NEWS: SALES

Racing prospects take center stage for team New York at Keeneland November Book 5

Friday, November 15th, 2019

Hudson H. (Coglianese Photos)

By Sarah Mace

A pair of current runners took center stage for team New York in Book 5 of the 2019 Keeneland November Breeding Stock sale. Both sold at Wednesday’s Book 5 opener (Session 8), which featured a segment devoted to racing / stallion prospects. Recent stakes winner Build to Suit led the duo bringing $190,000 from Mike Ryan, agent. Somethingtotellyou, a juvenile colt from the first crop of Honor Code, was bid up to $160,000 before going to John McCormack Bloodstock LLC. Meanwhile, through five books, the New York-bred median price is outperforming the sale median.

Offered as Hip 3142, Build to Suit is a 5-year-old chestnut ridgling by Dominus who was bred by Spendthrift Farm. From the family of Mine that Bird and Dullahan, he was purchased originally as a yearling by LRK Stable at the 2015 Fasig-Tipton New York-bred preferred yearling sale for $140,000. On Wednesday his $190,000 price tag him made him the co-third top-priced racing / stallion prospect of the session.

Trained by Chad Brown, Build to Suit has been campaigned jointly by William H. Lawrence and Seth Klarman. After a highly successful 15-year partnership, the men decided several years ago to go different ways. Klarman will continue to participate on a large scale. Lawrence intends to downsize. Build to Suit was one of eight final horses owned jointly by the partners and consigned on their behalf by ELiTE Sales.

Build to Suit is relatively lightly raced for a 5-year-old. Breaking his maiden, and winning through both New York-bred allowance conditions at three, he was out of action between October 2017 and January 26, 2019, when he returned to win an open allowance right off the bench. Sidelined again until August 4, he strung together three strong outings recently, finishing second in his stakes debut in the John Morrissey, winning another allowance and, to cap the series, dominating the Hudson Handicap on Empire Showcase Day. With six wins from 10 starts, along with a pair of seconds and a pair of thirds, he has earned $342,850. Ryan said that Build to Suit will return to Chad Brown’s barn.

The ridgling issues from a strong family. He is a half-brother to Bolo, by Temple City, winner of the Grade 1 Shoemaker Mile and Grade 2 Arcadia Stakes (twice). Half-brother Let Me Go First, by Paddy O’Prado, is graded stakes placed. His dam Aspen Mountain, a placed Kentucky-bred runner by Chief Seattle, has produced six winners in all. Out of stakes performer Aspenelle (Vice-Regent), Aspen Mountain is a half-sister to black-type winner Golden Sunray and to Mining My Own, the dam of Mine That Bird and Dullahan.

The other New York-bred headliner from the Book 5 opener was Somethingtotellyou, a bay juvenile colt from the first crop of Honor Code, who went to John McCormack Bloodstock LLC on a $160,000 winning bid. Offered as Hip 3110 from the WinStar Racing consignment, he can boast several successful sires in his family tree.

Bred by Lawrence Goichman, Somethingtotellyou turned heads at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton New York-bred preferred yearling sale, when purchased by 4-H Farm for $260,000. Landing in the barn of Todd Pletcher for St. Elias Stable, the youngster has started twice, breaking his maiden at second asking at Aqueduct a week ago, on November 11.

Somethingtotellyou’s dam is Dean Henry, a Goichman homebred who won the 2009 Saratoga Dew Stakes. The first of three winners from three foals to start out of Dean Henry is stakes-placed Bonita Cat. Dean Henry is also a half-sister to multiple graded stakes winner Read the Footnotes, who had a successful stallion career in New York. Additionally this is the family of sires Royal and Regal, Stravinsky and Dowsing. Dean Henry has a yearling colt by Creative Cause and has been bred this year to West Coast.

Through the first five books of the Keeneland November sale (Sessions 1-9), 84 New York-breds have sold (of 113 offered) for an average price of $69,068 and median price $38,500. The latter is outperforming the $37,000 median for the auction overall. The overall average stands $90,863. The 25.7% RNA rate of New York-breds is a few ticks above the 22.75% RNAs for the overall sale.

Book 6, which will conclude the Keeneland November sale, will be held Friday through Sunday. Sessions begin at 10 a.m. Click here for New York-bred hips and registration status.

 

Leave a Reply