Big Update Propels Session Topper

When Keeneland sent the finalized version of its September catalog, the 2-year-old filly Sunset Glow (Exchange Rate) was a sharp maiden winner at Belmont who had shipped to Royal Ascot and run second in the 21-strong G3 Albany S. Not bad, for sure. Since then, however, the Ten Broeck Farm-owned, Wesley Ward-trained filly has become arguably the leading juvenile filly in the nation, with consecutive wins in the GII Sorrento S. and GI Del Mar Debutante to her credit. 

With a divisional championship a possibility, Sunset Glow provided the sort of update breeders and consignors dream of, and yesterday, her yearling full-brother brought a session-topping $280,000 at September. Gary and Mary West’s racing manager Ben Glass signed for the dark bay, a son of the stakes-placed Perfectforthepart (Dynaformer). Four Star Sales consigned him as hip 2052 on behalf of breeder Gayla Rankin/GLR Ranch. 

“Gayla’s a client of Three Chimneys Farm, who decided they were going to use a number of different consignors rather than consigning themselves,” said Four Star’s Kerry Cauthen. “When I saw this colt for the first time back in May, he was a nice type of horse, but he wasn’t overly big. He’s a late-ish foal–May 10–and so that wasn’t a surprise. I saw him a few more times, and he just kept coming and coming, and then of course there’s nothing like a pedigree improvement like the one Sunset Glow gave us. We thought that was a great price for the horse, and he went to a great horseman and a great operation.” 

Cauthen said big updates like this deep into the catalog is part of the allure of September. “When you’re putting these things together back in late May, early June, and at that point Sunset Glow was just starting to come on,” he said. “She hadn’t won her two graded stakes, and that changed a lot. That’s the beauty of this sale. If something pops up, they’re going to find you.” 

He said he was never concerned the colt’s value would be compromised by his placement in the catalog. 

“The guys that are looking for these types are aware of these updates, and they realize that, three months ago, [Book 3] was the right place for this horse,” Cauthen explained. “Today, he probably should have been up a book, at least. Physically, this colt has come a tremendous way, and I think he’s only going to keep on improving.” 

The transaction was a nice score for breeder Gayla Rankin. She purchased the Dynaformer filly Perfectforthepart for just $30,000 as a weanling at the 2004 Keeneland November Sale. Perfectforthepart was put back through the ring the next year at September, but was bought back for $80,000. She was a solid runner, winning a maiden special on debut and earning black-type in a Fair Grounds stakes, and was retired to Rankin’s broodmare band. Her first foal, by Yes It’s True, sold for $25,000 as a weanling; Sunset Glow, her second foal, made $60,000 as a KEENOV weanling before selling to Ben McElroy for $140,000 as a yearling here last year. Sunset Glow’s updates ensured that this would be the mare’s biggest sales success to date. 

“The breeder was tickled, and tickled he’s going to the Wests,” said Cauthen. “[Three Chimneys’] Case Clay managed all this, and he did a great job.” 

Glass also signed the ticket on the second highest priced yearling of the session hip 2250, a Super Saver colt consigned by Millenium Farms, Agent VIII. – LM