Stakes-placed Smokie Eyes, a 4-year-old daughter of Nyquist, sold for $140,000 Monday at Keeneland. Photo courtesy of Denali Stud.
Smokie Eyes, a stakes-placed daughter of Nyquist, and a newly turned yearling daughter of McKinzie commanded six-figure bids to highlight returns for New York-breds at the opening session of the Keeneland January horses of all ages sale Monday in Lexington.
Resolute Bloodstock purchased Smokie Eyes, a 4-year-old filly offered as a racing or broodmare prospect as Hip 134, for $140,000.
Consigned by Denali Stud, agent, and out of the Grade 3-placed Street Sense mare Smoke Signals, Smokie Eyes went through the ring with a win, four seconds and a third in 11 starts with $148,530 in earnings. A maiden winner at 2 during the 2022 Belmont at the Big A meeting in 2022, Smokie Eyes placed that season against open company in the Chelsey Flower Stakes and Tepin Stakes.
Bred by Kathleen Schweizer and Daniel Burke, Smokie Eyes originally sold for $160,000 at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale. She’s one of three winners out of Smoke Signals, who is also the dam of New York-bred winners Phantom Smoke and Smokin’ Hot Kitty, along with the $300,000 OBS March sale graduate and 3-year-old Bernardini filly Ecoro Neo.
Hip 145, a filly from the second crop of McKinzie bred by Cypress Creek Equine, sold for $130,000 during the Keeneland January opening session. Photo courtesy of Sequel New York.
SJW Enterprises purchased the session’s other six-figure New York-bred and top short yearling, going to $130,000 for Hip 145, a filly by McKinzie out of the winning Trappe Shot mare Stella Performance.
Bred by Cypress Creek Equine LLC, foaled at Sequel Stallions New York in Hudson and consigned by Sequel New York, agent, the filly is a half-sister to recent $500,000 NYSS Great White Way winner Antonio of Venice and New York-bred winners I’m Wide Awake and Modern Midas. A two-time winner and $62,690-earner, Stella Performance was purchased in foal to Laoban for $80,000 at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky winter mixed sale.
Keeneland reported sales on 15 of the 19 New York-breds through the ring Monday for $581,500, an average price of $38,767 and median of $18,000. Eight New York-bred short yearlings sold for $353,500, an average price of $44,188 and median of $22,500.
The sale continues with the second of four sessions at 10 a.m. Tuesday.
