Blending the qualities of speed and stamina is among the fundamental axioms for achieving success in breeding Thoroughbreds. Those coveted traits, fused with pedigree and past performances that reflect grade 1 success on the racetrack, often make for reliable sources of top-class racehorses.
In an enticing Book 1 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale that is chock-full of well-bred youngsters with impeccable pedigrees, prospective buyers will find a trio of yearlings (Hips 15, 94, and 131) that not only fit the mold, but are the first foals out of grade 1-winning mares.
Hip 15—War Front Colt out of It Tiz Well
Consigned by Denali Stud, agent, Hip 15 is a dark bay or brown colt by Claiborne Farm stallion War Front out of the Arch mare It Tiz Well, winner of the 2017 Cotillion Stakes (G1) at Parx Racing. A winner in five of 10 lifetime starts for owner Tommy Town Thoroughbreds and trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, It Tiz Well banked $1,130,840 in an accomplished racing career.
Bred in Kentucky by Allen and Susan Branch, It Tiz Well was purchased by Tommy Town for $230,000 out of the Greenfield Farm consignment at the 2015 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. In addition to her victory over multiple grade 1 winner Abel Tasman in the Cotillion, It Tiz Well also annexed the 2017 Honeybee Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn Park and that year's Delaware Oaks (G3) at Delaware Park. Also at 3, she was twice graded stakes-placed, finishing second to Elate in the Alabama Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course and runner-up to Unique Bella in the Santa Ynez Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita Park.
The War Front colt, who was bred in Kentucky by Tommy Town Thoroughbreds, hails from a family of runners that includes Canadian champion Solid Appeal, winner of the 2013 Dance Smartly Stakes (G2T) and the Nassau Stakes (G2T) in 2013 and '14 at Woodbine and an earner of $583,721. The colt's second dam It Tiz is a multiple stakes winner of $260,183.
"He is a very good first foal," noted Conrad Bandoroff of Denali Stud. "He has good size and leg, especially for a first foal. He is a colt that you see a lot of the mare coming out in him. You see a lot of the Arch line. The one thing that strikes me about the colt is—I mean War Front is an amazing stallion—and this horse looks like a dirt horse. The mare was a very good race mare and a grade 1 winner on the dirt and was second in the Alabama. This is a horse that looks destined for the dirt.
"He is very athletic," Bandoroff added. "You get a lot of the strength and substance that War Front tends to throw, but you are seeing a little more scope and size that's coming from It Tiz Well and the Arch line. Mentally, this colt has a great personality. He's got a bit of swagger to him. He comes out here, struts his stuff, drops his head, and does his job. He's a horse that we're excited to bring to market."
Hip 94—Justify Colt out of Noted and Quoted
Hip 94 is a bay colt from the first crop of Ashford Stud's undefeated Triple Crown winner Justify —a Keeneland September Book 1 graduate himself in 2016—out of grade 1 winner Noted and Quoted, a daughter of The Factor .
Winner of the 2016 Chandelier Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita for owner Speedway Stables and trainer Bob Baffert, Noted and Quoted was bred in Florida by Gilbert Campbell. The Sunshine State product was bought by Speedway Stables for $375,000 out of Eddie Woods' consignment at the 2016 Ocala Breeders' Sales March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training. Prior to that, Summerfield sold her as a yearling to Quarter Pole Enterprises for $160,000 at the 2015 OBS August Yearling Sale, and in 2019, Noted and Quoted was offered with the Justify colt in utero at The November Sale, Fasig-Tipton's marquee breeding stock sale, where she failed to meet her reserve of $950,000 in Taylor Made Sales Agency's consignment.
The colt, bred in Kentucky by Aaron and Marie Jones, descends from the family of stakes winners Silver Heart, Embolden, Aspenglow, and Shimmering Aspen. Justify has seen his first yearlings sell this year for $1,815,520 in Japan and up to $825,000 at The Saratoga Sale, Fasig-Tipton's selected yearling sale in New York.
"This colt has plenty of size and scope," said Mark Taylor of Taylor Made Sales Agency. "He's correct and is just now starting to turn into a man. He has been growing up the last two months and now is starting to fill out into his frame. I'm very happy with him as a first foal from a highly talented 2-year-old like Noted and Quoted."
Hip 131—War Front Colt out of Sailor's Valentine
St George Sales consigns Hip 131, a bay colt by War Front out of the grade 1-winning Mizzen Mast mare Sailor's Valentine. Triumphant in the 2017 Central Bank Ashland Stakes (G1) at Keeneland for trainer Eddie Kenneally, Sailor's Valentine earned $409,052 during her racing career for owners Semaphore Racing and Homewrecker Racing, and she was bred in Kentucky by Curtis Green.
Sailor's Valentine, carrying the War Front colt, was acquired most recently by Pursuit of Success, with James Delahooke as agent, for $1.25 million from the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment at the 2019 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. She changed hands twice before that, originally selling for $100,000 to Semaphore Racing, agent, at the 2015 Keeneland September Yearling Sale when consigned by Highclere and then for $800,000 following her racing career to Town and Country House Farms/Pollock Farms at the 2018 Keeneland November Sale, at which she was also consigned by Taylor Made.
Bred in Kentucky by Bryant Prentice's Pursuit of Success, the colt is from the family of multiple grade 1 winner Coup de Fusil (fourth dam), and multiple stakes winner Derivative.
"He is a very nice, strong colt," said Archie St George. "He is a good first foal. Obviously, he is by a very good stallion and out of a grade 1-winning mare who won a prestigious race in the Ashland. Expectations are decent for him because of what he is. He's a nice physical and a good representation of his sire.
"He is a big, strong colt and he knows it," St George added. "On the whole, he's always been the leader of the pack when he was younger out in the field. He's a very laid-back horse, and his temperament is very good. He knows his strengths."
