by Jessica Martini & Brian DiDonato
LEXINGTON, Ky – The second and final session of Book 2 at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale saw continued competition for stand-outs, but a softer market overall compared to last year.
A total of 220 horses changed hands Friday for a combined $21,280,500. The average was $96,730 with a $75,000 median. The RNA rate was 26.42%.
During Book 2 in 2015, 453 horses sold for $55,801,000 for an average of $123,181 and a median of $100,000. Royal Obsession (Tapit), an offering from the Regis disperal, topped the book when selling for $1.15 million and was 21 horses to sell for $300,000 or over.
For this year's Book 2 sessions, 442 sold for $52,914,500. The average was $119,716 (-2.8%) and the median was $85,000 (-15%). Thirty-one horses broke the $300,000 threshold.
Gross receipts for the first four days of the sale were $155,833,500 for an average of $224,221, nearly identical to last year's corresponding figure of $224,971. The median through two books in 2016 is $125,000, down 9.09% year-over-year. The cumulative RNA rate is 29.51% compared to 27.52% at this point 12 months ago.
Topping trade by a large margin Thursday was the 9-year-old mare Moment of Majesty (Saint Liam) (hip 917), who brought $850,000 in foal to Curlin from the Hill 'n Dale Sales Agency consignment.
The granddaughter of champion Fiji (GB) (Rainbow Quest) was acquired by James Keogh on behalf of Evelyn Benoit, and will be bred back to Benoit's Louisiana-bred record earner Star Guitar.
“We had an $850,000 topper compared to $675,000 last year–the quality horses brought top dollar,” said Keeneland's Director of Sales Operations Geoffrey Russell. “There is a polarization, a selectivity in the marketplace at the moment. Those who have perceived quality are being very well-rewarded, and the horses that don't meet the market aren't.”
The trend of strength, but similar selectivity in the weanling market continues. The day's top foal was a Curlin filly (hip 1286), also offered by John Sikura's Hill 'n' Dale, purchased for $350,000 by David Ingordo on behalf of Mayberry Farm.
“The foal market is very good at the moment,” Russell noted. “But, again, you have to have some sire power, and obviously have to have the physical. They're a little forgiving probably on pedigree, but you have to have the sire power.”
He added, “You're starting to see that end users recognize that there are quality horses being sold here, so they should take advantage of it, and they are. The end users are there, and the pinhookers are too, so that drives the price up.”
Book 3 of Keeneland November commences Saturday at 10 a.m.
Benoit Buys One for Star Guitar
Evelyn Benoit of Brittlyn Stables provided a wake-up call early in Friday's Keeneland November session when fending off all challengers to take home SW/MGSP Moment of Majesty (Saint Liam) for $850,000. The 9-year-old was consigned to the sale by Hill 'n' Dale Sales Agency as hip 917 while carrying a foal by Hill 'n' Dale resident Curlin.
Grovendale's James Keogh, acting on the new owner's behalf, said Moment of Majesty will next year visit Benoit's $1.75-million earner Star Guitar, who stands at Clear Creek Stud in Folsom, LA.
“She was our pick of the sale,” offered Keogh. “She just said, 'Buy the mare.' She's a huge Curlin fan–Ms. Benoit loves to race, and she has horses in foal to Curlin, so that was a bonus.”
Trained by Roger Attfield for Nat Rea's Regis Racing, Moment of Majesty hit the board in a number of salty spots up in Canada, including the Woodbine Oaks–in which she was only beaten a head–GII Dance Smartly S. and GII Canadian S. She annexed the 2012 GII Belle Mahone S. on the Woodbine Polytrack and earned more than $630,000.
Moment of Majesty's second dam is champion turf mare Fiji (GB) (Rainbow Quest), who also produced French Classic-placed Marcus Andronicus (Danehill). This is the family of GI Toyota Blue Grass S. winner Java's War (War Pass).
“I loved Fiji–she was a champion grass mare from a wonderful, old family,” Keogh said. “It's just one of those classy pedigrees that's been around forever and a lot of people have done well by it. I was a big fan of Saint Liam's–I thought he died way too young. This mare had a lot of race class.”
Moment of Majesty's weanling colt by Tiznow (hip 918) followed her into the ring and brought $90,000 from Jumping Jack Racing.
“I thought the mare was going to make $600,000-plus. You don't know where that finish is, but I thought that was the higher end of her valuation,” noted Hill 'n' Dale's John Sikura.
“In each book, there are fewer and fewer quality offerings. I thought she stood out on the page. She was a very good racemare, and I think the Curlin cover really helped the mare. It was a great sale, and I hope they have much success with the mare. It's been a week where we've had ups and downs, but this was a good, strong sale… It makes you consider that if you disperse your quality offerings through a couple books, maybe it's easier to focus upon them and have them really stand out in the crowd, rather than sort of overwhelm them all in one book.”
@BDiDonatoTDN
Runway Ready for Uncle Mo
Stakes-placed Runway Ready (Mr. Greeley) will be joining the Repole Stable broodmare band and will visit that stable's former star Uncle Mo after selling for $425,000 Friday at Keeneland. The 6-year-old mare is a half-sister Corfu and sold in foal to that graded stakes winner's sire Malibu Moon.
“She is a stakes-placed Mr. Greeley mare. She is beautiful and there are lots of updates in the family,” Three Chimneys' Jacob West, sitting alongside Repole bloodstock advisor Eddie Rosen, explained.
Runway Ready is out of Fashion Cat (Forest Wildcat), a half-sister to multiple Grade I winner Peace Rules (Jules) whose yearling Tapit colt sold for $750,000 at this past summer's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale.
“The half-brother brought $750,000 up at Saratoga this year from China Horse Club and WinStar, so we know she is going into a good program and the pedigree could obviously get stronger with that,” West continued. “Corfu is right there, he's a half-brother and she's in foal to Malibu Moon, so that cross makes sense.”
West acknowledged the broodmare market in Lexington this week has been strong and bidding has been competitive, so he wasn't surprised by Runway Ready's final price.
“Quality is bringing quality money, obviously, and she is a quality mare,” he said. “The whole market has been strong throughout for quality horses. We got outrun Thursday on some horses we really wanted and we're glad to get this one.”
Runway Ready (hip 997) was purchased for $75,000 by trainer Gary Contessa at the 2012 Fasig-Tipton Florida sale. Racing for Lee Pokoik, the chestnut was third in last year's Giant's Causeway S. at Keeneland. On the board in 11 of 27 starts, she won four times and earned $162,200. She was consigned to the November sale by Eaton Sales. @JessMartiniTDN
Curlin Filly Top Weanling Friday
A filly by Curlin (hip 1286) became the day's top-priced weanling when selling for $350,000 to bloodstock agent David Ingordo late in Friday's session of the Keeneland November sale. The chestnut was consigned by Hill 'n' Dale Sales Agency on behalf of SF Bloodstock, which purchased her graded stakes placed dam Jungle Tale (Lion Heart), with this foal in utero, for $90,000 at last year's Keeneland November sale.
“She is one of the better-looking fillies that was going to walk up here in the whole catalogue,” Ingordo, who signed the ticket under the name of Mayberry Farm, commented. Cont. p8 Keeneland November cont.
Ingordo continued, “We tried on some earlier ones and didn't get them and she was kind of the last one that fit the parameters that we were looking for.”
Jungle Tale, second in the 2009 GIII Natalma S., is a daughter of graded stakes placed Mary Kies (Opening Verse). She was bred to GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner Bayern this year.
Of future plans for the weanling, Ingordo said, “We'll leave it open. We paid plenty for her, so if she went the right way, we could maybe resell her, but we'll probably race her.”
Ingordo admitted a contentious yearling market has likely trickled down into the weanling market.
“They were getting outbid on a lot of those kind at the yearling sale, so we came here and, even if there is maybe a little more risk, we're trying to buy them here and get them that way because that filly might cost $700,000 next year.” @JessMartiniTDN
Lieblongs Get the Next 'Beast'
Alex and JoAnn Lieblong have already campaigned two runners and own one more out of the 17-year-old mare V V S Flawless (Malibu Moon), and went to the well once again to pick up hip 1094 for $300,000.
The hulking Malibu Moon colt takes after his half-brother, the Lieblongs' aptly named 'TDN Rising Star' and 2014 GI King's Bishop S. winner The Big Beast (Yes It's True). He was offered by James M. Herbener, Jr., Agent II.
The Lieblongs purchased The Big Beast for $150,000 at the 2013 OBS April sale, having already acquired that one's year-older half-brother Big Lute (Midnight Lute) for $275,000 at KEESEP '11. They acquired his half-sister by The Factor for $350,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton November sale, and bought her back for $685,000 at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga this August.
The prominent Arkansas-based owners sold last year's GI Alabama S. winner Embellish the Lace (Super Saver) in foal to Uncle Mo to China Horse Club for $2.4 million at Monday's Fasig-Tipton November Sale.
“I kind of thought I'd have pay what I paid for his half-sister last time, but I think probably somebody realized I'd overpay and maybe that scared them off a little bit,” said Alex Lieblong, founder of the financial services firm Lieblong & Associates. “I sold a mare the other night that I really hated to part with, but I did it with this in mind. We have enough yearlings and everything else, and I'm getting to the age where I don't even buy green bananas anymore. I figured I better just get rid of the mare and get something more ready… We hate to sell horses. We're not very good at selling horses, but we're real good at buying horses. It doesn't mean they run well, but we're buying them.”
Hip 1094 was bred in Kentucky by Heather Herbener-Ford, Dr. Patrick J. Ford, VMD and James Herbener, Jr.
“They're great people who raised the horse,” Lieblong said. “[James Herbener] had told me he had a Malibu Moon when I talked to him at Saratoga. Then when I came up here for the Fasig-Tipton [November] Sale, they weren't showing him yet… I had a board meeting that afternoon and said I couldn't stay. So he brought him out. They're very good horse people and take good care of them. When you buy from them, you know what you're buying… We're tickled to death to buy him, and happy for the Herbeners. If anybody deserves to sell a good horse, they do.” @BDiDonatoTDN
Curlin Colt Pays Dividends for Schumer
Bloodstock agent Chad Schumer, bidding on behalf of Louisiana-based David Meche and another partner, was able to acquire the 13-year-old mare Real Clever Trick (Yes It's True), in foal to Curlin, for $80,000 at last year's Keeneland November sale. The mare and her weanling returned to the Keeneland sales ring Friday, with the colt (hip 981) bringing a final bid of $260,000 from Wheels Up Partnership.
“We thought she was great value last November, being a graded stakes producer and back in foal to Curlin,” Schumer explained of the mare's appeal. “We knew his stud fee was going to $100,000, so we thought $80,000 was tremendous.”
Schumer continued, “I was a little surprised we were able to get her for that. She had some age on her, so typically mares like that are vulnerable to falling through the cracks.”
The mare obliged the partners by producing a high-quality foal.
“She had an outstanding foal,” Schumer confirmed. “He was a perfectly correct, very well-made colt with a great walk. There was tons of interest from everyone. And he was well, well above the reserve.”
Real Clever Trick is the dam of GII Nashua S. winner Vexor (Wildcat Heir). In foal to Palace Malice, she RNA'd at $45,000 after following her weanling into the ring.
Schumer said Meche's plan is to reinvest in another set of mares this year.
“It was always the plan to sell this year,” he explained. “We bought two mares–one in foal More Than Ready and then this mare. We're going to flip the whole package and reload. We haven't found anything today that we were all that keen on, but hopefully in the next book we'll find something.”
For Schumer, it's the latest in a string of astute purchases. The bloodstock agent paid $45,000 on behalf of David Smart for Gem Sleuth (Officer), in foal to Paynter, at last year's Keeneland November sale. The mare's 2-year-old Theory (Gemologist) became a 'TDN Rising Star' and a graded stakes winner this year and her Paynter weanling sold for $130,000 during Monday's Fasig-Tipton November sale.
“I hate to say it, but it's hard work and paying attention and going for it,” Schumer said of his success. “We really don't leave any stone unturned.” @JessMartiniTDN
Paola Queen to Stay in Training
GI Test S. winner Paola Queen (Flatter), purchased by SF Bloodstock for $1.7 million during Wednesday's second session at Keeneland November, will remain in training and, after a freshening, will be sent to trainer Chad Brown.
“I can safely say we've never bought a more physically imposing 3-year-old filly,” commented SF Bloodstock's Tom Ryan. “We're excited to give her a chance to further enhance her race record.”
The 3-year-old filly scored a 55-1 upset victory in the Test at Saratoga last August for Grupo 7C Stable and trainer Gustavo Delgado. She was also second in the GII Gulfstream Park Oaks. To date, she has made 10 starts with two wins and earnings of $431,835. She most recently ran 12th in the Nov. 5 GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint.
Paola Queen will spend 45 days at Bridlewood Farm before joining the Brown barn. @JessMartiniTDN
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