Thought I’d start this off as four lovely fillies are already on their way home. Came home with four of our top five picks having decided to let a colt go once we were outbid on him. Waiting on one more filly.
First choice was [color=red]False Alarm, a yearling by Gilded Saint out of the What’s Debatable mare Ch Ring The Alarm. She’s already well over 16 hands and she appealed as we stood Gilded Saint for a season but for some reason sold the majority of mares we had in foal to him. Her other big selling point was her MSP dam, a jumps specialist on the track and a half-sister to FFCh I’m No Fool. We missed out on her 2yo in a claimer earlier in the year. That filly is now SP and MW, MP. Cost $1000.
We put a bid in on the previously unnamed weanling [color=red]Sweet Pea thinking we’d soon be outbid due to her dam’s excellent record on the track. She’s the second foal of the wonderful WCh Find The Meadow by the now retired stud Sneak Peak. Perhaps her sire’s bronze ranking put most people off? Sneak Peak has sired several stakes level horses so here’s hoping this filly will be another one. Cost a relatively cheap $20,500.
[color=red]Fifty Kisses is another weanling, by The Fighting Fifty out of Final Kiss (half to Tryst of Fate). We owned her older half-sister, Final Victory, who was MW, MP. Cost $1000.
We also brought home [color=red]Rule Britannia, a weanling by Empire Maker out of MSW, MSP Ch Northern Queen. A bit of an unknown, she cost $5,500.
We’ve only got one, which might be a record. I’m surprised she didn’t go for more, but won’t complain!
Previously unnamed, Engagement Chicken is a yearling daughter of NCh. Eighteen Karat (whose first foals race next year) and NCh. Nudge Me (S). She’s half-sister to MSW Atlantic City (by Foolhardy), whom we own, and her other siblings to race are winners. Snagged her for $56,000.
I wanted that one too, Shanthi! But can’t complain having my other two (and relatively cheap). I’m not planning to buy more, but I consigned quite a few of my yearlings.
Both fillies were previously unnamed - I’m now trying to make their names more related to the parents not easy!
[color=red]Tinderbox - 15.0h chestnut yearling filly by Octagonal, out of Ch. Pyrotechnics (Ch. Turn n’Burn). Her dam is a twin; her sister’s name is Pyromaniac.
I chose the filly because we’ve been lucky with Octagonal’s foals. We have his two 2yo daughters, A Sweet Melody and Lointaine, and both ran very well this year. We also have a yearling colt by him, named Ojal
Some of our top choices quickly ran out of our price range, but we managed to snag three from my “hot list” and “middle class” lists (I’m dorky enough to make a 3-tiered “horses I like/want” list for big auctions like this, lol).
Formerly unnamed, [color=red]Blush Boutique is a big 16.1hh yearling by Bellagio (S). Her dam, Royal Dove, is a stakes-placed create who won 3 of her 4 lifetime starts. This is her first foal, so we’re not sure how she’ll turn out but both parents were packed with talent! Snatched for $1,000.
I tend to avoid weanlings but couldn’t help picking up [color=red]Eaves Dropping. She’s by promising Rock of Gibraltar (S) but her damline caught our eye the most. Out of Spirit of Love (B), a G2 stakes winner, all 3 of her racing-age foals have won and two are stakes placed. She’s by Cigar (G) out of NCH. Cross My Heart (G), making her a half-sister to WCh. As You Wish (S), GCh. Spell Breaker (B), Only the Lonely (S), and several other champions. Cross My Heart is also a half-sister to Ch. Passing Fancy, whom we own. Picked her up for $5,500.
[color=blue]Dagda is a yearling son of ICh. Prince of Wonder (S). We went for him because he’s packed with bloodlines we don’t currently have (or at least have very little of). His dam, Ch. Celtic Fern, MSP with a speed record going 14.5f dirt. She’s by Ch. Irish River (G) and a half-sister to MSW GCh. She Will Fly. Purchased for $6,000.
Successfully won our final bid. The previously unnamed [color=red]Dancing Shoes is a yearling by Broad Account out of the created mare Ch Kickedouttadeclub who was a stakes winner on the tracker. Her oldest foal is 2yo colt Battle Royal who is already SW, SP. Hopefully this girl will have potential. Cost $1000.
[color=blue]French Quarter is a weanling son of our own NCh. French Ruby. Out of Ch. Otto Be Jazz, a MSW and millionaire who ran 2nd in the G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. Her only racing-age foal is a multi-placed 2yo. Most expensive at $32,500.
We snagged two this year. Two weanlings, a colt and a filly.
[color=blue]Dirt Road Anthem (WCh. Express Yourself X Ch. Little Bit Country)
13.2H Dark Bay
His dam is a multi stake winner and millionaire. Express Yourself has had a really nice couple of crops and being that he lives in Austrailia snagging this boy for 60,500 is about what I would pay anyway if I were to breed a mare to him. Good deal!
[color=red]Magic Queen (ICh. Highland Magic X Drama Queen)
10.2H Grey
Dam is MSP and Highland Magic is retired so his babies are in limited supply. Scooping up this girl for $1,000 seems like the deal of the year for us.
[color=blue]Downpour (French Ruby x Rainin on Sunday) is one of the few foals from Ruby’s first crop set to debut next year, so naturally we wanted to own at least one kid from that crop! Looking deeper into his damline was what sold us, though. Rainin on Sunday is by Foolish Pleasure (S) out of Crucial Move (G). Crucial Move’s best foal was MSW and millionaire WCh. Subzero Justice, a filly by Lit de Justice, sire of French Ruby. So we know the Crucial Move/Lit de Justice cross works, hopefully it will also work with grandfoals of the cross. We bought Downpour for $1,000.
But can’t complain having my other two (and relatively cheap). I’m not planning to buy more, but I consigned quite a few of my yearlings.
not easy!