Ice Wine? Or Fine Bordeaux? No Nay Never Partners Make First Visit to Deauville

ICE WINE PARTNERS ACTIVE IN FIRST VISIT TO DEAUVILLE 
by Sue Finley 
Among the American interests in Deauville this week are the group newly standing No Nay Never (Scat Daddy) in conjunction with Coolmore at Coolmore Ireland, Ice Wine Stables. And while their most famous runner took the G1 Prix Morny just across the street at Deauville Racecourse in 2013, Ice Wine partners Dave Reid and Frank Antonacci weren’t on hand, and are, in fact, making their first trip to Deauville with this December Sale. No Nay Never, of course, wrapped up his career with a win in the GIII Woodford at Keeneland at 3, and a close second in the GI Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, and now stands at Coolmore for a €20,000 fee. 

“We came over really just to meet with our partners, Coolmore, first of all, and look for potential mares to breed to the horse and really just try to get a little feel for the area,” said Reid. “It’s all foreign to us, and we’re slow-movers. We have some contacts here already, but we’re just trying to feel our way through.” 

They were active on the first day of trading, picking up two mares and a foal. Lot 86, Bryce Canyon (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) led the parade, being knocked down for €150,000 through agent Gatewood Bell. She will be sent to Ireland to be bred to No Nay Never, Bell said. “I thought the Galileo mare was beautiful,” said Bell. “She wasn’t a winner, but I thought for that pedigree, I’m not going to say it was value, but I was happy to get her.” She is out of the French champion 3-year-old filly Bright Sky (Ire). 

Bell signed for two others for Reid and Antonacci; they went to €65,000 for lot 162, Lensorceleuse (Ire), an unraced half-sister to multiple Group 1 winner Charm Spirit (Ire) (Invincible Spirit {Ire}) by Oasis Dream in foal to Silver Frost. She will also head to Coolmore to be bred to No Nay Never. They will take lot 96, a Power foal out of City of Fire, which they purchased for €17,000, home to the U.S. to race. 

“We’ll leave her here until June so she’ll be eligible for the French premiums and then bring her back to the states to race,” said Reid. 

While they may never have been to Deauville in person before this week, the Ice Wine interests have to date been well represented in France by trainer Wesley Ward, who is in town with them this week as well. 

“Wesley was coming over, and it’s always good to spend time with him,” said Reid. “He has a strong input as to what we do. He’s had some experience here. A couple of the race fillies we have now were purchased here, and we’ve had a little luck racing them back in the States.” 

Their 4-year-old To My Valentine (Fr) (Khayim {Fr}) was purchased for €70,000 at the 2012 Arc Sale, and has gone on to win three races in the U.S., including a victory in the Kentucky Downs Ladies Sprint. She’ll head next to a Grade III at Santa Anita in January, said Reid. They also purchased Adventure Love (Fr) (Orpen) at the same sale in 2013 for €100,000, and she gave Frankie Dettori his first-ever win at Saratoga this summer. 

Reid and Antonacci are Standardbred industry giants; Reid’s Preferred Equine is the largest high-profile sales and consignment agency, and he operates several major sales, including the harness racing version of Keeneland September–the Lexington Selected Sale which he runs in partnership–and several mixed sales Under the Tattersalls Red Mile banner. Antonacci’s Lindy Farms in Connecticut is a major owner/breeder and racing operation. The Ice Wine partnership is made up of the two of them, and another friend of Reid’s, who owns a small percentage. 

“Thoroughbreds are a small diversion for us,” said Reid. “It’s a small percentage of our horse holdings. We met Wesley 10 years ago and we started buying horses with him six or seven years ago. Right now, we have 12 to 15 of them in training. Three of them are race fillies who we’ll breed this year. We have a couple of mares in foal already back in the States; one to Shanghai Bobby, one to Giant’s Causeway. We’re just feeling our way. We’re having fun and meeting a lot of interesting people, and going to interesting places. We’re intrigued by the Thoroughbred business, for sure, but we’re in tough company, and we know that. But [Coolmore] is the leading breeding establishment in the world, so that certainly gives us a level of comfort.” 

Long supporters of the New York-bred program, Reid and Antonacci have offered a small consignment at Saratoga the last two years at the New York-bred sale, and this December sale could prove the means for expanding that consignment. “We’d like to have more,” said Reid. “That’s why we’re going to accumulate some broodmares. But we’re just taking everything slow.” 

Reid said he hoped his burgeoning involvement in the Thoroughbred industry could prove helpful to the Standardbred industry as well, both in terms of growing the marketplace, and by attracting new owners to their sport. “I’ve been trying to advocate for a larger marketplace in the Standardbred business,” said Reid, who launched the sport’s first two-year-olds in training sale this past May. “The volume of auctions and the variety that is offered is very intriguing. I actually think there’s some room in the Standardbred business for some Thoroughbred owners to become active. I think anything that we can do to introduce more people doing two breeds would be great. Horse racing is horse racing. It’s just a matter of how often they race, how far they go, and what surface they’re on. But as far as the horsemanship goes, it’s the same game.” 

Bell also picked up lot 53, a Sea The Stars foal for a yet-to-be determined client for Wesley Ward, and was pleased with today’s trade. “I think it was probably just like everywhwere else–strong enough,” he said, “but we got both foals for probably under my valuation. For €80,000, I thought the Sea the Stars filly was well worth a shot. She was athletic and pretty quick, and the Power foal was nice.”