January Sale Marches On

The Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale marched into Book 2 Wednesday in Lexington with a slow-starting session which gained momentum throughout the day. Bloodstock agent Mike Ryan made the highest bid on the day, going to $240,000 to acquire the Sam-Son Farm-bred Ready for Romance (More Than Ready) (hip 917) on behalf of Fifth Avenue Bloodstock. Ryan was bidding for the same client when he purchased the mare Veracity (Distorted Humor) for $460,000 Tuesday.

Ready for Romance was one of two horses to top the six-figure mark Wednesday. At the third session of last year's January sale, four horses sold for six figures, with a colt by Into Mischief bringing the top price of $150,000.

During Wednesday's session of the January sale, 220 horses grossed $3,817,300. The average was $17,351–up 3.06% from last year's third session, while the median rose 9.09% to $9,000. With 67 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate was 23.34%. It was 21.43% a year ago.

Taylor Made Sales Agency was the session's leading consignor by gross, selling 35 head for $727,400, but the company's Duncan Taylor admitted it was a difficult market.

“[The market] definitely dropped off quite a bit today,” Taylor said. “I think it's a pretty tough market. There are probably some people making some good buys on yearlings–they sort of dropped off more than I thought they might.”

Through three sessions, Keeneland has sold 595 horses for $30,468,900. The average of $51,208 is up 11.50% from last year's corresponding figure, while the median dipped 4.35% to $22,000.

The Keeneland January sale continues through Friday with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m.

Romance on Top at Keeneland
Mike Ryan, who struck late in Tuesday's session of the Keeneland January sale to secure Veracity (Distorted Humor) for $460,000 on behalf of Fifth Avenue Bloodstock, was back in action during Wednesday's session of the five-day auction. Ryan paid $240,000 to secure the racing or broodmare prospect Ready for Romance (More Than Ready) from the Sam-Son Farm consignment for that same client.

Bred by Sam-Son, Ready for Romance (hip 917) has won three of four trips to the post, including a wire-to-wire victory in the July 18 Ontario Damsel S. She is out of Strange Romance (Mr. Greeley), a half-sister to graded stakes winners Matt's Brown Vow (Broken Vow) and High Button Shoes (Carson City).

The filly will likely be back at the racetrack this spring, according to Ryan.

“We'll put her back in training,” Ryan said after signing the ticket on Ready for Romance. “She's only had four starts. Her only start on the grass was very impressive, she led gate to wire in a nice stakes at Woodbine at a mile and it was only the third start of her life. She is a really good-looking More Than Ready, a strong filly and like a lot of the good ones I've been associated with by him. She was a standout today. If she stays healthy and sound, there is no reason she couldn't run this year and next year.”

As for a trainer for the filly, Ryan added, “We haven't figured it out yet, but it will be one of the top trainers in New York. We will get her down to Stonestreet and we will bring her back slowly and hopefully have her ready to run by May.”

Ryan was busy buying yearlings for the same client, who he said is based in South Florida and involved in the pharmaceuticals industry, this past fall.

“He's trying to develop a quality stable,” Ryan explained. “It's a program that he is committed to and he understands that it will take capital, but I told him if we do it right, you will have results. You've got to start off on the right foot, it's like recruiting basketball players. Calipari doesn't start with average players.”

Ryan concluded, “His family is enjoying getting into it and they have a lot to look forward to this summer.”

Shanghai Bobby Colt Leads Yearlings
A colt from the first crop of champion juvenile Shanghai Bobby was the top-priced yearling during Wednesday's third session of the Keeneland January sale after Gainesway's Brian Graves bid $105,000 to secure the youngster from the Catalyst Bloodstock consignment. Hip 945, who will likely be returned to the sales ring later in the year, is out of Six Ribbons (Cape Town) and is a half-brother to stakes winner Prayforthesoldiers (Lost Soldier). He was bred by Jenny Mills.

“He's a really nice-moving colt and a half to a stakes horse,” Graves said. “It's a little more than we thought we'd have to give for him, but we'll bring him back next year and hopefully make a little money.”

Shanghai Bobby, winner of the 2012 GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, had 24 first-crop weanlings sell last year with a top price of $190,000 and an average of $63,791.

“It's his first crop–he hasn't done anything wrong,” Graves said of the Coolmore stallion. “I've seen several that I've liked.”

Graves said the market for yearlings remained competitive during the third day of the January sale.

“We've been getting outbid,” he said. “It's been very hard to buy babies. We kind of thought we'd be able to get him for around $70,000. So we had to stretch.”

Mullikin Thoroughbreds Open for Business
Tom Mullikin, who served as general manager of Kevin Plank's Sagamore Farm for eight years, has returned to Kentucky where he first became involved with Thoroughbreds some 15 years ago. Mullikin and wife Michelle recently purchased the historic 85-acre Loch Lea Farm in Paris and have become partners in Select Sales Agency.

“I think it was ultimately the time to close one chapter and start anew,” Tom Mullikin said of his move back to Kentucky last summer. “The dream was always to have our own operation and moving back to the Lexington area.”

Mullikin first became involved with racehorses nearly two decades ago.

“I told everyone it was my quarter-life crisis,” he laughed. “I had a corporate job in Rosslyn, Virginia. After seven years of taking the subway to corporate headquarters every day, I didn't want to wake up at 50 still doing the same thing. So I came down here on a whim.”

He admits his knowledge of horses was somewhat limited.

“I knew one end bit and the other end kicked and that was about it,” he chuckled.

But his wife Michelle, a professional photographer, was a college friend of Carrie Brogden, who along with husband Craig had just purchased a farm and were eager for help.

“I started out with Carrie and Craig back in 2001,” Mullikin said. “They had purchased the original tract of Machmer Hall. It was Carrie, Craig, myself and five dogs in a single white trailer.  That's how I found the horses. And I finally found what I wanted to do.”

Mullikin served a stint working under Chris Baker at Ned Evans's Spring Hill Farm in Virginia before returning to work with the Brogdens in 2004.

“A couple of years later, I was talking with Kevin Plank and he had decided he wanted to revitalize Sagamore and that's how we ended up back in Maryland,” the 45-year-old recalled.

Still the dream remained of owning his own farm and, after visiting the former Loch Lea Farm, Mullikin admitted he was “enamored with the land when we first saw it.”

The couple decided to make the leap with their five children last summer, closing on their new home in September.

The farm, previously owned by the Layton family, has produced GI Kentucky Oaks winner Bold 'n Determined and G1 Epsom Derby winner Teenoso, as well as champions Cherry Hinton, Imperial Beauty and Stardom Bound.

“We'll have a boarding operation,” Mullikin said. “Ultimately, we will look at ownership–it's going to have to be a leg here and a leg there, partnerships and hopefully we can build up to where we can have our own skin in the game. So that's what we're shooting for.”

Mullikin Thoroughbreds, LLC (mullikintbs.com) is open and ready for business and its new owner is clearly enjoying his latest challenge.

“It's certainly a leap and it's not going to be easy, but we're still relatively young and we know in this game there is a lot of change, just like in life,” he said. “We're going to have fun and hopefully get lucky.” @JessMartiniTDN