The progeny of first-crop weanling sires Cody's Wish and Up to the Mark got strong receptions from their initial test in the marketplace Nov. 3 during Fasig-Tipton's The November Sale.
Cody's Wish, the 2023 Horse of the Year by Curlin , who stands at Darley Stallions, was represented by four weanlings that averaged $416,250. Ballysax Bloodstock sold the sire's highest-priced weanling (Hip 81) for $500,000 to trainer Wesley Ward. The chestnut colt is out of the immediate family of grade 1 winner and successful sire Girvin , along with graded stakes winners Midnight Bourbon and Cocked and Loaded . The four Cody's Wish weanlings sold from $300,00 to $500,000.
"We are thrilled with how the market has responded to them so far, but they are a strong bunch of foals," said Darren Fox, sales manager at Darley Stallions. "He is a horse with a tremendous physical, and he's passing that on. They were primed to come in here and get the reception they have."
Fox added that collectively Cody's Wish's foals look strong, with great shoulders and good size.
"Breeders have done a great job bringing the right mares to him. After seeing them all summer, we have been excited to watch their progression. They just have a lot of quality," he said.
Pinhooker Billy Love went to $425,000 to acquire Hip 33, a Cody's Wish colt out of the Justify daughter Micro Start, who is a half sister to Mopotism, the dam of Preakness Stakes (G1) winner Journalism. Love bought the colt for a new pinhooking partnership.
"We are very excited about him," he said about Hip 33. "We like everything. Physically, he's a specimen. He has an amazing pedigree. You will see him at a big sale in the future."
Love said he has been impressed with all the Cody's Wish foals.
"All the physicals I've seen by him have been outstanding, but this one was just a tick better than the rest," he said. "They look like racehorses. Some of these stallions are inconsistent with their babies, and everyone I've seen by this one has been a very nice horse."
Up to the Mark, a multiple grade 1 winner who stands at Lane's End, was represented by two weanlings that averaged $412,500. Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa sold Hip 62, a half brother to two-time grade 1 winner Raging Torrent , for $425,000 to All In Stables. The colt's dam, Violent Wave, sold later in the evening for $1.5 million to the Raging Torrent Syndicate. The other weanling, Hip 67, is a colt out of grade 2-placed winner Zee Drop and sold for $400,000 to MWG out of the Lane's End consignment.
"There were two beautiful Up to the Marks here. One of them, a half to Raging Torrent, our new stallion, who is a beautiful colt, just phenomenal," said David Ingordo with Lane's End Bloodstock. "We sold one at Lane's End, and it was the same thing—an A+ physical. This is what we've been seeing with the foals on the farm. He is a magnificent horse, and he is producing himself.
"They are strong, they have great bone, they're correct and great movers," he continued. "They look like racehorses, which is what I want. Then we have the added bonus of (Up to the Mark) being by an emerging sire of sires in Not This Time. This is going to make selling seasons easier next year."
Also well represented at the sale was Spendthrift Farm's first-crop weanling sire Taiba , a multiple grade 1-winning son of leading sire Gun Runner . Taiba was represented by five sold for a $202,000 average. His top seller was Hip 46, a $385,000 chestnut colt sold to Stardust Ventures through the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment. Hip 46 is out of stakes winner Sassy Beast (The Big Beast), who is a half sister to graded stakes winner Obliteration (Violence) and a full sister to stakes winner Pure Class.
English bloodstock agent Hugo Lascelles acquired the night's highest-priced weanling (Hip 54), an $800,000 daughter of Justify and a half sister to five-time grade 1 winner She Feels Pretty, who was recently runner-up in the Nov. 1 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1T) at Del Mar. The filly was consigned by Gainesway.
Lascelles said the filly will go to Europe and race for a group of high-profile breeders.
"For me to shop in the early market, they have to be out of the very top drawer, and she was out of the top drawer. You don't get too many like her pedigree-wise," he said. "She is a sister to a very good horse indeed and a very good European family."
Hip 54 is out of the More Than Ready winner Summer Sweet, who is out of French stakes winner Summer Solstice, making her a half sister to stakes winners Summer Breezing and Adirondack Summer. Summer Solstice is a half sister to multiple group 1 winner Act One, who was runner-up in the 2002 Prix du Jockey Club (G1, French Derby).
Regarding 2018 American Triple Crown winner Justify, Lascelles said his runners have been brilliant overseas.
"He might be doing better there than he is here, but I can assure you the best is still to come with Justify," he said.
