Mayberry Farm Secures Forte Filly for C R K Stable

April Mayberry, bidding on behalf of C R K Stable, did not budge when going to $500,000 to secure Hip 1030, a filly from the first crop of 2022 champion 2-year-old male Forte during the third session of the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearlings Sale Oct. 21. Mayberry was already well acquainted with the family, having broken and trained the filly's half sister Ghostline (Flightline) for C R K. "This filly was beautiful; big, strong, looks like a colt," Mayberry said. She said there are a lot of similarities between Hip 1030 and Ghostline, who is entered in a maiden special weight race Oct. 25 at Churchill Downs for trainer Cherie DeVaux. "Just very classy and smooth. I just loved her," she said. The first day I saw her, I called my client and said 'OK, I found one. I found the one.' That's it." Mayberry said this will be the first horse by Forte that she has worked with. Hip 1030 was bred and consigned by Woods Edge Farm. She is out of the Ghostzapper mare Ghostslayer, who was purchased by Woods Edge for $110,000 in 2018 at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. The filly is a half sister to graded stakes winner Biddy Duke (Bayern) and stakes-placed Phantom Speed (Arrogate). She hails from the family of recent Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes (G1T) winner Tam Tam and grade 1 winner and sire Essential Quality. In addition, Ghostslayer's dam Queen's Lady is a full sister to Contrive, who produced nine winners from her first nine foals to race, including Folklore, winner of the 2005 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) at Belmont Park. "Beautiful filly; she was a beautiful foal," said Peter O'Callaghan of Woods Edge Farm. "She was staged to go in (Keeneland) September, had a last-minute hiccup, and wheeled her back here. She showed like a queen all week. We were delighted (with the price), beyond our expectations. "(Wife) Jenny and I bred her, and the dam has been a very lucky mare for us. The Flightline filly runs Sunday at Churchill; they like her a lot." O'Callaghan expressed his gratitude to all involved and was happy to see the filly go to a great home that will give her every chance to succeed on the track. Woods Edge has had a successful sale so far, selling 5-for-5 from its draft. Woods Edge sold a colt (Hip 825) by Upstart earlier in the day to trainer Eddie Kenneally for $180,000 and topped the first session of the sale when Hip 328, a colt by Constitution, sold for $360,000 to Kaleem Shah's KSI.