ELiTE Sales continued its streak of leading each session/day sold in by Average, this time doing so at the Keeneland January Sale. Not only did ELiTE lead in Average for each session/day sold in, ELiTE sold the highest priced lot in the entire Book 2. See the stories below.
Shadai Scoops Up ‘Elite’ Mares
By Christie DeBernardis, TDN – Jan. 9, 2018
Representatives of Teruya Yoshida’s Shadai Farm were busy during Monday’s opening session of Keeneland January, securing two broodmare prospects from the Elite Sales consignment: $350,000 purchase Majestic Quality (Quality Road) and $300,000 investment Lady Foghorn (Zavata). Shadai representative Dr. Yuki Shimomura said that it is currently undecided which stallions the mares would go to.
“The Shadai team is as thorough in their homework as anybody,” Elite’s Bradley Weisbord said. “They inspect the mares for a long time and come back multiple times. It is exciting to know these mares are going to a world-class operation that constantly finds and buys the best bloodstock. We appreciate their support.”
The 6-year-old Lady Foghorn (hip 102), a daughter of SP Titia (Northern Spur {Ire}), was their first purchase of the day. Campaigned throughout her career by owner/breeder Stuart Grant’s The Elkstone Group and trainer Anthony Granitz, the Indiana-bred retired last summer with a record of 26-14-4-4 and earnings of $824,273.
The bay’s career highlights include a win in the 2016 GII Falls City H. at Churchill and six listed stakes wins in Indiana. She also placed in two other graded events and closed her career on a winning note in an allowance at Indiana Grand July 4.
“The Elkstone Group brought her here to sell,” Weisbord said. “I think that is very important to establish, especially for a young sales company like ourselves, to have like-minded owners that want to sell their horses. She came with a realistic reserve and was a gorgeous physical. [Grant’s] farm manager did a tremendous job prepping her. She has a great coat on her and came in great shape. She was a runner on both turf and dirt. It was a little bit on the higher end of what we thought she’d bring considering the stallion and her age.”
The 4-year-old Majestic Quality (hip 127) proved quite popular in the ring Monday, but Shadai fended off all comers to take the mare back to Japan. Raced by trainer Keith Desormeaux, Big Chief Racing and Rocker O Ranch, the $40,000 KEESEP yearling buy repaid that initial investment with $154,605 in earnings on the racetrack from a record of 12-1-2-4.
Runner-up in last term’s GII Rachel Alexandra S. as a maiden, the bay earned her diploma at Santa Anita in May and followed that with a pair of third-place finishes in the GII Summertime Oaks June 17 and GIII Indiana Oaks July 15. A half-sister to GSP Diski Dance (Songandaprayer), Majestic Quality is out of She Nuit All (Lost Soldier), who is a half-sister to MGISW Octave (Unbridled’s Song) and MGSW Belle Cherie (Belong to Me).
“This was for a really loyal, good client, Matt, Brian, Don’t Tell My Wife Racing and Keith Desormeaux,” Weisbord said. “I got to know those guys through Exaggerator. Keith buys as many good horses as anybody for under $100,000. He got her to be Grade II-placed. She had a little hiccup over the summer, but they got rewarded. The market is very, very strong. The mare was well positioned and got a chance to shine.”
Runway Doll in the Spotlight
By Jessica Martini, TDN – Jan. 11, 2018
Springhouse Farm purchased the day’s highest-priced offering when going to $145,000 to secure the broodmare prospect Runway Doll (Majestic Warrior) (hip 977) from the Elite consignment.
Asked about the market, Elite’s Brad Weisbord said, “It’s strong. There is a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of smiles around here. Buyers are smiling and sellers are smiling. And whenever that happens, you’re in a very good market.”
Runway Doll (Majestic Warrior), tabbed a ‘TDN Rising Star’ after romping to a 13 1/2-length debut win at Saratoga in 2016, brought $145,000 while selling as a racing/broodmare prospect to Gabriel Duignan’s Springhouse Farm. The 4-year-old was consigned by Elite Sales on behalf of Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt and Bobby Flay.
“I bought into her privately for Bobby Flay after she broke her maiden and was a ‘TDN Rising Star’ at Saratoga,” Elite’s Brad Weisbord said. “I paid multiple of what she brought today, but she got hurt, chipped her knee, in the Spinaway and unfortunately never got to show her talent. So she was on our plate to get out.”
Runway Doll, a half-sister to stakes winner Song Warrior (Songandaprayer) and from the family of Grade I-placed Conquest Panthera, was sixth in the 2016 GI Spinaway S. and then was sidelined until a sixth-place effort in a Keeneland allowance last April.
“She was as popular as any horse that we’ve ever sold in terms of the action in the back ring and people coming to see her,” Weisbord said. “I think the story from the ‘Rising Star’ aspect and never having gotten the chance to show her talent helped carry her value today and her final price.”
Runway Doll worked four furlongs at Fair Grounds Dec. 31 in :51.00 for trainer Steve Asmussen.
“Steve Asmussen deserves a tremendous amount of credit– she came in during a hail storm earlier in the week from the Fair Grounds,” Weisbord said. “He and his team did all the prep work. So his operation sent her in looking like $145,000.”
Runway Doll will be retired and be bred this spring, Duignan confirmed.
