Consigned by Mill Ridge Sales, agent, and cataloged as Hip No. 14,
Leon, who was attending his first Thoroughbred auction, was seated in
“We, my family and the Pletcher family, thought he was the very best
When the gavel finally came down, the bay colt sold for the highest
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“He was obviously a spectacular individual and a great mover,” Todd
Pletcher described the colt after watching the action from the back of the pavilion. “He has a
great presence about him, and obviously from a family that’s as live as a family
can be right now.”
Buoyed by the $4.2 million colt, the numbers were encouraging for the opener,
which was moved to Sunday and transformed into an evening session this year. The
first session also featured a slimmed-down set of 105 yearlings, compared to the
207 cataloged for the Monday daytime opener in 2009.
Nevertheless, the $23,965,000 raked in by 69 yearlings on Sunday was off by
just 3.9 percent from the $24,949,000 realized by 107 horses one year ago. The
average shot up nearly 49 percent from $233,168 at the 2009 kickoff, which
witnessed no million-dollar seller, to $347,319. The median also increased a
healthy 25 percent, from $200,000 to $250,000.
“We’re encouraged with how things went tonight,” Keeneland Director of Sales
Geoffrey Russell said. “The fact that we sold a horse for $4.2 million — the
highest price paid for a yearling since 2006 — was great. Congratulations to
Mr. Leon, who purchased him, John and Jerry Amerman, who bred him, and the Mill
Ridge team who consigned him. He’s a gorgeous colt out of a great family.
“Our goal when we changed the format was that we would see a difference and I
think we did tonight,” Russell continued. “The pavilion was filled with people
who were bidding and clearly enjoying the night. There was electricity in the
air. It was nice. Our hope is that this momentum continues into the next
sessions.
“A lot of credit goes to our consignors,” he added. “They’ve been supportive
of the format changes and really brought some good stock to market.”
The session topper is the first foal from Balance, who amassed a bankroll
worth $1,048,491 from her 16-6-2-5 mark. The winner of the 2006 Santa Anita Oaks
(G1) and Las Virgenes S. (G1), she added the Santa Margarita Invitational H.
(G1) and La Canada S. (G2) to her resume the following year. Balance, who also
captured the Sharp Cat S. as a juvenile, compiled seven stakes placings over her
three seasons of racing. Most notably, she finished second in the Hollywood
Starlet S. (G1) and Vanity Invitational H. (G1) and third in the Ashland S. (G1)
and La Brea S. (G1).
Balance’s accomplishments have since been eclipsed by her younger
half-sister, Zenyatta, who sports a perfect 18-for-18 record and a gaudy
$6,254,580 in earnings. The two-time Eclipse Award winner as champion older mare
has claimed two Breeders’ Cup trophies, landing the 2008 Ladies’ Classic (G1)
prior to defeating males in the 2009 Classic (G1). Zenyatta’s other 14 stakes
scores comprise three-peats in both the Vanity and Clement L. Hirsch S. (G1)
(the first as a Grade 2); two apiece in the Apple Blossom (G1), Lady’s Secret S.
(G1) and Milady H. (G2); and single titles in the El Encino S. (G2) and this
year’s Santa Margarita. The all-conquering six-year-old is gearing up for a
three-peat in the October 2 Lady’s Secret at Oak Tree at Hollywood.
Zenyatta and Balance were produced by the winning Vertigineux (Kris S.),
honored as the 2008 Broodmare of the Year in light of her dynamic daughters. The
yearling colt’s fifth dam is the influential matron Mrs. Peterkin (Tom Fool),
whose descendants include champion, Irish Derby (Ire-G1) hero and noted sire
Shareef Dancer (Northern Dancer) and Grade 1-winning sire Mizzen Mast (Cozzene).
The yearling colt’s dam is the stakes-winning Spunoutacontrol (Wild Again),
Lane’s End also offered an $800,000 Bernardini colt, a three-quarter brother
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The February 13 bay colt is also a three-quarter brother to multiple Grade 3
winner Alumni Hall (A.P. Indy) and a half-brother to stakes victress Private
Gift (Unbridled). His dam, Private Status, is herself a half-sister to Chilean
champion Maria Candela (Chi) (*Balconaje) and multiple Group/Grade 1 victress
Miss Brio (Chi) (Semenenko), both classic winners in their homeland.
Shadwell Estate Co. secured a Distorted Humor ridgling, also from the Lane’s End
consignment, for $700,000. Touring the ring as Hip 79, the March 25-foaled
chestnut is the second registered foal from the stakes-placed Oneofacat (Deputy
Minister), who is herself a half-sister to European champion juvenile colt Hold
That Tiger (Storm Cat) as well as Belmont S. (G1) winner and millionaire
Editor’s Note (Forty Niner).
In an evening dominated by colts, the top filly, and fifth best seller
overall, was a $685,000 daughter of Unbridled’s Song who went to Flag Lake #2.
Yet another Lane’s End offering, the gray sported Hip 94. The January 26 filly
is the first foal from Soul Search (A.P. Indy), who placed in the 2006 editions
of the Spinster S. (G1) and Personal Ensign S. (G1). Soul Search is a
half-sister to Grade 2-placed Irish stakes queen Reform Act (Lemon Drop Kid).
The yearling’s second dam, the winning Solar Colony (Pleasant Colony), is a full
sister to champion juvenile filly Pleasant Stage and Grade 2 victress Colonial
Play, who is the dam of current multiple Canadian Grade 1 hero Marsh Side (Gone
West). Solar Colony is also a full sister to the winning Meteor Colony, the dam
of Canadian Grade 1-winning sire Changeintheweather (Gone West).
The auction continues Monday night at 7 p.m. (EDT) and runs through September
26, with the lone dark day being Saturday. All other sessions start at 10 a.m.
daily.
For complete results, as well as live video of the sale, log onto
keeneland.com.