Sales Notebook: Ward Buying Weanlings for New Client

Trainer Wesley Ward, acting as agent for an undisclosed client, contributed to a red-hot weanling market Nov. 4 at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale when he went to $1.25 million for Hip 82, a Curlin half sister to Derby City Distaff Stakes (G1) winner Kopion. Bred in Kentucky by Tall Oaks Farm and The Curlin Syndicate, Hip 82 is the 13th foal out of the unraced Victory Gallop mare Galloping Ami. An outstanding broodmare, 19-year-old Galloping Ami also has produced Canadian champion Amis Gizmo, grade 3 winner Ami's Flatter, and stakes winner Aragorn Ami. Hip 82 was consigned by Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa. Spendthrift Farm's multiple grade 1 winner Kopion is a contender for year-end champion female sprinter honors. She most recently finished fifth in the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) at Del Mar, and Ward thinks the price might have been even higher for Hip 82 had Kopion ran in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) and won impressively against her own sex. "I think we got her at a little bit of a value because of what happened in the Breeders' Cup over the weekend," Ward said. Ward earlier purchased Hip 76, a weanling Justify filly out of the Frankel (GB) mare Flowers, for $725,000 on behalf of the same client. She was bred by John D. Gunther and the Justify Syndicate, and was consigned by Glennwood Farm. Ward said his client is new to the Thoroughbred industry and didn't wish to be identified at this time. "It's for a client, just trying to stay quiet, anonymous. He's a great guy. I bought some horses for him in September. He's real excited about the business," Ward said. "He's never owned racehorses before. "Now he's in the weanling market. He's excited to get into racing... He was thinking about buying broodmares too and I said, 'Well, I think you bought a couple already.'" Ward said the Curlin filly will reside at his farm near Keeneland. Ward first saw her on a presale visit to Hill 'n' Dale. "This particular filly (Hip 82), when we saw her I fell in love with her out at Hill 'n' Dale. She was stellar, awesome, and we're really lucky to have her," Ward said. "I've been out to several of the farms, sort of looking into weanlings, these are all going to race. They're not going to be pinhooks. "And we're just going to raise them from this point forward like racehorses. They'll be out eating grass and growing in a field, fillies in one field and the colts in the other. Hopefully, we got some good ones for racing." Colleen Dalos of Tall Oaks Farm, co-breeder of Hip 82, said she was thrilled with the price and the buyer. "Lexington has become my favorite place to be, and I love Keeneland. It's so special here," Dalos said. "I love the people, I love the environment and I mean, this market is unbelievable right now, this entire year. I've been following and it just shows you how vibrant horse racing is. "We're so thrilled to be part of it and I can't wait to see where we're going to go next." Payson Stud Goes to $2.3 Million for Buchu A day after Payson Stud sold Summer Sweet, dam of multiple grade 1 winner She Feels Pretty, for $3 million at Fasig-Tipton's The November Sale, the farm took a step toward replenishing its broodmare band with the $2.3 million purchase of the multiple grade 2-winning Justify mare Buchu out of Book 1 at Keeneland. Consigned by Denali Stud as Hip 169, 4-year-old Buchu was offered in foal to Not This Time with her first pregnancy. Payson Stud president Christian Erickson signed the ticket. "I needed, or I wanted, another foundation mare. We have a very boutique business, and so I keep trying to improve the brood," Erickson said. "I feel like she's a good replacement for a lovely mare. She's beautiful, just beautiful. Keeneland always brings top-notch horses, and she's a top-notch horse. So she's just exciting to get. Honestly, I'm really glad to get her. I wanted one mare. I bought another mare last night, and I'm glad to get this off my plate. I'm done... "I work with Nathan McCauley, and we're pretty disciplined about replacing older mares with younger mares. You know, it's just new beginnings with stronger horses. We just keep getting better. We have a really, really nice group of mares. "We have to make money. We want to have fun, but we have to make money. So that's basically it with this horse. We have seven broodmares now, and we have two in training. Quality over quantity, most definitely. I want Book 1 horses. That's it. I just want Book 1 quality." Buchu was a homebred for Rigney Racing. She is out of the winning Galileo mare Flowering Peach, a full sister to French group 3 winner First Minister. Trained by Phillip Bauer, Buchu won the 2023 Jessamine Stakes (G2T) as a 2-year-old and the Appalachian Stakes (G2T) at age 3, both at Keeneland. Her third dam, Cappucino Bay, is the dam of multiple grade 1 winner and sire Medaglia d'Oro. Summer Wind Buys Dam of Super Corredora for $2.3 Million When Summer Wind Equine's Jane Lyon sets her mind on something, it's not unusual for her to achieve her goal. With patience, she waited through the opening day of Keeneland's November sale until the final hip to enter the ring. And then she went to work. Going to $2.3 million, Lyon and Summer Wind secured Super Simple, the dam of the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) winner Super Corredora. It was a price that Lyon said she would have likely exceeded to secure the mare. "I'm excited we got that mare," she said. "She was the one that we came here for today, and we're lucky." Consigned by Denali Stud, agent for the complete dispersal of Woodford Thoroughbreds (Phase 1), as Hip 225, Super Simple was a late supplement to the sale. The winning daughter of Super Saver is believed to be in foal to Gunite, who like Super Corredora, is by leading sire Gun Runner. Furthering the pedigree connection, Super Simple's dam, the stakes-winning Pulpit mare Simplify, is Gunite's second dam. Lyon said the 9-year-old mare will hold a prominent place in her broodmare band. "I had to retire a few of my older producing mares, and I had wanted a mare who was young enough, a mare who could produce something, and a mare that was in foal, and she checked all the boxes," Lyon said. Super Simple has two foals of racing age, both of which are winners. Whisper Hill Buys Justique for $2 Million Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm went to $2 million for multiple stakes winner Justique Tuesday. The 5-year-old Justify mare is out of the winning Bernardini mare Grazie Mille, dam of grade 1 winner and sire Mo Town and stakes-placed Champagne Lady, both by Uncle Mo. Lane's End, agent, consigned Justique (Hip 107) as a broodmare prospect. She retired with four wins from 19 starts and earnings of $378,415 for owner C R K Stable. She began her career with trainer John Shirreffs, and ran her last four starts for Cherie DeVaux. "Obviously, a lovely pedigree and she could run," Pope said about Justique's appeal. "(Placed in) multiple graded stakes, grade 2s and grade 3s, not a grade 1—she would have been three times as much. But, just trying to get into some different families and getting some nice racemares." Pope said the multiple graded stakes-placed mare would head to Gainesway, where she would be turned out and bred next year. "She was also dirt and turf, as Justify can get," Pope said about Justique's versatility. "So, that gives us a lot of options on who to breed her to." Justique was bred in Kentucky by John Gunther and Eurowest Bloodstock. Gunther also bred her Triple Crown-winning sire Justify. She was picked up by Mayberry Farm as a yearling at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale for $725,000. "We've just had great success here," Pope said. "Shopping at Keeneland, there is such a variety: dirt, turf, international, American... and at all different levels that you could possibly want. There are a lot of options." Mt. Brilliant Goes to $1.5 Million for Greenfinch After signing the ticket for Hip 93, the Justify mare Greenfinch, Marette Farrell, agent for Mt. Brilliant Farm, said the buyer is thinking long term with the addition of the 4-year-old to its broodmare band. "Mr. Goodman's (modus operandi) over all the years that I've worked for him is to buy into generational families," Farrell said. "And this is a mare that hopefully can spawn from generations for Mt. Brilliant Farm; keep a few fillies, and be a generational mare down the way. Lovely mare." Farrell signed the ticket at $1.5 million. Greenfinch was offered in foal to Gun Runner. Farrell said that they placed a value on the mare of $1 million to $1.5 million. The dam, the Galileo mare Misty For Me (IRE), is a four-time group 1 winner who produced seven winners from nine foals of racing age. Among those winners are U S Navy Flag and Roly Poly, both multiple group 1 winners by War Front. Add that to what Greenfinch's sire Justify—the 2018 Triple Crown winner, champion 3-year-old male, Horse of the Year, and Hall of Famer—brings to the mix, and there is a lot of enthusiasm for what the mare can mean to Mt. Brilliant. "We liked what Justify brought to the pedigree," Farrell said. "I know the (mare's) family coming from Ireland. I watched Roly Poly, who was phenomenal. For me, it's an incredible family. We're excited about the foal that she's going to produce next year and just thrilled for Mr. Goodman that he kind of got what he wanted." Heider Family Stable In Search of Dirt Influence Bloodstock agent David Lanigan signed the ticket for Hip 26, the stakes-winning Into Mischief filly Almostgone Rocket, at $1.2 million on behalf of Heider Family Stables from the ELiTE consignment. "She's just a very good-looking mare. She was a fast race filly. She was one that Mr. Heider liked a lot, and she fit everything on the physical," Lanigan said. "She was a good-looking filly, showed herself very well, and handled herself with a lot of class." Out of the multiple stakes-winning Jump Start mare Bound, Almostgone Rocket was a $250,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale buy in 2022 and raced for Frank Fletcher Racing Operations and Ten Strike Racing. Lanigan said the 4-year-old filly's dirt prowess and pedigree were attractive to the Heider operation. In 2024 Almostgone Rocket won the Jersey Girl Stakes at Saratoga Race Course and this year she placed in the Matron Stakes at Oaklawn Park, both 6-furlong dirt races. Trained by Brad Cox, she won four of seven lifetime starts and earned $359,020. The Heider family has a European breeding operation, but Lanigan said Almostgone Rocket was meant for the family's Central Kentucky broodmare band, which resides at Mill Ridge Farm and Hill 'n' Dale Farms. "We have a lot of grass fillies, and she's an out-and-out dirt filly and she was very fast on the dirt, and that's what we'll be trying to expand on, to try to have a few more dirt fillies like that to breed over here," Lanigan said.