Larry Best’s OXO Equine paid $775,000 for a weanling filly by Curlin. The filly’s price is the highest paid for a weanling sold this year at public auction in North America. (Photo credit: Keeneland).
Larry Best’s OXO Equine paid $775,000 for a weanling filly by Curlin, a half-sister to Grade 3 winner The Tabulator consigned by Indian Creek, agent, to lead another active day of trade on Friday at Keeneland’s November Breeding Stock Sale. The filly’s price is the highest paid for a weanling sold this year at public auction in North America.
Today at Keeneland, 232 horses grossed $31,527,500, for an average of $135,894 and a median of $105,000.
Cumulatively, 634 horses have sold for $139,307,000, for an average of $219,727 and a median of $150,000.
“The quality today reflected the same quality we had yesterday,” Keeneland Director of Sales Operations Geoffrey Russell said. “We had a good cross section of international and domestic buyers. The weanling market was very strong today, again spread between both end users and pinhookers. It was a good day, and we finished Book 2 very well.”
Frank Taylor of Taylor Made was on the phone with Best while the session-topping Curlin filly was in the sales ring.
“He already looked at her and had me bid,” Taylor said. “She’s a nice filly. He loved her and she had a great walk, everything we wanted. I was hoping (the price would be) a little less, but you never get those good ones like that.”
“This is big for Indian Creek and the team at home (to have a session topper),” Indian Creek President Shack Parrish said. “They are the ones that do all the work. I didn’t do anything but drive up here and get out of the car and carry a book around.”
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Parrish was complimentary of the filly, whose dam is Fly to the Stars, by Giant’s Causeway.
“She has been straightforward, and here she has been an angel,” he said. “She showed in the rain yesterday, and it didn’t affect her. (The price) was a little more than we expected, but that was great. It was huge for our team.”
OXO Leading Buyer on Friday
OXO Equine was Friday’s leading buyer at Keeneland, spending $1,035,000 for two horses. OXO also acquired a weanling colt by Practical Joke out of stakes-placed Bailzee, by Grand Slam, for $260,000.
Two graded stakes-producing mares consigned by Warrendale Sales, agent for Live Oak Stud, were the highest-priced broodmares of the session. Arthur Hoyeau, agent, paid $585,000 for Slewfoundmoney, dam of multiple graded stakes winner and millionaire Awesome Slew, in foal to Into Mischief, and China Horse Club spent $550,000 on Daveron (GER), dam of 2019 graded stakes winners March to the Arch and Global Access, in foal to Uncle Mo.
“Live Oak breeds well. They have very nice broodmares that sell well, and we’re very pleased to offer them here,” Russell said. “I think the market respected them greatly.”
“They are both collectors’ items,” Warrendale owner Kitty Taylor said. “It is important for people to have the opportunity to get into these kind of families because (Live Oak owner Charlotte Weber) typically keeps and races everything. When she has young fillies out of the mares, she is willing to part with them.
“They were well sold, but we targeted that range,” she added. “We wanted to be in Book 2 because both are a little bit older and we wanted them to stand out. And they did.”
Slewfoundmoney is a 15-year-old daughter of Seeking the Gold who also has produced stakes winner He’s Bankable, graded stakes-placed Souper Lucky and stakes-placed Souper Jackpot. She is out of the Grade 2-winning Seattle Slew mare Borodislew.
“She will stay in Kentucky, and she was bought for a new American client,” Hoyeau said about the mare. “She’s already in foal to a very hot sire (Into Mischief), and she’s been a very good producer; she ticks all the boxes. It’s a mix of what she produced and who she’s in foal to (that was attractive).”
Daveron to Remain in U.S.
Daveron is a 14-year-old Grade 2-winning daughter of Black Sam Bellamy out of the Acatenango mare Darwinia. This year, March to the Arch won the Wise Dan (G2) at Churchill Downs, and Global Access captured the Marine (G3) and Ontario Derby (G3) at Woodbine and Saranac (G3) at Saratoga.
China Horse Club’s Michael Wallace said Daveron would remain in the U.S.
“She’ll probably finish (our) buying this year,” Wallace said, referring to China Horse Club’s November Sale broodmare acquisitions of $3,715,000 for seven mares. “We’ll sit down and work out these last few matings for these American mares and tidy it all up. (Daveron is) off to a great start. She’s run herself, and she’s done the job already (as a graded stakes producer). She has a great cover so not much to not like.”
