By Christina Bossinakis
One month ago, Archie St George hit one out of the park, striking with a colt by Into Mischief who snagged $1-million from Elliott Walden, bidding on behalf of the partnership of China Horse Club, Siena Farm and Maverick Racing at Fasig-Tipton's Saratoga Select Sale. In fact, the operation sold all five of the yearlings it brought upstate, averaging $529,000 while realizing $2,645,000 in gross revenue. Hoping to carry on that momentum into Lexington next week, St George offers seven yearlings in Book 1 of Keeneland's September Sale.
“I go [to Keeneland–Book 1 and Fasig-Tipton Saratoga] pretty selective about what I bring,” said St George. “The bottom line is, the most important thing for me is the physical. Everything we sold in Saratoga were by good stallions and were good physicals and they all deserved to sell well. And they did.”
For this year's Keeneland September sale, St George is once again represented by several sires that have the potential to light up the board.
“I think we have some quality horses by some quality stallions,” he affirmed. “The goal is to have horses by the right stallions and the right physicals. Those are the types of horses that are supported by the market that is there. I try to bring a wide range of horses for every buyer out there.”
Among the St George yearlings sporting the powder keg-caliber sires that can ignite with the right buyers throwing their hats into the ring are a quartet of colts–Hip 3 (Uncle Mo); Hip 283 (Into Mischief); Hip 84 (by Quality Road) and Hip 368 (American Pharoah).
Out of Westside Singer, the Uncle Mo colt is a half-brother to MGSW and GISP Secret Message (Hat Trick {Jpn}).
“He's a big strong horse, very straight forward and he has a lot of Uncle Mo in him,” he said of the $450,000 Keeneland November purchase. “He has a nice walk, is correct and has a beautiful head on him.”
In regard to the colt's early appearance on Day 1, he added, “You never want to get that draw but we've got to deal with it. It just boils down to, if the horse is good enough, it will sell well. You just hope you have the physical that will overcome the early draw.”
Having proven so successful with Into Mischief in Saratoga last month, St George offers a pair of yearlings by the Spendthrift sire at Keeneland.
“Into Mischief is arguably one of the best stallions in the world and he's the leading sire in America. So, we got rewarded with that in Saratoga and we hope that is again the case at Keeneland,” he said.
St George's sole colt by the leading sire in Book 1 is out of Grade II winner Princess Haya (Street Cry {Ire}), dam of SW and GISP Lady Kate (Bernardini), in addition to the GSP duo of Prince of Arabia (Mineshaft) and Princess Theorem (Nyquist).
“He's a beautiful moving horse and he stands over a lot of ground,” he said. “He has a lot of quality and presence to him.”
Further underscoring the necessity of bringing the right pedigree highlighted by a 'now' stallion is the American Pharoah colt, out of Tepin Thru Life (Ire) (Curlin)–an unraced daughter of dual grass champion Tepin, in addition to a colt by Quality Road, who is out of unraced Daisy Miller (GB) (Smart Strike), herself a half-sister to GSW Mrs. Danvers (Tapit).
“He has a very good pedigree and should have an international appeal,” he said of the former. “He's a nice strong horse by a very versatile stallion.”
St George also presents a pair of yearlings offering a European flare to the catalog–Hip 183, a filly by Frankel (GB) out of MGSW and GISP Keertana (Johar) and a colt by Kingman (GB), catalogued as Hip 233. Both yearlings are offered on behalf of breeder Bryant Prentice.
“I'm excited about the Frankel filly,” admitted St George of the half-sister to GSW Ticonderoga (Tapit). “She's a very nice horse. Frankel is an amazing stallion and racehorse. Selling a Frankel is kind of unique over here.”
Offered at Keeneland in January of 2013, Keertana–a half-sister to GSWs Diversify Harbor (Curlin) and Snowtop Mountain (Najran)–sold in foal to Arch for $1 million.
The other Prentice representative is out of Grade II scorer Midnight Crossing (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), a half-sister to G2 Dubai City of Gold S. winner Excellent Results (Shamardal). Midnight Crossing was purchased by Prentice's Pursuit of Success for 400,000gns at Tattersalls December in 2018.
“Mr. Prentice bought the Kingman mare in Europe, so that's where she was bred,” St George explained. “The appeal of European stallions has risen [in America] and the demand is there. So they are presented as a more unique commodity over here.”
On behalf of Prentice, St George also offers Hip 300, a filly by Into Mischief out of GI Central Bank Ashland S. heroine Sailor's Valentine (Mizzen Mast), a $1.25 million purchase in foal to War Front at Keeneland November in 2019.
“Both of our Into Mischiefs here are big, strong horses,” he said. “The filly is out of a young, Grade I-winning mare. She's a big strong filly that covers a lot of ground. She is a very nice physical that we are also very proud to offer.”
When asked what factors into what he retains for Book 1 at Keeneland, St George explained, “The Book 1 horses are by proven stallions. They might need a little more time. I think the Saratoga horses need to be a little more precocious. August is early to be selling a [yearling] so they just need to be a little more precocious than maybe the September horses.”
He continued, “But the bottom line is they need to be top physicals in both Book 1 and Saratoga. So, I think we'll see much of the same this time. For the right horse that 'tick all the right boxes' and you have what buyers want, you get rewarded. At the end of the day, Fasig was a very good sale and I imagine that it would carry on to Keeneland.”
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