Gainesway sold the highest priced filly of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale’s first book to kick off the sale when a filly out of Four Graces led the way.
She was one of nine seven-figure yearlings for Gainesway during the first book with the consignment averaging $823,215 for 28 sold during the first two days. The $23.05 million gross for those sold was second only to a consignment with 16 more yearlings while the average was third among those with 10 or more sold.
The Whisper Hill Farm-bred filly by TAPIT’s son Flightline was purchased by LSU Stables for $2.2 million late in the book as the first foal out of Grade 3 winner and Grade 1-placed Four Graces. That mare has plenty of chances to be a top-level producer as a daughter of Grade 3-placed Ivory Empress. Ivory Empress has produced four stakes performers among her six winners with the group led by Four Graces and Grade 2 winner McCraken.
Ivory Empress is one of two stakes performers out of Grade 3 winner Madame Pandit alongside Grade 1 winner Mea Domina and is a half-sister to the dam of champion Pancha Mancha – who produced her own champion in Cumbia Pa Ti.
“They loved the filly,” Miguel Clement, who will train the filly, said. “They did all their homework and all their research. They felt like she was the one that they really wanted to have. Whenever they get excited about one, they want it, and they tend to get it.”
Spendthrift Farm went to $1.6 million to purchase the Into Mischief colt out of Curlin’s Approval from Gainesway as the most expensive Into Mischief sold during the first book.
The colt is a full brother to Grade 3-placed Praetor and to three-time winner Charlottesapproval out of their Grade 2 winning dam Curlin’s Approval. Bred by Bridlewood Farm and Alter’s Racing Stables, the colt sees his dam as one of two stakes performers out of Withmom’sapproval alongside Grade 2-placed Apologynotaccepted. One of Curlin’s Approval’s full sisters is the dam of stakes winner Headline Numbers and to this Summer’s Curlin Stakes third Strategic Focus.
This page sees stakes performers under all four dams with all but his first dam producing at least two stakes performers.
Whisper Hill Farm bought the most expensive TAPIT of the sale when going to $1.5 million to purchase a Gainesway-bred filly out of Sharing.
Sharing has the special distinction of being a Breeders’ Cup winner both by and out of Breeders’ Cup winners after winning the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1). She is by Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) winner Speightstown and out of Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1) winner Shared Account. Sharing is already off to a good start as a broodmare with one winner from one to race, also following in her dam’s footsteps.
Shared Account is the dam of three winners overall with the group including Riley’s Choice. She is one of three stakes winners and four stakes performers out of her dam Silk n’ Sapphire, who also produced active racehorse and Grade 2 winner Sparkle Blue and Grade 3 winner and Grade 2-placed Colonial Flag. Her daughter’s runners include Point Proven – who recently won the John Henry Stakes – and Grade 3 winner Twenty Carat.
“Mandy loves TAPIT, so when you get that and you get this mare’s side and you get the physical, we’re very happy,” said Whisper Hill Farm’s Todd Quast. “We had seen her a couple of times and Antony [Beck] wasn’t going to sell her. Then, at the last minute he decided to put her in and we got very excited. We’re very, very happy to have her. What a family and what a physical.”
A Whisper Hill Farm-bred Gun Runner colt out of Wicked Whisper was the fourth most expensive Gainesway offering of the book when bringing $1.3 million from Bradley Thoroughbreds.
This is the second foal out of that Grade 1 winning Liam’s Map mare, whose first Gainesway sold for $750,000 to Bobby Flay last year. Wicked Whisper is one of four stakes performers out of Zayanna alongside Grade 2 winner and multiple Grade 1 placed Point of Honor and stakes winner Velvet Mood in addition to the stakes placed Admiral Jimmy.
While Wicked Whisper is the best runner in terms of graded stakes level wins, she is far from the only stakes winner with her granddam Heavenly Cat producing four stakes winners as well. Multiple daughters of Heavenly Cat have also produced stakes performers with the group outside of Wicked Whisper’s own dam including the dam of stakes winner Heaven Street.
Rounding out Gainesway’s top five was another $1.3 million yearling, this one a colt out of Delightful Joy sold to Douglas Scharbauer.
Delightful Joy is already a stakes producer as the dam of Grade 2 winner Window Shopping with three winners from four to race. The International Equities Holding-bred’s second dam Graeme Six is the dam of MCKINZIE’s Iowa Oaks winner and multiple Grade 1 placed Quickick, Grade 3 winner Cali Star, and stakes winner Seymourdini among her 10 winners. Graeme Six is the only stakes performer for her own dam, but that mare is a half-sister to four stakes performers as one of 13 winners out of Ruby Wax.
Buyers still have plenty of chances to buy Gainesway offerings in coming days with the consignment having 144 cataloged in Books 2 through 5B.