'She was special for us' - British-bred filly Lush Lips to race on after bringing a sale-topping $3.7 million at Keeneland

Grade 1 winner Lush Lips will race on next season after Dixiana Farm purchased the daughter of Ten Sovereigns for a sale-topping $3.7 million at Book 1 of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale on Tuesday. 

Consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, the three-year-old filly, who was last seen winning the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland, will remain in training with Brendan Walsh. 

"We sponsor the QEII [Cup], so we got to see her win the Grade 1 here [at Keeneland]," Dixiana Farm's William Shively told Bloodhorse. "We've been trying to get grass fillies who really can run, we bought two today. That's the future for Dixiana, some grass mares from Europe, give us what we want.

"I expected $3 [million], but she was special for us.”

View the results from Book 1 of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale

Lush Lips was bred by the Pocock family's Stringston Farm in Somerset and was bought by Avenue Bloodstock, Medallion Racing and Donnacha O'Brien for £82,000 at the 2023 Goffs UK Premier Yearling Sale. She is out of the winning Arcano mare Lamyaa, a half-sister to Golden Peitsche winner Electric Beat.

She had three starts for O’Brien before moving to Walsh's yard. Since moving to America, the filly has never been out of the top two and, alongside her Grade 1 victory, her record also includes a runner-up finish behind Velocity in the Del Mar Oaks and a win in Listed company.  

Shively said the ultimate goal for Lush Lips would be the Breeders' Cup at Keeneland next year. 

Lush Lips landed the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup Stakes at KeenelandCredit: Keeneland Photo

"She's one that travels the ground so light, she doesn't hurt herself," he said. "I think she could have a long career, very smooth with her action. You saw the QEII, she really accelerated at the end, that's what you need in a grass horse. She's all class.

"I think the Breeders' Cup should be up here all the time. Can you put that out? The new philosophy, let's just have it here, right?"

Dixiana also bought French-bred La Mehana for $500,000 and their two purchases for $4.2 million saw them finish leading buyers, and Taylor Made Sales Agency led consignors with sales of $19,377,000 for 31 horses.

On Tuesday, Keeneland sold 122 horses through the ring for $72,737,000, a 17 per cent rise year-on-year. The average finished at $596,205, an increase of 37 per cent, while the median rose 21 per cent to $422,500.

“We felt the energy around the back ring and here in the arena,” Keeneland vice president of sales Tony Lacy said. “The amount of enthusiasm we saw from buyers, both domestic and international, was very, very broad. I think a lot of people are a little frustrated trying to buy horses. Over 50 per cent of the horses that went through that sold today sold for 50 per cent or more above their reserve. That shows the market was strong.

"What was very encouraging is that the domestic breeders were very active. They were very much the main players here today. Most of those big mares that we always saw leave the country are now staying. It's nice when we have the confidence from the domestic breeders to step up and spend this type of money to invest in the future.

Vahva brings $3.1 million

Vahva, a Grade 1-winning daughter of Gun Runner, was knocked down for $3.1 million to Killora Stud's Hannah Jennings and bloodstock agent Brittany Linton, who were bidding on behalf of Jenny and Randy Boyd's Boyd Racing. 

Consigned by Lane's End, the mare finished second in Saturday’s Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Del Mar. 

"She was everything we could have wanted in a broodmare prospect," said Hannah Jennings of Killora Stud. "Jenny and Randy Boyd, they're getting into the game and they want to have a broodmare band at the top level and she fit the bill for sure."

The Boyds made a splash at this year's Fasig-Tipton's The Saratoga Sale with two purchases totaling $2.95 million, one of them the top-priced filly of the sale at $2.6 million. That daughter of Gun Runner was out of the multiple Grade 1-winning mare Paradise Woods. 

Vahva during her $3.1 million sale at Keeneland on TuesdayCredit: PHOTOSBYZ

Vahva's new owners will send the mare to the Jennings' Killora Stud and her future would be up for debate, which could include keeping her in training. 

"That'll be up to him [Randy Boyd]," Jennings said. "We'll leave that option open and if she gets well and is sound, we'll leave that option open, but she's done enough. She's won her Grade 1."

When asked about a possible stallion mating, Jennings said Taylor Made’s red-hot stallion Not This Time was a possibility. 

"I think, physically, she'd suit him really well, being so strong, and we'll see what he says," Jennings said.

A $280,000 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, the Cherie DeVaux-trained Vahva broke her maiden at Churchill Downs at two, and won two Graded races at three, including the 2023 Grade 2 Raven Run Stakes at Keeneland. 

She notched her Grade 1 win at four in the Derby City Distaff Stakes. This season she has shown her consistency in winning the Grade 2 Chicago Stakes and her gallant second in the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint last weekend. 

Hannah Jennings: 'She was everything we could have wanted in a broodmare prospect'Credit: Keeneland Photo

"To campaign a horse for that long at the top of the game at ages two-five, she ran some really fast numbers throughout her whole career," Jennings said. "They did a great job with the filly. I know she's very special to [DeVaux] for being one of her very first really big horses. Hopefully she'll come visit."

DeVaux was on hand to witness her prized filly go through the ring.

"I was a lot more emotional beforehand, but I'm just so proud of her. She was a classy, classy girl in the ring," DeVaux said. "We had won a grade 1 in Canada with She Feels Pretty (2023 Natalma Stakes), and she was our first grade 1 winner in America. She was our first legitimate [Kentucky] Oaks contender. We kept her sprinting, and she's been one of the high-level sprinters since we made that decision. 

"She showed up every year, she won a [Graded] stakes every year. When you're trying to get your career going, you want to be well-rounded, show that you can train on turf, train on dirt, and she helped to do that.

DeVaux continued: "Super proud of everyone that has been a part of this. Everyone from Barry Eisaman who broke her, to every single exercise rider, jockey that rode her, her groom, and all of our assistants. She's been such a joy to work with. She's one that you love to train. She goes out there, she tries every time. She's very intense at her job. It's going to leave a big hole for us."

Kilwin to stay in training

Rick Howard dug deep to secure Kilwin for $3 million and the Grade 1-winning daughter of Twirling Candy is set to return to Rusty Arnold’s stable for the 2026 season. She will be campaigned by Howard in partnership with her current owners, BBN Racing. 

The Royal Oak Farm-consigned three-year-old’s four wins are headed by a triumph in the Grade 1 Test Stakes. 

"We're going to run her next year as a four-year-old and then she's going back to Rusty," Howard said.

When asked what attracted him to the filly, Howard said: "Oh, I mean the Test [Stakes]. What more can you say? Twirling Candy, that performance was one I hadn't seen before. I have a Twirling Candy filly called Mackinac that I bred that is in the barn [Rusty Arnold] that they [BBN Racing]  bought. So, it's kind of just all in the family."

Test Stakes winner Kilwin will remain in training in 2026Credit: Keeneland Photo

BBN Racing picked Kilwin up as a yearling at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale for $225,000 from the Pope McLean consignment. She is out of the Blame mare Spanish Star, and is a half-sister to Grade 2 winner One Timer. 

Braxton Lynch, founding partner and manager for BBN Racing, said the plan to team up with Howard had just recently come fruition. 

"It all sort of happened today," Lynch said. "He expressed interest, and it kind of made sense for us to work something out with him. And, if she sold beyond that, she sold beyond that. But, that was kind of the plan, we just came up with it today. Our partners are thrilled to be able to continue to race her, and Rusty will be thrilled to get her back.

"Hopefully it'll be the Breeders' Cup at Keeneland [next year]."

Ides Of March half-brother tops the foal charts

Driven by his ambition to win the Kentucky Derby, Amr Zedan splashed $2.2 million on a colt by leading sire Gun Runner, making him the most expensive foal sold on Tuesday. 

The youngster is out of the Scat Daddy mare Nickname, winner of the 2015 Grade 1 Frizette Stakes. She is the dam of four foals of racing age, two of them winners, including the Aidan O’Brien-trained Ides of March, a Group 3-winning son of Wootton Bassett.  

Bloodstock agent Donato Lanni signed the ticket for the weanling, who was consigned by Denali Stud on behalf of co-breeders Three Chimneys Farm and Brookdale Racing. 

Hip 146: a colt by Gun Runner was the most expensive foal sold on Tuesday Credit: Keeneland Photo

The price made the youngster the fourth most expensive weanling to ever sell at the Keeneland November sale and the most expensive weanling colt sold in North America since 2015. 

"Amr, he wants to win the [Kentucky] Derby," Lanni said. "This is that type of horse, by Gun Runner. He looks like he'll go and run all day. I think it is the kind of horse that in September would probably have brought double. It's a lot of money, don't get me wrong, but he's a special-looking horse. You just don't see these kinds of horses in November.

"I'm happy that we saw him and happy they were offered to sell. And I thought we needed to buy him and take him and race him."

The colt will go to trainer Bob Baffert.

The Keeneland Breeding Stock Sale continues on Wednesday. 

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