Quality Road

Lane's End's outstanding Quality Road became the fifth sire to be represented by a seven-figure yearling at Keeneland September when hip 286 was hammered down to bloodstock agent David Ingordo for $1.15 million Tuesday afternoon. The February-foaled bay colt is the first produce from Grade III-placed Brielle's Appeal (English Channel), whose MGSW/MGISP half-sister Authenticity (Quiet American) is the dam of the recently retired MGISW 'TDN Rising Star' Charlatan (Speightstown) as well as SW Hanalei Moon (Malibu Moon). Hip 286 was bred and consigned by William Shively's Dixiana Farms. American Pharoah,...

by Jessica Martini, Brian DiDonato & Christie DeBernardis LEXINGTON, KY - The Keeneland September Yearling Sale, led by a trio of million-dollar yearlings, opened with a day of steady trade in Lexington Monday. A total of 95 yearlings sold during the session for $38,172,000, at an average of $401,811 and a median of $325,000. "I think the trade was really strong," Keeneland's new vice president of sales Tony Lacy said at the close of business Monday. "The numbers may have stacked very comparably to last year, but I think there...

Corniche (c, 2, Quality Road--Wasted Tears, by Najran), the $1.5-million OBS April topper earlier this spring, lived up to his lofty reputation with a 'TDN Rising Star' debut performance for Bob Baffert at Del Mar Saturday evening. The 1-2 favorite caught a flyer beneath Hall of Famer Mike Smith and cleared the field from his wide draw in post 10. He led them comfortably through early fractions of :21.72 and :45.13, kicked for home in complete control and cruised under the wire after a shake of the reins to a...

by Jessica Martini & Christie DeBernardis SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY - Following a bidless 2020, the sizzle was back at the Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion with a vibrant concluding session of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Selected Yearlings Sale Tuesday in upstate New York. The session was punctuated by three seven-figure transactions, led by a colt by Into Mischief who sold for $2.6 million to Coolmore's M.V. Magnier. "Whatever adjectives you want to use to describe it: fantastic, vibrant, energetic, dramatic," Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning said Tuesday night. "You've heard me say it...

First-crop yearling sire City of Light (Quality Road - Paris Notion, by Dehere) was a physical standout long before he joined the Lane's End stallion roster. In 2015, the son of Quality Road bred by Ann Marie Farm topped the sixth session of the Keeneland September Sale by a landslide when he sold for $710,000 to Mark Reid of Walnut Green. It was the largest ticket price for a Keeneland Book 3 horse since 2007. Allaire Ryan recalls watching City of Light develop at Lane's End Farm in the days...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency PRICEY INTO MISCHIEF DEBUTS IN JERSEY 7th-MTH, $45K, Msw, 3yo/up, 5 1/2fT, 3:03p.m. Red Oak Stable's $360,000 KEESEP acquisition COMEDIC TIMING (Into Mischief) debuts in Oceanport. The bay is a half-brother to MGISW turfer Divisidero (Kitten's Joy). TJCIS PPs BAFFERT UNVEILS QUALITY FILLY 3rd-LRC, $45K, Msw, 3yo/up, f/m, 6f, 4:58p.m. Bob Baffert sends out yet another pricey firster in Sarah Kelly's $425,000 KEESEP buy VELVET SLIPPERS (Quality Road). The bay boasts a speedy worktab in preparation for this debut, most recently breezing a best-of-29 five...

It may still turn out that we're living under a volcano. For now, however, the first major bloodstock cycle after the trauma of 2020 represents an almost symmetrical, V-shaped recovery--right back to the $200-million breakthrough made by the American 2-year-old market in 2019. Despite restocking with a diminished pool of horses, compared with then, this sector has resembled a giant stress ball in retrieving all its former buoyancy the moment the squeeze was released. It was the juvenile consignors, of course, that were first broadsided by the pandemic last year....

OCALA, FL - The three-day Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's June Sale of 2-Year-Olds more than bounced back from its 2020 pandemic-induced lull, ending Friday with its highest-ever gross and average and with a record-tying median. In all, 560 juveniles grossed $24,492,950 for an average of $43,737--besting the previous record figures of $23,475,500 and $39,722, respectively, set in 2015. The cumulative median was $20,000. With 125 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate was 18.2%. "The June sale is all grown up now," said OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski. "I...

A colt by Quality Road (hip 856) turned in the fastest furlong work of Sunday's final session of the under-tack show for next week's Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's June Sale of 2-Year-Olds when he became the third juvenile of the show to work in :9 4/5. The bay is consigned by McKathan Bros. Sales, agent, on behalf of breeders Fred Hertrich, III and John Fielding. "He's been fast all year and I thought he'd go fast today. He held up his end of the bargain," said consignor Kevin McKathan. The...

TIMONIUM, MD - The Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale returned to its traditional May spot on the calendar with an ebullient session topped by a $1.5-million son of Quality Road at the Maryland State Fairgrounds Monday. The seven-figure purchase was the co-highest priced colt ever sold at the Timonium auction, tying the price of a Curlin colt sold in 2017. "It was unbelievable," Midlantic Sales Director Paget Bennett said at the close of business Monday. "The activity in the barn area over the weekend was strong and all of...

2nd-BEL, $90K, Msw, 3yo/up, f, 6f, 3:38p.m. Shug McGaughey debuts 3-year-old BIG CITY MOMMA (Quality Road) for Courtlandt Farms. The $700,000 KEESEP graduate is out of stakes placed New York-bred Easy Living (Big Brown). The filly posted a pair of recent four-panel works at Belmont, including the most recent going :48 4/5 Apr. 24. Jose Ortiz gets the call. TJCIS PPs

OCALA, FL--There's been a palpable good feeling all week at OBS for the auction house's marquee Spring 2-Year-Old Sale, and you need look no further than the full parking lot to explain why. Business is booming, but perhaps equally responsible for the positive vibes is the easing of coronavirus restrictions as the country rapidly becomes vaccinated, which means old friends seeing and hugging each other for the first time in a long time. Wednesday morning, Joe Bianca and Jon Green talked about that and much more with four consignors and...