NEWS: SALES

Ack Naughty part of seven-figure haul at Keeneland opener

Thursday, November 9th, 2023

Ack Naughty, the dam of Grade 1 winner Practical Move, was one of 11 seven-figure purchases Wednesday at the Keeneland November breeding stock sale. Keeneland Photo.

Ack Naughty, the stakes-placed dam of Grade 1 winner Practical Move, sold for $1.8 million and was one of 11 seven-figure purchases during Wednesday’s opening session of the Keeneland November breeding stock sale.

Juddmonte purchased the 11-year-old New York-bred daughter of Afleet Alex out of the stakes-placed General Meeting mare Dash for Money. Consigned by Sequel New York, agent for Chester and Mary Broman, Ack Naughty sold in foal to Into Mischief as Hip 246.

“Top end (of the market) is just killer strong,” Juddmonte General Manager Garrett O’Rourke said. “It’s like people buying art or something in a hot market. It’s hard to put a value on them at this level. And if you want them, you have to pay for them. I’m delighted to have something really nice to bring home and add to the Juddmonte broodmare band.”

The Bromans purchased Ack Naughty, a four-time winner who finished second in the 2014 Chelsea Flower, second in the 2017 Mount Vernon and third in the 2017 John Hettinger, for $500,000 in foal to Upstart at this year’s Keeneland January horses of all ages sale. That sale came about a month after Practical Move, a son of the Into Mischief stallion Practical Joke, won the Grade 2 Los Alamitos Futurity. He later added the Grade 2 San Felipe and Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby to rank among the leading contenders for the Kentucky Derby before an injury knocked him out of the Triple Crown.

Ack Naughty did not produce a live foal in 2023 and is the dam of a yearling colt by Complexity that sold for $300,000 at the Keeneland September sale. Ack Naughty, who won four of 15 starts and earned $310,450, was bred by Waterville Lake Stables Ltd. LLC.

“Mr. Broman still races quite a bit, but he is breeding to sell in a commercial market,” Sequel’s Becky Thomas said. “(Selling Ack Naughty) will be a chance to put cash back into the program, and that’s what we did.”

Gambling Girl, runner-up in this year’s Kentucky Oaks, sold for $875,000 Wednesday at Keeneland. Coady Photography.

Stakes winner Gambling Girl, runner-up in this year’s Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks and third in the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks at Saratoga Race Course, sold for $875,000 to Spendthrift Farm. Offered as a racing or broodmare prospect as Hip 245, the 3-year-year-old daughter of Dialed In out of the winning Empire Maker mare Tulipmania was consigned by Highgate Sales, agent.

Bred by and foaled at Gallagher’s Stud in Ghent, Gambling Girl is 2-3-3 in 12 starts with $568,910 in earnings.

Purchased by Repole Stable for $200,000 at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale, Gambling Girl won the 2022 Joseph A. Gimma Stakes and finished third in that year’s Grade 2 Demoiselle Stakes to earn champion New York-bred 2-year-old filly finalist honors. She competed exclusively in stakes company at 3, with runner-up finishes in the Busanda at Aqueduct, Grade 3 Gazelle at Aqueduct and a diminishing neck defeat in the Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs.

Arthur Hoyeau, agent, went to $200,000 to purchase Hip 111, a filly by Justify and the most expensive New York-bred weanling of the day. Bred by Lakland Farm, foaled at Sequel Stallions New York in Hudson and consigned by Sequel New York, the filly is the third foal out of the Australia mare San Saria.

Lakland also bred the filly’s full sister, the unraced 2-year-old filly Guinevere, who sold for $925,000 at last year’s Keeneland September yearling sale; and a yearling colt by Union Rags who sold for $50,000 at this year’s Keeneland September sale.

The sale continues with the start of Book 2 and the second session at 10 a.m. Thursday.

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