First-Crop Stallions Highlight F-T July
FIRST-CROP STALLIONS HIGHLIGHT F-T JULY
by J.M. Severni
The Fasig-Tipton July Sale, known for a traditionally strong bench of young stallions, will feature first yearlings by 24 sires. Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning is optimistic about the new sires. “Traditionally, there’s been a high level of interest for first-crop sires,” he said of the July sale. “It’s the first sale of the year, so there’s been lots of interest. I think people are going to see some really nice yearlings by first-crop sires. It’s a good group of horses and they’re producing some really strong, physical individuals, which is what the July sale has earned it’s reputation on–high quality, physical individuals, good, athleticly conformed horses and I think there’s going to be lots of happy looks when they see the quality of horses they’re going to find at the yearling sale this year.”
Levy Sees Plenty of Upside
Consignors are equally bullish on this year’s crop of young stallions.
“The July sale has always been a good spot to put the new sires, especially because they used to be targeted towards it with the new sire showcase,” said Meg Levy of Bluewater Sales. Bluewater will consign a number of yearlings by first-crop sires in hip 16, a colt by Court Vision (Gulch), hip 54, a colt by First Dude (Stephen Got Even), hip 130, a colt by Wilburn (Bernardini) and hip 132, a filly by Trappe Shot (Tapit).
Levy believes that increasingly, buyers are less apprehensive about purchasing yearlings by first-crop stallions.
“I feel like all things are cyclical,” she explained. “I can remember going out to Fasig July–the stamp of the sale used to be first-year horses, new sire showcase, maybe not a lot of page, but really great physicals. Both pinhookers and end users would go to that sale to find that athlete that maybe nobody expected because he didn’t have the blue hen pedigree, but those horses eventually made their own pedigree. They went through a time where pedigree was sort of back in fashion, but now people are going back to just buying that real physical.”
Levy picked GSW Wilburn, a $625,000 KEEAPR juvenile, as a good example. A total of nine yearlings by that sire will go through the ring Monday, which Levy explains is partially due to their strong physicals.
“Wilburn would be one of those who had just really good physicals in November,” Levy noted. “I think there’s a high number of Wilburns in the sale because they were very nice, consistent physicals, to my eye. I thought, looking at the catalogue, you can tell that a lot of consignors had the same idea of showcasing the new sires for this sale. They were scopey and looked like Bernardini a lot and Wilburn is a great-looking horse.” Wilburn, the first son of Bernardini to enter stud, stands at Spendthrift Farm for $6,500. A total of 32 weanlings by the stallion have been sold for an average of $26,000.
Levy said of the First Dude colt, “We have a superb physical specimen of the sire and there are several in the sale as a whole.”
Levy added that she was particularly keen on a filly by first-year stallion Trappe Shot, which Bluewater will consign as hip 132.
“Trappe Shot seems to have gotten quite a following already because they seem to have very consistent physicals,” Levy said. “I love the Trappe Shot filly. She just had a fantastic update as well [half-sister Morning Fix (First Samurai) finished third in the GIII Senorita S. at Santa Anita June 28]. That’s one that I like in particular. She’s a great example of the sire. She’s leggy–with Trappe Shot I’ve noticed that you want to breed a long, big legged mare to and this mare puts really nice babies on the ground.” Trappe Shot, winner of the GII True North H., stands at Claiborne Farm for $10,000.
Taylor Made Well-Stocked with Young Talent
Taylor Made Sales will send a number of first-crop yearlings through the sales ring, as well, including both a filly and colt by Drosselmeyer (Distorted Humor), who stands at WinStar Farm for $15,000. The stallion, who captured both the GI Belmont S. and GI Breeders’ Cup Classic during his racing career, had 30 weanlings sell for an average of $55,717.
“Drosselmeyer is a horse that we’re very excited about because we raised him here at Taylor Made for Aaron and Marie Jones and then WinStar bought him from us,” Mark Taylor explained. “He was a beautiful yearling. He cost $600,000 and he was awesome. And I’ve seen a bunch of his babies that, as soon as they come out of the barn, you’re like, ‘That has to be a Drosselmeyer, it looks just like him. They are kind of like Distorted Humors, but they’ve got a little more scope to them, a little bit more stretch.”
The consignor is optimistic about a few other young sires, including Eclipse Champion Turf Horse Cape Blanco (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who stands at Ashford for $15,000.
“Cape Blanco is a horse that I had not seen out at Ashford when he came off the track and I hadn’t seen a lot of foals by him, but I’ve seen quite a few of his yearlings and they are good-looking horses. And there are quite a few of them that look to me like they can run on any surface. I think it’s kind of interesting to get a horse over here like him, a son of Galileo with that blood.”
“Obviously, there is Uncle Mo (Indian Charlie) and I’ve seen a bunch of nice horses by him, but he’s kind of the obvious pick among that group,” Taylor offered of the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Champion. Taylor Made will consign a filly by Uncle Mo, who will sell as hip 91. The Ashford stallion, who stands for $27,500, saw 26 weanlings fetch an average of $109,808. He was the most expensive new sire when he stood his first year at $35,000 in 2012.
Taylor, who will consign hip 75, a filly by GISW Twirling Candy–who stands for $10,000 at Lane’s End–stated, “I like the two sons of Candy Ride–Sidney’s Candy and Twirling Candy. I’ve seen good ones by both of those.” Sidney’s Candy, winner of the GI Santa Anita Derby, stands for $15,000 at WinStar Farm.
Taylor Made will sell a First Dude filly as hip 179. “A horse that, I think, is kind of a sleeper that a lot of people in Kentucky may have forgotten about is First Dude,” Taylor said. “First Dude was a Grade I winner for Double Diamond and he was successful with Dale Romans and then he was with Bob Baffert. He’s a big, good-looking horse. I saw a bunch of his yearlings down in Florida. As soon as they stepped out you’re like, ‘Wow. What is that, what is that by?’ I think he would be my sleeper horse, if you asked for a horse that maybe is not on everyone’s radar screen. I think he got some decent mares in Florida. And I think he’s going to be a good fit. He was a horse that could run two turns, so all of the speed mares down in Florida could be a good fit for him down there.”
The multiple graded stakes winner stands for $7,500 at Ocala’s Double Diamond Farm.
Brogden Sees Bargains
Select Sales’s Carrie Brogden thinks the abundance of young sires presents a number of affordable opportunities at the July sale.
“I think it’s such a great place to buy just a pure athlete,” she explained. “They’re all handpicked. I think you can buy them way more affordably. Some of the horses that I have are going to sell for $100,000 and under because they’re by a first-crop unproven stallion. It’s a tradeoff because you can buy a top physical by a first-year sire or a second-year sire because they haven’t proven it yet. I think the greatest thing about the first-year sires is that people just remember how good the father was and how many horses he beat, so they’re not going in there thinking, ‘Well, I had a so-and-so and he was a piece of junk, or I had a so-and-so and he was stubborn, he was lame.’ There are no preconceived notions, so you can go in there with a much more positive view of the first years and then people make their own decisions.”
Brogden said that the July sale would be a good indicator of the market.
“I think July is a great place to showcase,” Brogden said. “People start to get first impressions of what the yearlings have developed into as far as first-year sires, so I think that’s a really good gauge in the market because you’ll see a lot of first-crop sires, especially in the $20,000 and under type range. I’m really curious to see the Uncle Mos. We have one at Saratoga and I thought they were outstanding as foals as I saw them across the board at Keeneland November. I just thought they were a great group. We don’t have any in the July sale, but we’ve got one in the Saratoga Sale and I’ve heard they’re very nice horses.”
With such a large number of first-crop sires, there’s bound to be an assortment of yearlings for all tastes.
“Across the board, I think there’s a lot of variety this year,” Brogden explained. “The Paddy O’Prados–I don’t have any in for July, but I’ve got some really nice ones for September. I just think people are really optimistic when they first see them and hopefully we brought the right kind of horse to appeal to both the pinhookers and the race client.”
“The horses that have surprised me the most that I’ve seen are the Wilburns in the $7,500 and under stud fee category,” she confirmed. “I have a Wilburn colt [hip 57] out of a Tiznow mare–he’s a big, strong colt. We have a Twirling Candy [hip 70], that I personally bought privately and I think he’s an outstanding colt.”
Brogden was also impressed with 2011 GI Arkansas Derby winner Archarcharch (Arch), who stands at Spendthrift. “He really stamped the ones I saw,” She said. Gro A lot of them had a lot of similar markings. I think he’s got a chance of having a lot of success.”
Brogden, who was involved with the sale of Grade I winners Flat Out, Currency Swap and Meadow Dream at the July Sale is hoping for another good sale. “I encourage buyers to come to the July sale because every year, by the time we get to book four at Keeneland, people will wish they had bid on these horses,” she said. “I am not taking a single horse up there who is unsound or has mental issues. You can’t take a horse up to July with a yearling that can’t prep or is unsound or a fruit loop in the stall. There are so many things that play into why the percentages of stakes winners are so high for that sale. I believe, as far as dollars returned versus investments, it is a great, great sale to buy at.”
Warrendale Looks to Follow Up
Last July, Warrendale Sales sold a first-crop weanling by Kantharos (Lion Heart) for $300,000 on behalf of Stonestreet Farm. This year, they look to a have a similarly profitable sale with a six of this year’s first-crop weanlings.
Warrendale’s Kitty Taylor agreed the sale is a good place to launch young stallions.
“I try to make a habit, especially with these horses I haven’t seen a lot of, to see the sire and the yearlings,” Taylor explained. “I recommend to people with first-year sires that July is still a great place to put a horse. We sold a Kantharos [on behalf of Stonestreet Farm] there last year for $300,000. It’s a great way to get a horse recognized and get a little buzz going on about a specific stallion, so it makes sense for folks to do that.”
Taylor is expecting a strong market for the first-crop yearlings on offer.
“I think people are much more accepting of first-crop stallions,” she explained. “Now that the market has gotten solid again and more people are re-entering the market, they’re much more willing to go with a first-year horse. There are a number of first-year horses who have really excelled and done well, like Into Mischief. People are saying that these horses are producing runners, and they’re more willing to take another look at them.”
First-crop yearlings in the Warrendale consignment include hip 119, a filly by Haynesfield (Speightstown); hip 140, a colt by Tizway (Tiznow); hip 178, a colt by First Dude; hip 183, a colt by Field Commission (Service Stripe); hip 194, a colt by Big Drama (Montbrook); and hip 227, a filly by Paddy O’Prado.
“The Tizway colt is beautiful. He’s out of Dancing Anna and looks a lot like his sire–very correct with a nice walk,” Taylor offered. “The Big Drama also looks a lot like his sire. The Haynesfield filly looks a lot like Haynesfield. She does not belong to the farm that stands the stallion, she’s just a good representation of the stallion.”
As for the Paddy O’Prado filly, Taylor explained, “This filly is just gorgeous. She’s out of Meadow Soprano. Out of all of the ones I’m selling, she probably least resembles her sire. She’s not gray, she’s got the big, strong body–she doesn’t have a lot of El Prado about her. I think you see a little more of the Meadowlake mare, but she’ll be very appealing to people with a female family.”
Paddy O’Prado, who stands at Spendthrift, has had 17 weanlings sell last year for an average of $32,706.
Taylor also believes that Canadian champion sprinter Field Commission might offer some value.
“Field Commission is kind of an interesting horse. He stands [for $2,500] at Solera Farm [in Williston, Florida]. He’s a big chestnut horse–very pretty–had a great race record, but he’s probably a little under the radar compared to some of these other horses. This yearling, again, is like the spitting image of the sire.”
The Fasig-Tipton July sale will begin July 14 at 10 a.m. and will be immediately followed by the Horses of Racing Age sale.