NEWS: SALES

New York-breds play key role at Keeneland November sale

Monday, November 15th, 2021

Hip 1774, weanling colt by Liam’s Map foaled in New York, sold for $185,000 Sunday at the Keeneland November breeding stock sale. Photo courtesy of Indian Creek.

By Tom Law

The Keeneland November breeding stock sale hit the halfway mark Sunday, already surpassing last year’s mark for total receipts with New York-breds playing a role through a steady stream of six-figure horses.

Three six-figure horses with New York ties went through the ring Sunday, including a weanling colt by Liam’s Map who commanded a final bid of $185,000 from Scott and Evan Dilworth. Bred by Pepin Breeders, foaled at Stone Bridge Farm in Gansevoort, consigned by Indian Creek and offered as Hip 1774, the colt is the first foal out of the winning Malibu Moon mare Malibu Rainbow.

A winner in maiden special weight company in 2019 at Gulfstream Park, Malibu Rainbow was purchased in foal to Liam’s Map by Beech-Grove Farm for $85,000 at last year’s Keeneland November sale. She sold immediately after her 2021 Liam’s Map colt, again in foal to that sire, to Kaizen Sales, agent, for $170,000.

The $185,000 price matched that paid by D K W Racing for Hip 806, a colt from the first crop of Omaha Beach that sold during the third session Friday. Bred by and foaled at Old Tavern Farm in Saratoga Springs and consigned by Summerfield, agent for Old Tavern Farm, the colt is out of the winning Empire Maker mare Comme Chez Soi.

A $325,000 yearling out of the Grade 1-winning Storm and a Half mare Downthedustyroad, Comme Chez Soi was purchased by Old Tavern’s Walt Borisenok in foal to Lemon Drop Kid for $210,000 at the 2015 Keeneland November sale. The subsequent foal, the Kentucky-bred gelding Tom Management, was a $100,000 yearling and two-time winner for GMB Racing and trainer Al Stall Jr. Comme Chez Soi is also the dam of the New York-bred 4-year-old Malibu Moon filly Malibu Too and an unnamed 2-year-old New York-bred filly by Malibu Moon.

Keeneland reported gross sales of $166,206,000 from 1,120 horses sold through Sunday’s session, a total that surpassed last year’s final tally of $151,017,300 for 10 sessions. The November sale’s average price so far is $148,398, up 13.2 percent from a year ago to this point, while median is up 26.7 percent to $95,000.

Keeneland also reported a low buy-back rate of 15.3 percent, which falls in line with an even better number for New York-breds through the ring. Thirty of the 32 New York-breds offered during the third, fourth and fifth sessions have sold, a 94 percent clearance rate.

Harlan’s Honor, winner of the 2013 Colleen Stakes at Monmouth and a half sister to March X Press, sold for $200,000 at Keeneland November. Photo courtesy of Gainesway.

The most expensive New York-bred during that run was Harlan’s Honor, a 9-year-old stakes-winning daughter of Harlan’s Holiday and half-sister to stakes winner March X Press. Consigned by Gainesway, agent, and offered as Hip 891 in foal to McKinzie, Harlan’s Honor was purchased by Jackpot for $200,000.

Bred by Marty Zaretsky, foaled at Waldorf Farm in North Chatham and a $165,000 purchase at the 2014 OBS April sale of 2-year-olds in training, Harlan’s Honor went 2-1-3 in 10 starts with $110,350 in earnings. She won her debut at Monmouth Park about two months after selling as a 2-year-old then the Colleen Stakes there in early August.

Harlan’s Honor, who also placed in two stakes as a 3-year-old, sold in foal to Liam’s Map for $300,000 at the 2016 Keeneland November sale. The subsequent foal, the filly Song River, is multiple stakes placed and the winner of a Saratoga allowance Sept. 5 and a Churchill Downs allowance-optional Saturday. She’s also the dam of the American Pharoah 3-year-old filly Credence Star, who sold as a yearling for $170,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September sale and then for $521,659 at the 2020 Tattersalls Craven breeze-up sale.

March X Press, winner of a New York-bred maiden and the open-company Bolton Landing Stakes over a 14-day stretch in August 2017, sold during the second session of the November sale for $560,000 to Parks Investment Group. Consigned by Lane’s End and offered as Hip 540 and in foal to Quality Road, the 6-year-old daughter of Shanghai Bobby is the most expensive New York-bred sold so far at the November sale.

The Keeneland November sale runs through Friday with sessions starting at 10 a.m. ET.

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