Hill ‘n’ Dale Draft Loaded with Weanling Prospects

John Sikura’s Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm knows something about selling well-pedigreed weanlings at Keeneland November. Back at the 2003 renewal, Hill ‘n’ Dale sold Serena’s Cat, a Storm Cat granddaughter of Serena’s Song, to Dell Ridge Farm for $1.4 million. That was the co-highest price for a weanling filly that year and still ranks as one of the top prices ever for a weanling filly at November. 

In fact, that list is dominated by Hill ‘n’ Dale-sold weanlings: Mi Sueno (Pulpit–Madcap Escapade) ($1.7 million in ‘07), Teeming (Storm Cat–Better Than Honour) ($1.5 million ‘01), and Achieving (Bernardini–Teeming) ($1.475 million ‘08) were other highlights for Sikura and his team. 

So it’s no surprise that Hill ‘n’ Dale has come armed to today’s second session at November with a slew of weanlings whose pedigrees would belong at any select yearling sale in the world, including a daughter of none other than Serena’s Cat.

“I wanted to bring four or five weanling fillies who will be accepted as adults, so to speak,” said Sikura. 
These days, Serena’s Cat is better known as the dam of Grade II winner and “TDN Rising Star” Honor Code (A.P. Indy) and fellow Grade II winner Noble Tune (Unbridled’s Song). Her latest foal, a filly by Tapit, sells late in the session asHip 402. 

“She’s by Tapit, and the mare’s first two foals are Grade I horses,” said Sikura. “The mare, Serena’s Cat, is a stakes winner by Storm Cat, who obviously is a great broodmare sire, and her granddam is Serena’s Song, so every generation has produced. She’s a beautiful filly and is really one of a kind.” 

The filly was bred by Hill ‘n’ Dale Equine Holdings and Dell Ridge Farm. 

Directly preceding her into the ring is Hip 401, a Smart Strike weanling filly from the Canadian champion and Grade II winner Serenading (A.P. Indy), who hails from the family of Touch Gold, Brilliant Speed, et al. 

“She’s just a first-class filly,” said Sikura. 

Serenading’s previous two foals were offered as yearlings. Classic Devotion (Street Cry {Ire}) made 
$1.2 million at the 2012 Fasig Saratoga Sale; Seattle Serenade (Smart Strike) sold for $1 million at the 2013 September Sale. 

Kicking the day off for Hill ‘n’ Dale will be Hip 232, a Medaglia d’Oro full-sister to the Grade I winner Violence, who is now standing at Hill ‘n’ Dale. 

“It’s such a deep family, going back to Sky Beauty and Maplejinsky,” said Sikura. 

So why not hold on and sell the fillies as yearlings? 

“Sometimes it’s an advantage selling those high, high-end fillies as weanlings, because sometimes people like to bring them into their programs early,” said Sikura. “They can raise them and watch their development. Also, some of these top [breed-to-race] operations don’t even come to the yearling sales.” 

It isn’t just smartly bred weanling fillies that Hill ‘n’ Dale is offering. Its weanling colts include Hip 332, a Bernardini half-brother to MGSW Thisskyhasnolimit (Sky Mesa). 

“He’s a 3/4-in-blood to Bernardini, since his dam is a half-sister to Bernardini,” said Sikura. 

Despite the inevitable an sometimes dramatic changes that horses can undergo from their weanling to yearling years, Sikura said that most buyers at the top of the market understand what they’re looking at. 

“Their professional in the way they look at these weanlings and evaluate them,” he said.