I’m done for the Select Auction so I thought I’d post here about it
This was my first year actually being able to participate! Of course, it means I’m a little strained financially but I was so excited for this mare. [color=red]Distinctive Look is a Gold ranked mare out of Distinct Possibili (one of my favourite lines) and Take Account. Both are Chef-de-Race and Reine-de-Course respectively and her foals have performed very well on the track. She is in foal to Silver-ranked Harvard Bound for a 2014 foal. I got her for her reserve price of 100K, officially the most expensive horse I’ve ever purchased but I’m really glad for. I also bid on a colt of hers by Affirmed but lost the bid. Still, I’m glad she’s joined us here and I’m hoping for a happy, healthy baby next February who will win it all back in a few years
We are still bidding on one horse whose auction has not yet completed but are very pleased with our two acquisitions so far.
Our priority had been [color=blue]Legal Light, a created colt by Zaleucus out of Titania. This was a horse whose breeding I had suggested last year. The real Legal Light was a top class horse who used to run in Jamaica. He was owned by a cousin of mine and won both the Jamaica Derby and Jamaica St. Leger in 1977. In addition, his dam, Titania, also won the Jamaica Derby in 1974.
This was a sentimental purchase. The FF Legal Light had one win and three places in five starts last year but hadn’t run at all this year. He has been sent to the Farm for a couple of weeks and will hopefully resume his racing career in early November.
Our second purchase was [color=blue]Ch. Captain Crunch, a colt by Seabiscuit out of Movie Mistress. We already have two other Movie Mistress progeny, one of which, 3YO [color=red]Commem, has already won twice. The other one is a yearling. He too, has been sent to the Farm for a couple of weeks and will hopefully resume his racing career in early November.
Added on 9/24 at 8:48pm EST:- The unfinished auction that we were bidding on mentioned above has now ended and we were successful. This was for [color=blue]Ch. American Idol, a colt by Boldness Shows out of Miss America. He has 6 wins to his credit, two of which were Stakes wins, including a win in the Gr1. King George VI Chase in 2011. He has not raced since April 2012 but will hopefully return to the track in the Gr1. Meadow Brook Stakes at Aqueduct on Oct 14th.
We bid on three other horses but all three went over the maximum we were prepared to spend on them fairly early in the proceedings so we never had time to get excited about any of them. All-in-all, we are satisfied in the outcome. Three horses for $125,000. Hopefully, we’ll be able to get a few wins out of them and be able to recoup their purchase prices.
Purchased Gold rated broodmare [color=red]Doubletake. She has some VERY nice foals including WCh. Double Cross, NCh. Sneak Peak, Ch. Catchmeifyoucan and Ch. Rodeo. She is currently in foal to WCh. Strider who’s oldest foals are currently weanlings. Doubletake is getting on a bit in years, but looks great so we’re hopeful she’ll be able to give us some more beautiful talented babies.
[color=red]Candide is a yearling daughter of our farm stallion ICh. Candidate whose first foals are yearlings. She is out of the Silver rated mare, Steadfast Lover by Cross Roads. Steadfast Lover was a two time winner over the fences and is the dam of multiple GII winner One Star Affair. She also has 2 other foals of racing age, Obstinate who is a winner over the dirt and Idolized who is placed on the turf.
We got an Unnamed weanling son of WCh. Highland Bandit out of Gold rated Wonder’s Miracle. We renamed him [color=blue]Marauder. I own 3 of his half siblings, I really love the foals his dam produces. She is the dam of 7 foals to race with 6 winners (the only non winner is her 2yo). From those six winners is NCh. Gotta Be A Natural a MSW and millionare and also Ch. Silent Miracle who is a G1 winning MSW and four others are stakes placed. Pretty nice family if you ask me.
After my article on Rahy and his early success in the breeding shed I realized I didn’t have any foals of his. I saw an unnamed weanling filly of his out of Gold rated Person to Person and I jumped on her. I managed to get a hold of her for $100k. We renamed her [color=red]Clarity.
[color=red]A Woman’s Fury is a create who has been doing pretty well. Earlier this year she broke her maiden in the GI One Thousand Guineas. We’re hoping she’s still got quite a bit of running to do and we’ll see what she can do for the rest of the year.
[color=red]Sings of Secrets is a weanling by WCh. Nightfight out of the Gold-rated Ch. Highland Lady. She’s a pretty little black filly with just a touch of chrome. She’s from Nightfight’s first crop of foals, and is half to MSW/millionaire Highway and to winner Rock Doctor.
[color=blue]Unnamed is a weanling colt by Gallant Fox and out of Gold-rated Slew O’Diamonds. Not sure what I’m gonna name him yet. Gallant Fox is a decent stud with almost 3/4 of his runners being winners. Slew O’Diamonds has produced 8 winners out of 8 runners, including MSW Ch. A.P. Diamond and the SWs Ch. Relentless and Ch. Coal Play.
I didn’t realize at the time, but I also had in a bid on a filly by Gallant Fox as well. [color=red]Elvanui is a decent sized bay yearling. She’s out of Gold-rated Natural Disaster, who’s out of created lines, but who has produced 7 winners from 7 runners and two SWs: Ch. I Will Survive and Ch. Natural Luck. I’m probably going to change her name.
[color=blue]Kevlar is a big bright 3 year old chestnut colt. He doesn’t have the most stellar bloodlines (Affirmed (S)-Material Girl (B)), but all eight of Material Girl’s foals have been winners including Captain Planet who is SP and Kevlar, who is stakes placed himself. In his last race in April he won a steeplechase in Australia, so I’m hoping he’s going to turn out to be a decent runner.
This marks the first year that I have been able to afford multiple horses at the Select Auction. Woo hoo!
My first purchase is [color=red]Ch. Legend Enough (Silver Legend x That’s Enough). This mare is 1/2 sister to my beloved Compass, 2012 SC Eclipse winner. Legend had raced successfully on both dirt and turf, and both of her Stakes wins were on dirt: the Gr.1 Seeing Starz Breeder’s Stakes (2011) and the Gr. 1 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (2012). She has only three starts as a steeplechaser, so it’s unclear as to whether she is talented like her brother in that area. She has not raced at all this year, but she’s young enough that, hopefully, she’s still got a few good runs in her. This is the closest I’ll get to having Compass babies, so I’m really looking forward to seeing what all she can do. Price $76,500
The other purchase is [color=red]Ch. Bold Queen (Bold Ruler x Is She Kinda Magic). Queen has won 4 out of 13 starts this year, including the Gr. 2 Wakeful Stakes. While she has earned money on dirt, the grass is where she really excels, and she’s even done well against boys. I’m eager to see what she can do with a little bit of tweaking. Price $200,000
Holy moly!! I can’t believe some of the prices these horses are going for! By far one of the cheapest Select Auctions I’ve seen by far. I’m kicking myself for not paying for the internet while we were in Vegas now. lol. Miss Hayday foals going for 100-200K!! Wow!
Heh. I know! A lot of quality stock going for just over $100k. I reserve-priced my foals based on the expectations of previous select auctions–apparently I’m out of touch with the state of the current market. Ah well, no worries. We’re happy to take them all back, if that how it ends up.
I’m glad to see that Strider went for a respectable price, well over the reserve…
We managed to steal the following:
[color=red]Italy, 2002 broodmare with a PLATINUM rank for $350,000. Dam of GCh. Touch and Go (sold for $750,000) and Ch. Italian Devil. Yearling filly by High Chances, Femto Fast sold for $400,000. I super psyched I was able to get this mare at such a steal. She’s in foal to King David.
[color=red]Phoenix, 1999 broodmare with a gold breading rank for $150,000. Dam of 3 MSW–NCh. Ray of Light, GCh. Honey Baby and Ch. Strip Poker. In foal to Strider. With any luck, she still has a couple more years in her before she retires. (Though, with my luck she’ll retire next year and lose the foal…sigh).
[color=blue]Scarecrow-2013 weanling by Highland Wizard out of Times Ebony for $150,500. 1/2 to WCh. Nightfight and WCh. Gotta Go.
Very pleased with our haul. =D
Of course, our accountant is not. But who’s gonna tell her?
