$1.5 million Medaglia d’Oro filly stars at Keeneland September kickoff

The session topper is a half-sister to Hungry Island from the family of Verrazano (Keeneland Photo)

The Niarchos Family’s Flaxman Stables Ireland purchased a Medaglia d’Oro
filly from the blueblood family of Verrazano for $1.5 million at Monday’s
opening session of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Sparking a flurry of
bidding activity early on as Hip No. 19, the February 25 foal was consigned by
Gainesway, agent.

“She’s a lovely filly from a superb family,” said Alan
Cooper, who signed the ticket. “This one could be a broodmare in due course,
hopefully.”

Cooper added that the filly is bound for Europe.

The Kentucky-bred bay was one of four million-dollar
yearlings to sell on the first day, down one from the bonanza of five on opening
day in 2012.

Monday’s numbers reflected the new-look format, and the recasting of Book 1
to cover the entire first week. With 219 horses cataloged for the kickoff
session, compared to 132 a year ago, the gross naturally rose. The average and
median, however, both declined.

Keeneland reported that 130 horses sold for $34,735,000, an increase of 14.7
percent from the $30,290,000 realized by just 75 yearlings at the opener last
year. The average fell 33.8 percent, from $403,867 to $267,192, and the median
plunged 42.9 percent, from $350,000 to $200,000. But Keeneland’s press release
underscored that the figures aren’t truly comparable.

“I thought the market today was very good,” Keeneland Director of Sales
Geoffrey Russell said. “We saw a wide range of buyers, representing domestic and
international owners as well as end-users and pinhookers.

“That was one of our goals with the format change: to get more buyers on the
grounds. They arrived early and began looking at yearlings on Friday, which
created a lot of energy going into the sale.”

The session topper is a half-sister to two graded stakes winners: multiple
Grade 2 heroine Hungry Island (More Than Ready), who was most recently fourth in
the August 24 Ballston Spa (G2), and Soaring Empire (Empire Maker), successful
in the 2011 Hal’s Hope (G3). The yearling is also a full sister to current
sophomore Tokyo Time (Medaglia d’Oro), a near-miss runner-up in the March 2
Herecomesthebride (G3).

They were all produced by the winning A.P. Indy mare Flying Passage. Their
dam is in turn a daughter of 1987 Ashland (G1) victress Chic Shirine (Mr.
Prospector), who is herself a full sister to champion Queena.

This productive female line is responsible for such Grade 1 winners as Brahms
(Danzig), Serra Lake (Seattle Slew) and 2013 headliner Verrazano, hero of the
April 6 Wood Memorial (G1) and the July 28 Haskell Invitational (G1). Verrazano
is closely related to Hungry Island, being a son of More Than Ready himself.

The Malibu Moon-Hollywood Story filly was one of four yearlings to reach seven-figure territory (Keeneland Photo)

MISS HOLLYWOOD, a bay daughter of Malibu Moon and multiple Grade 1-winning
millionaire Hollywood Story (Wild Rush), went to Northwest Stud for $1.35
million. A late foal with a May 15 birthday, the Kentucky-bred was offered by
Hill ‘n’ Dale Sales Agency, agent, as Hip 80.

Hollywood Story, who is also responsible for the multiple stakes-placed
Hoorayforhollywood (Storm Cat), scored all of her major wins at Hollywood, her
appropriately favorite track. She earned Grade 1 tallies in the 2003 Hollywood
Starlet and the 2006 Vanity Invitational H. and also landed the 2004 Bayakoa H.
(G2) and 2005 Hawthorne H. (G3). Hollywood Story placed in 11 stakes, most
notably the Del Mar Debutante (G1), Las Virgenes (G1), American Oaks
Invitational (G1) and consecutive runnings of the Santa Maria H. (G1).

The yearling’s third dam is Grade 3 vixen Huggle Duggle (Never Bend), whose
other descendants include Grade 2-winning sire Seattle Fitz (Fitzcarraldo) and
Argentinean Group 1 scorer Honey Nov (Romanov).

A gray colt by the recently-deceased Unbridled’s Song commanded $1.1 million
from Nat Rea of Regis Farms. Out of 2007 Spinaway (G1) star Irish Smoke (Smoke
Glacken), Hip 110 came from the consignment of Bedouin Bloodstock, agent.

The May 9 foal is the third from Irish Smoke, who is a half-sister to another
stakes-winning juvenile in King Puma (Forest Wildcat). Irish Smoke is also a
half-sister to the unraced Clever Babe (Distorted Humor), the dam of reigning La
Brea (G1) heroine Book Review (Giant’s Causeway). A smashing winner of the July
13 A Gleam H. (G2), Book Review was just denied by a head in the August 23
Ballerina (G1), pushing her career earnings to $884,955.

Coolmore snapped up a War Front colt who is very closely related to Departing (Keeneland Photo)

The Kentucky-bred colt is out of the winning Pulpit mare Guide, who is a full
sister to Leave, the dam of the highly-progressive three-year-old Departing,
also by War Front. Departing showed ability earlier in the season when taking
the Illinois Derby (G3) and Texas Heritage and placing third in the Louisiana
Derby (G2). But the Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider homebred has improved
mightily in his last pair, romping in both the August 3 West Virginia Derby (G2)
and this past Saturday’s Super Derby (G2). Departing has already bankrolled
$1,379,500 from his 8-6-0-1 line, and appears to be still on the upswing.

Guide is also a full sister to multiple stakes winner Laity. She has two
significant half-sisters: multiple Grade 3 heroine Trip (Lord at War) and
multiple stakes vixen Joke (Phone Trick), who produced multiple Grade 1-winning
sprinter and promising freshman sire Zensational (Unbridled’s Song).

War Front later had an $875,000 colt sell to Sheikh Hamdan’s Shadwell Estate
Company. From the family of the session topper, Hip 145 likewise came from the
Gainesway delegation. The April 30 dark bay was produced by the unraced La Laja
(El Prado), a half-sister to the aforementioned Somali Lemonade.

One hip prior to the session topper, Regis Farms bought her “nephew” by Candy
Ride for $700,000. Hip 18, also consigned by Gainesway, is the first registered
foal from the winning Flying Dixie (Dixieland Band), a half-sister to Hungry
Island, Soaring Empire and the $1.5 million filly.