Keeneland will offer an August Flash Sale featuring the 'Black Forza Collection' which will include Harlee Honey (Harlan's Holiday), the dam of G2 Richmond Stakes winner Black Forza (Complexity) as well as Ocean Honey (West Coast), his 4-year-old half-sister.
Online bidding will begin Monday, Aug. 26 at noon ET and will close at 3 p.m. ET on Thursday, Aug. 29. More detail on each of the horses, including pedigree pages, walking videos, conformation photos and repository information is available by clicking here. It is the first Keeneland Flash Sale since 2021.
Now 11 years of age, the winning Harlee Honey is being offered in foal to Zandon and is being consigned to the Flash Sale by Legacy Bloodstock, agent. A daughter of the multiple stakes-placed Absolute Nectar (Carson City), Harlee Honey is a half-sister to GII Santa Ynez Stakes winner California Nectar (Stormy Atlantic) and SW Redstart (Blame). Ocean Honey is offered as a broodmare prospect only by Paramount Sales.
Both Harlee Honey and Ocean Honey are available for in-person inspection in the Lexington area prior to or during the sale. To view Harlee Honey at Rosemont Farm in Lexington, contact Tommy Eastham. To see Ocean Honey at Dundrum Farm in Versailles, contact Lesley Campion.
“Keeneland is pleased to offer these two exciting individuals from the family of Black Forza, one of the most promising juveniles racing in the world today,” Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said. “This unique collection and Flash Sale, along with the newly announced Keeneland Championship Sale at Del Mar prior to the Breeders' Cup World Championships, show Keeneland's commitment to providing our customers with tailored and innovative sales offerings while partnering with clients to craft sales experiences to meet emerging trends in our industry.”
By the hot freshman sire Complexity (Maclean's Music), Black Forza was bred in Kentucky by Dash Goff and won his maiden at second asking at Fairyhouse in Ireland before scoring by a half-length in the Richmond at Goodwood Aug. 1. Sold for $27,000 as a Keeneland November weanling and for $65,000 as a yearling, Black Forza was hammered down to Michael O'Callaghan for £220,000 ($273,903) at this year's Goffs UK 2YO Breeze-Up Sale.
Lacy said that Keeneland had taken an admittedly cautious approach to digital sales, by design.
“My background in the digital space is that I helped Arqana set up Arqana Online and I'm a big believer in the digital space, but also there's no action without a repercussion,” said Lacy, who served as Arqana's American representative prior to his joining Keeneland. “What we're doing and the way we're approaching it is that we're supporting the people who support us in every aspect. We're doing this in partnership with Paramount and Legacy Bloodstock.”
Keeneland held their first flash sale in 2020, in the midst of the Covid pandemic, but hasn't held one in three years. “We wanted to take a pause,” Lacy explained. “Everyone is in the space. There's a new startup every day. We want to make sure any digital sale has the same feel, holds to the same standards, has the same transparency as what you'd get in a normal brick-and-mortar auction. We're looking to do this in a select manner. You should see no difference between the two activities-digital and brick and mortar. It's all one. It's all one business model. We've been very cautious. Every live sale we do has a digital aspect to it. We're trying to refine how people interact with us remotely to make it as seamless as possible.”
Lacy said that the live inspection of stock by professionals was an integral part of the sales process.
“You can't do something to undermine the people who support you on a brick-and-mortar sale, the ecosystem that makes it possible,” said Lacy, a former partner in Four Star Sales. “I've been on both sides of this, both as a consignor, an agent, and a sales consultant. What I'm afraid of is that digital sales are removing the most critical area of the process and one of the most valuable skills and that's horsemanship. (Digital) may be a cheaper way to (sell horses) but the conditions of sale have to be rock solid through every aspect and that's not something that's consistent in this space. We have had the ability to do this the last two years, but we were uncomfortable about many aspects of how it was evolving. We were focusing on our core business. We've got to maintain the relationship between the horsemen and the principals, the excitement, the theater. Otherwise, it just becomes a transaction.”
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
