Into Mischief Colt On Top as Book 3 Concludes

LEXINGTON, KY – The Book 3 section of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale concluded Friday with continued demand for the quality offerings. A weanling colt by Into Mischief attracted the day's highest bid when selling for $300,000 to the pinhooking partnership Clear Ridge Stables, headed by Gainesway's Brian Graves. The second-highest priced weanling on the day was also by Into Mischief. A filly by the Spendthrift sire sold for $230,000 to Dudley Racing.

“It's very expensive for the ones you like,” Graves said of the weanling market. “You think it's Book 3 and you might get a little better deal, but when a nice horse walks up there, it's expensive.”

Carrie Brogden of Machmer Hall purchased the session's most expensive broodmare on the day, going to $280,000 for Sweet Lollipop (Candy Ride {Arg}).

“It's strong in parts and weaker in others,” bloodstock agent Hanzly Albina said of the mare market. “There is still a lot of money, but there are still a lot of horses to go. The market has been good and solid. It's been an honest sale.”

Through two Book 3 sessions, Keeneland sold 520 head for $32,696,500.

The session average was $62,878 and the median was $50,000. The top price of Book 3 was $320,000 and there were 19 horses sold for $200,000 or over.

A reformatted 2018 sale–which began with a single Book 1 section–makes comparisons to the 2017 renewal inexact, but last year's Book 3 saw 512 horses sell for $30,198,500. The average was $58,981 and the median was $47,000. The top price for the section was $275,000 and that was one of eight horses to bring $200,000 or over.

The Keeneland November sale continues through Nov. 16 with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m.

Into Mischief Colt a Pinhook Prospect

A colt by Into Mischief is destined for resale after pinhooker Brian Graves paid $300,000 to secure the youngster from the Eaton Sales consignment.

“I thought he was a well-balanced, leggy colt with a good walk,” said Graves. “I think he'll be attractive for the market next year. The sire is doing great and that number was within his averages here at the sale.”

The weanling (hip 1574) is the first foal out of Daryanna (Friends Lake), a half-sister to Canadian champion Kimchi (Langfuhr) and to the dam of multiple Grade I winner Mind Your Biscuits (Posse).

It was that connection to Mind Your Biscuits that had breeder Samantha Will-Baccari pursuing members of the family two years ago. Will-Baccari bred the two-time G1 Dubai Golden Shaheen winner, but sold his dam Jazzmane (Toccet) for $11,000 when he was still a weanling at the 2013 Keeneland November sale.

“I found [Daryanna] in Washington state,” she said after congratulating Graves on the purchase. “Jazzmane went to Korea and when Biscuits won the [2016 GII] Amsterdam, when he first stepped up on the big stage, I have a gentleman in Canada who finds me horses and he found her for me.”

After purchasing Daryanna privately, Will-Baccari bred her to Into Mischief and the resulting foal impressed the breeder right from the start.

“He's been a nice baby all along,” Will-Baccari said of the weanling. “The baby has only gotten better and better and better. In this business, I have to turn over horses, so I'm very happy Brian Graves got him because he does a great job.”

The 8-year-old Daryanna was bred back to Empire Maker.

Will-Baccari, the wife of consignor and breeder Chris Baccari, has a broodmare band of 10 head based at her Parkland Farm.

“My husband and I have two farms–we have his and hers farms because we got married older–so I keep probably 10 mares and my husband has 20 and then probably 40 or 50 outside mares,” she said. “We buy to sell, we breed to sell and we race what we don't sell. So we basically do everything in-house between two farms. I've been very blessed to breed Mind Your Biscuits from a very small band of broodmares.”

More Unbridled's Song for Brogden

Machmer Hall's Carrie Brogden helped get Friday's session off to a good start with the $205,000 purchase of one granddaughter of Unbridled's Song, Buy Sell Hold (Violence), and she struck again late in the day to acquire another, Sweet Lollipop (Candy Ride {Arg}), for $280,000.

“She looked all Unbridled's Song to me,” Brogden said after signing the ticket on Sweet Lollipop (hip 1875). “Anyone who knows me, knows I'm his biggest fan.”

The 5-year-old mare, in foal to Practical Joke, was a $350,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase in 2014 by Robert and Lawana Low. Out of graded stakes placed Unbridled Beauty (Unbridled's Song), she is a half-sister to graded stakes placed Meal Penalty (Tale of the Cat) and Danny Boy (Harlan's Holiday). She was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency.

“She is just that kind of physical,” Brogden said of the mare. “She has the pedigree, she has the sire power. The only thing she doesn't have is the race record, but she cost the money like she did.”

Stakes-winner Buy Sell Hold will also be joining the broodmare band at Machmer Hall after Brogden bid $205,000 to secure the 3-year-old racing or broodmare prospect from the Hill 'n' Dale Sales Agency consignment.

“She'll be a long-term broodmare for Machmer Hall,” Brogden said of the gray filly. “Hopefully, she'll produce a graded stakes winner and we'll sell her when she's 10 years old for $1 million.”

Buy Sell Hold (hip 1535) is out of stakes-winner Melody Lady (Unbridled's Song), a daughter of multiple Grade I winner Lady Tak (Mutakddim). Purchased by Kirk and Judy Robison for $67,000 as a Keeneland September yearling in 2016, the filly won last year's Kentucky Juvenile S. and was third in this year's GIII Miss Preakness S. for the Robisons and trainer Steve Asmussen.

“This is not a big mare, she's about 15.2,” Brogden said. “I know it's a smaller, really well-made family, so we'll breed her to something with a lot of stretch.”

Machmer Hall has had plenty of success breeding out of daughters of Unbridled's Song and Brogden is hoping that success carries to the next generation.

“If you can't have an Unbridled's Song, get a filly out of an Unbridled's Song mare,” she said.

Among Machmer Hall's other purchases at the Keeneland November sale this week are Rachel's Ready (More Than Ready) (hip 957) for $235,000 and Majestic Monarch (Majestic Warrior) (hip 878) for $200,000.

“We've had a really good year,” Brogden said. “We've sold a lot of our graded stakes producers, and so we have to get young mares and try to hope to do it again. Hopefully, this is the next group of graded stakes producers.”

Microburst Joins Moulton's Band

Susan Moulton, who is building a broodmare band for the former Pauls Mill property she purchased in May, added Microburst (Awesome Again) to the operation when farm manager Debbie Ward paid $275,000 for the 6-year-old mare Friday at Keeneland. The mare is a half-sister to recent GI Champagne S. winner Complexity (Maclean's Music) and sold in foal to that colt's sire.

“She looks a lot like a sister that we have now,” Ward said after signing the ticket on the mare out back. “[Moulton] owns [half-sister] Naylor (Afleet Alex), so she is partial to that family. And we loved the big update. We thought she was a really pretty Awesome Again mare with a lot of quality. And the Maclean's Music cover was a big part of it, too.”

Out of Goldfield, Microburst (hip 1727) is also a half-sister to graded stakes winner and Grade I placed Valadorna (Curlin). Jeffrey Bloom's Bloom Racing Stable purchased the chestnut for $21,000 at the 2014 OBS April Sale and she won two times in 13 starts for trainer Jeff Mullins. The mare was consigned to Friday's sale by Taylor Made Sales Agency.

A native of Texas, Moulton was a founder of Safari Bloodstock and has renamed her new farm Safari North at Pauls Mill.

“We currently have five mares, but we are looking to build and grow,” Ward said. “We are just getting started. We have a lot of horses in training.”

Asked if Moulton was breeding to race or sell, Ward said, “A little of both.”

Rio Carnival to Newtown Anner Stud

Bloodstock agents Hanzly Albina and Nick Sallusto secured Rio Carnival (Storm Cat) on behalf of Maurice and Samantha Regan's Newtown Anner Stud when going to $270,000 Friday at Keeneland. The 12-year-old mare (hip 1815) is a daughter of Group 1 winner Zenda (GB) (Zamindar) and is a half-sister to champion Kingman (Invincible Spirit). She is the dam of graded stakes placed Let's Meet in Rio (Flatter) and sold Friday in foal to Twirling Candy. Mill Ridge Sales consigned the mare on behalf of Juddmonte Farms.

“I've heard good things about Storm Cat mares–hopefully that will work out for us,” Albina said jokingly.

He added, “I think it's a unique opportunity to get into a really nice family with a great broodmare sire to boot.”

Claim Pays for Gainesway

Antony Beck's Gainesway had plenty of experience with the family of Edith Court (Pomeroy) when the gray filly made her lone racetrack appearance in May of 2017. She ran third that day at Belmont and the farm–through trainer Linda Rice– claimed the then 3-year-old for $40,000. In foal to Gainesway's Empire Maker, Edith Court went through the ring at Keeneland Friday and sold for $230,000 to Manganaro Bloodstock.

“We keep an eye out on the claim box for fillies with pedigree,” explained Gainesway's Michael Hernon. “This one popped up.”

Edith Court (hip 1598) is out of Receivership (End Sweep) and is a half-sister to Grade I winner Palace (City Zip). Gainesway, which purchased Receivership in 2014, also sent that mare through the ring Friday where she RNA'd for $19,000. The farm sold a colt by Tapit out of that mare for $430,000 at last month's Fasig-Tipton October Yearling Sale.

Receivership is a half-sister to multiple graded stakes winner French Park (Ecton Park), who was also formerly a part of the Gainesway band.

Gainesway repatriated Empire Maker from Japan in 2015 and the stallion's first crop of yearlings since returning to the U.S. were in demand this summer and fall with 49 selling for an average of $316,530.

“She was probably claimed with a view to breed to Empire Maker,” Hernon said. “We own half the horse and have some breeding rights on top of that. He is off to a good start and she's a young mare and half to a Grade I winner.”

Of the decision to send Edith Court through the sales ring Friday, Hernon said, “We're in the business of trading horses, breeding horses and making money. We have to pay for the stallion, and obviously, think big picture. He has been a great profit maker for everyone who has used him. The price well exceeded the reserve and it's good business. And that's the business we're in, to bring horses to auction and to sell them.”