Amo fends off fierce competition to secure Ted Noffey’s dam for $6.2 million
Fresh from making huge investments at yearling sales, Kia Joorabchian’s Amo Racing USA made headlines once again when it purchased Streak Of Luck (Old Fashioned), the dam of undefeated Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (Gr 1, 8.5f) winner Ted Noffey (Into Mischief), for a sale-topping US$6.2 million (approx. AU$9.55 million) at Monday night’s Fasig-Tipton November Sale in Kentucky.
Streak Of Luck, a stakes-winning daughter of Old Fashioned (Unbridled’s Song), was sold in foal to Taylor Made’s sire sensation Not This Time (Giant’s Causeway) and was one of the final lots through the ring. She was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, for longtime client Marie Jones, the breeder of Ted Noffey.
The ten-year-old was supplemented for the sale in mid-October, following Ted Noffey’s triumph in the Claiborne Breeders’ Futurity (Gr 1, 8.5f) at Keeneland. The Todd Pletcher-trained son of Into Mischief (Harlan’s Holiday) then tightened his grip on champion juvenile honours on Friday with an accomplished performance at the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar.
Ben McElroy was tasked with bidding for Amo Racing and he dug deep to fight off fierce competition from Ace Stud’s Paul Curran.
“We had to wait around, and I kind of knew who was waiting around; it was going to be extremely strong,” McElroy told Bloodhorse.com.
“She was probably the elite mare that came in here with all the momentum. She’s got the champion two-year-old colt, or champion-elect [Ted Noffey], Kentucky Derby future favourite. He’s a great-looking horse; he’s unbeaten.
“Kia [Joorabchian] wanted this one. She’ll go to Archie St George’s farm, Brookstone Farm, to foal her out.”
Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (Gr 1, 5f) winner Shisospicy (Mitole) will stay in training next year after Morplay Racing’s bought out the mare’s co-owner Qatar Racing for US$5.2 million (approx. AU$8.01 million).
The daughter of Mitole (Eskendereya) has enjoyed an almost flawless year with her only defeat in five starts coming when finishing down the field in the Commonwealth Cup (Gr 1, 6f) at Royal Ascot.
Despite missing out on the top lot, the Raging Torrent Syndicate did not leave the sale empty handed with the UK-based operation shelling out US$5 million (approx. AU$7.7 million) for the reigning Broodmare of the Year, Puca (Big Brown).
Entered for the sale by John Stewart’s Resolute Bloodstock, who bought the now 13-year-old by Big Brown (Boundary) for US$2.9 million at Keeneland in 2023, Puca is the dam of Kentucky Derby (Gr 1, 10f) winner Mage (Good Magic) and Dornoch (Good Magic), winner of the Belmont Stakes (Gr 1, 10f) and Haskell Stakes (Gr 1, 9f), as well as Pennsylvania Derby (Gr 1, 9f) scorer Baeza (McKinzie).
The mare is not in foal after producing a Good Magic (Curlin) sister to Mage and Dornoch on May 5.
Raging Torrent Syndicate’s Paul Curran, who is also bloodstock and racing manager at Newmarket-based Ace Stud, said Puca would kept in America to support Lane’s End Farm resident Raging Torrent (Maximus Mischief), who raced in Zhang’s bottle green and white silks at the backend of his career, or the operation’s multiple Grade 1 winner Carl Spackler (Lope De Vega), who it was revealed on Monday would join the Land’s End Farm roster for 2026.
Meanwhile, fresh from celebrating a famous Breeders’ Cup victory with their brilliant homebred Forever Young (Real Steel), Katsumi Yoshida’s Northern Farm made their presence felt at the sale, finishing as the leading buyer after landing six mares for US$14.9 million (approx. AU$22.95 million).
Just F Y I (Justify), the champion juvenile filly of 2023, was the most expensive of the sextet at US$4.5 million (approx. AU$6.93 million). Offered by Hill ‘n’ Dale at Xalapa, the four-year-old daughter of 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify (Scat Daddy) is believed to be carrying her first foal by leading sire Into Mischief.
The one-session sale again produced impressive results. A total of 138 horses sold for an aggregate of US$102,027,000 (approx. AU$157.16 million), with 27 selling for US$1 million (approx. AU$1.54 million) or more. The average finished at US$739,326 (approx. AU$1.13 million), a 35 per cent increase year-on-year, while the median improved to US$300,000 (approx. AU$462,120), up 20 points on 2024. The clearance rate was 77 per cent.