Sheikh Mohammed spending spree fuels strong trade at Keeneland

Every year prior to the beginning of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, breeders and consignors look longingly across Versailles Road, hoping that the Maktoums’ huge planes bearing UAE flags on their tails will be parked at Lexington’s Blue Grass Airport.

With the Maktoums on hand, sale results tend to be decidedly more robust, and that was certainly the case during Monday’s opening session of the world’s largest yearling market.

Surrounded by a team including John Gosden, Saeed bin Suroor and Simon Crisford, Sheikh Mohammed proceeded to buy three yearlings, including the top two lots of the day with each of the duo costing over $2 million. His purchases for the session totalled $5.25m.

His brother Sheikh Hamdan was also active, securing five yearlings for his Shadwell operation for a total of $3.06m. Together, the Maktoums accounted for 18 per cent of the session turnover of $46.231m.

Sheikh Mohammed’s top selection on the day, at $2.5m, was hip 75, a stunning grey Tapit colt bred by the family-owned Hinkle Farms who is a half-brother to champion and Kentucky Derby winner Nyquist, a promising young Darley stallion whose first offspring are yearlings.

The striking Tapit half-brother to Nyquist sold by Hinkle FarmCredit: Keeneland photo

“He selected the horse,” adviser Anthony Stroud said as Dubai’s ruler strode out from the back ring where he often bids at Keeneland. “He’s a very nice horse and Sheikh Mohammed liked him very, very much. It was his pick of the day. The colt has got a fantastic pedigree and a good physical - he’s an exciting prospect.”

Stroud said after Godolphin’s buying is complete from the opening Keeneland sessions, Sheikh Mohammed will decide where the colt and any other purchases will be trained and by whom.

“I think he wants to see how the week goes and how it pans out,” Stroud said, adding that the Tapit colt’s close relationship to Nyquist was a major factor in the purchase.

“It’s great that [Sheikh Mohammed] is here, and we’ve been very impressed with the Nyquist yearlings we’ve seen so far,” Stroud said.

Godolphin purchased the colt’s half-sister by War Front at this venue last year, paying $1.75m for the filly later named Maria Rosa. Stroud said she is “going very well” in her training.

Later in the day, Sheikh Mohammed and his team went to $2.15m to acquire a bay son of Godolphin stallion Medaglia D’Oro who is the first foal of Grade 1 winner Tara’s Tango, a daughter of Unbridled’s Song. The colt was bred by Barbara Banke’s Stonestreet Stables and was consigned by Denali Stud.

The Medaglia D'Oro colt out of Grade 1 heroine Tara's Tango sold for $2.15mCredit: Keeneland photo

“He’s a very good-looking horse - a smooth-going horse,” said Stroud, who indicated that the price level was about what it takes to “buy a nice horse - especially for a possible stallion.

“The Boss is just looking for attractive horses that will make good athletes, good racehorses. That’s what we’re doing,” he added.

Godolphin’s last purchase of the session was hip 181, a Medaglia D’Oro colt out of stakes winner Wait Til Dawn (by Giant’s Causeway) and from the family of Grade 1 winner Spain. Consigned by Select Sales, agent for breeder WinStar Farm, that colt cost $600,000.

Shadwell’s top acquistion of the day was a $1.05m chestnut Curlin colt who, like the session-topper, was bred and consigned by Hinkle Farms of Paris, Kentucky. The colt is out of a half-sister to multiple Grade 2 winner and sire Alternation and from the family of Canadian champion and sire Peaks And Valleys.

“Obviously, Sheikh Mohammed carried a bunch of the water today. What a tremendous supporter he is of Keeneland and we couldn’t be more proud of that - and Sheikh Hamdan as well,” said Keeneland vice president of racing and sales Bob Elliston after the session had concluded with a total of seven horses selling for $1m or more.

“I’d be remiss if I didn’t stop and say something about the Hinkles; what a tremendous family,” Elliston continued. “They’re loyal Keeneland customers and we couldn’t be more proud of them. I think they sold two horses that averaged [almost] $1.8 million today.”

Although Keeneland has changed its Book 1 format to encompass fewer horses and only three days of selling rather than the four that were conducted last year - which Elliston said makes session comparisons problematic - he did note that the number of seven-figure sales on Monday was two more than was recorded on the initial day in 2018.

A sight to cheer Keeneland vendors: the Maktoum family plane landsCredit: Michele MacDonald

“In the numbers I will use, the average price [$432,065] was up almost 23 per cent today for 31 fewer horses sold," he said.

"The median [$325,000] was up 25 per cent on the prior year, and the number that I’m most proud of today is that the RNA [reserve not attained] rate was down almost a full six points, from almost 35 per cent last year to nearly 29 per cent. I think all that represents incredible trade.

“Another number: you had 17 horses sold today that brought in excess of $700,000.”

Overall, 107 horses were sold in the session, down from 138 on the same day in 2018, although 58 fewer horses were catalogued.

Total gross sales were, not surprisingly, down slightly, from $48.62m in 2018.

Elliston described the buying bench as deep and active, and observed that many domestic purchasers were frustrated in their efforts due to the strength of the Maktoums and several Japanese buyers, including new owner Yuji Hasegawa.

The Tapit colt out of Unrivaled Belle heading to Japan after selling for $1.5mCredit: Keeneland photo

Represented by a team of advisers, Hasegawa acquired the co-third highest-priced yearling of the session, a full-brother to two-time champion Unique Bella, for $1.5m.

Hiroyasu Takeuchi, agent for Hasegawa, said the owner has a bold plan for the son of Tapit out of Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic winner Unrivaled Belle despite the fact the colt is only the second horse he has purchased, following a King Kamehameha colt at the Japan Racing Horse Association select sale in July.

Hasegawa is in the produce business in Japan, specialising in beans.

“This horse had the best pedigree of all the horses we looked at today; the plan is to take him back to Japan and hopefully run him on the Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby and bring him back over here as Derby horse,” Takeuchi said of the Tapit colt, hip 172, adding that the steel grey will be trained by Kazuo Fujisawa.

“It would be great to go to the Kentucky Derby together with this horse,” Takeuchi said, noting that highly successful Fujisawa is nearing the end of his career due to Japan Racing Association rules requiring that trainers retire by age 70.

The Tapit colt was bred by Mandy Pope’s Whisper Hill Farm, which purchased Unrivaled Belle for $3.8m at the 2016 Keeneland November sale, and was consigned by Timber Town.

Also selling for $1.5m during the September sale opening session was hip 185, Golden Whim, a son of Medaglia D’Oro who is a full-brother to Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner New Money Honey.

Trainer Todd Pletcher signed the ticket for a partnership that will include Coolmore’s MV Magnier; Mike Repole, who raced champion and eventual Coolmore stallion Uncle Mo, and Vinnie Viola a co-owner of Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming.

“He's a beautiful horse, well bred, everything you look for in one. I’ll talk to the guys and come up with a plan. We’ll send him to Ocala eventually and hope he turns out to be as good as he looks,” Pletcher said of the colt, who was bred by Jane Lyon’s Summer Wind Farm and consigned by Lane’s End.

“He should be able to do everything, dirt, turf, and can certainly get the trip. A classic-type horse, hopefully,” Pletcher added.

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