First-crop weanling sire Karakontie jumped out to a fast start when his first three November offerings averaged $163,333, more than 10 times the stud fee they were bred on.
Topping the list was a $250,000 colt out of the Kingmambo mare Soaring Emotions who sold to Flaxman Holdings at Keeneland November. Bred and consigned by Gainesway and cataloged as Hip 1040, Alan Cooper signed the ticket for Flaxman Holdings, which bred and raced Karakontie. The weanling colt is inbred 4×3 to Flaxman’s great mare Miesque, who is Karakontie’s third dam as well as the dam of influential sire Kingmambo.
Earlier in the same session at Keeneland November, Crone Stud Farms went to $130,000 for Hip 805, a Karakontie colt out of Al Beedaa (by Swain). Bred and consigned by Gainesway, the chestnut is a half-brother to Grade 3 winner Villandry.
At Fasig-Tipton November, Karakontie’s only cataloged weanling was Hip 76, a $110,000 filly out of the stakes-producing Smart Strike mare Hope Bay. Bred by Merriebelle Stable and consigned by Sandy Stuart’s Bluegrass Thoroughbred Services, the filly was purchased by de Meric Stables.
A Group 1 winner at 2 and French Two Thousand Guineas (G1) winner at 3, Karakontie posted a 110 Beyer Speed Figure in his North American debut to capture the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1) at Santa Anita. He will stand his third stud season at Gainesway for a $10,000 fee in 2018.