A grey/roan yearling filly by Dehere, out of the stakes-placed, stakes-producing mare Seattle Moon, was the top-priced New York-bred yearling of eight that sold at the Fasig-Tipton July Selected Yearling sale this week. The filly, consigned by Top Line Sales (agent), and one of three yearlings purchased by Whisper Hill Farm, brought $170,000, well over twice the sale average of $75,780. She was purchased earlier this year by B & B Partners for $57,000 at the OBS Winter Mixed Sale.
Bred by Michaelyn Gamble, Bill Allen and Adam Staple, and foaled at Sez Who Thoroughbreds North, the Dehere filly, which gets an A++ TrueNicks rating, is one of twelve foals from Seattle Moon, who has produced eight winners from ten offspring to race. She last changed hands via auction at the 2001 OBS Fall Mixed sale, when purchased by Margaret Roca for $6,500.
One of Seattle Moon’s most successful offspring, Vous (by Wild Rush) is a stakes-winner and five-times stake-placed, including in two Grade 3s. She ran on turf in all but two of 24 starts and earned $227,905. Seattle Moon’s other best filly is New York-bred Mohegan Sky, a daughter of Straight Man bred by Adam Staple, Michaelyn Scott and James Scott. A stakes-winner at Belmont and, six-times stakes-placed (once in the Grade 3 Jaipur), Mohegan Sky also made the majority of her 29 starts on turf and earned $280,294. Other winning offspring include a stakes-placed New York-bred filly Deities Day (by Buddha), and a gelding Salty O’Rourke (Salt Lake), who earned$204,430. To date Seattle Moon’s offspring have earned $955,891.
The second dam, stakes-winner Tempest Moon, produced a second black type winner, as well as the unraced Her Mink Coat (Seattle Dancer), who produced a Grade 3 winner (Moonflute) and two fillies that produced graded stakes winners and placers.
A bay colt by Badge of Silver out of the unraced Storm Creek mare Queen of Valentine was the second-highest ranking New York-bred yearling to go through the ring. Consigned by Eaton Sales (agent), the April foal was purchased by James Maloney for $150,000. Badge of Silver, a freshman sire, has four winners from 12 starters thus far, and is currently ninth on the First Crop Sires list. The colt first sold in January for $50,000 to Sugar Valley Farm at Keeneland’s Horses of All Ages Sale.
Bred by Eaton & Thorne, Inc. and foaled at Thorndale Farm, the colt is the fourth foal – and fourth New York-bred – from his dam. In addition to an unplaced three-year-old (a gelded son of Grand Slam), Queen of Valentine has a two-year-old colt by Greeley’s Galaxy and a reported live foal this year by Ready’s Image.
The colt’s second dam, Shappy, is a sister to Salty Secret, dam of multiple graded-winner and Grade 1-placed Feline Story ($435,065). There are multiple black type-winning horses under the third and fourth dams, Salt In My Stew (Dr. Blum) and Cream In My Coffee (Tompion).
A filly out of Birthday Wire by Lawyer Ron, whose first foals are yearlings this year, rounds out the top three New York-breds in the sale. Consigned by Michael and Julia O’Quinn (agent), the bay filly was purchased by Pike Racing (agent) for $80,000. Bred by Todd R. Graves and Michele M. Graves and foaled at Hickory Hill Farm Thoroughbreds, the filly sold as a weanling at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock sale for $40,000. She is the fourth registered foal from Birthday Wire, an unraced daughter of Birdonthewire. All three of her foals to race are winners, including two New York-breds. The third, a gelded son of Greatness (Wiredfortwotwenty), has won $87,380, with just about half the earnings coming in turf races. The colt’s second dam, I’m In Celebration (by Copelan), has an impressive produce history. She has nine winners, two of which are stakes winners (including Nice to Know, winner of $421,556); a third is Grade 2-placed. One daughter has produced a Grade 3 winner and another stakes-winner. The third dam, In Jubilation, is a Grade 1 producer and a half-sister to Grade 1-winner Is Your Pleasure.
All three of these top New York-bred yearlings are Breeders’ Cup nominated. The eight who sold (of nine catalogued) brought $619,000. Their average price of $68,000 was about 10% below the sale average, and the median price of $50,000 equaled the overall sale median.
