW Mozu Ascot (Frankel {GB}) and SW 'TDN Rising Star' Kareena (Medaglia d'Oro).

“The thing I am really excited about with this particular colt is he is a homebred out of a homebred out of a homebred,” said Lyon. “It is a very important family to me and to our farm. The fact that this second foal, and the first one offered at auction, was this popular is very exciting.”

Unfortunately, Stop the Press's dam Secret Sigh never had a chance to show her true potential on the racetrack. She was injured during training and retired to Summer Wind's star-studded broodmare band, which features the likes of Littleprincessemma, dam of American Pharoah.

“She got injured before she could really run,” Lyon said. “I had her with Billy Mott and he felt that she had a lot of talent. When she got injured and came home, I sent her to Europe and bred her to Frankel because her mother had been successful when bred to Frankel. I did keep that filly [Pippi Longstocking] and she is in training now. I think this could be the making of a very, very exciting addition to that family.” —@CDeBernardisTDN

 

 

West Point, Woodford Return to the Well

At the 2019 renewal of this auction, West Point Thoroughbreds and Woodford Racing were among the partners on a $1-million Tapit colt bred by Jane Lyon's Summer Wind Farm. That colt turned out to be unbeaten MGISW Flightline, so when Lyon returned to Saratoga with another well-bred colt, he quickly caught the powerhouse duo's attention.

West Point and Woodford had to go a bit higher this time around, but, after an intense round of bidding from all over the pavilion as well as out back, they were left holding the $1.5-million ticket on a Summer Wind-bred Uncle Mo colt. Lyon stayed in as a partner on Flightline and will do so once again on the colt she named Stop the Press.

“We changed our luck about three years ago. We started bidding here and it's going well,” West Point's Terry Finley said after signing the ticket on the right side of the auction's outside bidding area. “It's is our spot for buying horses like good colts bred by Jane Lyon. She is going to stay in. He came from the same land [as Flightline]. We are really excited. Obviously, we have had a lot of good luck and have been on an exciting ride with Jane and Woodford. We are going to try and recreate that magic.”

Like many partnerships these days, West Point and Woodford have become increasingly focused on buying colts with two-turn potential in hopes of making the Triple Crown races. This colt fit that bill on both pedigree and conformation, according to Finley.

“He is a beautiful horse,” Finley said. “Uncle Mo throws a big, stout horse. He looks like the kind of horse all of us see on the Triple Crown trail. You can't get enough of these types because you know the trials and tribulations we all face. This horse really, really stuck out. We are pumped to get him. He will go to Shug McGaughey. I don't think anyone has told him yet, but I am sure he will have a smile on his face.”

As for the price, Finley said he was not surprised given the atmosphere at Saratoga Monday and the state of the market.

“It was right about the spot,” he said. “There is plenty of money here. Obviously, there are a lot of things going on in the world, but I think people who are buying at this level aren't impacted that much. There were more than just two of us past $1 million. You pay what the market tells you to pay. You saw good colts without as much pedigree going for $700,000 and $800,000, so add this pedigree to the physical and you are looking at at least $1.2 million. I was glad when the announcer said, 'That's all they brought.' It was getting up there. We have a lot of work to do to get out on this horse, but it is exciting for the partners to play a part in a good colt like this.” —@CDeBernardisTDN

Mori Gets on the Board at Saratoga

Japanese trainer Hideyuki Mori, making his first trip to the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale, was quick to get into the seven-figure fray when going to an even $1 million to acquire a colt by Into Mischief (hip 74) from the Blake-Albina Thoroughbred Services consignment. The bay, who was bred by Maurice and Samantha Regan's Newtown Anner Stud, is out of Shopit (Yes It's True) and is a full-brother to stakes winner and multiple Grade I-placed 'TDN Rising Star' Shoplifted, who was second in the 2019 GI Runhappy Hopeful S. and third in the 2020 GI H. Allen Jerkens S. and GI Woody Stephens S.

Agents Nick Sallusto and Hanzly Albina purchased Shopit, in foal to Fast Anna, on behalf of the Regans for $65,000 at the 2019 Keeneland November sale.

“We knew this was the best horse we bred this year,” Albina said of the yearling. “He's always been good. You are defying the odds when you become a Saratoga yearling, you defy the odds when you get up here and ring the bell like that. It's just lucky. My team at the farm is very good and they work hard. Ron Blake works hard. Nick Sallusto works hard. We are just fortunate to work for such great people as the Regans who allow us to do what we need to do.”

All of Newtown Anner's yearlings are offered at market, according to Albina.

“We always bring all our yearlings to market to keep ourselves honed and to make good decisions and not to just keep a lot of horses and have big training bills for no reason,” Albina said.

 

 

Justify Colt Gives Black His First Million-Dollar Sale

Christian Black's Blackstone Farm had a banner sale in Saratoga last year when selling a Gun Runner colt for $550,000. The Pennsylvania-based operation managed to double that number this year when a son of undefeated Triple Crown hero Justify (hip 78) hammered for $1.1 million to Coolmore's M.V. Magnier. It was the first million-dollar sale for Blackstone Farm.

“He has just been a good horse from the beginning and he just kept getting better and better,” Black said. “The good thing about Coolmore and M.V. is, if you have a nice horse, they are always there to support their stallions. Fortunately enough, this horse just jumped through all the hoops for them.”

As for the price, Black said, “I don't think you expect $1.1 million on a horse, but we had a lot of people on him that, in the past, showed they were willing to spend that kind of money. We were hopeful.”

Justify, who stands at Coolmore's Ashford Stud, has been off to a fast start at stud with a graded winner in America and group winner in Europe already in his first crop.

“Justify is going really, really well at the moment,” Magnier said. “It has been incredible, since we have been here the last few days, the amount of people that have come up and said how well he is doing. He couldn't be going any better than he is going.”

Consigned by Warrendale Sales, hip 78 is out of Slews Golden Rule (Langfuhr), who is also responsible for SW Ledecka (Tiznow). Black purchased the half-sister to GSW & GISP Globetrotter (Street Cry {Ire}) for $80,000 in foal to Lonhro (Aus) at the 2014 KEENOV sale.

“He is a very nice horse,” Magnier said of hip 78. “He's very sound. He's a big colt. The boys liked him, so hopefully he is a good horse. We will bring him back to Ashford.”

—@CDeBernardisTDN

 

 

Spendthrift Strikes Early for Curlin Colt

It didn't take long for things to heat up in the Humphrey S. Finney pavilion Monday night with the Spendthrift Farm team going to $950,000 to secure a colt by Curlin (hip 9).

Spendthrift started buying with BSW/Crow Bloodstock team during last fall's yearling sales for a new partnership focused on two-turn colts for the major Classics. The colts from the new group are set to go to Brad Cox. Spendthrift's Ned Toffey signed the ticket under the name of Spendthrift, BSW/Crow Colts Group/Schwartz/Gandharvi.

“He will likely be a part of the colts group, but we signed the ticket and will sort the details out later,” Toffey said, after signing the ticket while seated alongside Liz Crow, Brad Weisbord and Paul Sharp with Cox behind them.

Consigned by Eaton Sales, hip 9 was bred by Barronstown Stud, who bought his staked-winning and GISP dam Light the City (Street Sense) for $625,000 with this colt in utero at the 2020 FTKNOV sale. Light the City is also the dam of GISP Illumination (Medaglia d'Oro), a $900,000 graduate of this auction in 2019, who brought $875,000 from Don Alberto at last year's Fasig November Sale.

“What's not to like?” Toffey said. “He is a beautiful Curlin. We thought he was one of the best individuals in the sale. He had a lot of quality about him, a lot of bone, a lot of substance. He has a great walk, moved around beautifully. We are really happy to have him.”

Spendthrift struck again near the end of Monday's session, going to a cool $1 million for a son of their super sire Into Mischief (hip 102). Breeder St. Elias Stables stayed in for a piece and they also partnered with Cypress Creek Stables on the Lane's End-consigned colt.

Hip 102 is the first foal out of Vinnie and Teresa Viola's MGSW Teresa Z (Smart Strike). His third dam is MGISW My Flag, dam of champion Storm Flag Flying.

“We are partnering with Mike Moreno, Cypress Creek and St Elias, who was selling the horse is going to stay in for a piece,” Toffey said. “They are people we have partnered with before and we're really happy to partner with again. Obviously it gives you a lot of confidence that the breeder wants to stay in. They are a class act. And Mike, we've had a really great partnership with Keepmeinmind (Laoban). We are happy to team up again. We think this is a really nice horse. We are kind of fond of the sire. That's just a remarkable female family. He has everything it takes, we just hope he can run.” —@CDeBernardisTDN

 

 

SF/Starlight/Madaket Partnership Back in Action

The stallion-making partnership of SF Bloodstock, Starlight Racing and Madaket Stables, whose 2-year-olds are heating up on the racetrack with the likes of recent 'TDN Rising Star' Newgate (Into Mischief), got back in action at the yearling sales when going to $950,000 to acquire a colt by Speightstown (hip 56) Monday night in Saratoga.

“He was a beautiful horse,” SF Bloodstock's Tom Ryan said of the yearling. “He really reminded me of a horse on the same cross, Rock Fall, who won two Grade Is. Bob [Baffert], Donato [Lanni], the whole team liked him. We all know what Speightstown can do. He can provide brilliance to any pedigree, especially a pedigree with a cross that's already worked on multiple occasions, Speightstown over Medaglia d'Oro. We are very excited about him.”

The cross is also responsible for GI American Oaks winner Competitionofideas, as well as four-time graded winner Olympiad and MGSW Souper Stonehenge.

The yearling was consigned by Francis and Barbara Vanlangendonck's Summerfield on behalf of his breeder, Stonestreet. He is out of the unraced Rainier (Medaglia d'Oro), a half-sister to multiple takes winenr Laurie's Rocket (Bluegrass Cat).

“Everybody loved the colt,” said Francis Vanlangendonck. “He came out and showed his class the whole time. As soon as he walked up there, people loved him. People from other barns would walk over to look at him. Mentally, he was a colt that people wanted to be around. You get a lot of athletes who are capable, but their minds take them away. This colt handled it well–he got better every day.”

Barbara Banke's Stonestreet purchased the yearling's second dam, Clay's Rocket (American Chance), for $350,000 at the 2010 Keeneland November sale.

“They are the best,” Vanlangendonck said of Stonestreet. “They give me great horses to sell. They give you a product that's easy to sell.”

In addition to its lone purchase of the evening, SF Bloodstock was in action as sellers just a few hips later. The operation sold a filly by War Front out of Grade I winner Rosalind (Broken Vow) (hip 61) for $675,000 to Robert and Lawana Low. The bay filly was consigned by Bedouin Bloodstock.

“We're really happy with that result,” Ryan said. “We're proud of the filly. She's a homebred, born and raised at Atlas Farm and sold by Bedouin. Neal [Clarke] and Conor [Doyle] do a tremendous job.”

SF Bloodstock purchased Rosalind, winner of the 2014 GI Ashland S., for $1 million at that year's Fasig-Tipton November sale.

“Rosalind has been a wonderful mare to own, she's been part of our band for quite a while now,” Ryan said. “She is in foal to Tapit and she has a beautiful Twirling Candy on the ground.”

Of the market Monday in Saratoga, Ryan said, “It feels vibrant. We will see how the results tally up at the end of the night, but based on the looks on the consignors faces, things are going pretty well around here.” @JessMartiniTDN

Tapit Filly Jump Starts Speedway Breeding Program

Bloodstock agent Marette Farrell has spent the last several years acquiring future broodmares for Peter Fluor and K.C. Weiner's Speedway Stables and her efforts began to bear fruit when a filly by Tapit (hip 72) sold for $750,000 to Muir Hut Stables.

“It's the beginning of the process,” Farrell said. “We sold one last year, but this is the start. Peter Fluor has always wanted to run it as a business, so sadly we had to let her go because we thought a lot of her.”

The yearling, who was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, is out of stakes winner and multiple graded placed Shayjolie (Indian Charlie), a mare who was purchased by Speedway for $400,000 at the 2015 Keeneland November sale.

“That mare seems to be the atom bomb as far as producing nice racehorses,” Farrell said. “She has a beautiful Constitution filly weanling behind her and we are planning to continue breeding her to good stallions. So hopefully there is more in the works and they can keep a daughter out of her at some point.”

The Speedway broodmare band is currently home to fewer than 10 head and the plan will be to offer all the resulting foals.

“They are offering everything,” Farrell confirmed. “Peter and K.C. felt that was the fairest thing to do for the buyers. If they offer everything, then everyone knows this is legitimate, rather than holding something back.”

The yearling will join the Southern California stable of trainer Mark Glatt, who also trains Muir Hut's recent maiden winner Agency (Bolt d'Oro) and stakes placed Affable (Flatter). @JessMartiniTDN

Constitution Colt Scores for Don Alberto

Jim and Dana Bernhard's Lynnhaven Racing purchased a colt by Constitution (hip 66) for $700,000 during Monday's first session of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale. The yearling was consigned by Gainesway on behalf of his breeder, Don Alberto Corporation.

“They are just getting into the game,” Matt Weinmann, CEO of Equine Analysis Systems said after signing the ticket on behalf of the Bernhards. “They started getting horses last year and they are coming back and buying the next crop.”

Hip 66 is out of multiple group winner Sand Puce (Arg) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}) and is a half-brother to the 2-year-old filly Scarpia (Union Rags), who ran second against a group of males in a maiden special weight sprinting on the turf at the nearby racetrack Sunday afternoon.

“He is beautiful,” Weinmann said of the colt. “Like we always do with Equine Analysis, we are just using data and statistics to narrow it down and find horses that give us the highest likelihood of success, and this colt fits that bill.”

Gainesway's Brian Graves had a more visceral reaction to the colt.

“I don't have a lot of data and analysis, but I will say when I saw that colt at Don Alberto, I rated him as one of their highest physicals,” Graves said. “He was a beautiful colt with a long neck and a big walk. Constitution is on the rise. I thought he was a really nice horse the whole time. You always get a little nervous at the sale because you're not sure what they are going to bring and there were a couple seconds where I thought I might be wrong, but then he kind of did what I thought he'd do. We are grateful to Don Alberto for the horse and grateful to the buyers. We wish them a lot of luck.”

Graves perennially has pinhooking success in Saratoga and the horseman kept his streak intact Monday with a filly by Not This Time (hip 24) who sold for $375,000 to Centennial Farms. Graves's Fish Stable pinhooking partnership had acquired the youngster for $120,000 at last year's Keeneland November sale.

“I think that she was by Not This Time, that was the formula there. He had a great year,” Graves said.

Of horses he targets to the Saratoga sale, Graves added, “You just have to pick a good physical with some sire power. That's what you bring here. I think people will forgive a little on the dam's side if you have a good physical and sire power.” @JessMartiniTDN

 

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