Three-time stakes winner Betsy Blue, a 6-year-old daughter of Tonalist offered in foal to Nyquist, sold for $375,000 to lead all New York-breds at the Keeneland November sale. Photo courtesy of Ballysax Bloodstock.
The Keeneland November breeding stock sale wrapped up its nine-day run Thursday with across-the-board increases, including a record median, with contributions from a large group of New York-breds.
Eleven New York-bred broodmares, broodmare prospects or racing prospects sold for $100,000, along with five weanlings that brought six-figure bids. Keeneland reported 2,050 horses sold at the sale for more than $187.5 million, an increase of 6.2 percent from last year’s total when 2,128 sold for more than $176.5 million. The sale’s average came in at $91,491, up 10.3 percent from last year, while the record median of $40,000 outpaced last year’s figure by 25 percent.
Keeneland reported sales on 39 of the 48 New York-bred broodmares, broodmare prospects or racing prospects over the course of the sale for $3,113,500, an average price of $79,833 and median of $30,000.
The top-priced New York-bred overall, three-time stakes winner Betsy Blue, sold for $375,000 to James Harron Bloodstock during the sale’s second session last Wednesday. Sold as Hip 505 by Ballysax Bloodstock, agent for Forever Spring Farm LLC, the 6-year-old Tonalist mare was sold in foal to champion and classic winner Nyquist.
Bred by Blue Devil Racing Stable LLC and foaled at Sugar Maple Farm in Poughquag, Betsy Blue won 10 of 24 starts with eight seconds and three thirds for $702,010 in earnings.
Campaigned by Cloud Nine Stable and trainer Linda Rice, Betsy Blue won the 2021 Bouwerie Stakes at Belmont Park, 2022 Garland of Roses Stakes at Aqueduct and 2023 Interborough Stakes at Aqueduct. She also finished third in the Grade 3 Go for Wand Stakes late in her 4-year-old campaign in 2022. Betsy Blue was a finalist for champion New York-bred older dirt female honors in 2022.
Betsy Blue, who is out of the winning Yonaguska mare Honest to Betsy, previously sold for $110,000 to Foundation Bloodstock at the 2023 Keeneland November sale.
Grade 3-placed stakes winner Funny How sold for $300,000 during the opening session, the second-highest price for a New York-bred at the sale. Locust Road purchased the 5-year-old daughter of Overanalyze, sold as Hip 185 by Denali Stud, agent. Funny How, who made her final start in early April, was sold in foal to top sire Constitution.
Bred by Hibiscus Stable and foaled at Waldorf Farm in North Chatham, Funny How is one of nine winners from nine foals to race and one of three stakes winners out of the stakes-winning Distorted Humor mare Heavenly Humor. She’s a half-sister to multiple stakes winner and $638,645-earner Funny Guy, stakes winner Super Humor, stakes-placed $342,170-earner Three Jokers and five other winners.
A $120,000 purchase at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Eastern fall yearling sale, Funny How raced for Adelphi Racing Club and Cutair Racing and trainer Ray Handal. She won five of 11 starts, including the 2023 Broadway Stakes at Aqueduct during a run of five straight victories, and earned $302,405. She also finished second in the Grade 3 Distaff Handicap at Aqueduct.
Hip 16, a colt by Charlatan bred by Town & Country Farms and a half-brother to Grade 2 winner Baby Yoda, sold for $190,000 to lead all New York-bred weanlings at Keeneland November. Photo courtesy of Taylor Made Sales Agency.
Five New York-bred weanlings sold for $135,000 or more, including Hip 16, a colt by Charlatan that brought $190,000 from Brookstone Farm during the opening session.
A half-brother to Grade 2 winner Baby Yoda out of the placed More Than Ready mare More Than Speed, the colt was bred by Town & Country Farms LLC and foaled at Mahony Eden Manor in Saratoga Springs.
Consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent, the colt is a half-brother to three winners led by Baby Yoda, winner of this year’s Grade 2 True North Stakes at Saratoga Race Course and runner-up to Flightline in the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes in 2021 at Santa Anita Park.
The top-priced New York-bred weanling filly, Hip 652, a daughter of Grade 1 winner Yaupon, sold during Book 2.
Final Furlong Racing went to $150,000 for the filly out of the unraced Violence mare Lesson Learned. Bred by and foaled at H&H Farms Inc. in Fort Edward, the filly was consigned by Vinery Sales, agent.
Keeneland reported sales on 33 of the 43 New York-bred weanlings through the ring for a total of $1,892,000, an average price of $57,333 and median of $40,000.
Hip 3164, a weanling colt by Speaker’s Corner from the family of champion Pleasant Stage and Grade 1 winner Changeintheweather, brought the top price for Book 5 on a bid of $135,000 from Hyde Park Racing.
Bred by and foaled at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds in Saratoga Springs and consigned by Hunter Valley Farm, agent, the colt is the second foal out of the winning Tale of the Cat mare Science Fiction. A half-sister to stakes-placed Munny Grab out of the stakes-winning Another World, Science Fiction is the dam of the placed Central Banker 2-year-old New York-bred gelding One Vision.
The next stop on the Kentucky fall sales calendar comes with the Keeneland horses of racing age sale at noon Thursday.
