D. Wayne Lukas knows what he likes.
Hall of Fame conditioning wasted no time in participating in August 9 on the Second Day of the Saratoga Sale, Fasig-Tipton’s selection sale in Saratoga Springs, NY, and stuck to his gun to take home a Medaglia d’Oro colt (Hip 114) winner bet level 3 Walk up close for $1.35 million.
Signing the ticket on behalf of BC Stables’ John Bellinger, Lukas hit the desired 7th figure to be sold. The foal consigned by Four Star Sales as an agent was raised in Kentucky by Lochlow Farm and Godolphin. Medaglia d’Oro stands at Darley Stallions near Lexington, where his 2022 fee is advertised as $100,000.
“He’s got a really good physique,” commented Lukas. “Obviously we’re not the only ones who like him. I think he’s got a great move and a great attitude. I’ve watched him walk away two or three times and he She looks like she’s resting her head on her good shoulder.” had a hunch that the horse would get through the ground pretty well. I have a theory about angles and skeletons, how they fit together, and he’s got it all…
“No one in the building knows if he’s a bargain. We’ll find out. You think you know and we all think we’re smart about it. But everyone has an opinion. and the horse has the truth. That’s how it works.”
Lukas said the exact ownership of the foal would be clearly classified.
“I think we’ll do something creative with him,” he said. “We didn’t have much time to put anything together; we talked about it briefly. We’ll sleep on it and then we’ll be together and we can all be okay. take a little bit. Maybe (BC Stables) of their own… We’ll have to work through it.”
Hip 114, a longing pony by Medaglia D’Oro off Walk Close, was deposited at The Saratoga Sale
While Hip 114 was the star of the show, Lukas added a quartet to his clients in the space of two days. Sneaking beneath the bazaar, he brings home two more horses for BC Stables — Hip 60, $425,000 Munnings bred by Hunter Valley from bet winnings Quality Sugar roaming mares consigned by Four Star Sales; and Hip 65, $425,000 Into Mischief The foal was bred by William B. VanMeter from the unarmed Samantha Dillon mare of the song Unbridled, from the 1st grade Silver Swallow family, deposited by St George Sales. He also landed a pair for John Napoli from Mulholland Springs shipment: $325,000 American pharoah colt out of the bet winnings bet Blame mare Blame It On Alphie, designated Hip 141 and bred by Mulholland Springs, Jay and Beth Young, and Tom Grether Farms; and 200,000 dollars Interrogation filly (Hip 76) was bred by Mulholland Springs and Roger and Mary A. Pardieck out Fort Larned Mare sister. Also in the family is 3rd place bet winner Langara Lass, Blended Citizen ranked bet winner, Kentucky Derby 2017 presented by Yum! Brands (G1) runner-up Lookin At Lee, and 1st place stake winner is Battlefield Angel.
Lukas plans to stay active at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale as he lines up what he hopes will become his next generation of stars.
“It’s been a pleasure to be back here and (actively buying) in this arena,” he said. “We’re going to try to keep things going in the fall in Keeneland. As long as we can buy a few like this, we’ll have a nice steady race. I don’t want much, I do. don’t want to coach like I used to.”
For Four Star Sales’ Kerry Cauthen, Tuesday’s seven-figure sales weren’t all that obvious.
“I sold two seven-horses here, that’s the second one,” he said. “It’s pretty special. We sold a Tapit here a few years ago… In short, it’s great. But it’s great in a sense, all these horses are delivering. what i can say is very good value based on what you mean pre-sale expectation the vibe here is really special it continues to have a post-pandemic light where everyone is They realize that keeping money in the bank isn’t giving them much fun, but this seems to be a sport they’re aiming for. it’s a lifetime so I’d love to see that.”
