MCKINZIE Set for Strong Keeneland September

The largest group of MCKINZIE yearlings available to buyers at one sale comes this September with 112 cataloged in the Keeneland September Yearling September Sale.

Thirty-seven of those yearlings are offered during the first two books of the sale, spanning the first four sessions. The first of those is Hip 22 offered by Paramount Sales.

Selling on the first day of the sale is Hip 34, a half-brother to dual Grade 1 winner Up to the Mark offered by Taylor Made on behalf of breeder Ramspring Farm. Their dam Belle’s Finale has produced two winners from three to race as one of three stakes producers out of Grade 1 winner Capote Belle.

That mare also produced stakes winner Zapper Belle – who produced stakes winner Kabella, and the dam of multiple Grade 2 winner and multiple Grade 1 placed Catapult. The mare also produced the stakes winning Ha Ha Tonka, whose foals include multiple stakes winner She’sonthewarpath with a winning daughter including stakes winner Bourne In Nixa.

Candy Meadows Sales offers Hip 65 from MCKINZIE’s first crop during the middle of the first session. The colt out of Church By The Sea is a half-brother to multiple graded stakes winner Significant Form and Grade 3 winner Hay Dakota. The dam of three winners from three to race, Church By The Sea is a half-sister to Grade 2 winner Hello Liberty and to the dam of multiple graded stakes winner Cairo Memories in addition to the dam of Grade 1 winner Memories Prevail.

Bred by Airdrie Stud, this colt was a $275,000 purchase by his consignor from his breeder at last year’s Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale as the second highest priced MCKINZIE weanling.

Tying Hip 65’s selling price at the November Sale as the highest priced MCKINZIE filly, Hip 141 consigned by Gainesway returns to the Keeneland ring 10 months later late in the first session.

The filly is out of the graded stakes winner and successful producer Graeme Six. Among that mare’s nine winners from 10 runners are Grade 3 winners Cali Star and Delightful Joy and stakes winner Seymourdini. By TAPIT, Delightful Joy also produced Grade 2 winner Window Shopping.

Each of the three dams on this filly’s page have produced stakes winners with her third dam the dam of two stakes winners and four stakes performers from 13 winners. Graeme Six returned to MCKINZIE in 2023.

MCKINZIE’s first offering on the second day is Hip 289 offered by Paramount Sales and bred by Vincent Colbert.

Out of Quickest, the colt is a three-quarter brother to Grade 1 winner Callback and half-sister to stakes winner Defy Gravity in addition to stakes placed Miss Super Quick. Both Callback and Defy Gravity have produced stakes winners. His granddam is the successful broodmare Supercharger, who produced Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Super Saver and Grade 3 winners Cyrus Alexander and Brethren.

MCKINZIE has 15 on offer to kick off Book 2, including Hip 513 offered by Gainesway out of the Grade 2 placed, Enchanting Lisa whose first runner is a winner.

Enchanting Lisa is a half-sister to two-time Horse of the Year Wise Dan, multiple graded stakes winner and multiple Grade 1-placed Successful Dan, and the stakes winner Our Royal Dancer – who produced multiple graded stakes placed Bailando Voy. Bred by Gainesway, this colt was originally sold for $175,000 at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale last Fall to Dudley Racing. Enchanting Lisa had a filly by TAPIT this year.

Bedouin Bloodstock presents Hip 621, a half-brother to Grade 1 winner Declassify bred by Bell Tower Thoroughbreds. The colt’s dam Mir Cat has produced four winners from five to raced with those winners also include Grade 3 winner Life’s a Parlay.

Mir Cat is a half-sister to the stakes placed Runnin Ute with that mare and three other half-sisters all producing stakes performers with another producing the dam of Grade 2 placed Unbridled Bomber. This colt’s stakes winning third dam is the dam of Grade 1 winners A Phenomenon and Seattle Meteor.

Mir Cat also had a MCKINZIE colt this year for the yearling’s breeder.

The Grandview Equine-bred Hip 669 offered by Runnymede Farm earned a major update to the page on the first Saturday in May when his half-brother Mage won the Kentucky Derby (G1) before following that up with a third in the Preakness Stakes (G1). More recently, Mage finished second in the Haskell Stakes (G1). The colt’s stakes winning dam Puca also produced the multiple stakes placed Gunning.

Puca comes by her producing talent honestly, her own stakes placed dam is the dam of Grade 1 winner Finnegans Wake while her granddam produced stakes winner Ooey Gooey and two other stakes performers. This colt’s dam earned another update two weeks before the sale when juvenile half-brother Dornoch finished a close second in the Listed Sapling Stakes.

Hip 709 offered by Eaton Sales earned a big update when Gunite won the Forego Stakes (G1) after finishing second in the Alfred G. Vanderbilt (G1).

Already a Grade 1 winner as a juvenile, Gunite is out of this colt’s stakes winning half-sister Simple Surprise. That mare is one of two stakes winners and three stakes performers out of the stakes winner and Grade 3-placed Simplify.

Simplify is a half-sister to multiple stakes winner Classify and Grade 2-placed Seeker with another winning sibling producing Grade 2 winner Air Strike and stakes winner Home Brew.

This Tony and Michael Holmes-bred colt was a $200,000 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale purchase by B W Stables when offered by Warrendale Sales. His dam returned to OLYMPIAD this year and is carrying a foal from his first crop.

The second day of Book 2 includes Hip 812 from Cara Bloodstock, the second foal out of Medaglia d’Oro mare Café Matcha.

That unraced dam is a half-sister to champion Points Offthebench, Grade 3 winner Bench Points, and stakes winner Molto Allegro. There are stakes performers under three of the four dams on the page with his third dam being the Grade 3 winner Visible Gold, who is one of two stakes performers under her own dam.

The Ontario-foaled filly was bred by Mike Carrol and Mitchell Kursner.

Breeder Lantern Hill Farm sends Hip 881 through the ring out of the winning Frank’s Hope, who already produced stakes winner and Grade 3 placed Strike Silver from her three winners. Frank’s Hope is out of the Grade 1 winning Silver Maiden, who produced Grade 3 winner Dreaming of Liz and stakes winner Liz On Polk Street. Both of those have produced stakes winners with Dreaming of Liz also producing stakes placed Rever de Vous.

A half-sister to Grade 1 winner Princess Violet sells as Hip 940 from the Blandford Stud consignment. Her dam Lady Rapper has also produced the multiple stakes placed Baime from her four winners with seven of her eight foals making it to the track. Lady Rapper is out of another Grade 1 performer with her dam placing second in the Go For Wand Handicap (G1).

All four dams on this filly’s page have produced stakes performers with multiple daughters of those mares also producing stakes performers. Bred by SF Bloodstock, this yearling was a $175,000 weanling purchase at Keeneland last November to Creek Bloodstock from the Bedouin Bloodstock consignment.

The final MCKINZIE to sell before the dark day is Hip 1124 out of Unobstructed View.

Bred by Gainesweay, the filly is a half-sister to stakes winner and Grade 1 placed Honor Up and stakes winner and Grade 3 placed Blueridge Traveler. A third half-sister by TAPIT produced multiple stakes placed More Ice, who is undefeated in three starts this year and has four consecutive wins with nine victories in 33 starts.

Unobstructed View had a MCKINZIE filly in February of this year and visited DRAIN THE CLOCK in his first season at stud.

MCKINZIE’s yearlings have been in high demand this year with his yearlings selling for up to $700,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling Sale and his $260,000 colt the third most expensive yearling by a first season sire at the Fasig-Tipton July Sale.