Magnier praise for Justify as Coolmore strike for Keeneland's top weanling

Plenty familiar with Ashford Stud-based stallion Justify, MV Magnier liked what he was seeing when one of the sons of the 2018 Triple Crown winner entered the ring. That is to say, the weanling looked a whole lot like his famous father.

A couple of hours into the Book 2 session of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, Magnier, bidding from his usual position in the back ring, went to $625,000 to land the colt named Just Before Dawn.

"He is stamping them as strong horses and good breathers; the lads at home have commented how they are very simple to deal with," said Magnier.

The weanling would prove to be the session topper on a day that saw strong sales of young horses and mares as the average spiked 19 per cent to $167,549 and median improved 30 per cent to $130,000, compared with the opening session of Book 2 in 2020. The session saw 226 of 290 horses offered sell for $37,866,000.

Overall the sale has seen 344 horses sell for $88,500,000. That gross is up 14 per cent compared with 2020 to this point in the sale.

Keeneland vice-president of sales Tony Lacy said momentum has continued from the yearling sales to the mixed sales.

"Incredible. I mean, it was a really vibrant market," he said. "I think this is a continuation of a lot of the energy we saw in September. Foals were incredibly strong. I think there were a lot of frustrated pinhookers out there trying to buy. There were a lot of end users actually participating in the market today, which is really encouraging.

"Young mares - well bred and on the cover to popular stallions - again were extremely popular. So you had a lot of happy sellers. I think it's a really encouraging market as we move forward."

The Justify colt is the top weanling colt sold at the sale so far, as he topped all weanling colts purchased during the Book One session as well.

Bred in Kentucky by Summer Wind Equine, Just Before Dawn is a son of 2018 Horse of the Year Justify. The colt is a half-brother to Moonshine Memories , who at two won the 2017 Chandelier and Del Mar Debutante Stakes in southern California. He's also a half-brother to the Grade 2-placed Listed winner Indian Evening and stakes-placed Mo For The Money.

"He is a really nice horse, Jane Lyon and everyone from Summer Wind are very good breeders. This horse is very well bred," Magnier noted, adding that the price may turn out to be value. "He's by one of the best horses we have seen in America in a very long time. With a horse bred like that and with a good physical he deserved to make it."

Justify wasn't the only young sire to make an impression. With Gun Runner running away with the title of leading freshman sire for 2021, Maverick Racing picked up a weanling colt by the fast-starting sire for $410,000 out of young mare Marwa.

Meanwhile the good times continue to roll for leading sire Into Mischief, who had colts sell for $375,000 and $350,000.

The session's top-priced weanling filly was a daughter of Munnings purchased for $300,000 by Brookstone Farm from the consignment of Stuart Morris for Waldorf Farm.

The strong weanling market slowed the efforts of Peter O'Callaghan, of Woods Edge Farm, to purchase pinhook prospects but he welcomed the positive trend for the industry overall.

"It's wonderful for the game and the breeders," O'Callaghan said. "Good looking weanlings here today are as valuable as they are appearing to be. It's been very difficult for us [as pinhookers]. We have bought only a handful of horses. It looks like it might be a down year for us."

Leading the way for broodmares sold during Thursday's session was a stakes-winning, Graded-placed daughter of Old Fashioned who thrilled her consignor when she lit up the board. The California-bred Streak Of Luck, from the consignment of James B Keogh - who also was part-owner of the horse - sold for $620,000 to Aaron and Marie Jones.

Streak Of Luck: ''She's a good Graded stakes racemare and in foal to a Derby winner.'Credit: Keeneland Photos

"Wow, it couldn't be any better," Keogh said. "Mr and Mrs Jones are great people. I'm thrilled and delighted they got her; they are dear friends."

The six-year-old daughter of Unbridled's Song's son Old Fashioned is the first stakes winner for her dam, Valeria, who has produced three winners from as many starters. Valeria is a daughter of Elusive Quality.

Streak Of Luck is believed to be in-foal to 2020 Classic winner and Horse of the Year Authentic.

Frank Taylor, of Taylor Made Sales Agency and purchasing on behalf of the Jones', said the mare has a great physical and plenty of ties to Taylor Made.

"She's by a son of Unbridled's Song, which we love. We raised Old Fashioned on the farm so that was a plus for me," Taylor said. "She's a good Graded stakes racemare and in foal to a Derby winner with an early January foal. She's what we are looking for.

"I saw a mare that was very comparable to Streak Of Luck and she brought $700,000. That was a bid or two past what we were trying to do. We just wanted her."

Campaigned by Keogh, Carrie Brogden, and breeder Roncelli Family Trust, the durable Streak Of Luck posted a 6-3-3 record and $352,109 earnings from 30 starts. A winner at two, three, four and five, Streak Of Luck won the 2020 Lady Canterbury Stakes at Canterbury Park. During her career she placed in a pair of Graded contests.

Keogh said: "I campaigned her as a racehorse. She won a stakes race for me, so she is pretty special to me. Carrie Brogden and I owned her together. Carrie found her in California and in two seconds I made the decision to take half of her. It's pretty darn good."

The broodmare market likely picked up momentum off a strong yearling market. Lacy said after breeders saw yearlings fare well at Keeneland September - including yearlings from less established mares or older mares - they're finding confidence in the market to reinvest.

He said: "The feedback we were getting at the end of the September sale is that a lot of breeders were saying, 'I can buy some mares now.' [That success in September] allowed them to be liquid."

Keeneland director of sales operations Cormac Breathnach also noted that momentum.

"I think the September market was so strong that it really validated commercial breeders' faith in what they were doing and kind of validated their purpose and gave them, in a lot of cases, some equity to reinvest," Breathnach said. "Sometimes there were large amounts of money spent on yearlings out of older mares or mares that maybe hadn't been that sort of A-list type."

Breathnach said Keeneland September saw strength in the early market all the way through to the last day, which should provide confidence in the mares that will be offered at Keeneland November going forward.

Warrendale's Hunter Simms, who went to $500,000 Thursday on behalf of Silesia Farm to purchase the mare Impeccable Style, a daughter of Uncle Mo, also credited that momentum from the yearling sales.

"The market is strong, both selling and buying. You lead stuff up here and you think you're going to be at a certain number, but they end up paying a premium," said Simms, who said momentum has built at sales this late summer and autumn. "It happened across town, it's happening here. I think the [Keeneland September Yearling Sale] led into it a bit and breeders are having to spend that money going into next year, whether for tax purposes or trying to better their crop."

Another top broodmare to sell on Thursday was a young Shanghai Bobby mare, March X Press, that sold for $560,000 to Parks Investment Group. She was consigned by Lane's End.

Lane's End would finish as the session's leading consignor with 27 horses selling for $6,302,000 and an average of $233,407. Woodford Thoroughbreds finished as leading buyer of the session after purchasing five horses for a gross of $1,245,000 - a $249,000 average.

Consignors reported strong interest at the barns.

"The trade has been very good, mares are selling well," said Archie St George of St George Sales. "I would say it is strong trade again. There are plenty of people here buying foals and they are bringing plenty of money."

St George sold eight horses on Thursday for an average of $175,625.

"There has been a lot of vet work on the nice ones; there are a lot of people trying to buy foals," he said. "Everything is positive."

For all the North American racing and bloodstock news, visit Bloodhorse