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KeeNov Steal Produces Six-Figure Good Samaritan Filly

The next time Robert Traylor surveys the back walking ring at Keeneland, his eye for horseflesh is sure to be even more confident than before the start of the week.

At the Keeneland November Sale back in 2017, Traylor brought home a young mare for just $4,000. This week, her Good Samaritan filly sold for over 27 times that number, hammering down for $110,000.

Traylor is the farm manager for Maccabee Farm, a growing operation established by Steve Belford just seven years ago with locations in both Paris, Kentucky and Mount Gilead, Ohio.

Traylor still remembers the mare’s hip number- 3264. Twizzler (Twirling Candy) was one of the last twenty-some horses to go through the ring on the ninth session of the sale that year.

“It was getting late in the sale and I was standing in the back ring watching the individuals come in and I just fell in love with her,” he recalled.

The daughter of Twirling Candy had raced just three times two years prior, her best result being a second-place finish in her debut at Ellis Park, but pedigree made up for her lackluster race record. Her dam Twist Afleet (Afleet), a seven times graded winner and victress of the 1994 GI Test S., had four stakes horses under her name.

Twizzler herself had produced a Mineshaft filly earlier that year and was in foal to Noble Mission (GB) (Galileo {Ire}).

Before he could head up to the sales ring, Traylor called Maccabee Farm’s owner Steve Belford.

“Steve and I kind of work as a team,” Traylor said. “He knows all the pedigrees and I scope out the horses. I got Steve on the phone and asked if he was alright with the pedigree. He told me to go for it. She was a big, raw-boned mare and I figured she would go for between $25,000 and $30,000 because she was in foal to Noble Mission, but I got her for $4,000 so I was pretty excited.”

When Twizzler foaled her Noble Mission filly the next year, Belford decided to keep the youngster. The now 3-year-old is putting in her first works at Skylight Training Center.

“She’s doing great,” Belford reported. “She’s at Skylight with Tom Drury and her name is Natalie’s Charm.”

Twizzler was barren the following year, but was next bred to WinStar’s then first-year sire Good Samaritan (Harlan’s Holiday).

It was quickly apparent to Traylor that the resulting filly could be an exciting prospect.

“She had plenty of bone, plenty of size and a really nice hip on her,” he said. “She was really well-balanced. She had the attitude to be a racehorse. I told Steve that she’s probably one of the better fillies we’ve raised. I said she looks like a Classic horse.”

Belford had to put a lot of consideration into what to do with the youngster.

“We’re part of the syndicate on Good Samaritan with WinStar and we wanted to help promote the stallion by selling her,” Belford explained. “But it was really hard because she was such a nice filly and I wanted to keep her myself. She looked the part.”

Belford was satisfied with his decision to part with the filly when she sold to Young Squirrel Stable for $110,000 on the first day of the Keeneland January Sale, becoming her sire’s top seller to date.

“We felt she was worth it and we were rewarded,” Belford said. “She was very special. We knew that she was really exceptional and we’re starting to see that in a lot of the Good Samaritan foals. We have another colt that we’re going to offer in February and he’s also really nice.”

Belford reported that Twizzler, as well as five or six other mares from his band, will go to Good Samaritan again this year.

Most of what Belford’s Maccabee Farm breeds is retained to race, with the farm’s top earners including stakes winners Tough It Up (Lemon Drop Kid) and Strike Your Light (Majestic Warrior), both Ohio-breds trained by Tom Drury. In 2015, Maccabee Farm bred four-time graded stakes-winning millionaire Factor This (The Factor).

Despite the farm’s growing success, Belford says they prefer to stay out of the spotlight.

“We don’t really like publicity,” he admits. “If we’re going to promote anything it would be the Ohio program because we need to do better with that.”

So Belford and Traylor will look for their next quiet success story, perhaps in finding another mare overlooked by the throngs of buyers at the next sale.

Traylor will be keeping an eye out for just that.

“I was born and raised at Claiborne and I remember the Hancocks always talking about how they liked those big, raw-boned mares because you can get any kind of horse out of them,” Taylor said. “But certain horses, they just catch your eye, you know?”

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$375,000 Mare In Foal To Fast Anna Leads Wednesday At Keeneland January Sale

Baccari Bloodstock paid $375,000 for From the Hood, a daughter of Street Sense in foal to Fast Anna, to lead results of Wednesday's third and penultimate session of the Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale.

Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent, consigned From the Hood, a 6-year-old half-sister to champion Folklore, stakes winner Divided Attention and stakes-placed Delightful Quality, dam of undefeated 2020 TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and G1 Claiborne Breeders' Futurity winner Essential Quality.

A total of 255 horses sold Wednesday for $4,378,300, for an average of $17,170 and a median of $7,000.

Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent, was the session's leading consignor, selling 54 horses for $1,108,800. With its purchase of From the Hood, Baccari Bloodstock was the leading buyer.

Through three days, Keeneland sold 708 horses for $39,793,100, for an average of $56,205 and a median of $20,000.

Today's session marked the conclusion of the Spry Family Farm Dispersal for which Hill 'n' Dale Sales Agency served as agent. The second high seller on Wednesday, purchased by WinStar Farm for $180,000, was the Spry mare Heavenly Sis. A half-sister to Grade 1 winner Instilled Regard, Heavenly Sis is a 5-year-old daughter of Hard Spun out of Enhancing, by Forestry. She is from the family of champion Heavenly Prize and Grade 1 winners Oh What a Windfall and Good Reward and Grade 2 winner Pure Prize.

Another Spry horse to sell Wednesday was Mo Emma, a 4-year-old broodmare prospect by Uncle Mo out of American Cleopatra, by Pioneerof the Nile, a full sister to Triple Crown winner American Pharoah. She sold to Zilli Racing for $120,000.

A total of 41 Spry horses sold at the January Sale for $1,405,900, led by Sand Hill Stables' purchase of the Maclean's Music yearling colt Mac's Prize on Monday for $200,000.

On Wednesday, two daughters of Into Mischief – racing or broodmare prospect Risk Model and broodmare Ten Demerits – sold for $160,000 apiece.

Hidden Brook, agent, purchased Risk Model, a 4-year-old filly consigned by ELiTE, agent. A half-sister to stakes winner Hi Holiday, she is out of the graded stakes-placed Proud Citizen mare Boleyn and from the family of Grade 1 winner Magnificent Lindy.

Trackside Farm acquired Ten Demerits, a 6-year-old daughter of multiple Grade 1 winner Pussycat Doll, by Real Quiet, in foal to Girvin. Hunter Valley Farm, agent, consigned Ten Demerits, a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Aquaphobia from the family of additional Grade 1 winners Hookedonthefeelin and Jimmy Creed.

At $70,000, the session-topping yearling was a colt by Laoban purchased by Rascal Bloodstock. Consigned by Bill Murphy, agent, he is out of Jade, a daughter of Colonel John and from the family of Grade 1 winner Play Fellow.

The January Sale concludes Thursday with a session beginning at 10 a.m. ET. The session includes 19 broodmares, yearlings and horses of racing age consigned by Lane's End, agent for the Complete Dispersal of the Estate of Paul P. Pompa Jr.

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$475,000 Yearling Munnings Colt Leads Steady Start To Keeneland January Sale

A newly-turned yearling colt by Munnings sold to Larry Best's OXO Equine for $475,000 to record the highest price of Monday's Book 1 opening session of the four-day Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale.

Hunter Valley Farm, agent, consigned the colt, who is out of stakes winner Sea Shadow, by Jump Start.

For the session, Keeneland sold 207 horses for $12,155,400, for an average of $58,722 and a median of $35,000.

“The session was a continuation of the November Breeding Stock Sale and a good, steady start to the January Sale,” Keeneland director of sales operations Geoffrey Russell said. “People have adjusted to the current marketplace. The consignors are very happy because they have adjusted to the new normal.”

For the health and safety of participants, Keeneland is holding the January Sale with extensive COVID-19 protocols similar to those used at the 2020 September Yearling and November Sales. Once again, Keeneland is providing telephone and internet bidding for buyers to participate remotely while offering bidding from the outdoor Show Barn just behind the Sales Pavilion to permit greater social distancing.

“We had nearly a million dollars in sales on the internet today. It was very active,” Keeneland president, CEO and interim head of sales Shannon Arvin said. “Those who are attending the sale are doing a good job of following the COVID-19 protocols because they know that's how we keep people safe and are able to continue business.”

The sale of Monday's top-priced horse pleased Hunter Valley's Adrian Regan and Fergus Galvin, who are more known for selling weanlings at the November Sale. They said they did not consign the Munnings colt to the 2020 November Sale as a weanling because of his late foaling date (May 1).

“(We) were hoping he'd bring $150,000-$200,000 – he doubled our expectations basically,” Regan said. “He was a lovely horse. We've been breeding to Munnings all the way (since his stud fee was at its lowest). We've bred to him almost every year. But in the last 12 months, every Saturday he's had a stakes winner around the country and I think the market has really clicked to how good a sire he is. He's a fantastic sire.”

In the name of OXO Equine, Best acquired a total of three horses – all yearlings – for $980,000 to lead buyers during the session. He also paid $320,000 for a filly by Speightstown from the family of European highweight Order of St George and Grade 3 winner Angel Terrace consigned by Buck Pond Farm, agent, and spent $185,000 for a yearling colt by Nyquist from the family of Grade 1 winner Ventura consigned by South Point Sales Agency, agent.

“The market for the outstanding pedigrees and the outstanding yearlings – there are enough buyers here to appreciate them,” Best said. “The Munnings colt has the pedigree and the look, and his physical is outstanding.”

About the Speightstown filly, Best said, “The price is what I expected given the pedigree. With a major sire like Speightstown as the sire and crossed with a Medaglia d'Oro mare (Our Smile) and to have her look this good, she is well worth the investment.”

At $400,000, Monday's second high seller was multiple graded stakes winner Royal Charlotte, a 5-year-old daughter of Cairo Prince purchased by WinStar Farm. Consigned by ELiTE, agent, as a racing or broodmare prospect, Royal Charlotte is from the family of Grade 2 winner Buy the Barrel and Grade 3 winners Fishy Advice, Demarcation and Mauk Four.

Brandy, a 7-year-old daughter of Unbridled's Song in foal to Twirling Candy, sold to Machmer Hall, agent, for $350,000. Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent, consigned the mare, a half-sister to stakes winner and Grade 1 runner-up Rally Cry and from the family of Grade 1 winners Judge Angelucci, War, and Peace. She is out of Alienated, by Gone West.

Taylor Made Sales Agency was the session's leading consignor, selling 36 horses for $2,218,000.

Thomas Clark Bloodstock went to $300,000 to acquire 6-year-old Beau Belle, a Grade 2-placed, winning daughter of Giant's Causeway. Consigned by Denali Stud, agent, as a racing or broodmare prospect, she is out of Grade 3 stakes winner Binya (GER) and from the family of Grade 1 winner Sadler's Joy.

Via phone bidding, Stuart Grant's The Elkstone Group acquired two mares by Curlin for $260,000 apiece.

The first was Grade 2-placed winner Theogony, an 11-year-old mare in foal to Omaha Beach. Hunter Valley Farm, agent, consigned the mare, who is out of graded stakes-placed Upcoming Story, by Tale of the Cat.

The Elkstone Group also acquired multiple stakes winner Curlin's Fox, a 9-year-old mare in foal to Uncle Mo. Out of multiple graded stakes winner Foxysox (GB), by Foxhound, she was consigned by Denali Stud, agent.

The January Sale resumes Tuesday with the second session of the two-day Book 1, which features Sam-Son Farm's Broodmare Dispersal of 21 in-foal mares as well as 20 broodmares, yearlings and horses of racing age offered by Lane's End, agent for the Complete Dispersal of the Estate of Paul Pompa Jr.

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Fed Biz Relocating to Canada

Fed Biz (Giant’s Causeway–Spunoutacontrol, by Wild Again), a graded winner short and long and Grade I placed on both dirt and turf, is being relocated from WinStar Farm to Highfield Stock Farm in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

A $950,000 Keeneland September yearling, Fed Biz was a six-time winner at the races of over $770,000 and retired to stud at WinStar Farm. From three crops of racing age, Fed Biz is the sire of 10 black-type winners, including GSW Inthemidstofbiz.

“Fed Biz was an incredibly talented racehorse,” said Adrian Munro, President of Highfield. “And with his outstanding pedigree and stunning looks, we are thrilled to welcome him to Alberta. This is the right time for a stallion of his calibre to be introduced to the Western Canadian market. We think Alberta is poised for growth and the team at Highfield look forward to Fed Biz joining Cape Canaveral at the farm.”

Added WinStar’s Eliott Walden: “We wish Fed Biz and Highfield Stock Farm the best of success in Western Canada. He has gotten runners on all surfaces and distances and he is so well bred. I see him being a top stallion in that region for years to come.”

Fed Biz will stand for C$4,000 (LFSN).

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