Keeneland Sale: Day 2

Today’s top sale at Keeneland was the $4.2 million paid for grade 1 stakes winner Island Sand (#457), in foal again to A.P. Indy after producing a colt by him this year. Rather than Darley vs. Coolmore, the battle for this daughter of Tabasco Cat was between Barnes & Noble chairman Leonard Riggio’s My Meadowview Farm and Padua Stables owner Satish Sanan. While Sanan must have a ton of spare cash around these days after selling his interest in Curlin to the other partners who are not in jail, it was Riggio who won out.

The other grade 1 winning mares who sold for top dollar are discussed here—including the Lemon Drop Kid filly Lemons Forever (#472) who went for $2.5 million, and multiple-graded 1 winner Megahertz (#500), bought by Roy and Gretchen Jackson for $2.1 million.

Of recently raced fillies, the only “name” which sold today was the Patrick Biacone-trained Mauralakana (#495) who brought $900,000.

Weanlings of interest:
A Johannesburg colt (#347) sold for $150,000; he’s out of the Danzig mare Amirati who is a full-sister to stakes-placed Honor Grades, and a half-sister to grade 1 winners (and top sires) A.P. Indy and Summer Squall. A Mr. Greeley colt (#351) brought $350,000; his dam, the Deputy Minister mare Arcadiana, is a half-sister to Cigar. A Fusiachi Pegasus colt (#381) brought $550,000; his dam Butterfly Blue is a full-sister to Peeping Fawn’s dam Maryinsky (both are by Sadler’s Wells), and a half-sister to Rags to Riches’ dam Better Than Honour. A half-brother to grade 1 Stephen Foster Handicap winner Flashy Bull, by Tale of the Cat out of Iridescence (#456), brought $185,000. A Fusaichi Pegasus filly (#515) out of the A.P. Indy mare No Knocks brought $185,000; her dam is a half-sister of champions Pleasant Tap and Go For Gin.

Other interesting broodmare sales:
Hard Spun’s older half-sister Treysta (#311), by Belong to Me out of Turkish Tryst, brought $165,000 in foal to Speightstown. The Maria’s Mon mare Ashley Hall (#352) sold for $825,000; she is a half-sister to Bandini. Berry Blessed (#368) went for $220,000; she is a half-sister to Vindication. The dam of Diabolical, Bonnie Byerly (#375) sold for $235,000 in foal to Speightstown; her dam is the grade 1 winner Roberto mare Plenty of Grace, a half-sister to Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf champion Soaring Softly. The dam of two-year-old Kodiak Kowboy, Kokadrie (#462) in foal to Lion Heart, sold for $575,000; she’s also a half-sister to grade 1 winner West by West. Breeders’ Cup Classic third-place finisher Awesome Gem’s dam, the Pentelicus mare Piano (#529) sold for $250,000.

Those who did not meet reserve included a Songandaprayer filly (#366) who is a half-sister to multiple grade 1 winner Better Talk Now; she only went to $140,000. Curlin’s half-sister (#558), by Saint Liam out of Sherriff’s Deputy, failed at $600,000. The Thunder Gulch mare Dancethruthestorm in foal to Giant’s Causeway (#400), out of Canadian champion Dance Smartly, failed to reach reserve with a high bid of $1.5 million. Of course, she is a half-sister to Smart Strike whose value has soared after the performances of his offspring this year. Similarly, the Hadif mare Deputy (#401) failed at $220,000 in foal to Fusaichi Pegasus; she is a half-sister of Curlin. Another R.N.A. (reserve not achieved) was the French Deputy grade 3 winning mare French Satin (#426) in foal to Mineshaft; a half-sister of multiple grade 1 winner Lion Heart, she garnered $475,000.