It’s all come down to this. The
prepping, the preview show, and the showings to prospective buyers have led to
this moment. A juvenile Thoroughbred steps into the lavish Keeneland sales ring
before prospective buyers, its bright eyes taking in the unfamiliar sights
around it. Thoughtfully, this horse was bred. Carefully, it was taken care of
and raised. Prudently, it was handled and broke to ride. Meticulously, it was
groomed and prepped. This moment is one of the biggest defining moments of this
horse’s life.
This moment occurred for several
two-year-old Thoroughbreds tonight in Lexington, Kentucky. The glossy,
beautifully bred creatures stood within the boundaries of the sales ring as the
auctioneer led the buyers to the final fall of the hammer. By the
end of the sale, the juveniles had sold for a total of $9,754,000 with an
average price of $165,322 and a median of $120,000. There were eleven less horses
sold in 2012 than 2011, causing the gross to fall by $1,810,000 and the median
to decline by $10,000. However, the average was up by a mere $122.
Listed below are the horses
featured in Part One, with descriptions of the results of the auction:
Hip #8: By the powerhouse sire
Medaglia d’Oro and out of the Easy Goer mare Kissing Gate, hip eight is a
half-brother to the multiple grade one-winning Magical Fantasy and the
stakes-winning Forward Move. Though powerful, hip eight’s work was erratic with
a bit too much knee action. The colt brought $100,000 and was purchased by Dogwood
Stable, Inc.
Hip #18: Yet
another colt by a driving force of a sire, hip eighteen is by Unbridled’s Song
and out of the grade one-winning mare Madcap Escapade. This makes him a
half-brother to the grade one-winning Mi Sueno. Though quick in his work, he
wasn’t extremely flashy. He did not reach his reserve.
Hip #41: A
half-brother to the multiple graded stakes-winning No Advantage, hip forty-one
is a direct descendant of the great, influential mare La Troienne. This bodes
well for him, as other direct descendants of La Troienne include Easy Goer, Sea
Hero, and Smarty Jones. In fact, four of her direct descendants have won the
Kentucky Derby (GI). I did not particularly like this colt’s work, but he still
brought $115,000 for F. Brothers, agent.
Hip #44: Lemon
Drop Kid, a member of Lane’s End Farm's spectacular stallion roster, is the sire
of this half-sister to the Breeders’ Cup Ladies’ Classic (GI)-winning Unrivaled
Belle. In addition to her impressive pedigree, Beyond Belle turned in what I
saw as one of the most impressive works on preview day. Her remarkable pedigree
and work led her to be sold for $400,000 to Chad Brown on behalf of Martin
Schwartz.
Hip #69: This
half-brother to the graded stakes-winning Bittel Road posted one of the most
remarkable works at the under-tack show, displaying a smooth, efficient stride
while going a furlong in 10 1/5 seconds. The colt was purchased for the bargain
price of $20,000 by Mongolian Stable.
Hip #115: A
full brother to the grade one-winning Drill, hip one hundred fifteen turned in
a very impressive work, galloping effortlessly over the Polytrack surface to
post a final time of 10 1/5 seconds. However, he was declared out of the sale.
Hip #125: This
full sister to the graded stakes-winning and Breeders’ Cup Sprint (GI)-placed
Crown of Thorns is out of a half-sister to the champion Smoke Glacken, the
multiple graded stakes-winning Smokey Glacken, the stakes-winning and graded
stakes-placed Capote’s Crown, and the graded stakes-placed Argyle Pink. This
filly turned in a beautiful 10 2/5-second one-furlong work, but did not attain
her reserve.
Hip #133: Had
this colt’s action been smoother and more visually impressive, he would be my
top selection. After all, he is a direct descendant of the great Flawlessly and
is a half-brother to the multiple graded stakes-winning horses Denomination and
Woke Up Dreamin’. However, his relatively unremarkable work may have caused him
to not reach his reserve.
Hip #148: Out
of a half-sister to two graded stakes winners, this filly is by the blossoming
commercial sire Big Brown, who sired the sale topper at the Fasig-Tipton
Florida Sale. Bred on the same cross as two group one victors, hip one hundred
forty-eight exhibited beautiful action while breezing an eighth of a mile in 10
seconds flat despite running greenly. She was my co-leading choice for fillies
and was purchased by Twin Creeks Racing for $180,000.
Hip #161: By
the up-and-coming grade one-winning sire Any Given Saturday and out of the
multiple graded stakes-winning mare It’s Personal, hip one hundred sixty-one is
a half-brother to the multiple graded stakes-winning It’s No Joke, as well as
the black-type-winning horses Mildly Offensive and Keep Laughing. To describe
his breeze in one word, it would be along the lines of ‘average.’ He was not
flashy, but he did not look terrible, either. As the final horse to strut
through the sales ring, hip one hundred sixty-one did not reach his reserve.
Honorable Mentions:
Hip #5: Though more impressive
in action than in pedigree, this filly’s grade one-winning second dam is the
mother of the black-type-winning sire Yankee Gentleman. One of the advantages
of her pedigree is that she is bred on the very successful Unbridled’s
Song/Storm Cat cross. I found her work more impressive than her bloodlines
however, as she displayed an impressive drive that gave her a lengthy stride.
However, she was declared out of the sale.
Hip #15: The
Kitten’s Joy/Storm Cat sire line cross that this filly is produced from has
been quite successful, producing such horses as the grade one- and Breeders’
Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (GII)-winning Stephanie’s Kitten and the
stakes-winning Major Magic. Her bloodlines don’t fit under the category of
spectacular or terrible, but her one-furlong work could certainly be labeled as
tremendous, as the chestnut filly moved effortlessly with a strong, smooth
stride and imposing impulsion. Yet she did not reach her reserve.
Hip #98: Out
of a full sister to Tiznow and out of the spectacular sire Medaglia d’Oro, this
filly is certainly royally bred. Her work, however, was not fantastic, though
she did reveal a commanding presence while galloping. She was purchased by
Immensity Bloodstock for $85,000.
Hip #106: A
half-sister to the multiple graded stakes-winning Diabolical, this filly does
have an exciting pedigree, though it may not be as exciting as others entered
in the sale. She did, though, turn in an outstanding work, being one of seven
horses to complete a furlong in 9 4/5 seconds. While doing so, she thrust
herself forward from her hindquarters impressively, stretching over the ground
with a powerful stride. She went to John McCormack Bloodstock for $350,000.
Hip #135: This filly’s
dam is a half-sister to the champion sprinter Housebuster and the graded
stakes-winning Quero Quero, as well as a full sister to the stakes-winning Cat
Buster. Hip one hundred thirty-five comes from a dam line full of successful
producers, which bodes well for her since she’s a filly. This daughter of
Corinthian also worked well, turning in a 10-second furlong while maintaining a
good frame, though she needed a bit more length of stride. However, she was
declared out of the sale.
The two horses with slightly
unpretentious pedigrees that greatly impressed me in their works (Hip #123 and
Hip #142) actually brought the highest prices of my top seventeen selections at
the fall of the hammer. Hip #123 was the sale-topper, going for $700,000 to
Stonestreet Stables and George Bolton while Hip #142 drove the hammer to $525,000 but did not
reach his reserve.
Overall, my featured seventeen
horses brought a total of $1,950,000 with a total of three horses declared out of the sale. The top ten were purchased for a total of
$815,000 with one horse scratched out of the sale, the five honorable mentions
were purchased for $435,000 with two declared out of the sale, and the top two
workers brought a total of $700,000 with just one of the two reaching his
reserve.
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The Keeneland sales grounds
Photo: Terri Cage |
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