Justify Colt Bears Striking Resemblance to Famed Sire

Bloodstock agent Donato Lanni said he hadn't seen many weanlings from the first crop of Triple Crown winner Justify ahead of the Nov. 9 opening session of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. But when he saw Hip 21, a chestnut colt by the Ashford Stud stallion, the resemblance between father and son was too much to ignore. Consigned by Hunter Valley Farm, agent, the colt was purchased on a final bid of $600,000. "He's pretty cool; he looked just like Justify," said Lanni, who purchased the colt to race on behalf of an undisclosed client. "I wanted to buy a nice Justify. He was an amazing racehorse—he looked just like him. "I haven't seen many Justifys, but if they all look like that, it'll be pretty good. He was a cool dude back there; laid back." Bred in Kentucky by Mountmellick Farm, Hip 21 is out of the Mr. Greeley mare Groton Circle, who has also produced stakes winner Supreme Aura. The female family of the colt includes stakes winner and grade 3-placed Abraham, Natalma Stakes (G1T) third Beat the Benchmark, and graded stakes winner and grade 1-placed Miss Isella. Despite the fact that COVID-19 continues to have an adverse affect on the overall world economy, Lanni said he was taken aback by how strong the market had been so far for weanlings and breeding stock. "It was strong yesterday, it's strong so far today," said Lanni, referencing the success of The November Sale, Fasig-Tipton's premier breeding stock sale, one day earlier. "I don't know what's going on … I have no idea what horses are worth anymore." Determined Stud Purchases American Pharoah Filly for $525,000 The top-selling weanling filly of the day was Hip 210, a filly by Ashford Stud's American Pharoah purchased for $525,000 by Phil Schoenthal, agent for Determined Stud. Consigned by James B. Keogh (Grovendale), agent, the chestnut is out of the Horse Chestnut mare Charming N Lovable, dam of grade 1 winner Fault (by Blame). She was bred in Kentucky by Judy Hicks. "She was absolutely a fabulous filly to be around," said Hicks. "Obviously, out of a very good producing mare who I happen to own, Charming N Lovable, who is in foal with the full sister to this filly and due for a February foaling. I really was reluctant to sell her. I am going to miss her. I get too attached to my horses." Hicks purchased Charming N Lovable privately from Claiborne Farm when the mare RNA'd for $70,000 at the 2017 Keeneland November Sale. The mare produced a colt by Runhappy in 2018 but did not produce a foal in 2019. "I bought her from Claiborne in foal to Runhappy, and that colt made $230,000 (at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearlings Sale) … Then I bred her to Tapit on a late June cover," said Hicks. "She had never missed a year, but she slipped. That was probably a good thing, as she's getting quite a bit of age on her now. This is her first filly back and it's an early foal. We're probably going to breed her back to Nyquist."