The opening session of Book 3, Nov. 11, at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale was highlighted by Stoneway Farm seeing the bidding to $425,000 for the mare Chameleon, who sold in foal to three-time grade 1 winner Practical Joke . Mt. Brilliant Farm consigned the 4-year-old Candy Ride mare as Hip 1437.
“She’s a lovely mare and in foal to Practical Joke, who just had two double raises in his stud fee,” Terri Burch, racing manager and partner for Stoneway Farm, said. “We are looking for big, attractive mares. We lost one in foal to Jack Christopher this year, so we were looking for something to replace her.”
The mare Burch referenced losing was the Candy Ride mare Ahh, producer of Falls City Handicap (G2) and Allaire DuPont Distaff Stakes (G3) winner Ahh Chocolate and Andesite , a dual grade 3 placed runner.
Today’s Candy Ride mare purchase is out of the Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf Stakes winner Secret Someone , and from the family of Private Gift , producer of multiple grade 2 winner Private Mission and the mare Gift List , dam of Alabama Stakes (G1) victor Dunbar Road .
Burch added: “We were looking for something in a family line we didn’t have that had a lot of winners and stakes horses in it to replace her.”
Jim Stone’s Stoneway Farm has seen much success through the years, including breeding grade 2 winning sire Instagrand , campaigning two-time grade 2 winner Stonetastic , and Song of Spring , a winner in the Allaire DuPont Distaff.
“We are always trying to upgrade our stock and cull a bit,” Burch said. “If they don’t bring our price (in the sales ring), we race. This year, we bought three, and we kept three. We’ve been successful in breeding and racing to get a stakes horse than coming over and buying one at the sales.”
Mt. Brilliant Broodmares bred the mare and campaigned her with Michael Stidham through five starts.
Stoneway Farm made two purchases Saturday, the second being Dance Recital for $95,000 from the Greenfield Farms draft. The mare, out of grade 2 winner Gold Medal Dancer , sold in foal to first-year sire Jack Christopher . Stoneway spent $520,000 to be the session four leading buyer.
Freshman sire Yaupon had two weanlings carry session four after selling for $220,000 to over-the-phone bidder Brownsboro Racing and $205,000 to Cavalier B/S, a pinhooking entity of Peter O’Callaghan’s.
The Yaupon colt consigned as Hip 1430 in the ring at the Keeneland November Sale
The $220,000 colt, consigned as Hip 1430 by Legacy Bloodstock, was bred in Kentucky by Dr. Scott Pierce out of the Bustin Stones stakes winner Cartwheelin Lulu . The mare’s 2-year-old by Bernardini has made three starts this year, running second Nov. 3 at Aqueduct over 1 mile for Flanagan Racing.
“They are nice horses; you know how the market is once they figure out a good one,” consignor Tommy Eastham said. “Yaupon is probably one of the prettiest horses I have seen. This particular colt is great-minded; he did everything we asked, even after coming out 111 times. He was tired, but he never failed us. We are grateful to the people like Scott Pierce who send us these great horses.”
The other top Yaupon colt, born in February, was bred in Kentucky by St. Simon Place and consigned as Hip 1319 by Grovendale Sales. Peter O’Callaghan, who consigns as Woods Edge Farm, signed the sales slip.
“Yaupon is a very good-looking horse himself and out of a Vindication mare (Modification), which has a good influence, and you see the Indian Charlie and Uncle Mo coming through,” O’Callaghan commented. “I have to hand it to him; they (weanlings) are very consistent. In each session at Fasig and Keeneland, he has had a couple of star colts and fillies each day; it’s been impressive.”
As to the six-figure price tag, which was the second-highest of the day for a weanling, O’Callaghan said, “It’s a lot of money for a weanling; I don’t feel like we stole him.”
The Yaupon colt consigned as Hip 1319 at the Grovendale Sales consignment
The bay colt is out of the unraced Quality Road mare Sunday Driver, which brings forward black type under the second dam, Unhurried . Her Exaggerator son, Skippylongstocking , is a multiple-graded winner of over $1.5 million who took the Challenger Stakes (G3) in March and Charles Town Classic (G2) in August. The 4-year-old ran third in the Nov. 4 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) for owner Daniel Alonso and trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.
During the fourth session Saturday, the top 10 horses sold for $170,000 or more to 10 distinct buyers. There were six mares in foal to Ashford Stud’s Golden Pal , who grossed $629,000 to make him the session’s leading covering sire.
Keeneland reports 249 horses changed hands of the 323 on offer Saturday for gross receipts of $15,122,000, down 30.3% over the previous year. An average of $60,731, down 26.7%, and a $50,000 median, down 16.7%, was recorded. The 74 horses who failed to attain their reserve represent an RNA rate of 22.9%.
During the fourth session last year, 262 horses sold of the 338 through the ring for a gross of $21,695,000. An average price of $82,805 and a $60,000 median were made. An RNA rate of 22.5% represents the 76 horses that did not sell.
Lane’s End Farm sold 31 head for gross receipts of $1,487,000, at an average of $47,968, to be the session’s leading seller.
Over the past four days of selling, 853 individuals have sold of the 1,138 to go under the hammer for a gross of $149,382,000. An average price of $175,125 and a median of $100,000 were made. There have been 285 horses that did not sell to represent an RNA rate of 25%.
To this point last year, 842 horses of the 1,081 to go on offer had sold for a gross of $164,697,000. An average of $195,602 and a $120,000 median were recorded. An RNA rate of 22.1% represents the 239 horses that did not sell.
Perennial leading consignor Taylor Made Sales Agency holds the lead with gross sales of $18,290,000 at an average of $163,304 for the 112 horses sold to be the leading consignor. West Bloodstock, agent for Repole Stable, has made $5,220,000 worth of purchases for nine individuals to be the sale’s leading buyer.
Selling from Book 3 continues Sunday, with Hips 1485-1900 heading through the sales ring at 10 a.m. ET. There are 84 horses withdrawn from the Nov. 12 session.
