Jacob West bought a New York-bred colt by Army Mule in Book Three. Keeneland photo
By Melissa Bauer-Herzog
New York-breds proved popular during Book Three of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale Saturday when seven of the 11 sold brought six figures.
In all, the 11 sold from averaged $134,727 with a median of $140,000 and gross of $1,482,000.
An Army Mule colt offered by Woods Edge Farm showed the way at $225,000, on a purchase by West Bloodstock for Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable. Hip 1175, out of three-time winner Miss Nancy and bred by Mashnee Stable, sold for $100,000 at Keeneland January when part of the Hidden Brook consignment.
The colt carries a strong family with granddam Silky Omega a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Magnificent Song and four other stakes performers, including Group 2-placed Great Barrier Reef. Another one of Silky Omega’s siblings, Mindful Music, produced Venezuelan champion 2-year-old filly The Mindfulangel. Miss Nancy foaled a New York-bred Laoban filly on Feb. 7 and returned to Tiz The Law.
Mashnee bought Miss Nancy (carrying the Army Mule colt) for $17,000 at Fasig-Tipton’s Saratoga mixed sale in 2019, and she has more than paid for herself.
“They sold the Army Mule colt for a nice profit, but we sold him for $100,000 as a weanling so no complaints on our side,” said Schuster. “We’re a small operation, with four or five mares, and we keep one a year to race and sell the others. It’s been going well. The New York breeding program really makes it work.”
Mashnee, which keeps its mares in Saratoga with McMahon Thoroughbreds, sold 75 percent of Miss Nancy to a partner but plans to keep adding to the broodmare band.
Nobody had a better Saturday than Chester and Mary Broman’s star mare Stolen Star, whose grandson by Candy Ride (Hip 1504) sold for $220,000 to Ed and Susie Orr right about the same time her son Captain Bombastic won the Polynesian Stakes at Laurel Park. Consigned by Sequel New York on behalf of the Bromans, Hip 1504 is the first foal out of Stolen Star’s multiple Grade 2 winning New York-bred daughter Highway Star, who won 10 races, placed in two Grade 1 stakes and earned $1.3 million. The generations of excellence started when the Bromans purchased broodmare Unbridled Star (carrying Stolen Star) in 2002. In addition to Stolen Star, who placed in four stakes, Unbridled Star produced stakes winners Friend Or Foe and Star Grazing.
Highway Star foaled a New York-bred Curlin colt this year and was bred back to Into Mischief.
Agent Joe Hardoon purchased the highest-priced New York-bred filly of the book when he went to $200,000 to land a daughter of Accelerate from the Eaton Sales consignment. The first foal out of stakes-winning Laudation, Hip 1132 was bred by SF Bloodstock in New York. Her breeder sent her through the ring at Keeneland November, where she fetched $75,000 from Newday Training Center before returning nearly a year later in this spot.
Laudation is one of two stakes winners for multiple Grade 2 winner Rite Moment alongside multiple stakes winner Moment is Right. The filly’s catalog page includes seven stakes winners and nine stakes performers, led by her granddam. Laudation had a Kentucky-bred Twirling Candy filly this year and visited City of Light.
Sunday, a $150,000 colt by Mo Town led the way. Purchased by Kinsman Farm from the Taylor Made consignment, the Hidden Lake Farm-bred was making his second appearance in the Keeneland ring after selling in January for $95,000. A half-brother to one winner from one to race, Hip 1833 is out of winning Tale of the Cat mare Coral Beach, a half-sister to Chilean champion Desert Power.
Third dam Coral Sea is the dam of Grade 2 winner Cool Coal Man and stakes winner Kathleens Reel from her 10 winners. Coral Sea is out of a stakes-placed full-sister to Canadian champion Northernette and European champion and influential sire Storm Bird.
Coral Beach has a weanling colt from the second crop of McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds’ Redesdale to come.
Through six sessions, a $650,000 colt purchased by M.V. Magnier Wednesday leads all New York-breds. The 20 New York-breds sold through Sunday averaged $175,600 with a median of $150,000 and a gross of $3,512,000.
The sale continues through Friday with sessions starting at 10 a.m. daily.
