Vahva, who was second in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1), sold for $3.1 million to Killora/Linton as agent for Boyd Racing on Day 1 of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale Nov. 4.
Consigned as Hip 187 by Lane's End, the daughter of Gun Runner was offered as a racing or broodmare prospect.
"She was everything we could have wanted in a broodmare prospect," said Hannah Jennings of Killora Stud. "Jenny and Randy Boyd, they're getting into the game and they want to have a broodmare band at the top level and she fit the bill for sure."
Randy and Jenny Boyd made a splash at this year's Fasig-Tipton's The Saratoga Sale with two purchases totaling $2.95 million, one of them the top-priced filly of the sale at $2.6 million. That daughter of Gun Runner was out of the multiple grade 1-winning mare Paradise Woods.
READ: Boyd Racing Makes Splash at F-T Saratoga Sale
Jennings said the Boyds will send Vahva to Aidan and Hannah Jennings' Killora Stud near Paris, Ky. The future of the 5-year-old mare is yet to be determined.
"That'll be up to him (Randy Boyd)," Jennings said. "We'll leave that option open and if she gets well and is sound, we'll leave that option open, but she's done enough. She's won her grade 1."
When asked about a possible stallion mating, Jennings said Not This Time came to mind.
"I think, physically, she'd suit him really well, being so strong, and we'll see what he says," Jennings said.
The 5-year-old mare has a 7-6-3 record from 20 lifetime starts with $2,289,010 in earnings for trainer Cherie DeVaux, who has trained the mare since the beginning of her illustrious career. She broke her maiden at Churchill Downs at 2, and won two graded stakes races at 3, including the 2023 Raven Run Stakes (G2) at Keeneland. She notched her grade 1 win at 4 when emerging victorious in the Derby City Distaff Stakes (G1). At 5, she showed her consistency in winning the Chicago Stakes (G2) and most recently running a gallant second in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint.
"To campaign a horse for that long at the top of the game at ages 2-5, she ran some really fast numbers throughout her whole career," Jennings said. "They did a great job with the filly. I know she's very special to (DeVaux) for being one of her very first really big horses. Hopefully she'll come visit."
DeVaux was on hand to watch her prized filly go through the ring.
"I was a lot more emotional beforehand, but I'm just so proud of her. She was a classy, classy girl in the ring," DeVaux said. "We had won a grade 1 in Canada with She Feels Pretty (2023 Natalma Stakes), and she was our first grade 1 winner in America. She was our first legitimate (Kentucky) Oaks contender. We kept her sprinting, and she's been one of the high-level sprinters since we made that decision.
"She showed up every year, she won a (graded) stakes every year. When you're trying to get your career going, you want to be well-rounded, show that you can train on turf, train on dirt, and she helped to do that."
DeVaux said the mare was very special to her and her team and was happy to see her still at the top level.
"Super proud of everyone that has been a part of this," DeVaux said. "Everyone from Barry Eisaman who broke her, to every single exercise rider, jockey that rode her, her groom, and all of our assistants. She's been such a joy to work with. She's one that you love to train. She goes out there, she tries every time. She's very intense at her job. It's going to leave a big hole for us."
