Quietside Heads Competitive Keeneland November Book 1

Graded stakes-winning millionaire Quietside, in foal to Nyquist, made noise in the sales ring Nov. 3, selling for $5.2 million to top the first session of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. Chris Baker, agent for Peter and Bonnie McCausland's Erdenheim Farm Thoroughbreds, signed for the purchase of the Stone Farm-consigned daughter of Malibu Moon. Quietside was the second seven-figure acquisition by Baker on behalf of Erdenheim Farm Thoroughbreds during the Tuesday session. Earlier, they bought Kilwin for $2.6 million. READ: Grade 1 Winners Command Millions at Keeneland November "Her pedigree, her physical, the stallion she's in foal to (Nyquist), she's a grade 2 winner out of a grade 2 winner, pretty matrilineal lined up to do good things as a producer herself," Baker said. "For Erdenheim, who's in the process of retooling their program, she just seems like a great fit. He wants to breed to race and this is a family that's been curated that same way and we hope to extend that through her now." Baker said Erdenheim has a select group of about 10-12 broodmares. Quietside, a 4-year-old filly out of the grade 2-winning Speightstown mare Benner Island, raced for her breeder, John Ed Anthony's Shortleaf Stable, compiling a 3-4-2 record in 12 starts and making $1,051,575 for trainer John Ortiz. She won the Honeybee Stakes (G3) and Fantasy Stakes (G2) in 2025 at Oaklawn Park before finishing sixth in the Kentucky Oaks (G1) that spring at Churchill Downs. She also was twice grade 1-placed as a juvenile in 2024. "My father (John Ed Anthony) deserves all the credit," said Ed Anthony of Shortleaf Stables. "He has been in the game for 50 years and has had a lot of good horses. This filly is pretty special because we bred her. And we own her dam, who is entered in the (Keeneland) January sale. My father is 87 and he is starting to downsize a little bit. We have been racing homebreds for a long time." Anthony gave credit to the late Arthur Hancock III, whom he said was like a father figure. "We certainly miss him and honor his memory with a filly like this," he said. LISTEN: BH In Session: Keeneland November Starts Strong John Ed Anthony said Quietside was the first foal out of the mare Benner Island who made it to the track. "Quietside was the first foal out of this mare that was successful, and wildly so," John Ed Anthony said. "I'm almost 88 years old and I'm toning down my stable size, but still in racing and going strong." Anthony, who has been racing horses since 1972, said he is looking forward to the upcoming Oaklawn Park meet, where Shortleaf has a stable of approximately 25 horses spread out among a handful of trainers. He explained that selling Quietside capitalizes on her high breeding value while generating funds to reinvest in the stable. "John Ortiz, who just retired, did a great job with her and I can't say enough good things about Stone Farm, who raised this baby from scratch," Anthony said. "I'm so happy they made a good sale because Arthur (Hancock, founder of Stone Farm) was one of my best friends and we worked together for years with the horses standing there. It's a bit melancholy to sell a horse like this, because they're part of the family, and it's a blessing that only occasionally appears, and it's great for everybody." Erdenheim Thoroughbreds led all buyers by gross for the day with its two purchases totaling $7.8 million. Book 1 Stats Twenty-three horses sold for $1 million or more during Book 1, compared to last year's 17. A fierce appetite for quality horses fueled a 30% surge in gross sales over last year's opening session. By the close of trade, 159 horses had changed hands for a combined $97,919,000, including private sales. The average saw an 8.3% increase to $615,843 and the median stayed at a solid $400,000. Thirty-nine horses failed to meet their reserve, resulting in an RNA rate of 20%. "There was an enthusiasm for quality stock and there was an abundance of it today," said Tony Lacy, vice president of sales at Keeneland. "This is the benchmark for the breeding side of things because it's the very foundation of the industry. The broodmares, the weanlings, this is where everything basically starts. "Watching some of the owners and breeders that have successfully raced some of these fillies gain true reward in the sales ring today was great." Of the 23 seven-figure horses, eight brought $2 million or more. Nine separate entities accounted for the top 10 highest-priced horses. Taylor Made Sales Agency topped the consignors, selling 34 horses from its draft for a total of $22,885,000. 'Savage' Weanling Market Four weanlings reached seven figures during Book 1, headed by Hip 105, a Justify full brother to 2025 Two Thousand Guineas Stakes (G1) winner Ruling Court, which brought $1.3 million from M.V. Magnier and White Birch Farm. Hip 105 was bred in Kentucky by Nursery Place, Wilhite, and Justify Syndicate and consigned by Nursery Place. "He was a lovely horse, and the mare has already bred a Two Thousand Guineas winner by Justify," Magnier said. "Outstanding sire. I tell you what we'll do is bring him (Hip 105) home next year and go to Ballydoyle. "It's a great result for John and Griffin Mayer. They're big supporters of ours, and well done to them." Hip 105 was the first horse Nursery Place has ever entered in Book 1 of the November sale. "Well, this is our first time in Book 1, so we're glad we came," said Griffin Mayer of Nursery Place. "It's been an incredible day. Very, very thankful for all our guys and everybody back on the farm. Horses came up here; they looked great, they showed great and we got the results we're really hoping for. Which, in a weanling market—if you've been watching the last couple years—is kind of a gamble. But we had faith it was going to be here. "We raised Ruling Court. I walked Ruling Court as a weanling and got to walk this one. And this horse might be better. He really is. He has a bigger stride on him. We sold an Up to the Mark for $1.65 million in September, which is a half brother to this horse, which was unbelievable. We've loved this horse. That (price) does not surprise me at all." Hip 19, a filly by Good Magic from the immediate family of 2025 Broodmare of the Year Puca was the highest-priced weanling filly of the session, selling for $1.05 million to Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm. "She's from an unbelievable family," said Todd Quast, general manager and racing manager for Whisper Hill Farm. "When you get out of that mare and going back to Good Magic, and the good ones that are out of (Puca), you have to look at it long range." READ: Pope Goes to $1.05M for Good Magic Filly at Keeneland Two other weanlings realized $1 million apiece—Hip 119, a filly by American Pharoah, and Hip 265, a colt by Gun Runner. Hip 119 sold to Craig Bernick's Glen Hill Farm from breeder and consignor Clarkland Farm. She is the second foal of the Kantharos mare Lady Irene, who is out of blue hen Leslie's Lady, the dam of Beholder, Into Mischief, and Mendelssohn. "($1 million) was way more than I wanted to give, but that's a pedigree that we've never been able to access," Bernick said. "I watched Beholder run in California all my life. You know, obviously Mendelssohn, obviously Into Mischief, just the best stallion. I mean, there's no pedigree like that. To buy into it, it's pretty wild. She's a filly that will race and then hopefully breed from for a long time. That's really why we decided to buy her." Hip 265 went the way of Violet Stables. Brian Graves, general manager of Gainesway, signed the ticket. "That was just by far the best horse I saw in Book 1," Graves said. "I know it was a lot of money, but the sire averages a lot, and I thought he was much better than average. "The pedigree is there, the physical is there, and I thought I'd take a shot." Graves said the colt may be seen next year at one of the yearling sales. When asked if buying a $1 million pinhook prospect is what it takes in a strong market, he replied, "I don't know, I've never tried it before, but it's been many a good year consecutively, and we'll take a shot. I've been out on a limb before." Graves described the market during Day 1 of the sale as "savage." "Almost every baby that you go up there for, you better be prepared to go to 20% more. Honestly, that's what I just did," he said. Hip 265 was bred in New York by Thirty Year Farm and consigned by Lane's End, agent. Out of the Into Mischief mare Walking Miracle, he is a half sibling to grade 2 winner Stitched (Mizzen Mast) and from the immediate family of grade/group 1 winners Jemayel and Mast Track. The number of seven-figure weanlings doubled from last year's corresponding session, showing the strong demand. "We're seeing a lot of end users participate in the weanling market," Lacy said. "Nola Soul winning at Royal Ascot this year sort of exhibited what could be possible." Bernick purchased Nola Soul, a Justify colt, for $220,000 as a weanling at the 2024 Keeneland November sale. Nola Soul won the Chesham Stakes in June at Ascot Racecourse. "It was really rewarding seeing Nursery Place and Clarkland each sell a weanling for seven figures, because they're family farms," Lacy said. "That really makes a difference for them and that's extremely rewarding. "Seeing them as two families get rewarded like that is incredibly, incredibly important." The first session of Book 2 gets underway at 10 a.m. ET Nov. 4 with hips 301-719 slated to go through the ring. As of Tuesday evening, Keeneland had reported 81 outs.