Private $2.9 million purchase Puca gets Keeneland's November Sale under way with a bang

The first of eight sessions of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale took off on Wednesday with the dam of Kentucky Derby winner Mage headlining the show after selling privately to John Stewart for $2.9 million. 

Case Clay Thoroughbred Management consigned Puca as hip 191, carrying a full-sibling to her Grade 1-winning son of Good Magic.

"It was a really good day," said Keeneland president and CEO Shannon Arvin. "We were delighted with the session overall. The century's theme is that quality sells, and there was a high demand for quality today. 

"The foal market was robust. Today, we had double the number of foals this year sell for $400,000 or more than last year.

"There was great international participation but plenty of domestic participation. There was a real diversity among the buyers. It was interesting, probably the nature of the breeding stock, but there weren't as many partnerships and buyers as we see in some years."

While under the hammer, bidding for the mare shot up to $2.8m, but Puca failed to change hands. 

Shortly after the last horse was through the ring, Gavin O'Connor, agent for Stewart, signed the sales slip to add the Big Brown mare to his blossoming stable.

This year, Mage blasted onto the racing radar after finishing second in the Florida Derby in April, following up with a winning performance in the Run for the Roses. The Gustavo Delgado trainee travelled to Pimlico to contest the second jewel of the Triple Crown, the Preakness, in which he finished third behind National Treasure. He ran second to Geaux Rocket Ride  in the Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park in July.

Hip 170 White Hot, 2023 Keeneland November SaleCredit: Keeneland photo

White Hot, a ten-year-old daughter of top international sire Galileo, was bought by BBA Ireland for $2.1m. Stone Farm consigned the mare in foal to Into Mischief as hip 170 for owner Bobby Flay.

"She's a Galileo mare and dam of a Group 1-winning juvenile," said Michael Donohoe . "Pizza Bianca made all that money last night at Fasig-Tipton. She's in foal to a champion stallion, and it made a lot of sense; it's a great family. 

"Those Galileo mares, you can see what they can do. We were delighted to get her. We'll probably leave her here to foal out, see what kind of baby comes out of her."

White Hot is the dam of 2021 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner Pizza Bianca, who sold the night before for $3m to Stewart at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale. While unraced, White Hot boasts siblings Pour Moi, winner of the 2011 Derby, Group 3 winner Gagnoa, and producer of Group 3 winners Ancient Rome and Etoile, and Dawn Patrol, a Group 3 winner in Ireland.

"It was a great sale, but she's a lovely mare," said Lynn Hancock of Stone Farm. "She is beautiful and looks the part. Her first foal is a Breeders' Cup champion – you can't ask any more of a mare than that."

BBA Ireland made three other purchases, all by Galileo, the first hip 113, Season Ticket, a half sibling to two-time Eclipse champion grass mare Tepin  and millionaire Vyjack, for $450,000. Taylor Made Sales Agency consigned the mare in foal to Triple Crown hero Justify. 

The Taylor brothers also sold Urban Hill, in foal to Not This Time, to Donohoe for $450,000. The mare produced 2021 Central Park Stakes second Ohtwoohthreefive. The final purchase came as hip 204, Butterfly Rose, consigned by Paramount Sales. The mare out of Grade 1-winning millionaire Awesome Maria sold for $525,000, in foal to Justify. 

Juddmonte's Garrett O'Rourke sat patiently waiting for Ack Naughty to come into the sales ring, where he saw off competition to acquire the mare in foal to Into Mischief for $1.8m. Sequel New York, agent for Chester and Mary Broman, consigned the stakes-placed mare as hip 246.

"We were at the sales yesterday, and we were here again earlier today after Puca and, you know, this felt like the last legitimate big, good-looking mare," said O'Rourke. 

"She's the dam of a Grade 1 winner and in foal to Into Mischief, a stallion we've had a lot of success with, and we breed to every year. It's the opportunity to keep on doing the same. 

"She's my type of mare: nice, big, strong, and great bones. She was a good race mare and producer, so I'm glad we got something. It's been hard in there."

Ack Naughty produced the late Santa Anita Derby winner Practical Move, by Practical Joke, an earner of $923,200 in eight starts, all of which were on-the-board finishes for owners Pierre and Leslie Amestoy and Roger Beasley.

Skims, a Grade 2-winning daughter of Frankel, was acquired by Jane Lyon's Summer Wind Equine for $1.8m. The four-year-old filly was consigned as hip 125 by Bluegrass Thoroughbred Services for her racing/breeding connection, Andrew Rosen, and was the first to sell for seven figures on Wednesday.

"I'm so excited to be getting this filly," said Jane Lyon. "I am a Frankel lover, and when I saw this filly with her record, I was so excited to have her in my broodmare band."

The filly out of the Street Cry mare Royal Decree was a winner at two with trainer Shug McGaughey. In 2022, she ran third in the Appalachian Stakes in April and Wonder Again Stakes in June. Taking to the Kentucky Downs course, she finished second in the Dueling Grounds Oaks and followed with a win in the Sands Point Stakes at Belmont at the Big A.

Skims: Grade 2 winner by Frankel went the way of Jane Lyon's Summer Wind Equine for $1.8 millionCredit: Keeneland photo

This year, Skims ran second in the Canadian Stakes in September and was fourth in the E.P. Taylor Stakes a month later, both at Woodbine. She sold as a racing or broodmare prospect with a record of 4-2-2 in 14 efforts and earnings of $426,685.

She is a half brother to Vintage Stakes victor War Decree and the English Channel Stakes third Noble Quality. Her second dam is the American Oaks winner Ticker Tape, an earner of over $1.45m and half sister to fellow Group 1 winner Brando.

Consignor John Stuart of Bluegrass Thoroughbred Services was pleased with the transaction, stating, "That was right in line with what we thought she would bring. She is by Frankel and from a nice family. I am thrilled she is staying here in the Bluegrass."

The first day of selling saw 11 mares bring $1m or more, with the top ten horses selling to nine distinct buyers. 

The top weanling offering, hip 154, sold to Shadwell for $750,000. Taylor Made Sales Agency consigned the son of Gun Runner, a half sibling to 2021 Central Park Stakes runner-up Ohtwoohthreefive, by Union Rags. Fred Hertrich bred the colt out of the winning Galileo mare Urban Hill in Kentucky.

Selling got under way at Keeneland on WednesdayCredit: Keeneland photo

Keeneland reported 131 horses changed hands of the 185 on offer Wednesday for a $60,945,000 gross, down 4.7 per cent over the first session in 2022 (last year's figures exclude the $4.6m sale of a fractional interest in Flightline). A $465,229 average was up 2.6 per cent and the median rose 36 per cent to $375,000. The 54 horses who failed to attain their reserve represent an RNA rate of 29 per cent.

Last year, during the first day, 141 horses sold of the 184 on offer for a gross of $63,930,000, recording an average price of $453,404 and a $275,000 median. An RNA rate of 23 per cent represents the 43 individuals who failed to sell.

West Bloodstock, agent for Repole Stable, made five purchases on Wednesday for gross receipts of $4,400,000, at an average of $880,000, to be the day one leading buyer. Gainesway sold 15 of their 20-horse draft for a gross of $6,940,000, at an average of $462,667, to be the leading consignor.

Selling from Book 2, hips 261-668, begins on Thursday at 10am local time (3pm GMT).

For all the latest North American bloodstock and racing news, visit Bloodhorse