William and Corrine Heiligbrodt | Horse Racing Free Tips

Keeneland November Sale Passes 2020 Total With Five Sessions To Go

The buoyant pace continued at Keeneland on Sunday when gross sales of $166,206,000 through five sessions of the 10-day November Breeding Stock Sale surpassed total sales of $151,017,300 recorded during last year's entire 10-day auction.

Demand continued to drive healthy gains today, the final day of Book 3, when 282 horses sold for $19,590,500, up 50.33% over the corresponding session of the 2020 November Sale when 235 horses grossed $13,032,000. The average of $69,470 rose 25.27% from last year's $55,455. The median increased 35.71% from $42,000 to $57,000.

At the halfway point in the sale, Keeneland has sold 1,120 horses for $166,206,000, up 29.14% compared to $128,701,000 for 982 horses at this point in 2020. The average of $148,398 increased 13.23% from last year's $131,060, while the median of $95,000 rose 26.67% from $75,000.

Market strength also was reflected in the buy-back rate, which was 15.32%.

Susan Casner paid the day's highest price of $360,000 for a weanling filly from the first crop of Audible who is a half-sister to 2021 Grade 1 Darley Alcibiades winner and G1 NetJets Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies runner-up Juju's Map. She was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent.

Super Simple, a winning 5-year-old daughter of Super Saver from the family of 2021 G1 Hopeful winner Gunite, who in foal to Volatile, sold for $300,000 to Woodford Thoroughbreds. Consigned by Warrendale Sales, agent, Super Simple is out of stakes winner Simplify, by Pulpit, and is a half-sister to stakes winner Simple Surprise.

A weanling colt from the first crop of champion Mitole sold for $285,000 to Corinne and Bill Heiligbrodt and Spendthirft Farm. Consigned by Mulholland Springs, he is out of the Quality Road mare Rode Warrior and from the family of G2 winner Three Peat and G3 winner Wacky Patty.

Natalma paid $250,000 and $235,000 for the session's next two highest-priced horses, both cataloged as racing or broodmare prospects.

The first was Union Maiden, a winning, stakes-placed 4-year-old daughter of Union Rags consigned by Indian Creek, agent. Out of Pantanal, by Congrats, Union Maiden is a half-sister to Grade 1-placed Borracho and from the family of graded stakes-placed Selva and Vanzzy.

Natalma's $235,000 purchase was Correctness, a winning 4-year-old daughter of Medaglia d'Oro out of the winning Distorted Humor mare Veracity. Consigned by Denali Stud, agent, Correctness is from the family of G1 winners Elate and Eastern Echo and G2 winners Yell, Roar, and Tax.

Code of Honor LLC/L.E.B., agent, purchased six horses for $690,000 to lead buyers for the second consecutive day.

The leading consignor was Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent, which sold 28 horses for $2,729,000.

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Asmussen Still Smiling After Travers Day Wins With Yaupon, Jackie’s Warrior

Steve Asmussen was already back on the road scouting for new talent at the Texas yearling sales on Sunday morning, but there still were plenty of bright smiles lighting up the barn of the Hall of Fame trainer in the wake of Saturday's back-to-back wins in the $600,000 Grade 1 Forego by Yaupon and the $500,000 Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial by Jackie's Warrior, followed by Midnight Bourbon's runner-up finish in the $1.25 million Runhappy Grade 1 Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

“I was so proud of how our horses ran yesterday. It was a great day of racing,” said Scott Blasi, Asmussen's longtime assistant. “To win two Grade 1s in a row at Saratoga on Travers Day is a great feeling. There are certain days of the year that are incredibly competitive. There's Derby Day, Preakness Day, Belmont Day, Travers Day, Breeders' Cup. With that level of quality racing, it's the best of the best. On those kinds of days to do well, it's a special feeling.”

At this stage of the season, the two fastest sprinters, arguably, in North America, are stabled in this barn.

J. Kirk and Judy Robison's Jackie's Warrior, who won the Grade 1 Hopeful at the Spa and the Grade 1 Champagne at Belmont in 2020, notched the first top-level victory of his sophomore season by beating the highly regarded Life Is Good in the ninth race on the 13-race card. In the eighth race, William and Corrine Heiligbrodt's Yaupon beat Firenze Fire in a race filled with drama.

As the two battled in deep stretch almost stride-for-stride with Yaupon to the inside under Ricardo Santana, Jr., Firenze Fire bared his teeth, turned his head to the left, and tried to savage his rival with no fewer than seven attempts. Afterward, Asmussen said that Firenze Fire was even trying to grab Santana.

“He [Yaupon] came out of it unscathed. No marks or anything. Luckily, Ricardo was able to continue to encourage him, although he was getting pretty close to the inside rail, which I was more worried about than the horse getting bit,” said Blasi. “I think it was a really hard thing for him [Jose Ortiz, up on Firenze Fire] to correct. The thing about it is those guys are riding hard, so they were going forward and it's not like you have the bit in their mouth. They're trying to persevere, and that's a hard to thing to correct when you're in that position. I've seen pictures of horses being savaged, and I've seen horses savage, or try to bite, but I've never seen any horse do it for that long. I've never seen it go on for that long.”

Blasi said even all that commotion could not dim the brilliance of these two sprinters.

“Yaupon is a special horse. It was a great win for him,” said Blasi. “Jackie's Warrior gave another game effort. He's a special talent. The horse he beat [Life is Good] is as well. You saw how they separated themselves from the rest of the field, and that just goes to show you the class and the quality of those two horses. It was a great race. Jackie is so consistent. At one turn, he's back to doing what he wants to do.”

The Heiligbrodts' Mitole won the 2019 Forego, the Breeders' Cup Sprint, the Grade 1 Met Mile at Belmont Park, and a fourth Grade 1 on the way to championship sprinter honors that year for the barn.

Does either Yaupon or Jackie's Warrior resemble Mitole?

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“They're just really fast horses and we've had some quality sprinters like Volatile [winner of the 2020 Grade 1 Vanderbilt at Saratoga] and Mitole. I mean they were great sprinters. These horses all have the same qualities. Both of these guys, you couldn't be any better to be around and to train. Yaupon and Jackie's Warrior are professionals,” said Blasi.

Though Winchell's homebred, Grade 3 winning Midnight Bourbon, didn't give Asmussen his first Travers victory, he finished only a neck behind 2020 Juvenile champion and Grade 1 Belmont Stakes winner Essential Quality.

“It was by far the best race of his career. We were a little bit unlucky to lose but that horse [Essential Quality] is a champion. Once that horse gets by you, he's not going to let anybody pass him, and he proved that time and time again. Hats off to the winner, but our horse is definitely improving. I think with the time that they ran and how they came home in the last quarter, you have to have quality to be able to do that,” Blasi said.

The effort is particularly gratifying considering his last race in the Grade 1 Haskell at Monmouth Park in July. That day he clipped heels with Hot Rod Charlie in the stretch and fell.

“I've got to give the credit to our team here. Everybody worked so hard on that horse after coming out of the Monmouth race. The whole barn did a great job getting him to come back around,” Blasi explained. “He was able to spend time in the round pen and we let him just be a horse up here in Saratoga, which is the great thing about Saratoga. You've got the environment. It's all good.

“I'm proud of how he acted going over to the paddock. We led the pony in front of him, which I think that made a big difference,” he continued. “He was a total professional yesterday. We really are happy with how he's progressing.”

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Midnight Bourbon, Jackie’s Warrior Work Ahead Of Travers, H. Allen Jerkens

Winchell Thoroughbred's Midnight Bourbon, trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, worked a half-mile in :49.60 Sunday on the Oklahoma training track in preparation for Saturday's $1.25 million Grade 1 Runhappy Travers.

Asmussen said the graded stakes-winning sophomore son of Tiznow has worked well after a troubled trip last out in the Grade 1 Haskell Invitational, where he was a close third in mid-stretch before clipping heels and falling, unseating rider Paco Lopez.

“He's a very impressive horse,” Asmussen said. “I think we're obviously very fortunate that he came out of the mishap in the Haskell in good shape and he's training well, per usual.”

Midnight Bourbon, a winner of the Grade 3 Lecomte at Fair Grounds Race Course in his 2021 debut, was second in the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico to Rombauer prior to the Haskell.

Asmussen and Winchell finished third twice in the Travers with Pyro [2008] and Gun Runner [2016].

Also breezing on Sunday for Asmussen was five-time graded stakes winning millionaire Jackie's Warrior, who went a half-mile in :48.98 seconds in preparation for the $500,000 Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial on the Runhappy Travers Day undercard.

William and Corrine Heiligbrodt's dual graded stakes winner Yaupon went a half-mile in :50.50 seconds over the Oklahoma training track. The 4-year-old son of Uncle Mo is targeting the $600,000 Grade 1 Forego.

Asmussen was pleased with a solid runner-up finish from Stonestreet Stables' Clairiere in the Grade 1 Alabama. The winner of the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra in February at Fair Grounds closed late under Irad Ortiz, Jr. to finish second, 1 ½ lengths in arrears to Malathaat. Asmussen said no plans have been made for the daughter of Curlin's next start.

“She came out of it in good shape,” Asmussen said. “There's a lot going on between now and what's next for her.”

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