There's no doubt about it - Keeneland September is the biggest and most hyped Thoroughbred sale in the world. With its history of churning out stakes winners, no wonder people flock to Lexington, money in their pocket, to see if they can snatch up the next champion. Verrazano and Palace Malice, two of the three headliners of this year's Travers Stakes (G1), went through the September ring in 2011, and names like Game On Dude, Marketing Mix and Oxbow were also once yearlings in this ring. Even recently retired Animal Kingdom, a champion on the world stage, was a $100,000 in 2009 and has since earned all of that back - and much more.
Keeneland September not only offers quality but large quantity as well. 3,908 horses are cataloged for this sale, with 875 of them in Book One, the highly selective group of yearlings to be offered through the first four days (September 9-12). Book One's catalog boasts horses with exceptional pedigrees. Colts and fillies by the best stallions and out of stakes winners and producers will step into the ring over the four day select session of the sale. Book One will be the portion of the sale that Pedigree Highlights will preview. I've selected 20 horses from each day of the sale. Each of these eighty horses have sparkling pedigrees, and their pages should turn heads, if not their conformation and vet reports.
Without further adieu, let's take a look at day one of Keeneland September:
Hip #6 - Smart Strike - Fashion Star (Chief's Crown)
Chestnut colt consigned by Lane's End, Agent
The first yearling we have to preview is a colt by one of the most versatile stallions on the market. Smart Strike has sired the winners of over $100 million, which includes twelve champions. That alone is worth taking a look at this colt, who is a half brother to Grade 1 winner Eddington (Unbridled). Eddington, a contemporary of Smarty Jones', also set a track record at Gulfstream for a mile and three-sixteenths. Eddington's half-brother, Star Crowned (Kingmambo), was a winner who was luck enough to snag third in the Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1). Second dam Miss Ivor produced seven winners, including Miserden, a Grade 3 victor in America who captured the prestigious Criterium de Saint-Cloud (G1) in France.
Hip #19 - Medaglia d'Oro - Flying Passage (A.P. Indy)
Bay filly consigned by Gainesway, Agent XXIV
This filly has a beautiful female family under her. She is a half to Grade 2 winner Hungry Island (More Than Ready), a nice grass runner who is also Grade 1-placed. Another sibling of this yearling is Soaring Empire (Empire Maker), a multiple graded stakes winning colt. Flying Passage has produced four winners from four to race - an impressive achievement rendered not surprising due to the success of her mother, the Grade 1 winner Chic Shrine. Chic Shrine, who is a full sister to champion Queena, produced a couple of Grade 2 winners in Waldoboro and Tara Roma. Tara Roma was the dam of Serra Lake, a Grade 1 winner, and Coal Play, a Grade 1-placed stakes winner. Another daughter of Chic Shrine, Chic Corine, produced Grade 3 grass mare Somali Lemonade. Yet another daughter, Mayan Maiden, is the granddam of Al Khali, a major player in the older male turf division. Finally, Flying Passage is closely related to her sister, Enchanted Rock, who is the dam of Travers favorite Verrazano and Grade 3 winner El Padrino. Oh, and I nearly forgot to mention that this filly is by Medaglia d'Oro, a sire whose fillies are world-renowned. So much to like here!
Hip #27 - Tale of the Cat - Forty Love (Forty Niner)
Chestnut colt consigned by Paramount Sales, Agent for Randal Family Trust
Forty Tales, who squared off against a full field in the King's Bishop (G1) this Saturday - albeit putting in an uncharacteristic poor performance - is one of the best three year-olds in the country, and certainly the best at a sprint distance. This chestnut colt is his full brother. Sire Tale of the Cat is a very successful sire, getting horses like Gio Ponti and Lion Heart. Forty Love has produced six winners out of seven to race, including another full brother, Face the Cat, who is stakes-placed, and Bear Character (Dixie Union), a stakes winner in Canada. Forty Love is a full sister to Footing, a stakes winner who is the granddam of Grade 2 winner Banned. Second dam Footy also produced Pedicure, who in turn gave us stakes winners Masseuse, Buff and Second Performance. Pedicure is also the dam of Argentinian Grade 1 winner Peristaltica. A win by Forty Tales last Saturday would've lended a little extra sparkle to this colt's catalog page, but he still should get a good amount of attention.
Hip #65 - Smart Strike - Handpainted (A.P. Indy)
Dark bay or brown filly consigned by Hill 'n' Dale Sales Agency, Agent
Smart Strike is one of those stallions who needs no introduction; his name alone carries weight, both in the sales ring and on the racetrack. This filly is half to three winners, including stakes winner Patena, who was second to Friesan Fire in the 2009 LeComte (G3). Second dam Daijin is nothing short of spectacular. This Grade 1-placed mare is a full sister to Touch Gold, a legendary sire, and a half-sister to Canadian Triple Crown winner With Approval. Handpainted's half-sister, Serenading, was a champion mare in Canada. Another half-sister, Speed Succeeds, produced the stakes winners Brilliant Speed and Souper Speedy, the latter of which is a Grade 1 winner. Not listed on the catalog is third dam Passing Mood, who was a champion broodmare in Canada thanks to her offspring's accomplishments.
Hip #67 - Bernardini - Heat Lightning (Summer Squall)
Bay colt consigned by Bluegrass Thoroughbred Services, Inc., Agent I
Throughout the years, Heat Lightning has proved herself as a very good broodmare. Out of eleven starters, eleven of them have gone on to win a race or two. The best of them is Stevie Wonderboy (Stephen Got Even), who captured the Del Mar Futurity (G2) and the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) en route to an award for two year-old champion colt. This colt is by the blue-blooded Bernardini, which makes him a full sibling to Theysken's Theory, a graded stakes winner who is Grade 1 placed on both sides of the Atlantic. Second dam Mystical Mood, a Schuylerville (G3) winner, was the dam of Fair Judgement, who won graded stakes both here and in Europe. His half-sister, Linda Coqueta, produced Grade 3-placed winner Capo. Previously mentioned Bernardini is one of the most commercially popular sires in the business today.
Hip #84 - Lookin At Lucky - Home From Oz (Pulpit)
Chestnut colt consigned by James M. Herbener Jr., Agent III
This colt is part of the first crop of Lookin At Lucky, who proved his worth on the track by taking home the awards for both champion two year-old colt and champion three year-old colt. Highlighting his sparkling race record are wins in the Preakness Stakes (G1) and the Haskell Invitational (G1) in 2010. Home From Oz is an unraced winner-producing mare who happens to be a full sister to leading sire Tapit. Tapit himself was out of a mare who was a half sister to champion sprinter Rubiano, and third dam Ruby Slippers is half to Glitterman, sire of Grade 1 winner Balto Star, among others. Through Hong Kong Jade, a half-sister to Tap Your Heels, this family also gave us Summer Bird, Belmont and Travers winner in 2009 who also took home the award for champion three year-old male.
Hip #93 - Lookin At Lucky - I'll Get Along (Smile)
Chestnut filly consigned by Hill 'n' Dale Sales Agency, Agent
I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for any foal out of the Smile mare I'll Get Along, for she is the dam of my favorite all-time racehorse, Smarty Jones. As we all know, Smarty Jones (Elusive Quality) was no slouch on the track, winning eight of nine races, including the Derby and Preakness, and winning the three year-old male championship at the end of the year. I'll Get Along has produced four winners in six to race; besides Smarty Jones, she also gave us Smartys Emperoress (Holy Roman Emperor), a listed stakes winner. Second dam Dont Worry Bout Me also was a listed stakes winner. Her best racing offspring is Cowboy Cop, a two-time Grade 3 winner. Dont Worry Bout Me is a half-sister to Delaware Handicap (G1) winner Basie. This filly comes from the same Mr. Prospector sireline as her half-brother, Smarty Jones.
Hip #98 - Giant's Causeway - Imagine (IRE) (Sadler's Wells)
Bay colt consigned by Eaton Sales, Agent
This colt has one of the most stunning pedigrees I saw in all of Book One. When a mare's accomplishments are so great that they don't have room for the second dam on a catalog page, that is certainly saying something. We'll start with the sire - Giant's Causeway is certainly one of the best in the world, no doubt about that. This colt's dam, Imagine, was the winner of the Epsom Oaks and Irish 1000 Guineas in 2001. She is a half-sister to Generous (Caerleon), an English and Irish Derby winner. This colt is a full brother to Viscount Nelson, a stakes winner who finished third in both the Irish 2000 Guineas (G1) and the Coral-Eclipse Stakes (G1). Half-siblings to this yearling include the ill-fated graded winner Horatio Nelson, who tragically broke down in the 2006 Epsom Derby; Kitty Matcham, a Grade 2 winner; and Red Rock Canyon, a Grade 1-placed winner. If this colt physically turns heads, with this impeccable catalog page, he will be incredibly popular in the sales ring.
Hip #101 - Tiznow - Indian Snow (A.P. Indy)
Bay filly consigned by Lane's End, Agent
This filly is a full sibling to Grade 1 winner Morning Line, a handsome individual with five wins and $1.25 million in fifteen starts on the racetrack. Morning Line is out of Indian Snow, an unraced mare who also produced stakes-placed Brandy Baby (Gone West) and Snow Kid (Lemon Drop Kid), the dam of G3-placed Gefest. Second dam November Snow was a two-time Grade 1 winner on the track and a full sister to sire Scatmandu. Among her offspring is graded stakes-placed November Slew, who produced multiple Japanese stakes winner Hiraboku Wild. Another daughter of November Snow, Arctic Drift, produced five winners, three of them stakes winners. Tiznow, a two-time Breeders' Cup Classic winner, has blossomed into one of the world's leading sires, with names like Well Armed and Colonel John among his offspring.
Hip #109 - Candy Ride (ARG) - Irene's Talkin (At the Threshold)
Chestnut filly consigned by Four Star Sales, Agent for Glencrest Farm
Sire Candy's Ride was an Argentinian champion who came to the States as a four year-old. The undefeated colt's biggest win came in the Pacific Classic (G1), where he defeated horses like Medaglia d'Oro and Milwaukee Brew and, in the process, set a track record on Del Mar's old dirt track. Since then, he has sired multiple Grade 1 winners, including horses like Sidney's Candy and Misremembered. This filly is out of a mare whose seven foals to race have all gone on to win. Her best daughter is Adieu (El Corredor), a Frizette Stakes (G1) winner. Other graded stakes winners to Irene's Talkin's credit include Rapport (Songandaprayer) and Direct Line (Tiznow). Another daughter of Irene's Talkin, Clay's Rocket (American Chance), is the dam of multiple stakes winners Laurie's Rocket and Greeley's Rocket.
Hip #118 - Unbridled's Song - Joke (Phone Trick)
Bay colt consigned by Claiborne Farm, Agent
The hype surrounding this colt should be pretty high come his time to sell. By the late Unbridled's Song, he is a full brother to the speedy Zensational, a multiple Grade 1 winner who, on his best days, was unstoppable. He is the only winner out of his dam, Joke, who has produced three to race to far. Second dam Tour, a multiple stakes winner, also produced Trip, a Grade 3 winner who went on to become a stakes producer herself. Leave, another half-sister to Joke, produced Departing, whose status as a leading three year-old colt this year was even more solidified by an impressive open-lengths win in the West Virginia Derby (G2). The breeding industry lost Unbridled's Song sooner than we would have liked, so as a member of one of the leading sire's last crops - and a full brother to Zensational, to boot - this colt should get some nice attention by buyers.
Hip #121 - Super Saver - Joy Valley (BRZ) (Ghadeer)
Chestnut colt consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, Agent for Aaron & Marie Jones
The Kentucky Derby was far and away Super Saver's biggest win. As a well-bred son of Maria's Mon, though, he received quite a bit of attention at stud. This yearling is a member of Super Saver's first crop of foals. He also just happens to have some pretty notable siblings - Riboletta (Roi Normand), a champion older mare in the U.S., and her full brother Super Power, a horse of the year in Brazil. Forest Attack and Tamara Princess, two other siblings to this yearling, are listed stakes winners. His sister by Clackson, Perfect Valley, is responsible for a number of nice horses, including her daughter Milk and Honey, a stakes-winning filly who is Grade 1-placed in South Africa. This colt has the distinction of being out of a champion producer, as Joy Valley was broodmare of the year in Brazil thirteen years ago.
Hip #135 - Perfect Soul (IRE) - La Comete (Holy Bull)
Bay filly consigned by Four Star Sales, Agent
This filly is a half to two stakes winners, one of which is the Grade 2 winner Munnings. Munnings was a speedy colt who hung with the best of his crop, which was no small feat, considering he had Kodiak Kowboy and Vineyard Haven to contend with. His full sister - the aptly named Munnings Sister - won a few listed stakes, and their half sister Gaudete (Distorted Humor) produced Snowboarder, who is Grade 3 placed in the UAE. Second dam La Gueriere, a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Al Mamoon and sire Lost Soldier, won the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) as a racehorse. As a broodmare, she produced horses like Icon Project, a Personal Ensign Stakes (G1) winner, and Lasting Approval, a colt that captured the Oak Tree Derby (G2).
Hip #157 - Medaglia d'Oro - Liam's Dream (Saint Liam)
Bay filly consigned by Lane's End, Agent
Medaglia d'Oro is known for his fillies - do names like Rachel Alexandra, Plum Pretty and Marketing Mix ring a bell? - which is why one should give this daughter of his a long look in the first place. She is the first foal out of Grade 3 winner Liam's Dream, who is out of a Rubiano mare named Danzig's Dreamer. Danzig's Dreamer just happens to be a half-sister to none other than Distorted Humor, a leading sire of today. Third dam Danzig's Beauty herself was a graded stakes winner who finished second in the Acorn Stakes (G1). Fourth dam Sweetest Chant was a Grade 2 winner and half to Lisieux, the dam of Canadian champion and American Grade 1 victor Never Retreat. Liam's Dream is by the ill-fated Horse of the Year Saint Liam, who won the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) in 2005. A filly by a top-class sire from the family of another top-class sire? Not bad at all.
Hip #171 - Sea the Stars - Love Me Only (IRE) (Sadler's Wells)
Bay colt consigned by Lane's End, Agent
Sea the Stars was widely considered to be the best European racehorse of recent years - that is, until Frankel came along. However, he is still regarded as a champion stayer and is mentioned in the same breath as horses like Brigadier Gerard and Sea-Bird. His foals are very much anticipated by racegoers, and this colt is no exception. He is out of a Sadler's Wells half-sister to Giant's Causeway, one of the best sires in the world. Second dam Mariah's Storm was an incredibly talented stakes winner in her days, and also produced horses like Freud and Roar of the Tiger, who are also pretty well-known sires here. She also gave us You'resothrilling, another full sister to Giant's Causeway who was a Grade 3 winner. Sea the Stars crossed with Sadler's Wells, with a little bit of Giant's Causeway blood thrown in, should lend appeal to this bay colt.
Hip #175 - Smart Strike - Lucette (Dayjur)
Dark bay or brown colt consigned by Dromoland Farm Inc. (Gerry Dilger), Agent IX
I've said it before and I'll say it again - Smart Strikes can do anything. Dirt, turf, sprint, route...you name it. He is one of, if not the most, versatile sire on the market today. That being said, this colt is a half-brother to Grade 3 winner Everyday Heroes (Awesome Again), as well as five other winners. Dam Lucette is a half-sister to Baby Zip, the dam of Grade 1 winners and sires City Zip and Ghostzapper. The latter of the two is especially notable; Ghostzapper is known for his brilliant speed and the ability to carry it a distance. Though he did not race as often as we would have liked in his short career, we still saw flashes of greatness in the way he won races. This is also the family of Grade 3 winners City Wolf and Northern Causeway, as well as a Turkish champion in Win River Win.
Hip #183 - Malibu Moon - Madcap Escapade (Hennessy)
Bay colt consigned by Hill 'n' Dale Sales Agency, Agent
Some great racemares go to the breeding shed and never repeat the excellence they showed on the track. Others go on to produce stakes winners just like themselves. Madcap Escapade was a millionaire and Grade 1 winner on the track. Since retirement, she has produced one winner out of three to race - Mi Sueno (Pulpit), who captured the Darley Debutante (G1) as a two year-old. Madcap Escapade is a half-sister to Dubai Escapade, who also was a Grade 1 winner. Their brother Real Estate won one listed stakes, and their dam, Sassy Pants, was also a listed stakes winner. Malibu Moon has done quite well for himself, considering the number of other sons of A.P. Indy that he has to contend with. Kentucky Derby winner Orb and juvenile champion Declan's Moon are some of his many successes at a sire.
Hip #198 - Medaglia d'Oro - Maya (Capote)
Dark bay or brown colt consigned by Gainesway, Agent XXIV
Let's face it - full siblings to a nice racehorse look good in the sales ring. This yearling is no exception, as he is a brother to Grade 2 winner Al Khali, a horse that is constantly knocking on the door for a Grade 1 win. The millionaire racehorse has faced up to the likes of Point of Entry and Courageous Cat, but has never quite been able to best them. Second dam Mayan Maiden is a full sister to Grade 2 winners Waldoboro and Tara Roma, the latter of which produced Grade 1 winner Serra Lake. Third dam Chic Shirine was a Grade 1 winner and a sister to Queena, a champion older mare. This is a family that has given us nice racehorses like Verrazano, El Padrino, Soaring Empire and Hungry Island. Medaglia d'Oro isn't too shabby, either.
Hip #208 - Grand Slam - Midway Squall (Storm Bird)
Bay filly consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, Agent XCV
While he's not a world-beater as a sire, Grand Slam has given us some nice names, like Breeders' Cup Sprint champion Cajun Beat and Grade 1 winners The Lumber Guy and Visionaire. His skill at siring sprinters will work out well for this filly, who is a half to recent Smile Sprint Handicap (G2) winner Bahamanian Squall. She is also a full sister to the Grade 1-placed sprinter Apriority. In fact, dam Midway Squall, who was unraced herself, has produced twelve winners out of thirteen to race, which are very good stats for a mare with that many offspring. This filly, if anything, has speed on her side, as well as a very nice pedigree.
Hip #216 - Giant's Causeway - Mining My Own (Smart Strike)
Chestnut colt consigned by Pauls Mill, Agent
The last yearling to preview for Day One is a nice one. Sire Giant's Causeway, who has previously mentioned, has done nothing but good things for his breed, giving us six champions and horses like My Typhoon, Shamardal and Eishin Apollon, each of them top-notch horses in their respective countries. Pair this sire with Mining My Own and you may have a star on your hands, for this colt is a half-brother to a very nice pair of brothers - Mine That Bird and Dullahan. As we all know, Mine That Bird splashed home first in the 2009 Kentucky Derby at odds of 50-1, while Dullahan blew past top older horse Game On Dude to win last year's edition of the Pacific Classic (G1). Mining My Own has produced three winners out of four to race, and there's no reason that this yearling can't add to her accomplishments.
Stay tuned for previews of days two, three and four!
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