Any time a horse sells for seven figures at public auction is a cause for celebration for consignors and breeders alike. For Torie Gladwell of Top Line Sales, the $1 million sale of Hip 532, a bay filly by American Pharoah , to Donato Lanni, agent, during the second session of the Ocala Breeders' Sales March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, proved especially sweet.
Gladwell consigned the horse with her husband, Jimbo, under their Top Line Sales banner, and Torie bred the filly in Kentucky with E.V.S. Corp.
It marked the second seven-figure horse sold by Top Line Sales, which also sold Princess Noor for $1,350,000 to agent Gary Young, agent for Zedan Racing Stables, at the 2020 OBS Spring Sale. Princess Noor went on to win three of five career starts, including the 2020 Del Mar Debutante Stakes (G1) before selling for $2.9 million to Katsumi Yoshida in foal to Into Mischief at last year's edition of The November Sale, Fasig-Tipton's marquee breeding stock sale.
"That's the most I've ever sold a homebred for, and the second time we've sold a horse for more than a million dollars," said an understandably emotional Gladwell moments after Lanni signed the ticket for the precocious filly on behalf of Susan and Charlie Chu's Baoma Corp. following a spirited round of bidding that concluded with a light round of applause from inside the sale pavilion. "The first one worked out pretty well, so hopefully she goes on to be just as good as the other horse we sold for more than a million dollars."
"I definitely did not expect that at all," she added. "We had quite a few people on her. The pedigree was a little bit lighter on her. We weren't really sure what she would bring, but obviously two people wanted her."
The bay filly is out of the unplaced Forest Camp mare Just Parker and is a half sister to two-time winner Foxy Posse. This is also the family of graded stakes winner and grade 1-placed Following Sea, stakes winner and graded stakes-placed Qahira, and stakes winners Stormin' Lyon and Quick Flip. The popular filly turned heads with a fast eighth in :10 at the under tack preview.
"Susan and Charlie Chu are amazing people. They do so much for the horse industry; people don't even know what all they do," commented Lanni. "I had a feeling (Hip 532) was going to bring a lot. When you come to these sales and you ask these horses for so much, very few are able to do what they do. We have had some luck buying fillies. Last year we got Eda (grade 1 winner) at this sale, and for half the price, I think.
"This filly had everything," Lanni added. "She's a homebred, and she is just a queen. I'm very happy this was the one I wanted for them. The Chus came (to the sale) just for her. I told them I needed them here. They are so good for the industry. This filly will go to Bob Baffert, and we are pumped. Bob was here, and he liked her a lot. If anyone knows what a good American Pharoah looks like, it would be him. The filly is very sweet. Good things happen to good people."
