Among the top sellers at Fasig-Tipton’s July Sale, a yearling horse auction held July 9, was a pair of $400,000 foals from proven stallions. Uncle Mo And Align .
Meg Dumaine’s Funny Farm, which bred, raised and consigned the Uncle Mo colt, classified as Hip 135, is confident the horse will be well received by buyers.
“I bought this mare as a prospect and she’s gorgeous,” she said of Conquest Superstep, a Super Saver mare Dumaine bought for $150,000 at the 2017 Keeneland November Stallion Sale. “She’s one of the most beautiful horses conformationally. This colt doesn’t stretch as well as she did, but this colt looks like her. She stamps her offspring.
“I knew people would love him because he was handsome. However, it is impossible to judge the market,” she continued. “But we believed that the reservations would not be a problem and that at least two people would love him, and we were right.”
April Mayberry, owner of Mayberry Farm in Florida, was the colt’s favorite and said the final price was exactly what she expected.
April Mayberry
“He is a gorgeous, well-balanced, well-behaved foal,” she said. “There really isn’t much not to like about him.”
Mayberry said she bought the foal for a client who wanted to take it racing.
“To me, he looks like he’s coming early, but with the client’s program, he might not come early,” she said. “It will depend on where he is at the end of our program. The horse will tell you what to do.”
Mayberry also said she is a big fan of Ashford Stud’s top stallion Uncle Mo.
“They are lovely, intelligent horses. They have to have good brains to be good racehorses, beyond their ability,” she said. “They are easy to work with, and they are usually handsome horses.”
Conquest Superstep has produced three winners from three to the race, with two of them winning at 2. The 3-year-old mare of Ghost Slayer named Pula, broke her virginity last November at Churchill Downswhere she defeated future grade 3 winner Lemon Muffins .
Funny Farm sold two other horses at auction in July, for $200,000. American Pharaoh colt (Hip 218) to trainer Kenny McPeek, and $200,000 Quality Road The foal (Hip 253) arrives at the Columbine stables.
Gainesway has consigned the remaining colt worth $400,000, a chestnut colt (Hip 168) by Ashford Triple Crown winner and third-placed stallion Justify.
Justify foal is consigned as Hip 168
Golden Star Farm purchased the colt, bred by Thor-Bred Stables in Kentucky, out of an Indygo Shiner mare named Indygita, a half-sister to Grade 3 winner Lemoona (Lemon Drop Kid).
Mickey Gonzalez, a retired real estate developer, owns Golden Star Farm, northwest of Ocala, Fla. He declined to comment on his purchase of Hip 168 after signing the ticket. However, he did not complete the purchase and picked up a $150,000 ticket. Practical joke foal from Blake-Albina Thoroughbred Services consignment.
Brian Graves, representing Gainesway, said the colt Justify had been identified as suitable for the Fasig-Tipton sale in July.
“I say this about a lot of the horses we pick, but for a selective auction, you want a horse with a nice neck and shoulders, good hips and balance and good legs. He has all of those things,” Graves said. “Justify is also leading the way in becoming a top breed and doing it on both sides of The Pond. It’s a great time to have a horse like him at auction. We think he’ll be among the horses that will top the auction.”
To stand out in July, a horse needs to “look fast and start early,” Graves said.
“And the power of the father is king,” he added.
