ADDING to what must surely be one of the most incredible broodmare bands in the world, MV Magnier stole the show at Book 1 of the Keeneland November Sale when he paid $6 million to acquire the champion filly Stellar Wind, a multiple Grade 1 winning daughter of Curlin. The five-year-old will now be retired and bred to Triple Crown winner American Pharoah.
The outstanding offering at Keeneland this week, Stellar Wind’s price was some way clear of the $2.3 million paid by the partnership of Bridlewood Farm and Don Alberto Corporation for the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks winner Cathryn Sophia, sold with her first covering by Pioneerof The Nile. She was one of a number of high-profile purchases by the partners.
Don Alberto Corporation paid $1.8 million for the stakes-placed Tapit four-year-old Royal Obsession, in foal to Curlin, and $1.7 million for Paola Queen, a Grade 1 winning daughter of Flatter who sold as a broodmare prospect. They also partnered with Three Chimneys to buy the champion Chilean mare Wapi for $1,050,000 and this daughter of Scat Daddy is in foal to Curlin.
Meanwhile Bridlewood Farm spent $1.5 million to purchase the Grade 1 winning juvenile Street Fancy and this four-year-old daughter of Street Sense is due her first foal in January by Medaglia D’Oro.
Summer Wind Equine made its presence felt and completed three seven-figure purchases. Leading the way was For Royalty, the stakes-winning dam of Grade 1 winner Constellation and she was sold in foal to Bernardini, for $2.1 million. New Money Honey won the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf last year and her dam, an own-sister to Any Given Saturday, was sold in foal to Medaglia D’Oro for $1.4 million.
They also purchased another mare in foal to Medaglia D’Oro when giving $1,050,000 for the dam of Grade 2 winners War Story and Land Over Sea.
White Birch Farm will be waiting with bated breath for next year’s foal from the Giant’s Causeway mare Enchanted Rock. The produce will be a full-sibling to the dual Grade 1 winning More Than Ready colt Verrazano. She realised $2 million . Joshua Bell was the agent for the purchase of the stakes winner Oscar Party, a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Room Service, and she was most attractively covered by Tapit. She cost Alpha Delta Stables $1.9 million.
Three notable sales to Japan were the Grade 3 winner Tammy The Torpedo, in foal to War Front, for $1.65 million to Dr Masatake Iida; the Grade 1 winner Her Emmynency in foal to Pioneerof The Nile for $1.5 million to Shadai Farm; and Lucky To Be Me, the dam of last year’s champion juvenile filly Champagne Room, in foal to Uncle Mo for $1.25 million.
The remaining millionaire sales in Book 1 were Mt Brilliant Farm’s purchase of Grade 3 winner Sky Girl, in foal to Union Rags, for $1.5 million; Life Well Lived, the dam of Grade 1 winner American Patriot, in foal to American Pharoah (James Delahooke for Bobby Flay); and the sole seven-figure weanling, the Curlin half-brother to Violence. He cost agent Andre Lynch $1 million.
BOOK 2
The opening session of Book 2 of the Keeneland November Sale saw another million dollar transaction on a day when the turnover almost exactly matched that of the previous year. A small drop in average of 3% due to a better clearance rate was countered by a healthy 17% jump in the median to $120,000.
The subject of the $1 million transaction was Fools In Love, the dam of Aidan O’Brien’s Group 2 winning juvenile of 2017, Seahenge. That son of Scat Daddy was placed in the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes behind his stablemates U S Army Ranger and Mendelssohn. Fools In Love is not in foal but her new owners, Cheveley Park stud, will not be short of stallions to choose from. Chris Richardson believes that the new acquisition will become a foundation mare at the stud.
The seven-year-old Curlin Hawk, in foal to Malibu Moon, was another significant sale on the day, and she is the dam of another smart juvenile of 2017. The Scat Daddy Grade 3 winner Seabhac. She will now head to Japan following her purchase for $800,000 Shimakobe Farm.