LaRose Aims to Score by Stocking Up at Keeneland Sale

As a former Division I basketball player at Siena, Kinnon LaRose knows better than many that a team's success isn't just the result of coaching and player execution; the path to victory starts by recruiting prospects with size, strength, and talent. So it was fitting that LaRose, less than six months into his career as a horse trainer, is at Keeneland this week, looking for equine athletes with those characteristics to add to his burgeoning stable. And he's doing it the same way that his mentor, Tom Amoss, did before Amoss passed the reins of the stable to LaRose, his former assistant—by utilizing a group of trusted individuals, including current and former trainers, as they comb through the thousands of yearlings being sold during the ongoing Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Amoss, Ron Faucheux, Chris Richard, and Brent Sumja are others involved in the evaluation process, LaRose said. The trainer and the team landed one of the highest-priced fillies of the fourth session of the sale Sept. 17 in selecting an Into Mischief filly for the father-and-son team of Elza and Alex Mitchum of Double Down Horse Racing. They bought the Warrendale Sales-consigned filly for $650,000. The WinStar Farm-bred and -raised bay, consigned as Hip 943, is the second foal out of the stakes-winning, graded stakes-placed Malibu Moon mare Crystal Ball. LaRose said this was the most expensive horse he had been a part of since he became a head trainer this spring. "For sure," he noted. "When you first see her, you know right away she looks like an athlete," LaRose added of the filly. "She has that presence about her that those good horses do when you just come out and see her. She has a good mind to her. She's well put together. Obviously comes from a good family, and she certainly loved the part." The Mitchums, like so many of LaRose's clients, previously raced horses with Amoss. Their top horses in recent years include the Saratoga Race Course maiden winners It's Our Time and Midnight Still. The latter recently was fifth in the Hopeful Stakes (G1) at Saratoga. Joel Politi, another Amoss and LaRose client, bought Hip 760, a Practical Joke filly, in a post-ring sale for $200,000. Politi's Serengeti Empress won the 2019 Kentucky Oaks (G1) at Churchill Downs for Amoss. The owner's latest talented filly, the 2-year-old Stress Relief, took this summer's Adirondack Stakes (G3) at Saratoga for LaRose, becoming the young trainer's first graded stakes winner. By midafternoon Thursday, LaRose said Hip 943 was one of four horses selected for clients, with more to come. "Hopefully keep building it up," LaRose said. Strong Session For Stonestreet-Bred Horses Horses bred by the prestigious Stonestreet Farm saw their highest-priced transactions during the fourth session of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Topping the list was Hip 1001, a colt by leading sire Into Mischief, who sold to Faris Breeding Horses for $1.6 million. The colt, consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, is a half brother to Kentucky Oaks winner Serengeti Empress. He is the eighth foal of the unraced Bernardini mare Havisham. "I've said this before, selling for Stonestreet is really every consignor's dream, because their brand is recognized throughout the industry," said Taylor Made president Mark Taylor. "They just breed and raise very high-quality horses year in, year out. There's no year that goes by that they don't have horses they produced running in grade 1s all over the place. "So I think that really helps our cause presenting the horses. And then this particular horse, we raised Serengeti Empress; she's on our farm, so we have a connection to the family. So this horse was especially cool to have." Mahmud Mouni, who signed the ticket on behalf of Faris Breeding Horses, said the colt would likely go to trainer Chad Brown. "We loved the horse a lot. We love Into Mischief specifically," Mouni said. He said that he did not expect to go to $1.6 million, but in a strong market, everyone is on the same target. Earlier in the sale, Donato Lanni, agent for Front Row Club, Starlight, and Madaket, went to $1 million to secure Hip 837, a colt by Good Magic out of the graded stakes-winning mare Two Sixty from the Heartwood Farm consignment. "Look, it's a beautiful horse... raised by Stonestreet, Good Magic has really stepped up as a very, very important stallion," said Tom Ryan of Front Row Club. "We're excited to put him in our program and see what it becomes." Just a few hips later, the same trio struck again for Hip 845, a son of Curlin bred on the same cross as Kentucky Derby (G1) and Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Golden Tempo. Hip 845 is out of the stakes-placed Bernardini mare Velvet Sister, who is a half sister to multiple stakes winner My Boy Tate. Lanni, agent for SF Racing, Starlight Racing, and Madaket Stable, purchased the colt's half brother Brendel at last year's September sale for $1.05 million. That son of Nyquist is currently in training in California. The highest-priced filly of the day—and the sale thus far—for Stonestreet was Hip 1035, a daughter from the last crop of Uncle Mo, who sold for $800,000 to RB Bloodstock, agent for Storyteller Racing and Partners. The filly is the third foal out of the grade 1-placed Bernardini mare Lady Kate, who is out of the graded stakes-winning and -producing mare Princess Haya. Hip 1035 was consigned by Taylor Made. Mt. Brilliant Sells Three Seven-Figure Horses It was a "brilliant" day for Greg Goodman's Mt. Brilliant Farm when three yearlings it bred and consigned commanded seven-figure prices during the fourth session. The trio was headed by Hip 1068, a colt by Not This Time who brought $1.65 million from St. Elias, West Point Thoroughbreds, Lane's End Racing, and Belladonna—the leading buyers of the fourth session and the sale so far. The colt was bred by Mt. Brilliant Broodmares out of the Unbridled's Song mare Miss Exclusive, who hails from a strong Juddmonte family. Miss Exclusive is a daughter of 2005 champion turf mare Intercontinental, who is out of Juddmonte's blue hen Hasili, dam of multiple grade 1 winners Banks Hill, Champs Elysees, Heat Haze, and Cacique, as well as graded winner and successful sire Dansili. Greg's sons Hutton and Bo represented the Mt. Brilliant consignment Thursday. "We've never done that before, and it's kind of emotional because it's the first time in our lifetime our dad hasn't been here (at the sale) with us," Hutton Goodman said. His brother Bo echoed those sentiments. "It's fun being here and doing it together, but we miss him. It's kind of a family thing for us," Bo Goodman said. Hutton Goodman said the colt has been straightforward from the beginning. "He's a beautiful colt. He's never had a bad day; he's never had a surgery, he's got a great vet report, he's got a great attitude, and every step of the way, he rose to the occasion," he said. "It's a huge family, it's that Juddmonte family. "The success (the buyers have) had, they're obviously very good at what they do, and it means so much to us that they'd spend that kind of money on our horse. Our grandfather was one of the partners on A.P. Indy with Will Farish (of Lane's End). Bo added: "And Bill (Farish) and our dad are good friends. So it's really exciting." The same partnership teamed up to secure Hip 841, a colt by Uncle Mo for $1 million. He is out of the Tapit mare Ursula, who is a half sister to multiple group 1 winner Hartnell. She also was bred by Mt. Brilliant Broodmares. Hip 1018, a filly by Gun Runner, sold to Dream Big Racing, John Wade, for $1.5 million to become the highest-priced filly of the session. She was bred by Mt. Brilliant Farm & Ranch and Susan Bunning. READ: Dream Big Racing Goes to $1.5M for Gun Runner Filly Hip 1018 will be trained by Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert.