'She's a beautiful mare' - well-related Pop A Choc tops Keeneland at $265,000

The sixth session of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale ended on a high on Monday as racing/broodmare prospect Pop A Choc, who had only five hips follow her through the ring, hammered at $265,000 to the partnership of Clear Ridge Stables to top the day.

Pop A Choc, a four-year-old filly by the late Bernardini, whose daughters offered at auction this fall have become collectors' items, was consigned as hip 2242 by Bluewater Sales.

Out of the stakes-placed Cuvee mare Chocolate Pop , she is a half-sister to Airoforce, a dual surface Graded winner in his juvenile year in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes and Dixiana Bourbon Stakes.

Sean Tugel, Gainesway's director of stallions sales and recruiting, purchased Pop a Choc for Clear Ridge Stables.

"She's a beautiful mare and Bernardini is an exceptional broodmare sire," Tugel said. "She was a high-priced yearling. Mares that are good physicals and high-priced yearlings usually throw good physicals that can be good sales horses. She is a quality, commercial mare."

Pop A Choc was bred in Kentucky by Camas Park Stud and Lynch Bages. She was previously purchased by Justin Casse for $330,000 from the Paramount Sales consignment at the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Trained by Mark Casse for owners Gary Barber and John Oxley, Pop A Choc went through the ring Monday with a race record of 2-2-2 in 11 starts at three and four and earnings of $117,385.

"She will come back to Gainesway Farm and become part of the herd, and we will talk to all the partners and find a good mate for her," Tugel said. "Brian Graves thought we may have to pay this much for her; he knows how to appraise them. He thought she was the best broodmare prospect out there today and we are very excited to have her."

Keeneland reported 271 horses sold during the sixth session for gross receipts of $10,507,100, an average of $38,772, and a median of $26,000, all up over the comparable session a year ago. The 61 horses that failed to meet their reserve represented an RNA rate of 18.4 per cent. In 2020 on the sixth day of selling, 276 horses sold for gross receipts of $6,446,900, an average of $23,358, and a median of $15,000, with an RNA rate of 12.9 per cent.

Cumulative figures for the past six days of selling show 1,427 horses have sold from 1,748 to go under the hammer. Gross sales stand at $180,008,100, the average at $126,144, and the median at $75,000. The cumulative RNA rate is 18.4 per cent.

Comparatively, last year at this point of the sale gross sales reached $141,424,400 for the 1,318 horses sold. The average was $107,302, the median was $55,000, and the RNA rate was 19.5 per cent.

Pitlochry Partners went to $215,000 to acquire Repartee, the dam of Munnyfor Ro, a multiple stakes winner at Woodbine this year. The nine-year-old Distorted Humor mare was consigned as hip 1849 by St George Sales, agent for Shannondoe Farm and South Point Sales. She was not covered this year.

Munnyfor Ro, a three-year-old filly by Munnings, just last month won the Ontario Damsel Stakes on the main track after taking the Wonder Where Stakes on turf. She also won the Woodbine Oaks in August for owner Raroma Stable and trainer Kevin Attard.

Repartee was bred in Kentucky by Darley out of the A.P. Indy stakes winner Dubai Dancer, a full-sister to Grade 1 winner Little Belle, the dam of Grade 1 winner Dickinson.

A $37,000 RNA at this year's Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale, Repartee previously sold for $34,000 to agent Ben McElroy out of Brookdale Sales' consignment at the 2016 Keeneland November Breeding Sale. She had placed in one of her two starts for Godolphin.

Hunter Valley Farm purchased the session-topping weanling, a Not This Time colt consigned as hip 1988 by Castle Park Farm (Noel Murphy), for $200,000. The March-born foal is slated to return during the yearling sales next year.

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