Mulberry Racing join the action at buoyant first session of Keeneland September Sale
Mulberry Racing made their presence felt during the opening session of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale on Monday when they purchased a Quality Road (Elusive Quality) colt out of dual Royal Ascot winner Lady Aurelia (Scat Daddy) for US$550,000 (approx. AU$833,000).
Backed by billionaire investor Mike Gregg, Mulberry Racing made headlines earlier this year when purchasing Star Entertainment’s slot for The Everest (Gr 1, 1200m). The operation are behind a progressive stable of horses prepared by Hawkesbury trainer Brad Widdup, who is in Kentucky to help with their buying in the US.
Offered by Indian Creek as agent for Stonestreet Farm, the colt is a half-brother to stakes-winner American Rascal (Curlin) and is likely to remain in the US for now with Brendan Walsh set to train the youngster.
Coolmore partners joined the action during the opening session of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale where figures once again were heading through the roof.
MV Magnier of Coolmore teamed up with Peter Brant and Winchell Thoroughbreds to buy a colt by Gun Runner (Candy Ride) for a session-topping $3.3 million (approx. AU$4,997,400)
The son of the Three Chimneys powerhouse sire was consigned by Hill ‘n’ Dale at Xalapa.
Out of Grade 2 winner Thoughtfully (Tapit), the colt is from the family of Grade 1 winners Furlough (Easy Goer), Dancing Spree (Nijinsky) and Fantastic Find (Mr. Prospector). Catalogued as Lot 177, the youngster is a relative of an individual that the operation knows well as last year Magnier and Brant’s White Birch Farm bought the youngsters half-brother by Curlin (Smart Strike) for $1.3 million.
“He’s by Gun Runner, and all the lads really liked him,” Magnier told BloodHorse.
Of the Curlin relation, he added: “Chad [Brown, trainer] actually likes him quite a bit, so hopefully he’ll win soon enough”
“We knew he [Hip 177] was a very smooth, very good horse by a great sire who had another Grade 1 winner [Brant in the Del Mar Futurity], from a prolific female family,” said Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm’s John Sikura.
“After a million dollars, you’re just watching and hoping. You never know where they’re going to wind up, but the good thing is, I knew we were strong going in, a multiplicity of interest from strong people. After that, you’re just a spectator in the process, and hopefully they all get brave and stay brave.”
The top-priced filly and second overall was a daughter of Not This Time (Giant’s Causeway), who was consigned by Hinkle Farms and sold to David Lanigan and Ted Durcan on behalf of the Heider family for $1.7 million (approx. AU$2,574,400).
Scott Heider said: “There are two fillies on the page [Surf N Sand and Coco As In Chanel] that we raced and were stakes winners for us. We knew the family, and we really like the Hinkle family. They raise very good horses. We looked at a lot of good fillies in Book 1 and I told [my team], ‘This is the one I want’. I had no idea we would have to wrestle that hard to get it done.”
The opening session posted a record average price of $653,208 (approx. AU$989,200) and sold 15 horses for $1 million or more, the highest number since 2006.
Total sales for 106 horses were $69,240,000 (approx. AU$104,855,000), which jumped 26 per cent from last year while the median rose 19 per cent from $450,000 to $537,500 (approx. AU$814,000).
“We saw a really healthy environment,” Keeneland vice president of sales, Tony Lacy, said.
“Everybody here that came to buy horses felt that they had to spend more to get them. They were willing to do it and they had fun doing it. At the end of the day that’s what we’re trying to create: a good fun environment. We put the right horses in front of the right people.”
There was sustained demand for the first crop of the 2022 horse of the year Flightline (Tapit) as his offspring filled places right at the top of the standings.
Lane’s End’s unbeaten champion had two of the five most expensive yearlings on the day and three of the top ten. Flightline ended up with nine yearlings selling at an average of $975,000 (approx. AU$1,476,500), which was a figure bettered only by Gun Runner’s $1,026,000 (approx. AU$1,553,700) for ten sold.
Japanese owner Naohiro Sakaguchi signed for his most expensive offspring of the session, reaching $1.7 million (approx. AU$2,574,400) for a half-brother to Grade 3 winner Promise Keeper (Constitution) and stakes winner Wicked Awesome (Awesome Again). He colt was offered by Warrendale Sales.
He will head to trainer Makoto Saito, who said: “He looks like he will fit in Japan. We feel like Flightline has good potential. Flightline is a favourite in Japan.”