Four grade 1-winning racing and/or broodmare prospects—Expensive Queen, Kilwin, Thought Process, and Usha—commanded seven-figure prices Nov. 3 during the initial session of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale.
Kilwin, Hip 114, brought the most, purchased for $2.6 million by Erdenheim Farm Thoroughbreds; Godolphin acquired Expensive Queen for $2.1 million; Thought Process fetched $1.5 million from Pursuit of Success; and Usha sold for that same price to Shadai Farm.
Agent Chris Baker signed the sales ticket for Kilwin on behalf of Peter and Bonnie McCausland's Erdenheim Farm Thoroughbreds.
A stakes winner at ages 2, 3, and 4 for trainer Rusty Arnold, Kilwin was most recently fourth in the Oct. 31 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) at Keeneland. Her top stakes performances included a win in the Test Stakes (G1) last year at age 3 and a runner-up finish behind probable champion Ways and Means in the Ballerina Stakes (G1) this summer at Saratoga Race Course.
Her 11-race career produced five wins, two seconds, and earnings of $1,362,076.
Baker said Kilwin is expected to eventually join the broodmare band at Erdenheim Farm, but whether she continues to race remains undecided. He plans to consult soon with Peter McCausland and Arnold before deciding on immediate next steps. But long term, her acquisition represents "really a 10-to-15-year project," he said of her second career as a broodmare.
He said the price was not a surprise given the demand for elite horses.
"The target is very small, and expensive at that small end of the market," he said.
The sale elicited emotions from representatives of consignor Royal Oak Farm and BBN Racing, which campaigned the 4-year-old daughter of Twirling Candy this year with co-owner Rick Howard.
"We're thrilled with (the sale)," said Royal Oak Farm co-owner Braxton Lynch, also a founding partner and the racing manager for BBN Racing, her voice cracking with emotion.
She described Kilwin as an exceptionally classy and special horse, noting that horses of her quality and temperament are rare. The bay filly, produced out of the unraced Blame mare Spanish Star, is a half sister to graded stakes winners One Timer (Trappe Shot) and Just Basking (Arrogate).
"I think we'll just have to go back to work and try to find another one," she said.
Those associated with Expensive Queen were also pleased. Showing off their pride in their filly, some of her team wore her name printed upon clothing or hats on the sale's grounds.
She finished in a dead heat for first in the Jenny Wiley Stakes (G1T) in the spring at Keeneland and, most recently, was fourth in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1T) there. The 5-year-old Lope de Vega mare won four of seven starts in the United States under the direction of trainer Brendan Walsh after being imported from overseas by owner Farfellow Farms.
Dan Pride, chief operating officer of Godolphin USA, signed to purchase the Taylor Made Sales Agency-consigned mare, who went through the ring as Hip 243.
"We're ecstatic. I mean, she really was a queen," Farfellow Farms' Jak Knelman said. "It was quite a ride for us. We're just thankful to be a part of it, and to go to an outfit like (Godolphin) really shows."
Thought Process (Hip 229) had also been an intended starter for the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf, but she was scratched on the advice of regulatory veterinarians.
The 4-year-old Collected filly was arguably the top older turf filly or mare this year on the West Coast, where she captured the Feb. 28 Buena Vista Stakes (G2T), the May 25 Gamely Stakes (G1), and Oct. 3 Rodeo Drive Stakes (G2T)—all at Santa Anita Park. The Phil D'Amato trainee's only loss in 2026 was a second-place finish in the John C. Mabee Stakes (G2T) in early September at Del Mar.
She entered the sale with an 8-1-2 record in 12 starts with earnings of $850,200 while racing for the estate of Brereton Jones, Little Red Feather Racing, and Madaket Stables. Jones bred her in Kentucky out of the Creative Cause mare Creative Thinking.
Airdrie Stud, founded by Jones and his wife, Libby, and now overseen by their son, Bret, consigned the filly.
Usha (Hip 248), who captured the La Brea Stakes (G1) in late 2025 at Santa Anita in the final start of her 3-year-old season for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert and owners Mike Pegram, Karl Watson, and Paul Weitman, went 2-0-2 in six starts this year, with a victory in the Winning Colors Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs her most significant victory of the year. She also showed in the Derby City Distaff Stakes (G1) on Kentucky Derby Day at Churchill Downs. Her 2026 form leaves her with a 5-2-4 record in 14 starts and $727,045 in earnings.
Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa consigned the Tiz the Law filly, a New York-bred out of the stakes-placed Leroidesanimaux mare Animal Appeal.
