One of the most regally bred horses in this year's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale of select yearlings brought a suitably regal price when Hip 135 went for $1.5 million early in the second session Aug. 8.
The colt by Into Mischief and out of the Bernardini mare Rachel's Valentina was bred by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings and purchased by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners. According to purchaser Aron Wellman, Stonestreet is expected to be a partner on the colt.
"We have no other partners at this point, but Barbara will definitely stay in," said Wellman. "We've partnered previously, and there's no one better in the game than Barbara Banke is, from top to bottom, so we're really honored to be associated with Stonestreet."
The colt's second dam is 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra.
"He's by arguably the greatest sire of our generation, Into Mischief," said Wellman. "He's out of a grade 1-winning mare, who was by Bernardini, arguably one of the best broodmare sires of our generation. And the dam is out of Rachel Alexandra, who is arguably one of the best race mares of our generation. So as far as pedigree is concerned, it speaks for itself.
"But he has to match up physically," he continued, "and he did that every which way. He's bred not just the right way, but by the right people. They raise them incredibly well at Stonestreet year after year. They're churning out champions. It's an incredible operation."
The bay colt was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent for Stonestreet Bred & Raised.
Rachel's Valentina is the second and final foal of dual-champion Rachel Alexandra, who won the Preakness Stakes (G1), the Mother Goose Stakes (G1), the Haskell Invitational Stakes (G1), and the Woodward Stakes (G1) during a history-making 3-year-old campaign in 2009. Her daughter won the Spinaway Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course as a 2-year-old and was twice grade 1-placed, in the 2015 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) and the 2016 Ashland Stakes (G1).
Into Mischief ended the last four years as North America's leading sire by earnings, a position he holds this year as well.
During the first session, Eclipse purchased Hip 110, a Curlin colt out of the Uncle Mo mare Mopotism, for $825,000. Those two horses will comprise the extent of Eclipse's participation at the sale.
"We come to this sale looking for those types that are really collector's items, and hopefully these two colts that we signed tickets on last night and tonight fit the bill," Wellman said. "We're honored to have partners behind us that are willing to take a swing for the fences on a colt like him."
