Solid KEESEP Book 1 Concludes

by Jessica Martini, Brian DiDonato and Justina Severni

Keeneland’s September Yearling Sale concluded its three-session Book 1 Wednesday with a half-dozen

million-dollar sales and figures continuing on par with 2014. In a dramatic bidding duel, Mandy Pope outlasted Kaleem Shah, sitting alongside trainer Bob Baffert and Bernie Schiappa, to secure the sale’s top-priced lot, going to $2.1 million for a colt by Tapit (hip 614). Gainesway’s Tapit was also the sire of the day’s second-highest price, with Lael Stable extended to $1.65 million for hip 530.

Gainesway consigned the session’s top three lots, with Justin Zayat signing the ticket at $1.5 million for a filly by Bernardini (hip 511).

“Book 1 ended on a very high note this afternoon,” said Keeneland’s Director of Sales Geoffrey Russell. “The bidding on the Tapit colt was kind of a return to some of the heydays of this auction. Watching all those people battling hard for that horse was very exciting for everyone who watched it, especially the participants. I know Mandy was very happy to come out the winner. So it was a good return.”

Through three sessions, Keeneland sold 443 yearlings for $134,361,000. The average of $303,298 ticked up slightly from last year’s four-session Book 1 average of $300,535. The median was up 4.2% to $250,000. In 2014, 473 Book 1 yearlings sold for $142,153,000. The buy-back rate was 30.89%. In all, 11 yearlings sold for seven figures over the sale’s first three days. A year ago, 13 had eclipsed $1 million.

“I think it was steady all the way through,” Russell said of the Book 1 results. “I think it was very solid and I think we had great fireworks today.”

Many consignors agreed buyers were being selective in their bidding.

“I think it’s been a bit spotty,” Hill ‘n’ Dale Sales Agency’s John Sikura said. “The really nice horses make extra and the in-between horses are struggling–that’s the new market reality. That’s the demarcation in the market, so you hope you have good horses and they’re well sold, and that makes up for the others.”

Gainesway’s Michael Hernon said vet reports make or break a sale.

“The market is sensitive,” he said. “That’s how it is. Everything must line up and the vet report is critical.”

Craig Bandoroff of Denali Stud echoed that sentiment. “It’s tough to break out,” Bandoroff said.

“You really have to tick every box. The veterinarian scrutiny is very, very hard. You’ve got to be squeaky clean.”

Taylor Made’s Duncan Taylor said an abundance of quality yearlings gave buyers plenty of options.

“I think the sale is ok, but it’s not fantastic,” Taylor said. “There are a lot of good horses, so the money is getting spread out over a lot of them. So it’s hard to get people that really zero in and say, ‘I have to have this one.’ I think there is plenty of money, but there are 40 Tapits, 40 Medaglia d’Oros, 40 Unbridled’s Songs, and when you have those and this is a good crop with good horses, the money gets spread out. And then if you happen to have an individual who is in the bottom 30%, it feels spotty because you are selling a name-brand product and it’s bringing two-times the stud fee. But I’ve seen a lot of markets where they weren’t bringing two times stud fee, they were bringing half the stud fee, so I still think it’s a good sale.”

After a dark day Thursday, the Keeneland September sale resumes at 10 a.m. Friday. Russell is already looking forward to a strong Book 2.

“The most important thing is to get the sale off well and to have good momentum going into the next books,” Russell said. “Obviously we take a day off tomorrow and then go into much longer days. So we have to have that momentum. And hopefully that momentum will carry through to Book 2 and beyond. Lots of people are still here and hopefully they were busy today looking at horses for Friday. The reports I got back were the barn area was very busy today and they’ll have a day tomorrow to continue on and then we’ll rock and roll Friday morning at 10 a.m.”

 

Pope Sees off Shah for Tapit Topper…

Mandy Pope’s Whisper Hill Farm saw off a relentless challenge from owner Kaleem Shah–seated with trainer Bob Baffert and later joined by Hill ‘n’ Dale’s John Sikura–for the sale and session-topping $2.1-million Tapit colt (hip 614). The grey grandson of Hall of Famer Winning Colors (Caro {Ire}) was consigned by her breeder, Gainesway.

“I thought he was one of the nicest colts in the sale, and being by Tapit moved him up,” said Pope. “He has a gorgeous, gorgeous long stride on him, lovely hip and shoulder and a great attitude.”

She noted, “I bought his full sister last year for $700,000. She hasn’t made it to the races yet, but she’s going to. So I’m all in on that family. It’s a great family, and the Tapits are great. I really like my filly at home. We just had some issues. She hasn’t gotten there yet, but she will.”

Of the price tag, Pope quipped, “I was hoping it wasn’t going to be more than $700,000, so I went a little bit more. But with the Tapits, you just can’t buy them. I’ve been trying all day long. I was like ‘I’m buying this one.’”

Whisper Hill’s ‘TDN Rising Star’ Tap to It (Tapit), a $400,000 buy here a year ago, was second for trainer Ralph Nicks in Saratoga’s GI Spinaway S. earlier this month.

Pope has been a major buyer of mostly top-market broodmares or well-pedigreed fillies in recent years, and said her acquisition of a colt was not an indication that she was looking to get involved in the stallion business.

“We bought a really nice colt last year for $1.6 million (Unbridled’s Song–Tizamazing), and we’re pleased with him,” she noted. “I’m not buying him to get in the stallion business. I would have preferred if he were a filly.”

Late in Wednesday’s session, Pope stepped in once more for a Street Cry (Ire) filly from the same family of the aforementioned Unbridled’s Song colt she got last year with a winning $1,050,000 bid, again outlasting Shah, Baffert, et al.

Hip 718‘s dam Tizso (Cee’s Tizzy) is a full-sister to Tizamazing (the dam of GI Preakness S. winner Oxbow {Awesome Again}), as well as Horse of the Year Tiznow (Cee’s Tizzy) and graded stakes winners Budroyale and Tizdubai. She is already responsible for GI Haskell Invitational S. winner Paynter (Awesome Again). Diamond A Racing bred the bay, who was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency.

“She was another one that I didn’t think would bring that much money, but I haven’t been able to buy a nicely bred filly that we really liked,” Pope said. “She passed all our conformation tests, heart scores, all the hoops. It’s obviously a lovely family that should go on and reproduce.”

Pope said that hip 718’s relation to Tiznow was also a major draw.

“I have always liked him–both when he was a racehorse and when he went to stud,” she explained. “I bred [MGISW] Tizway (Tiznow), so hopefully I’ll come up with another Tizway.”

Taylor Made’s Duncan Taylor offered: “I thought she was a great filly, but I didn’t expect that. If she would have brought $700,000, we would have been very happy. She was a beautiful filly. And really, when you look at a filly like that with that pedigree, there is less risk. You have several ways to get out. If she never even runs and you breed her to the right stallion, you could sell a million-dollar yearling. She is a beautiful filly and with the conformation she has, I’m sure everybody saw that and that’s why they stretched.”

Pope also purchased a $400,000 son of Distorted Humor on Monday, but noted that she had found it somewhat difficult to go up against newly assembled partnerships that had been active at the top of the market.

“It’s making it extremely frustrating to me because it’s really hard to get what I want and be able to go up against the partnerships,” she said. “At this point, nobody has really approached me about partnerships and I really wasn’t thinking that way. Maybe I need to, but I like to be in control of my horses… It seems to be the thing to do, and it’s awfully hard to compete against them. Hopefully I can at the track.” –BDiDonatoTDN

Big Day for Gainesway…

Gainesway acquired Winning Colors for $4.1 million at the 1989 Keeneland November sale. Silver Colors (Mr. Greeley), hip 614’s dam, was her final foal. The 1988 GI Kentucky Derby winner was euthanized the following year due to complications from colic.

Silver Colors’s first foal, a colt by Candy Ride (Arg), sold for $170,000 KEESEP here in 2013. She foaled a To Honor and Serve filly this season.

“He’s a beautiful horse with great composure,” said Gainesway’s Michael Hernon of hip 614. “He caught the eye of Bob Baffert and Kaleem Shah there with John Sikura, which help drive it along… He’s got it all–all the potential in the world.”

Hernon continued, “The reserve was below a million. It just shows you that if you’re in the right place, at the right time, with the right product–this is what we’re all in this business for.”https://twitter.com/bdidonatotdn

Gainesway was by far the session’s leading consignor, selling the day’s top three lots and a total of 11 yearlings for a combined $8,615,000. –BDiDonatoTDN

Three Chimneys Yearlings Light Up Keeneland…

Three Chimneys Farm, which purchased Tuesday’s $1.525-million session-topping colt by Distorted Humor, caused fireworks as sellers at Keeneland Wednesday. Within 20 hips, the farm sold a filly by Bernardini for $1.5 million and a colt by Tapit for $1.65 million. Justin Zayat of Zayat Stables signed the ticket on the filly, who will be campaigned in partnership with Coolmore, while Roy and Gretchen Jackson’s Lael Stable signed for the colt. Three Chimneys will remain as partners in the yearling.

Both seven-figure yearlings, consigned by Gainesway, are out of high-priced mares purchased by Three Chimneys in the last three years.

The filly (hip 511) (ThoroStride Video) is out of Pilfer (Deputy Minister) and is a full-sister to multiple Grade I winner To Honor and Serve and to Grade I winner Angela Renee. Pilfer, whose half-brother by Bernardini topped the OBS March sale at $1.4 million, was purchased in foal to that stallion by Three Chimneys’ Goncalo Torrealba for $1.95 million at the 2012 Fasig-Tipton November sale. Her resulting Bernardini colt sold for $750,000 at last year’s Keeneland September sale.

“From day one she has always been exceptional and

she was a hard one to sell,” admitted Three Chimneys’ chief operating officer Chris Baker.

Of the decision to sell, Baker explained, “It’s multi-factoral. We have the mare. We’ve got other offspring of the mare. The mare is in foal to Tapit, carrying a filly. So we’ve got some things to look forward to. But in the scheme of everything, bills to pay, running it as a business and all that, there is a number at which you’ve got to be willing to sell and she hit that number.”

The Tapit colt (hip 530) (ThoroStride Video) is out of multiple Grade I winner Pure Clan (Pure Prize), who sold, also in foal to Bernardini, for $4.5 million at the 2012 Keeneland November sale. Lael Stable purchased the resulting Bernardini filly for $850,000 at this year’s OBS March sale.

“He kind of had that wow factor to him,” Baker said of the colt. “He was a ‘look right through you’ kind of horse. He has always been very nice, always did everything right. He never turned a hair. You could see it here in the ring, he just took everything in stride. He’s got an exceptional temperament, build and pedigree. If he runs to half of it, he’s going to be very special.”

Pure Clan produced a filly by Tiznow this year and was bred back to Tapit.

Baker acknowledged Wednesday’s sales successes are an endorsement for the program that Three Chimneys has put together in recent years.

“I think [the sales result] is a validation and more than that, it shows that we are putting together the right building box of horses and people and strategy that over the long-term, if we can keep making the right choices and doing the right things, we’ll be able to do things of significance,” Baker said. “This is not the end, it’s the beginning.”

Jackson, Three Chimneys to Campaign Tapit Colt…

A colt by leading sire Tapit shot to the top of the leader board at Keeneland September Wednesday when purchased by Roy and Gretchen Jackson’s Lael Stable for $1.65 million. The Jacksons will campaign the yearling along with his breeder, Three Chimneys Farm.

“This has been bought in a partnership,” confirmed Roy Jackson. “We have been involved with Three Chimneys in one other partnership and they are going to retain an interest in the colt.”

The yearling is the third foal out of Pure Clan, who won the 2009

GI Flower Bowl Invitational and 2008 GI American Oaks. The Jacksons are already familiar with the family, having purchased the colt’s half-sister by Bernardini for $850,000 at this year’s OBS March sale.

“We thought he was the nicest colt in the sale,” Jackson continued. “We’re just glad we were able to buy him.”

Gretchen Jackson added, “He is so well-balanced. He has perfect conformation and way of going. He had a smooth walk. And he handled himself in the show ring so well.”

The colt was consigned by Gainesway and the result was no surprise to the farm’s Michael Hernon.

“He was a superb horse with pedigree and he floated to the top of the major buyers’ lists pre-sale,” Hernon said. “So we knew we were in a strong position. You’ve got the power of Tapit. You’ve got a beautiful horse out of a young Grade I winner who vetted very well. He got out here and he just kept getting better. He walked up here like a champion and he’s like, ‘Give it to me. I’m ready.’ He had a following and this is what the market said he was worth.”

 

 

Zayat, Coolmore Team Up Again…

Zayat Stables and Coolmore have teamed up on Triple Crown winner American Pharoah (Pioneerof the Nile), who will stand at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud upon retirement, and now will campaign another potential star after Justin Zayat signed the ticket at $1.5 million for a filly by Bernardini.

“She’s beautiful,” Zayat said. “The pedigree spoke for itself and she had all the parts. She passed the vetting. She is a beautiful filly and I’m excited to add her to our family. When there is a good one, you have to stretch. Hopefully she’ll reward us. She has an incredible pedigree, being a full to To Honor and Serve and Angela Renee, so we’re excited about her.”

To Honor and Serve, currently represented by his first yearlings, won the 2012 GI Woodward S. and 2011 GI Cigar Mile H. Angela Renee captured last year’s GI Chandelier S.

Of the partnership with Coolmore, Zayat added, “We’re interested in a good horse. If there is a good horse out there, we’ll see what we have to do to get him. With American Pharoah we’re a good team, it meshes well. We’re excited. We love having them as partners.”

The yearling was consigned by Gainesway on behalf of her breeder Three Chimneys Farm.

“Bernardini is having a great run right now and this filly was special in every way,” commented Gainesway’s Michael Hernon. “She has class and power, great motion and a wonderful pedigree behind her. She is really a collector’s item. She is going to have strong residual value regardless of what she does on the racetrack, however I expect her to perform at the highest level.” @JessMartiniTDN

Cool Front Moves In…

Within the first half hour of the opening hammer, Coolmore scooped up its third War Front colt of the sale in hip 495. Bred and consigned by Claiborne Farm, he is the sixth foal out of Orate (A.P. Indy), who is a

full-sister to the late Claiborne stallion Pulpit. Grade I-winning second dam Preach (Mr. Prospector) also produced stakes placed Tell It (Storm Cat) and English group stakes placed Urban Poet (Dynaformer). The

Apr. 18 foal is a half-brother to stakes winner and GI Beldame S. third Endless Chatter (First Samurai). Claiborne has a 3-year-old full-brother that is unraced and Marc Holliday’s Devil Racing purchased a full-sister, the unraced 2-year-old Hymnotic, for $180,000 at this sale last year. Orate produced a Speightstown filly and did not take this spring.

“War Front is just flying at the moment and this colt comes from a great female family, one of the best families in America,” Coolmore’s M.V. Magnier commented. “This horse is a very nice horse. He’s a great mover and is just of a lovely quality.”

Magnier said the colt would most likely head to Europe, but that would be decided soon.

“We’ll bring him back to Ashford and decide in the next couple of weeks, but we’ll most likely go back to Europe with him,” he explained.

Hip 495 was the highest priced of Coolmore’s six purchases in Book 1. The operation acquired three War Fronts, two Scat Daddys and an Uncle Mo–all colts–for a total of $3.525 million. Coolmore’s three War Fronts averaged $850,000.

Coolmore is familiar with this War Front over Pulpit cross, as it’s the same cross as its recently retired Due Diligence (War Front). The Irish champion sprinter’s retirement was announced over the weekend and he will become the first son of War Front to stand in Europe at Whitsbury Manor Stud.

The Claiborne stallion had an outstanding Book 1 and was second in both gross and average to Tapit and Frankel (GB), respectively. A total of 19 War Fronts sold for a gross of $12.1 million and an average of $636,842. @JSeverniTDN

Luminance Half Lights Up KeeSep Ring…

The War Fronts continued to roll later in Wednesday’s session of the September sale, with hip 618, a filly out of the Unbridled’s Song mare Siren Serenade going for a cool $1 million. Bloodstock agent David Ingordo signed the ticket on behalf of Mayberry Farm. The

Mar. 12 filly is the fourth foal out of the dam, and is a half-sibling to ‘TDN Rising Star’ and GI Santa Anita S.

runner-up Luminance (Tale of the Cat). Ingordo also purchased her half-brother by Scat Daddy–now named Exhale–for $500,000 at this sale last year for Mayberry Farm. The dam has a weanling filly by The Factor and was bred to Tapit this spring. The filly was bred by Capital Bloodstock and was consigned by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm. This was Mayberry Farm’s second purchase of the sale, having gone to $600,000 for a Medaglia d’Oro filly during Tuesday’s session.

“We bought her half-brother last year and we think he’s really good and she’s as nice or nicer than him,” Ingordo offered. “She did everything right, she’s classy, and it’s a good family. She’s a long-term investment and we’re happy.”

Ingordo was impressed with a number of the War Fronts he saw during the first two days of the sale and was expecting to pay in the $1 million-range for the filly.

“Lane’s End sold a filly [hip 99 during the opening session] that was probably as good a filly to walk up here. When she made a million bucks, you knew the rest of the War Fronts would be selling like that. He’s probably one of the best sires in the country, if not the world. He’s helping make the sale go, he and Tapit are keeping the market up.”

Hill ‘n’ Dale’s John Sikura believed the filly brought a fair market price.

“I think she sold very well,” Sikura commented. “She’s a high-class filly. War Front, along with Tapit, are the hottest sires in America and she’s a great representation of the horse. She has more leg and length than a lot of them and the second dam is a Grade I winner and the mare already has a Grade I filly, so there’s a lot going on. She was well sold and well bought and a great trade for all concerned. I hope she’s a very good horse for the purchaser.” @JSeverniTDN

Pletcher Grabs Medaglia d’Oro Colt…

During a flurry of action at Keeneland Wednesday, leading trainer Todd Pletcher came out on top at $850,000 for hip 517, a Medaglia d’Oro colt consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, Agent XCV.

“We’re still putting that together,” Pletcher said when asked who he was buying the Feb. 4 foal for. “He’s a beautiful horse, big, strong horse. He’s got a good walk and a big pedigree. He looks like a classic American dirt horse.”

Fred Hertrich III and John Fielding bred the dark bay, who is the first foal out of graded stakes-placed Poof Too (Distorted Humor). Poof Too hails from the extremely deep female family of Grade I winners Bluegrass Cat, Girolamo, Rhythm, et al. Poof Too, who was bred by Hertrich and McCarthy Livestock and campaigned by Hertrich and Fielding, produced a son of Tiznow this year. Click here for more on Hertrich and Fielding from this year’s Keeneland January sale. –BDiDonatoTDN

Oxley Takes Home Tapit Filly…

Prominent owner John Oxley became the new owner of a Tapit half-sister to 2007 GI Gazelle S. winner

Lear’s Princess (Lear Fan) when he went to $825,000 to scoop up hip 521. The grey was consigned by Gainesway, Agent VI. Antony Beck’s operation also bred her.

“She was a Tapit filly out of a very nice family and she had perfect conformation,” Oxley said. “She just looked the part of the Tapit fillies who are doing so well in graded stakes. I thought she checked all the boxes in that regard.”

Oxley, who confirmed that hip 521 would be trained by his go-to conditioner Mark Casse, added, “Actually, I thought I might have to pay a little more, so I’m a happy buyer.”

Oxley and Casse have teamed up just this year with the likes of GI Stephen Foster H. winner Noble Bird (Birdstone); GII Connaught Cup winner Lockout (Limehouse); and GII Nassau S. heroine Sky Treasure (Sky Mesa), who just got up in Monday’s Kentucky Downs Ladies Sprint S. to give Casse a three-win day and Oxley two wins.

Gainesway purchased hip 521’s dam Pretty City (Carson City)–a half to GISW My Big Boy–for $160,000 in foal to Stormy Atlantic out of the Palides Investments N.V. dispersal at the 2011 Keeneland November sale. Her year-older Tapit colt RNA’d for $290,000 here 12 months ao, and she produced another son of the superstar stallion earlier this season. –BDiDonatoTDN

‘Quick’ Return for River Bend…

The Eric Reed-trained Satans Quick Chick (Sky Mesa) scored the biggest victory of her career in Keeneland’s

GII Lexus Raven Run S. at 23-1 for owner Jerry Jamgotchian in 2009, and produced another big return in Lexington Wednesday when her War Front colt garnered a $900,000 winning bid from Japanese trainer Hideyuki Mori. Craig and Holly Bandoroff’s Denali Stud consigned the dark bay as hip 588 on behalf of her breeder, Ina Brown Bond’s River Bend Farm.

“He was a gorgeous horse,” Craig Bandoroff said. “We didn’t raise him, but I saw him as a foal, and every time I saw him–maybe seven or eight times–I just loved him. He had a lot of leg for a War Front, and just so much quality. There’s an old expression I heard a long time ago: ‘If you don’t like him, you don’t like horses.’ He fit that bill.”

Satans Quick Chick, who was twice Grade I-placed, RNA’d for $600,000 at the 2011 Fasig-Tipton November sale before bringing $750,000 in foal to Distorted Humor at Keeneland November the following year. That resulting colt sold for $250,000 here 12 months ago to Hoby and Layna Kight, and brought $500,000 from Third Street Stable at the Fasig-Tipton Florida sale earlier this year after a :10 2/5 breeze.

For more on River Bend Farm from coverage of the Keeneland January sale, click here. –BDiDonatoTDN

Frankel Colt Finds Home in Japan…

The hammer dropped at $800,000 on hip 571 to give Juddmonte’s Frankel his highest-priced North American sale during Wednesday’s session of the September sale. Bloodstock agent Ketta Tsukamoto signed the ticket on behalf of Teruo Ono. “He hasn’t decided who will be training, but he’s going to Japan. The Japanese people love Frankel. He’s the best Frankel here, that’s why we bought him.”

Ono was fairly active during Book 1 with four purchases totaling $1.95 million. Along with the Frankel colt, they acquired an Unbridled’s Song colt for $500,000, a colt by Speightstown for $350,000, and a colt by Kitten’s Joy for $300,000. Ono was Book 1’s 14th most-active buyer by gross.

The gray Frankel colt is out of Rose of Summer (El Prado {Ire}) and is a half-sibling to multiple graded stakes winning millionaire Summer Front (War Front) and to GI Hollywood Starlet S. winner Laragh (Tapit). She was bred by Mike Ryan and consigned by Indian Creek.

Indian Creek’s Shack Parrish admitted to being a bit nervous after the first two Frankels had showed less appeal than expected. As to what made this colt stand out, Parrish said, “his walk and his demeanor. He has a great mind.”

Parrish concluded, “I hope [the Frankels] sell great worldwide. We’re big fans.”

Ryan was pleased with the price.

“We thought that was around the range we figured he’d bring,” Ryan explained. “I think he stood out for himself in the market. He has a great pedigree and is an imposing individual. I think the market dictates what you’re going to get for them. On the sales grounds he reminded me so much of Frankel–the only thing different was the color. His demeanor and his constitution physically and mentally is impeccable. I’m very confident that the sky is the limit for this horse.”

Rose of Summer has a Frankel weanling and was bred to Dubawi (Ire) this spring.

“I would hope that in the U.S. we could continue to [sell Frankels],” Ryan said. “Because we have great grass racing in this country and a lot of Breeders’ Cup races are run on the turf the last time I read the Racing Form.“

Frankel’s first U.S. auction results were mixed in Lexington this week. During the first two days of the sale, hip 183, a colt out of the Kingmambo mare Compelling (Ire), went to Nawara Stud for $500,000, while hip 332, a colt out of the Hennessy mare India, RNA’d for $270,000. Hip 698, a colt out of Tashzara (Ire), RNA’d for $250,000 late in Wednesday’s session. Frankel was Book 1’s highest-ranked stallion by average with his two selling for an average of $650,000. @JSeverniTDN

Flay Fine with Keeping Tapit Fily…

Bobby Flay’s Tapit filly hip 683 RNA’d for $975,000 to become the co-highest RNA’d horse of the session. This bay is the second foal out of Super Espresso (Medaglia d’Oro) who won the GIII Allaire DuPoint Distaff S. and was third in the GI Ogden Phipps H. for Flay. Her first foal, a full-sister to hip 683 named Espresso Time, was purchased by Robert Krembil and Chiefswood Stables for $1 million at last year’s sale and was third in her Laurel Park debut July 26.

Flay noted that $975,000 was “very close” to the reserve, but added he will happily keep the filly to race.

“That’s the beauty about this, especially with a filly,” the celebrity chef explained. “I bred her from a really terrific family with a great sire and she has a beautiful physical. In most cases, I would race this horse anyway and not put her through the sale, but I found it to be so incredibly marketable and valuable. In this case, there was a premium for her. If someone wanted to pay $1 million for her, fine, but if not, that’s ok, too. If it was a colt, I’d be a little bit less aggressive, but since she’s a filly from a mare that I raced and that she’s got so much upside to her, I don’t mind racing the filly at all.”

Super Espresso has a weanling filly by Tapit and was bred to Bernardini this spring. @JSeverniTDN