Lots accustomed to Ashford Stud-based stallion Justify , M. V. Magnier liked what he was seeing when one of the sons of the 2018 Triple Crown winner entered the ring. That is to say, the weanling looked a whole lot like his famous father.
A couple of hours into the opening Book 2 session of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, Magnier, bidding from his usual position in the back ring, went to $625,000 to land the colt named Just Before Dawn (Hip 305).
“He is stamping them as strong horses and good breathers; the lads at home have commented how they are very simple to deal with,” Magnier said.
The weanling would prove to be the session topper on a day that saw strong sales of young horses and mares as average spiked 19% to $167,549 and median improved 30% to $130,000 compared with the opening session of Book 2 in 2020. The session saw 226 of 290 horses offered sell for $37,866,000.
Overall the sale has seen 344 horses sell for $88,500,000. That gross is up 14% compared with 2020 to this point in the sale.
Keeneland vp of gross sales Tony Lacy mentioned momentum has continued from the yearling gross sales to the blended gross sales.
(L-R): Cormac Breathnach and Tony Lacy on the Keeneland November Sale
“Unimaginable. I imply, it was a extremely vibrant market,” Lacy mentioned. “I believe this can be a continuation of a variety of the power we noticed in September. Foals have been extremely sturdy. I believe there have been a variety of pissed off pinhookers on the market attempting to purchase. There have been a variety of finish customers truly taking part out there at present, which is basically encouraging.
“Younger mares—properly bred and on the quilt to common stallions—once more have been extraordinarily common. So that you had a variety of pleased sellers. I believe it is a actually encouraging market as we transfer ahead.”
The Justify colt is the highest weanling colt bought on the sale thus far, as he topped all weanling colts bought throughout the E book One session as properly.
Bred in Kentucky by Summer season Wind Equine, Simply Earlier than Daybreak (Hip 305) is a son of 2018 Horse of the Yr Justify—Unenchantedevening, by Unbridled’s Music. The colt is a half brother to Moonshine Memories , who at age 2 won the 2017 Chandelier (G1) and Del Mar Debutante (G1) stakes in Southern California. He’s also a half brother to grade 2-placed stakes winner Indian Evening and stakes-placed Mo for the Money .
“He is a really nice horse, Jane Lyon and everyone from Summer Wind are very good breeders. This horse is very well bred,” Magnier noted, adding that the price may turn out to be value. “Listen, he’s by one of the best horses we have seen in America in a very long time. With a horse bred like that and with a good physical he deserved to make it.”
Justify wasn’t the only young sire to make an impression. With Gun Runner running away with the title of leading freshman sire for 2021, Maverick Racing picked up a weanling colt by the fast-starting sire for $410,000 out of young mare Marwa.
Meanwhile the good times continue to roll for leading sire Into Mischief , who saw colts sell for $375,000 and $350,000.
The session’s top-priced weanling filly was a daughter of Munnings —Storm Crossing, by Tiznow , purchased for $300,000 by Brookstone Farm from the consignment of Stuart Morris, agent for Waldorf Farm.
The strong weanling market slowed the efforts of Peter O’Callaghan, of Woods Edge Farm, to purchase pinhook prospects but he welcomed the positive trend for the industry overall.
(L-R): Peter, Guy, David, and Robert O’Callaghan at the Keeneland November Sale
“It’s wonderful for the game and the breeders,” O’Callaghan said. “Good looking weanlings here today are as valuable as they are appearing to be. It’s been very difficult for us (as pinhookers). We have only bought a handful of horses. It looks like it might be a down year for us.”
Leading the way for broodmares sold during Thursday’s session was a stakes-winning, graded stakes-placed daughter of Old Fashioned who thrilled her consignor when she lit up the board. California-bred Streak of Luck , from the consignment of James B. Keogh (Grovendale)—who also was part owner of the horse—sold for $620,000 to Aaron and Marie Jones.
“Wow, it couldn’t be any better,” Keogh said. “Mr. and Mrs. Jones are great people. I’m thrilled and delighted they got her; they are dear friends.”
Sold as Hip 265, the 6-year-old daughter of the Unbridled’s Song son Old Fashioned is the first stakes winner for her dam, Valeria , who has produced three winners from as many starters. Valeria is a daughter of Elusive Quality .
Streak of Luck is believed to be in-foal to 2020 classic winner and Horse of the Year Authentic .
Frank Taylor, of Taylor Made Sales Agency and purchasing on behalf of the Jones’, said the mare has a great physical and plenty of ties to Taylor Made.
“She’s by a son of Unbridled’s Song, which we love. We raised Old Fashioned on the farm so that was a plus for me,” Taylor said. “She’s a good graded stakes racemare and in foal to a Derby winner (Authentic) with an early January foal. She’s what we are looking for.”
“I saw a mare (Wednesday) that was very comparable to Streak of Luck and she brought $700,000. That was a bid or two past what we were trying to do. We just wanted her.”
Campaigned by Keogh, Carrie Brogden, and breeder Roncelli Family Trust, the durable Streak of Luck posted a 6-3-3 record and $352,109 earnings from 30 starts. A winner at age 2, 3, 4, and 5, Streak of Luck won the 2020 Lady Canterbury Stakes at Canterbury Park. Throughout her profession she positioned in a pair of graded stakes.
“I campaigned her as a racehorse. She gained a stakes for me; so she is fairly particular to me,” Keogh mentioned. “Carrie Brogden and I owned her collectively. Carrie discovered her in California and in two seconds I made the choice to take half of her. It is fairly darn good.”
The broodmare market probably picked up momentum off a powerful yearling market. Lacy mentioned after breeders noticed yearlings fare properly at Keeneland September—together with yearlings from much less established mares or older mares—they’re discovering confidence out there to reinvest.
“The suggestions we have been getting on the finish of the September sale is that a variety of breeders have been saying, ‘I should buy some mares now.’ (That success in September) allowed them to be liquid.”
Keeneland director of gross sales operations Cormac Breathnach additionally famous that momentum.
“I believe that the September market was so sturdy that it actually validated business breeders’ religion in what they have been doing and type of validated their objective and gave them, in a variety of circumstances, some fairness to reinvest,” Breathnach mentioned. “Typically there have been massive quantities of cash spent on yearlings out of older mares or mares that perhaps hadn’t been that type of A-list sort.”
Breathnach mentioned Keeneland September noticed power within the early market all over the final day, which ought to present confidence within the mares that will probably be provided at Keeneland November going ahead.
Warrendale’s Hunter Simms, who went to $500,000 Thursday on behalf of Silesia Farm to buy the mare Impeccable Style , a daughter of Uncle Mo , also credited that momentum from the yearling sales.
“The market is strong, both selling and buying. You lead stuff up here and you think you’re going to be at a certain number, but they end up paying a premium,” said Simms, who said momentum has built at sales this late summer and fall. “It happened across town, it’s happening here. I think the (Keeneland September Yearling Sale) led into it a bit and breeders are having to spend that money going into next year, whether for tax purposes or trying to better their crop.”
Hunter Simms at the Keeneland sale
Another top broodmare to sell Thursday included a young Shanghai Bobby mare, March X Press , that sold for $560,000 to Parks Investment Group. She was consigned by Lane’s End, agent.
Lane’s End would finish as the session’s leading consignor with 27 horses sold for $6,302,000—an average of $233,407. Woodford Thoroughbreds finished as leading buyer of the session after purchasing five horses for a gross of $1,245,000—a $249,000 average.
Consignors reported strong interest at the barns.
“The trade has been very good, mares are selling well,” said Archie St George of St George Sales. “I would say it is strong trade again. There are plenty of people here buying foals and they are bringing plenty of money.”
St George sold eight horses Thursday for an average of $175,625.
“There has been a lot of vet work on the nice ones; there are a lot of people trying to buy foals. Everything is positive.”
