Mandy Pope repels superpowers to secure American Pharoah filly for $8.2 million

In a breathtaking display of how dreams propel those who can play the racing game at the highest level, US breeder Mandy Pope defied the world’s most powerful operations to acquire a superbly bred daughter of American Pharoah at the Keeneland September Sale on Wednesday, shattering the venue's record price for a yearling filly.

Still shaking after successfully bidding $8.2 million for the half-sister to champion Beholder, top sire Into Mischief and Coolmore’s Grade 1 winner Mendelssohn, Pope said she kept on raising her bids despite the attempts of adviser Todd Quast to stop her.

“Very tough battle, big battle,” declared Pope, who with brother Art owns the discount retail conglomerate Variety Wholesalers. “I was persevering; he was trying to hold my hand down. He was getting pretty adamant about it but I’m getting older, going through the final phases of my life. And this is what I want to do.”

The price for the strongly-made yet beautifully feminine bay filly almost doubled the previous record for a filly at the Keeneland September sale set nearly two decades ago when Sheikh Hamdan’s Shadwell operation paid $4.4m for Moon’s Whisper, a Storm Cat filly out of French Classic winner East Of The Moon.

Currency conversion rates show the price fell just short of the world record for a yearling filly, the 5,000,000gns Al Shaqab Racing paid for Galileo’s daughter Al Naamah at Book 1 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale in 2013.

The daughter of American Pharoah who is now the dearest yearling filly sold at KeenelandCredit: Keeneland photo

That amount equalled $8,450,925 at the time, according to the American Jockey Club, and Al Naamah went on to be multiple Group stakes-placed after winning her debut.

Fred Mitchell, who bred the American Pharoah filly with other members of his family at their Clarkland Farm near Paris, Kentucky, said he was shocked by the final price even though he praised the filly as the best foal he has raised from her now 23-year-old Broodmare of the Year dam, Leslie’s Lady, a $100,000 bargain purchase in 2006.

Mitchell said he thought Coolmore were the underbidders, but sale observers said Godolphin were in the fray until the end.

Keeneland officials said there were so many bidders on the filly at several points that some could not even be recognised for bids as the action moved rapidly upward.

“Yesterday when they had the $4.1m colt [purchased by Godolphin], I thought that would be the sale-topper by a lot," Mitchell said, his voice softened by a tone of disbelief. "Then when Mandy Pope got in the bidding, it was just unreal,”

There was a sense of something beyond the ordinary that stretched from the opening gavel fall through to the end of Wednesday’s third and final session of Book 1 of Keeneland’s September sale, the world’s largest yearling marketplace.

The second horse in the ring, a colt by American Pharoah, drew $1.3m from a partnership of MV Magnier and Sarah Kelly, with agent Jamie McCalmont signing the ticket. From there, the atmosphere in the pavilion grew more electric by the moment, matching the stifling heat that has enveloped Lexington this week.

By the end of the day, eight yearlings had reached or exceeded the magic $1m mark, with three selling for $2m or more.

With 124 horses sold overall in the session for a total of $65.082 million, average price hit a steep $524,855.

“I would describe today’s session as the cherry on top of the three days that is Book 1,” Keeneland vice president Bob Elliston said.

“That’s the way you close out a Book 1: under 19 per cent on RNAs [horses who did not attain their reserves]; an average of nearly $525,000; 28 horses sold for $700,000 or more; 27 fewer horses sold today compared to this session last year and the gross was $12 million more.”

Like everyone else who was in the sale pavilion, Elliston singled out Pope and Clarkland for the history-making sale of the American Pharoah filly, who was led into the ring as hip 498.

“What a tremendous part of an incredible session that was,” Elliston said.

Mitchell said with a wry sense of humour that his first thought afterwards concerned the taxes he and his wife, Nancy, will have to pay to 'Uncle Sam', otherwise known as the US government, on the windfall. More seriously, he said the filly’s sale will allow the couple a soft cushion in their retirement years.

Mitchell is almost 80 and his wife is 81, he said, and they have devoted much of their lives to raising thoroughbreds. With that background, Mitchell assessed the American Pharoah filly as a superior individual from the time she was born on April 25, 2018.

“She’s been unreal all her life,” he reflected. “After she was four or five days old, you could see the natural muscle in her and she was a nice, correct filly. She never, ever went the wrong way. I don’t think she was ever sick a day in her life. We had a minor problem once, but it was minor.

“She has just been wonderful to be around because her temperament is like ‘Leslie’s’ and then we wound up getting American Pharoah’s disposition in her, too.

"You just can’t imagine how good she is to be around. She just tries to please you with everything. She’s just as sweet and kind as you could want. And then when she wants to, she can explode. Not in a bad way, but she’s got life in her.”

Mitchell disclosed that Pope looked at the filly only once while she was being shown at Keeneland, although her advisers came to the barn more often.

Elliston hugged Pope after the fireworks as Quast suggested they should celebrate with champagne.

The final price ranks as the co-fourth highest in the history of the entire Keeneland September sale, equal with that of a Storm Cat colt named Act Of Diplomacy bought by Sheikh Mohammed in 2006.

Meydan City, an $11.7m Kingmambo colt also sold to Sheikh Mohammed in 2006, remains the highest priced yearling ever to pass through the ring at this venue.

Pope has made many headlines in recent years with her broodmare purchases, including $10m Havre De Grace, the 2011 Horse of the Year by Saint Liam who she bought in November 2012 as a broodmare prospect. She paid $9.5m for multiple champion Songbird in 2017.

Asked to compare the American Pharoah filly with those other marquee purchases, Pope paused for a moment.

“She’s got a lot more pedigree than some of them but she doesn’t have the race record yet. So, we’ve got a lot of racing to do,” Pope said. “Like everything else, it’s a big gamble. Fingers crossed, lots of prayers. Please wish us well.

“You can’t fault her. She’s perfectly balanced, she’s gorgeous, she’s not too big, not too small,” Pope continued when asked about the filly’s merits. “She certainly has tremendous value should she not make it to the races for whatever reason.”

The second most expensive horse sold Wednesday came near the sultry afternoon as hip 519, a dark bay son of Pioneerof The Nile who is a half-brother to multiple Grade 1 winner Guarana, elicited $2.1m from the Edwards’ family’s e5 Racing Thoroughbreds as agent Mike Ryan handled the bidding.

“Based on how the market is going, we knew it would take that kind of money to buy him,” said Ryan, who felt the colt shared some similarities with e5’s champion Good Magic.

“He’s a different colour, but he reminded me of [Good Magic] a lot - his mechanics, his movement, his mind, his demeanour,” Ryan said. “He’s a May foal, but he’s beautifully made. He’s got a stallion’s pedigree.”

Ryan was active during Book 1, buying seven horses for a total of $4.61m, including an $800,000 Curlin half brother to Grade 1 winner Tara’s Tango also on behalf of e5.

Maktoum family make their presence felt

But no buyers, even Pope, could come close to the Maktoums of Dubai. With Sheikh Mohammed on hand and guiding his team, Godolphin bought ten yearlings over the three days of Book 1 for a total of $16m and an average of $1.6m to dominate the leader board.

Sheikh Hamdan’s Shadwell operation purchased 18 yearlings for $11.07m to rank second, as Pope’s single, albeit record, purchase under the name of her Whisper Hill Farm made her the third leader by spending for Book 1.

Twenty yearlings sold for $1m or more in Book 1, with eight of those 20 going to the Maktoums. A total of 340 yearlings came out of the ring with new owners, generating gross sales of $160.463 million at an average price of $471,950.

With fewer horses catalogued in a reconstituted Book 1 this year compared to 2018, turnover was down from the first three days of last year’s sale, which had generated $167.338m with far more horses - 457 - sold.

Correspondingly, the average price for the initial three days of selling this week was far higher than in 2018, leaping from $366,166 to $471,950. The median price also rose markedly, from $280,000 last year to $355,000.

While American Pharoah did well throughout with his second crop of yearlings and was hugely boosted by his record daughter, he ranked second to Curlin among leading sires.

Curlin finished with 27 yearlings sold for a total of $18.825m and an average of $697,222. He also led all sires with five seven-figure yearlings, one more than achieved by Medaglia D’Oro, who, with 16 offspring sold overall, led by average price with $739,063.

View Keeneland sale results

Read our Keeneland September Yearling Sale supplement