Flay Dishes Out $1.1 Million for Blue Point Filly

As a celebrity chef, Bobby Flay knows a thing or two about putting quality ingredients together. He applies that same high standard when it comes to horses. So when Flay had the opportunity to land the Blue Point (IRE) filly consigned as Lot 82 Oct. 6 at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, he seized the moment. The bidding stopped at 825,000 guineas (US$1,144,992; 1 guinea=US$1.39). "I'm very selective when I buy," Flay told BloodHorse. "Lots of people have their own philosophy; I'm not buying 15 colts to win the (Kentucky) Derby." The bay filly is out of the Sea The Stars (IRE) mare Light The Stars, and it is a family Flay is familiar with. He bought Lady Frankel, a group 1-placed, group 3-winning daughter of the filly's second dam Lady Vettori. "All things going the way you want them to go... She will go to (trainer) Andrew Balding, be successful, get some black type in addition to what's on the page. "This is a huge family." Flay has never raced a Blue Point but loves the "stamina and inherent speed" he throws to his progeny. "I love sires who were good milers," Flay said. "You have to be a very fast horse to be a miler. … When you are a sire that's good at the mile, there's a good chance you have versatility in your gears." Flay said he came into the sale looking to acquire a filly, as well as sell those he has consigned. Flay was the leading American buyer by gross receipts. PaceSetters West Paces Racing tied for the most horses purchased among American buyers Tuesday, securing three yearlings for 645,000 guineas. The team led by Larry Connolly wrapped up Lot 135, a filly by New Bay (GB), for 300,000 guineas out of the Taroka Stud consignment. West Paces Racing also added a pair of Chaldean (GB) offspring. They secured Lot 33, a colt, in a private sale. The bay colt had a reserve of 190,000 guineas, which he failed to meet in the sales ring. But West Paces negotiated a private sale for 175,000 guineas for the colt consigned by Yeomanstown Stud. Rounding out its Day 1 haul, West Paces grabbed a Chaldean filly (Lot 110) out of the Boherguy Stud consignment for 170,000 guineas. Determined Stud, which was the top American buyer in Book 1 of this sale a year ago, bought two yearlings for a total of 565,000 guineas. The big-ticket purchase for Matt Dorman's operation was Lot 92, a Wootton Bassett filly that he nabbed for 425,000 guineas. It was a price that came in below what Dorman anticipated. "We were happy that we got it at that price," he said. "I'm not sure about surprised. There are a good amount of fillies in the book, so I think some people are kind of waiting on some of the others. But we really like this one, so we pulled the trigger on it." The bay filly is out of the Galileo mare Luna Mare, who has two winners from three runners, including Crypto Force (GB), a group 1-placed, group 2-winning gelding. Determined Stud went to a familiar well when purchasing Lot 42, a colt by Baaeed (GB) for 140,000 guineas. A year ago at this sale, Dorman's Determined Stud spent 600,000 guineas for a filly by Frankel (GB) and out of the Iffraaj mare Hostess, a grade 3 winner. That filly, now named Tasha's Pride (GB), debuted Oct. 4 at Belmont Park. Dorman liked the bloodline enough to pursue the colt Tuesday. "We have his half sister, so we know the family," he said. "She's doing really well. She ran first time at Belmont the other day. He's a good-looking athlete. Great conformation. We like the stallion and worked out really well." Dorman is also not a stranger to the sire, having purchased a Baaeed filly at this sale last year. That runner made her first start in August at Saratoga Race Course. "He's an up-and-coming, if not proven, stallion," Dorman said of the stallion who stands at Shadwell Stud in Newmarket. "(The sire) gives us a lot of speed, good conformation, consistent." Winning Bidders Klaravich Stable, with Mike Ryan serving as agent, came away with three yearlings for 650,000 guineas on the sale's opening day. Seth Klarman's Klaravich Stable topped the bidding for Lot 98, a Night of Thunder (IRE) filly out of the Baroda Stud consignment, for 300,000 guineas. Klaravich also bought a pair out of the Newsells Park Stud consignment: a Kingman (GB) colt (Lot 89) for 180,000 guineas, and a Lope de Vega (IRE) filly (Lot 145) for 170,000 guineas. Peter Brant's White Birch Farm and Coolmore's M.V. Magnier bought a Wootton Bassett colt (Lot 151) for 600,000 guineas from The Castlebridge Consignment. Cary Bloodstock, representing Wells Watson, purchased one lot late in the action of the first session. It took 550,000 guineas to lock up the rights to Lot 146, a Wootton Bassett filly out of the Clare Castle Stud consignment. Alex Solis, agent for Repole Stable, signed two tickets totaling 440,000 guineas. Repole Stable won the bidding on Lot 105, a colt by No Nay Never out of the Ballylinch Stud consignment, for 240,000 guineas. The other buy was a 200,000-guinea spend for the Siyouni (FR) filly consigned by Newsells Park Stud as Lot 4. Barstool Sports' Dave Portnoy's Go Go Greys struck a private sale for Lot 19, a filly by Starman (GB). Out of the Monksland Stables consignment, the filly had a reserve of 140,000 guineas, but Portnoy was able to secure the filly for 130,000 guineas. According to Liz Crow, who signed the ticket on behalf of Go Go Greys, Portnoy is happy with the value and hopes the filly can run next summer. "She looked fast and early, she had a huge hip and a very athletic walk," she said. "We watched closely in the ring and realized she wasn't meeting her reserve and were able to get her right after." American Made Among American-bred or -based sires, No Nay Never unsurprisingly led the way. Nine of his yearlings sold for 2,655,000 guineas (US$3,684,792). Justify had one sell for 170,000 guineas. Sioux Nation had two lots sell for a combined 360,000 guineas.