Coolmore Still Not Over the Moon

After securing a trio of Malibu Moons at last week’s Barretts March sale for a total of $1.95 million, the Coolmore contingent was back at it, fending off multiple challengers to land Hip 230 for $1.3 million. Bobby Dodd, Agent I consigned the Apr. 17 foal, who breezed in :10 flat. Bidding started at $300,000 and was fast and furious from there, with the striking bay colt exiting the ring somewhat excitedly to a premature round of applause. Demi O’Byrne signed the ticket, seated next to Coolmore partner Michael Tabor and Bob Baffert, who will train the colt in California. Baffert, whose relationship with Coolmore is fairly new, sent out the Tabor, Magnier and Smith-owned Castaway (Street Sense) to victory in a division of Oaklawn’s 
GIII Southwest S. in 2012, and also conditions impressive Feb. 15 Santa Anita maiden winner The Admiral (Giant’s Causeway) for the international powerhouse. 
“He’s a good-looking horse and he breezed well,” said O’Byrne of Hip 230’s appeal. When asked about Coolmore’s recent attraction to progeny of last year’s 
GI Kentucky Derby-winning sire, he said, “Well, they’ve just shown up in the sales lately. [Hip 230] was just a good horse.” 

Grady’s First Big Score… 
Purchased by Brad Grady with the help of Bobby Dodd under the name Grand Oaks for $200,000 at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga, the colt is a 3/4-brother to Spellbound (Bernardini), who helped increase her little brother’s value when she rallied from out of the clouds to upend Santa Anita’s GII La Canada S. Jan. 19. Three-year-old half-brother Kid Cruz (Lemon Drop Kid) delivered another timely pedigree update on Saturday, flying home with similar late-closing flair to take a solid renewal of Laurel’s Private Terms S. Saturday. The Linda Rice trainee is now under consideration for Aqueduct’s GI Wood Memorial S. 
“Bobby and I found him in Saratoga and he looked really nice,” said Grady, who made a deal with breeder Carrie Brogden of Machmer Hall for her to retain half of the colt after the Saratoga sale. “We thought he would have a quick turn-of-foot and make a good pinhook, but we had no idea he’d be this kind of horse until a while ago. Bobby did a great job and I have to thank him.” 
Grady, who is in the oil and gas services business and has been pinhooking for the last few years, said this was by far his biggest score. Hip 230 had received some buzz on the grounds leading up to Tuesday’s sale, but Grady admitted that he wasn’t expecting him to go as high as he did. 
“There had been a lot of buzz, but I don’t know that I was expecting that,” Grady confirmed. “We thought maybe north of $500,000, but we didn’t know how far north of $500,000.” 

Machmer Hall Keeps it in the Family… 
Carrie and Craig Brogden and Sandy Willwerth’s Machmer Hall purchased Hip 230’s multiple stakes-winning second dam Voodoo Lily (Baldski) at age 19 for $95,000 at Keeneland January carrying a filly by Tale of the Cat. That filly never made it to the races after breaking her shoulder in a field accident, but the eventually named Layreebelle has proven extremely productive in her young broodmare career. 
Before her first two foals Spellbound and Kid Cruz had proved their mettle on the track, Carrie Brogden was aware of Layreebelle’s potential and refused to let her Malibu Moon colt go completely. 
“They loved him, and I loved him, and I didn’t feel like he was maximizing dollars,” recalled Brogden of why she approached Grady and Dodd about retaining a piece of hip 230 after last year’s Saratoga sale. “I knew he was an incredible mover in the field. I didn’t know what her first two foals would turn into, but I knew he was an incredible mover, so I said, ‘If you all buy him, I’ll be more than happy to retain half of him.’ And they were kind enough to let me do that.” 
While the 8-year-old mare would obviously be a hot commodity at a broodmare sale, Brogden admitted that her name carries some sentimental value that may make her more difficult to part with. 
“She’s named after my three children–Layne, Reece and Isabelle,” Brogden explained. “So that’ll make her very hard to ever sell.” 
With as well as she’s done so far, Brogden should have no trouble finding interested buyers for Layreebelle’s other foals. She has a yearling filly by Hard Spun and is currently in foal to Bernardini.