Airdrie Gets 'Sentimental' Sell With Not This Time Colt

The moment the gavel dropped on Hip 344 was a special one for Airdrie Stud vice president Bret Jones. A charcoal-coated son of Not This Time , the colt was bred, raised, and sold by Airdrie. Six years earlier, the farm sold the colt's half sister, the grade 1-winning mare Bell's the One.

“Special is the right word," Jones said. "(It's a) little overwhelming. I’m feeling a little sentimental right now, thinking about dad (Brereton C. Jones) and thinking how many memories we get from these great horses, these horse sales, and horse races. This (colt) has always been beautiful. He is by the right stallion. And the mare has been incredible to us. It’s a special family. He has always lived up to that family."

The colt, consigned as Hip 344, sold for $1.35 million to bloodstock agent Jacob West on behalf of clients Robert and Lawana Low.

"The (bidding) went past his reserve as fast as I hope he passes horses in a grade 1 (stakes)," Jones said. "He is just so good-looking and makes you think he can be a special horse on the racetrack."

Street Mate has proven to be a fine broodmare for Airdrie, producing six winners from six foals to race. Bell's the One, a daughter of Majesticperfection, was a tough competitor in the female sprinting division until her retirement last year. An earner of $2 million, she notched her top-level victory in the 2020 Derby City Distaff (G1) and placed in three other grade 1 events, including the 2020 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1).

The mare's other notable offspring include 2022 Knickerbocker Stakes (G3T) victor King Cause, the winner of this year's $300,000 Texas Turf Classic Stakes June 24 at Lone Star Park. She also produced the stakes-placed Creative Cause  gelding Running Mate.

Into Mischief Colt, Filly Each Sells for $1.2M

In addition to both being by Into Mischief , Hips 309 and 316 at Keeneland's September Yearling Sale shared another similarity after going through the sales ring Sept. 12—their auction price.

Both sold for $1.2 million, with buyers keen to acquire progeny of the country's leading sire and out of mares with either on-track or producing achievements. Hip 309, a bay colt sold by Taylor Made Sales Agency, is out of 2019 Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Serengeti Empress, while the Gainesway-consigned Hip 316 is a gray or roan filly out of the 16-year-old mare Silver Colors, dam of 2018 Alabama Stakes (G1) winner Eskimo Kisses.

Owner Joel Politi, who raced the speedy Serengeti Empress, bred Hip 309. 

CHC, Maverick Racing, and Siena Farm partnered on his purchase. CHC is China Horse Club and Maverick Racing is a Texas-based partnership connected to WinStar Farm.

"If he didn't break his ribs as a foal, he might have topped the sale," WinStar Farm president and CEO Elliott Walden said of the good-looking colt.

Gainesway bred Hip 316, who like Hip 309 was foaled in Kentucky.

Speaking of Hip 316, Randy Hartley, who bought her with Dean De Renzo, said, "She's just an awesome filly."

Her second dam is 1988 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Winning Colors.

"We felt like this was a filly we really had to have in the barn," said Hartley, a juvenile consignor and pinhooker with De Renzo.

Rutherford Purchases Volatile Filly for $1.15M

Owner Mike Rutherford spent $1.15 million to acquire Hip 215, a Volatile  filly out of grade 1 winner Love and Pride.

Hip 215, consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, is from the first crop of Volatile, a grade 1-winning sprinter who stood for an advertised fee this year of $12,500 at Three Chimneys, which is headed by chairman Goncalo Borges Torrealba. Volatile's first foals are yearlings of 2023.

"It's very gratifying. It further proves if you bring the goods up here, you're going to be rewarded for it," Three Chimneys chief operating officer Chris Baker said.

The seventh foal from her dam, who captured the 2012 Personal Ensign Handicap (G1) in the highlight of her near-millionaire career, Hip 215 is related to six other winners, two of them stakes winners. Half sisters Bella Runner (Gun Runner ) and Princesinha Julia (Pioneerof the Nile) captured the 2022 Zia Park Oaks at Zia Park and the 2019 Trapeze Stakes at Remington Park, respectively, both for owner-breeder Three Chimney Farms and Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen.

Three Chimneys bred Hip 215, and this time the farm was rewarded with success in the sales ring.

"We're especially excited with the Volatile filly. His first crop has been super impressive to us," Baker said. "We're believers, and obviously we were in breeding that mare to him. And the public believe also."

He noted Three Chimneys bred some of the top mares to the young sire. Love and Pride is out of the grade 1-placed Storm Cat winner Ile de France, and the immediate family also produced champion 3-year-old colt, American classic winner, and prominent sire Bernardini.

Reflecting on Volatile's foals, he said, "They have size, substance, and scope and they look fast. Very consistent in that regard."

Hip 215 is a gray or roan, just like her sire, who won five of six starts, topped by the 2020 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap (G1) for Asmussen and co-owners Three Chimneys and Phoenix Thoroughbred III.

Power Partnership Gets Two Into Mischief Colts

The dynamic partnership of SF Racing, Madaket Stables, and Starlight Racing weren't done shopping after snatching up two colts from the first day of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Spurred by SF Racing's Tom Ryan, the partnership added two more blue-blooded sons of four-time leading sire Into Mischief  to their budding collection Sept. 12 during the sale's second session.

"There's no mystery about Into Mischief, he's clearly one of the best stallions around," Ryan said.

Five hips into the session, the partners' bloodstock agent, Donato Lanni, signed the ticket on Hip 207 for $900,000. Consigned by Taylor Made Sales, the colt was bred in Kentucky by Breeze Easy and is out of the multiple graded stakes-winning mare Late Night Pow Wow. The colt is the second foal out of the young Fiber Sonde mare.

"(Hip 207) is naturally strong, well matured, with good balance," Ryan said. "Every time we went to see him he just marched out there like 'Hey, guys, look at me,' and that's what you want to see. He had the right attitude."

Shortly after that initial purchase, the group dove back into the action for a flashy half brother to multiple grade 1 winner Guarana (Ghostzapper). The colt (Hip 218) was offered by Gainesway, which topped Monday's session as the leading consignor with three yearlings to sell for more than $1 million, including the $2.3 million session topper.

"(Hip 218 is) a fantastic physical with a unique pedigree. It's rare that you have the opportunity to buy into that type of level," Ryan said. "He met all the criteria. Donato loved him."

Guarana stirred fireworks of her own at Monday's session when her Into Mischief colt realized $1.4 million to Winchell Thoroughbreds. Magical World, the dam of Hip 218 and Guarana, is a daughter of Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) winner Pleasant Home, sold for $5.2 million at The November Sale, Fasig-Tipton's marquee breeding stock sale near Lexington, in 2021.

"It's a family that's not only full of (good) racehorses but a physical family that the market appreciates," Ryan said. "It's not enough to have a great family anymore. You have to be a great physical in this market.

"Pedigree is not enough anymore. A horse needs to meet a lot of criteria. There are a lot of good people around here that know what they're doing."

In addition to Guarana, Hip 218 is a half brother to stakes winners Beatbox and Magic Dance. He was bred by the partnership of Three Chimneys Farm and Whisper Hill Farm.

Ryan indicated that both colts would be sent to trainer Bob Baffert.

Later in the session, the partnership also bagged a Justify  colt from the family of grade 2 winner Payton d'Oro for $625,000. The colt, consigned as Hip 243, was on offer by his co-breeder, Betz Thoroughbreds.

Sheikha Hissa Continues to Shop on Day 2

Sheikha Hissa's first trip to the Keeneland September Sale has been a successful one. After purchasing yesterday's $2.3 million sale topper by Into Mischief, a $750,000 Uncle Mo filly, Her Highness landed a filly by Medaglia d'Oro  late in Tuesday's session. The daughter of the late Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum signed the ticket over the internet on behalf of her family's Shadwell Racing operation for $1.1 million.

Consigned by Lane's End Farm, the filly, named Star of Bombay (Hip 384) is a half sister to three stakes performers, including this year's two-time stakes-winning ( - Horse Profile - BloodHorse.com">Aspray (Quality Road ). Hip 384's dam, the Galileo mare Up, was a group 2 winner in Ireland and Classic-placed in France before selling to Ran Jan Racing and Jan Vandebos for $2.2 million at the 2015 Keeneland January Sale.

Shadwell Racing also bought a Munnings  filly (Hip 280) for $700,000 on Tuesday from the Taylor Made Sales consignment.