During the third day of selling, April 21, at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, Mike Ryan secured a filly by Coolmore's Triple Crown winner Justify for $450,000 for Seth Klarman of Klaravich Stables.
The bay filly consigned as Hip 762 breezed an eighth-mile in :10 1/5 during the under tack show last week for consignor Niall Brennan Stables. Ryan has had eyes on the filly all winter after she was purchased for $80,000 from last season's Keeneland September Sale for $80,000 by Nancy Ross from the Paramount Sales consignment.
"She's a filly I watched all winter at Niall's. A two-turn filly, there is a lot of Quiet American and Fappiano in her," Ryan said after signing the sales slip for the filly bound for trainer Chad Brown.
"She has great reach and stride; there is only one way for her to go, and that's up. I bought her for a client of Chad Brown's, and I told him she's a Kentucky Oaks (G1) or Alabama (G1) filly; with her speed, she could run in the Breeders' Cup as a 2-year-old. She's very sound and moves like a gazelle, which you can see in the breeze video. I'm thrilled to get her and I hope she can do us proudly down the road."
The middle market is proving to be competitive, seeing many horses push past the $400,000 price point for Day Three of the Spring Sale. First-year sire Justify's progeny have proved to be in demand—on the first day of selling, Zedan Racing Stables went to $600,000 for a filly out of the stakes-placed Distorted Humor mare Unbound.
"I thought she would go to $450,000 and possibly a touch more, to be honest," Ryan commented about her price tag. "Any nice physical that walks in the ring is selling well; the freshman sires are selling like crazy. She's a Justify, and you know she could be anything; the way she travels is effortless. She floats on air."
The filly was bred in Kentucky by Nesco II out of the Quiet American mare Missamerica Bertie, a full sister to multiple grade 2 winner, Allamerican Bertie. Missamerica Bertie has produced winner Carried Interest (Henny Hughes), runner-up in the 2012 Futurity Stakes (G2) at Belmont Park.
"We have been fortunate to get her (Chad and myself) with Mr. Klarman; it's a great pleasure to work for him, and it's our job to get quality horses in his barn. He loves the game and is a great supporter. I haven't bid on too many here this week, but this filly is one of the ones we really wanted."
Ryan later acquired another filly for $300,000 during day three from the Niall Brennan consignment with Hip 775, a daughter of Cloud Computing who worked an eighth-mile in :10 at the under tack show.
