Trainer Phil Schoenthal and Matt Dorman of Determined Stud took advantage of the slight dip in the market during the Nov. 10 opening session of Book 2 at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale to expand their growing list of bloodstock.
Dorman, who owns a farm near Boyds, Md., said he had been shopping for top-quality pedigrees to help kickstart a broodmare band of around 15 mares. As of the end of Tuesday, he had purchased 10 mares and three weanlings for receipts of $4.46 million through the first two sessions of the sale.
Topping the list on Tuesday was Hip 465, a Curlin mare named Style and Grace, who was purchased from the consignment of Lane's End, agent, for $800,000.
"It's a great page, a great history, and a fairly young horse so there is a lot of future there," said Dorman. "To me, it seemed like a no-brainer."
The 4-year-old Style and Grace was offered in foal to Lane's End stallion City of Light , whose first foals are yearlings. Bred in Kentucky by Dr. Catherine Willis, Style and Grace is out of the Rahy mare Flagrant, who was a half sister to Lone Star Derby (G3) winner Dynever.
Flagrant also produced Breeder' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) winner Furthest Land and grade 3-placed winner Street Move. She appears as the granddam of Ready for Rye, who won the Fasig-Tipton Swale Stakes (G2), and of Encaje Antiguo, a stakes winner in Chile.
"It exceeded our expectations—we're very pleased with the sale for obvious reasons," said Allaire Ryan of Lane's End. "With that being said, when they're as popular as she was—she was shown 95 times yesterday; that's more than some of our foals were. She was a young, pretty, well-bred filly, and she's had a couple family updates since the catalog. Everything just lined up well, and it just shows you how competitive the market is for the quality that's here."
Dorman and Schoenthal said they had tried several times to purchase either weanlings from the first crop of City of Light or mares in foal to the stallion, but had not been as successful as they'd hoped.
"We've been trying to buy some (City of Lights)," said Dorman. "We're pretty happy the market dropped off today from my side of it, but I think it's been fair. There are a couple of active folks going after quality horses so I think the market works."
"He's an exciting young stallion for us (Lane's End)—no doubt," said Ryan. "Just to have a son of Quality Road who looks as good as he does and was as talented as he was on the track, and that's throwing the physicals that he is, all signs point to a successful future for him. I can't say anything more positive about what we've seen from him thus far. That certainly gives you even more momentum to ride with a mare like this."
Another pricey purchase for Dorman came less than half an hour later when he purchased Hip 503, Vevina, for $600,000. A 5-year-old daughter of More Than Ready, the mare was consigned by Kingswood Farm, agent, and was offered in foal to Ashford Stud's Uncle Mo.
"It's what we consider to be a classic sire and a great bloodline so that's what you want when you're starting out a broodmare band," said Dorman. "We're just buying quality."
Stakes-placed Vevina was bred in Kentucky by Robert and Lawana Low out of My Sugar Bear (by Giant's Causeway). Trained during the second half of her career by Phil D'Amato, the mare's best score on the track came in 2019 when she finished second in the Searching Stakes on the grass at Pimlico Race Course.
Vevina's second dam is stakes winner Primetimevalentine, who also produced stakes winner All for Thee. Primetimevalentine was a half sister to Guided Tour, a multiple graded stakes winner who earned just shy of $2 million in purses.
Of the weanlings purchased by Dorman, the most expensive was Hip 210, a daughter of Ashford Stud's American Pharoah purchased during the Nov. 9 opening session. Consigned by James B. Keogh (Grovendale), agent, the filly was bred in Kentucky by Judy Hicks out of the Horse Chestnut mare Charming N Lovable, the dam of grade 1 winner Fault.
Purchased for $525,000, Hip 210 was the highest-grossing weanling filly to be sold during the sale's opening two days.
While Dorman said that pinhooking the youngsters could be a possibility, the plan at the moment will be to race.
"We got a good group in September at the September sales so we look at these as possible pinhooks, but most likely runners," said Dorman. "If one of them jumps up and we get some interest then we may pinhook, but we're looking at long term and we don't need to generate revenue in the short term."
