At Monday’s first session of the 2013 Keeneland September yearling sale, a colt by Awesome Again topped the three New York-bred offerings, all of whom brought six figures.
Hip 120, a chestnut colt bred by Earle I. Mack LLC and foaled at Edition Farm in Hyde Park, was purchased by McMahon & Hill Bloodstock, agent for $235,000 from the consignment of Craig and Holly Bandoroff’s Denali Stud.
Only the second foal out of Joyful, a Kentucky-bred three-time winner by Distorted Humor who equaled the Laurel Park course record at 1 1/16 miles, the colt received a significant catalogue update over the weekend. Joyful’s first foal, 2-year-old Cleburne by Dixie Union, followed up a debut turf route score last month at Ellis Park with a victory in Saturday’s Grade 3 Iroquois Stakes run at 1 1/16 miles on the Churchill Downs main track. Cleburne is a graduate of the 2012 Keeneland yearling sale, where he sold for $310,000 to Jerry Crawford and Donegal Racing.
Joyful, an Earle Mack color-bearer, is a half-sister to Grade 2 winner Fifty Stars by Quiet American ($706,222) and to multiple graded stakes placed runner Ghost Mountain by Silver Ghost ($205,979). The colt’s stakes-winning third dam is a multiple stakes producer.
Denali’s Director of Sales Aly Strainer said of the New York-bred session-topper before the sale, “He’s a really lovely horse. And obviously Saturday’s update is just huge.”
The two other New York-breds offered in the sale’s opening session (after two “outs”), were both purchased by Swynford Management LLC.
Hip 87, a bay colt by Speightstown bred by Gallagher’s Stud and consigned by Denali, brought $180,000. The sale colt is the second foal of the Irish-bred stakes-winning Sadler’s Wells mare Honoria and a half-brother to stakes-winning sophomore Maximova by Danehill Dancer.
Hip 81, a grey / roan colt by red-hot sire Kitten’s Joy, emerged as a highly-successful pinhook. Bred by N.Y. Kitten Foals LLC and foaled at Carapan Farm in Freehold, the colt was an $11,000 weanling purchase at last year’s Keeneland November sale. On Monday he sold from the Summerfield consignment for $130,000. He is the first foal out of multiple winner Holy Moment (Holy Bull), who is a half-sister to multiple stakes winner Cherokee’s Goal (Cherokee Run).
Twelve more New York-bred yearlings are catalogued for the three remaining sessions of Keeneland’s Book 1, which will run from Tuesday through Thursday. Friday will be a dark day, followed by Books 2-5, each consisting of two sessions.
Click here for a complete list of Keeneland September New York-bred yearlings by dam and hip number, with links to their catalogue pages.
