Mare in Foal to ‘American Pharoah’ Tops Keeneland Sale

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – Oussama Aboughazale’s International Equities Holding led buyers at the Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale for the second consecutive day on Tuesday by spending $1,080,000 for four horses, including $575,000 for session-topper Joyfully, in foal to 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah.

Joyfully, a 5-year-old daughter of Mineshaft out of the Forestry mare Rejoicing, is a half-sister to Grade 3 winners Divine Oath and Auntie Joy and from the family of Grade 1 winners Miner’s Mark, Traditionally and My Flag. Her third dam is Racing Hall of Famer Personal Ensign.

Aboughazale, who races under Sumaya Stables, said both Joyfully and Delightful Joy, his $700,000 purchase on Monday, would be bred to leading sire War Front.

“(Joyfully) is lovely and (her) foal sold very well just before her. I think it’s a good buy, I hope,” said Aboughazale, who purchased seven horses for $1,171,000 on Monday. “I just bought my farm here (in Bourbon County, Kentucky), and we have to stock it up with nice mares. We want to start well; that’s why we are buying nice mares. There will be a few more (mares to buy) today and that’s it. I think we are very satisfied and have bought very well. We want to breed to sell and breed to race.”

Joyfully was the fourth horse to sell Tuesday. The horse preceding her in the ring was her first foal, a yearling colt by Uncle Mo, sold to Key Palm Stable for $370,000.
Joyfully and her yearling colt both were consigned by Paramount Sales, agent, the session’s leading consignor, who sold 38 horses for $1,732,400. Paramount’s Pat Costello was pleased with the results from the pair.

“It was on the upper side (of what I expected); it was a great price for both mare and foal,” Costello said. “They were two lovely horses. (The Uncle Mo colt is) a beautiful, big-walking horse and so he deserved to bring that money. He was a good colt and the mare was absolutely beautiful. When they produce that kind of foal, you know they are a good mare. I think that particular package was a beautiful package and it probably stood out in the sale.”

On Tuesday, Keeneland sold 221 horses for $11,059,600 for an average of $50,043 and a median of $25,000. The gross declined 15.06 percent from the corresponding session last year when 193 horses sold for $13,020,400. The average was down 25.82 percent from $67,463 in 2016, and the median was 28.57 percent lower than $35,000 last year.

“Today’s session started off exceptionally well,” Keeneland Director of Sales Operations Geoffrey Russell said. “Mixed sales are hard to compare year-to-year and even session-to-session. There was a better buzz today. Again, anything with perceived quality sold really well.

“Yearlings sold exceptionally well both to end-users and pinhookers. We look forward to seeing some of them back here in (the) September (Yearling Sale),” he said. “And it is good to see the number of breeders investing in mares for their newly retired stallions.”

Cumulatively, 384 horses have sold for $21,573,600, down 19.05 percent from $26,651,600 for 375 horses sold last year. The average of $56,181 is 20.95 percent lower than $71,071 in 2016, and the median of $30,000 is 14.29 percent below $35,000 last year.
Springhouse Farm paid $460,000, the day’s second-highest price, for Chocolate Pop, dam of Grade 2 winner Airoforce, in foal to Bernardini. Four Stars Sales, agent, consigned Chocolate Pop, an 11-year-old daughter of Cuvee out of the With Approval mare White Chocolate. She is from the family of Grade 1 winner Sea Cadet and Grade 2 winner On Target.

“It was a fair price,” Four Stars Managing Partner Kerry Cauthen said. “Everybody should be happy with that. She is the kind that you could (make money) with her first foal (for her new owner). She is very attractive and to have that kind of production with her first foal (Airoforce), she is the right kind.”

At $385,000, the session’s top-priced yearling was a son of Uncle Mo sold to Ellen M. Charles’ Hillwood Stable of Maryland. Warrendale Sales, agent, consigned the colt, who is out of the Salt Lake mare Gone to Utah and is a half-brother to stakes winner Away We Go. He is from the family of Grade 1 winner Ogygian.
“He’s just a really beautiful colt,” said Charles, accompanied by her trainer, Rodney Jenkins. “Rodney Jenkins trains for me and trained (Gone to Utah and Away We Go), so I know all of the family. I’ve wanted an Uncle Mo and he seemed like the right one, so we’ll see.

“We don’t usually (come to the January Sale), but this colt was here so we thought we’d come to see him. We came to buy something and there he was, and we got him.”

Warrendale owner Kitty Taylor said the colt “is from a small breeder (Carolyn Beverly) who had only one horse to sell this year. I said, ‘Let’s come here instead of (Keeneland) September when there are a ton of horses.’ I am really glad to do this for someone like that.”

Hillwood bought three weanlings Tuesday, including a colt by Flatter for $220,000. Consigned by Mulholland Springs, agent, he is out of the El Corredor mare Dulce Periculum, a half-sister to Grade 2 winner Indian Firewater.

Hunter Valley Farm paid $280,000 to acquire the session’s highest-priced yearling filly, a daughter of Shanghai Bobby consigned by Mulholland Springs, agent. The filly is out of the Giant’s Causeway mare Saravati and is a half-sister to Japanese Group 3 winner Mask Zoro. Saravati is a half-sister to multiple Grade 1 winner You.

“She was by far the best (yearling) offered today,” Hunter Valley co-owner Fergus Galvin said. “The sire (Shanghai Bobby) we are huge fans of; we think he is going to be one of the top freshman sires for this year. I’d say she will be re-offered, we are not sure yet. At that sort of (price), it’s a bit more than you would like, but she’s just the real deal. Quality is shining through. Anything that especially looks like her is going to be at the top end of the market, and you have to be prepared to pay for it.”

“She is almost black, has a beautiful head and walk,” Martha Jane Mulholland of Mullholland Springs said. “Her body is so mature that she looks like she will be a grand yearling. She had it all. We knew she would sell well. A lot of people were very interested in her.”

Not This Time/A. F. S. paid $270,000 for Dream Your Dreams, a 4-year-old daughter of Tapit cataloged as a racing and broodmare prospect, and $235,000 for the stakes-winning Street Boss mare On the Backstreets, in foal to Into Mischief.

Lane’s End, agent, consigned Dream Your Dreams, a daughter of the Gone West mare Takesmybreathaway who is a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Frost Giant. Mulholland Springs, agent, consigned On the Backstreets, who is out of the Mutakddim mare Mutakaway, by Mutakddim.

Mulholland and partners purchased On the Backstreets for $65,000 at Keeneland’s 2015 November Breeding Stock Sale.
“Every year we try to buy good prospects either off the track or at the sales and breed them to hot sires,” she said. “That is where we make a lot of our income.”

Tizsomthingspecial, a 4-year-old daughter of Tiznow cataloged as a racing or broodmare prospect, sold for $240,000 to Mayday B. Branham. Gainesway, agent, consigned the filly, a half-sister to Grade 3 winner Bitumen and stakes winner Meshell. Her dam, the Tale of the Cat mare Kobla Kat, is a half-sister to Grade 1 winner and sire Quality Road.

Nancy From Nairobi (GB), winner of the 2016 Royal Heroine (G2) at Santa Anita, sold for $210,000 to BBA Ireland. Cataloged as a racing or broodmare prospect, the 6-year-old daughter of Sixties Icon (GB) is out of the Hawk Wing mare Madame Hoi. She was consigned by Lane’s End, agent.

“She is going to Japan,” Michael Donohoe of BBA Ireland said about Nancy From Nairobi, who last raced in the Matriarch (G1) on Dec. 4 at Del Mar. “She is going to ship out as soon as possible to Japan. There is obvious interest in the pedigree. It is quite good (and has) a Japanese horse (Group 3 winner Sweet Salsa). (Nancy From Nairobi) is a graded stakes winner, a very good-looking filly. She fit the program in Japan.”

Also bringing $210,000 was the stakes-winning Yes It’s True mare Yes She’s a Lady, in foal to Hard Spun. Richard Hogan, agent, purchased the 11-year-old mare, who is from the family of Grade 1 winner Pure Clan and Grade 2 winner Greater Good. She was consigned by Brookdale Sales, agent.

The January Sale continues through Friday. Sessions begin daily at 10 a.m. ET. The entire sale is streamed live at Keeneland.com.