The desire to secure the rights to Gun Runner 's progeny continued Sept. 14, opening day of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale as Coolmore's M.V. Magnier and Peter Brant's White Birch Farm proved the final boss in spirited bidding that stopped at $2.3 million for Hip 116, a colt by the leading sire.
The price tag for the second highest-priced yearling, which also happened to be the second highest-priced Gun Runner yearling to sell on the day carries its own acclaim for consignor Darby Dan Farm. Aside from British Blue, a son of Storm Cat who sold at the 2001 Keeneland July Yearling Sale for $2.4 million, Darby Dan had never had one of its yearling consignees sell for more.
"It's kind of humbling in a way, because it's really all about the horse," Darby Dan owner John Phillips said. "But the fact of the matter is that it sustains the operation, and that's a joy in life to be able to participate. And it's so very meaningful in that sense that it allows us to do something that we love."
He said the colt's sale success is a point of pride for consignor Darby Dan. The colt is the ninth yearling the consignor has sold for at least $1 million since 1991.
"This colt has done nothing but improve ever since he was a baby. ... Today, I'm elated. The whole crew is happy. They deserve all the credit, not me," Phillips said.
Phillips doesn't go into a sale with financial expectations; he knows that he could set himself up for disappointment. Even after Monday's windfall, it doesn't change much for Phillips, who said he is still going to be driving the same Ford F-150. But watching the bidding rise did provide a thrill.
"My heart was pounding, to say the least," he said. "It's exciting. You get to watch them grow up. And in January, I never would have guessed that we would have gone to those levels, but it's a great pedigree, and it's been in our family for five generations now."
The colt, bred by GRS and Phillips Racing Partnership, is out of the Bernardini mare Amazement, making the yearling a half brother to grade 1 winner and freshman sire Colonel Liam .
"He's a very nice horse, and we were lucky enough to have (Gun Runner-sired) Sierra Leone, and he was exceptionally popular at stud this year," Magnier said. "And Gunite is going very well in everything, and all the lads like him. Peter Brant likes him, and he's a great pedigree. He comes from a very good farm, and they did a great job getting him here, and he did pretty well."
Magnier said he does not yet know to which trainer the bay colt will be sent. What he does know is he will stay in the United States.
For the opening session, Gun Runner led all sires in gross and average ($1,088,667).
Justify Half Brother Hits $1.9M
A handsome chestnut colt by Gun Runner and half brother to 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify roared to $1.9 million in Monday's session.
Winchell Thoroughbreds, which raced Gun Runner with Three Chimneys Farm, bought the colt consigned by Glennwood Farm.
Glennwood's John D. Gunther bred Hip 47 out of the graded-placed Ghostzapper mare Stage Magic, who also is the dam of graded stakes winner The Lieutenant and stakes winner Stage Raider .
"I have to give credit to my daughter (Tanya Gunther). She does all the matings and she works 24/7," John Gunther said. "If anyone deserves credit, it's her. She's unbelievable."
Gunther believed the sale would be strong but worried the momentum may not be full throttle early. That proved not to be the case.
"A lot of emotions, such a nice-looking colt, so well bred, and I didn't want to sell him," Tanya Gunther said. "I'm proud of him but also wish we could keep a horse like that. He did well; he's such a champion. It's a mixture of pride and regret having to sell a horse like that, but I'm proud of him."
Both Gunthers expressed gratitude that the colt ended up in great hands with Winchell Thoroughbreds.
"I loved this colt," John Gunther said. "A tremendous walk; he's really smart. He was like the Energizer Bunny; you could never wear him out. He'd be out 60, 70 times and he wouldn't get tired. I just love that colt.
"I took some pictures of him when he was out in the paddock, and a couple of people I sent them to thought he was Justify. There were two or three people who thought it was Justify that came out to the farm when they saw him in the paddock. And I think he'll be a spitting image of Justify two or three months from now. He'll be big and strong. He's got a lot of growing left to do.
"He'll definitely do a mile and a quarter. He's got a huge, long stride, and he's bred to go a distance of ground."
Nyquist Half Achieves $1.4 million
Gun Runner yearlings were popular Monday afternoon. Of course, when you've won Horse of the Year honors, earned more than $15 million, and sired three champions, it's not a hard sell.
Among them was Hip 17, a chestnut colt consigned by Hinkle Farms that sold for $1.4 million to Magnier and White Birch Farm. They are big believers in Gun Runner, having purchased three of his five top-priced yearlings Monday for a total of $5.2 million.
The colt is out of Seeking Gabrielle, who is the dam of Nyquist , the current No. 4 sire by progeny earnings in North America. Anne Archer Hinkle of Hinkle Farms said Keeneland was the only place she would sell the yearling.
"We don't sell anywhere else. I end up spending over a month out of the year here, at the sales either looking at or selling horses, and I love it here. It feels like a second home to the farm."
