$825,000 Cancel This Tops Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale Day 2

Media Release - Friday November 10

Cancel This, a 4-year-old winning daughter of Malibu Moon from the family of Grade 1 winner and sire Girvin and 2023 Grade 1 winner Brightwork, sold to Larkin Armstrong, agent for Helen Alexander, for $825,000 to highlight the second session of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale.

Cancel This was the highest priced horse on day 2 of the sale.

On Thursday, 213 horses sold through the ring for $34,428,000, which dipped slightly from the corresponding session in 2022 when 197 horses grossed $35,073,000. The average of $161,634 declined 9.21% from $178,036, while the median of $120,000 was 14.29% below $140,000.

Through the first two sessions of the November Sale, Keeneland has sold 333 horses through the ring for $88,768,000, for an average of $266,571 and a median of $180,000. The gross declined 13.02% from the same period last year, when an equal number of horses brought $102,053,000. The average declined 13.02% from last year’s $306,465, and the median was 5.26% below $190,000.

“It’s been a realistic and selective market today,” Keeneland Vice President of Sales Tony Lacy said. “People were a little selective and specific about what they wanted to invest in. The foal market was very active. Five of today’s top prices were paid for weanlings. Mares that were young and well covered were very popular. Mares that were older and maybe a little more exposed were a bit of a tougher sell. So there was a bit of softening, but that was to be expected in certain areas.”

“The market’s been really strong and kind of on a bull run for some years,” Keeneland Director of Sales Operations Cormac Breathnach said. “We had a great September Sale and yearling market this year, and that’s reflected in strong foal sales. What we’re seeing – we haven’t had a lot of time to digest it – but possibly some more realism in mare evaluations. But we still feel that we have a lot more to come. We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback about what’s in tomorrow’s session. It’s the way the world is; it’s still a good sale.”

Cancel This, who is out of stakes winner Catch My Fancy, by Yes It’s True, was consigned by Four Star Sales, agent, and cataloged as a racing or broodmare prospect.

Armstrong said Alexander wanted to purchase young mares for her breeding program.

“It was one of the pages we loved the most in the whole sale,” Armstrong said about Cancel This. “We have been waiting for her. We loved her, and we thought it was amazing that two of her full sisters (Catch the Moon, dam of Girvin and Grade 1-placed Midnight Bourbon, and Clarendon Fancy, dam of Brightwork) are Grade 1 producers. We were impressed with her all around. We stretched to get her, but we’re really excited to get her.”

Three of the five highest-priced horses were broodmares carrying members of the first crop of 2022 Horse of the Year Flightline.

The first was stakes winner Exotic West, a 5-year-old daughter of Hard Spun who sold to Gage Hill and Runnels Racing for $650,000. Grovendale Sales, agent, consigned the mare, who is out of Miss Personality, by Broken Vow, and from the family of Grade/Group 1 winner Ron the Greek and Grade 2 winner Musket Man.

Gage Hill’s Terry Finley, whose West Point Thoroughbreds co-owned Flightline, was thrilled to acquire a mare in foal to the stallion.

“Our outlook is that we can’t get enough of him,” Finley said. “We’re really happy with the first book of mares that he had, and the second (book) is shaping up really, really well already. If you can’t get excited about owning a piece of Flightline and having the shot to have his babies and the expectation for a couple years from now when they hit the track, then you probably don’t need to be in the game.”

Spending $1,525,000 on three horses, Gage Hill and Runnels Racing led buyers during the session.

Advertisement

Thirty Year Farm paid $625,000 for Grade 3 winner Lady Scarlet, a 4-year-old daughter of Union Rags also in foal to Flightline. Consigned by Lane’s End, agent, she is out of the winning Include mare Exclude (GB) and from the family of Canadian Horse of the Year L’Enjoleur, Canadian champions La Voyageuse and Medaille d’Or and Grade/Group 2 winners Exhi and Alignment.

“We loved her. She was our first pick,” Kristen Esler of Thirty Year said. “She was in my heart from the moment I saw her. She’s beautiful, and she’s everything we looked for in conformation. She was an A+. She carried herself really well. I like to look them in the eye and spend some time. She is one that we wanted to bring to our farm.”

Lane’s End was the session’s leading consignor with sales of $5,127,000 for 26 horses.

Lane’s End also sold another broodmare in foal to Flightline. She was stakes winner and Grade 1 runner-up Esplanade, a 5-year-old daughter of Daredevil who brought $650,000 from Rifa Mustang Europe. Out of the Dixie Union mare Southern Silence, Esplanade is a half-sister to stakes winner Liberate.

Empire Gal, a 4-year-old winning daughter of Empire Maker carrying a member of the first crop of Life Is Good, sold to Becky Thomas, agent for Chester and Mary Broman, for $535,000. Frankfort Park Farm, agent, consigned the mare, who is out of Double Tapped, by Tapit, and from the family of champion Untapable and Grade 1 winner Paddy O’Prado.

At $525,000, the session’s top-priced weanling was a son of Constitution sold to Cherry Knoll Farm. Out of the winning Munnings mare Gone to Town, the colt is from the family of English champion Negligent (IRE), Grade 2 winner Selflessly and Grade 3 winner River Seven. He was consigned by Nursery Place, agent.

“We try to bring a handful of weanlings every year to Keeneland – a very select few,” said Griffin Mayer of Nursery Place. “They have to be really, really nice with pedigrees and by the right sires. He checked all the boxes and honestly, he’s probably one of the better colts that we’ve raised in the last 10 years. He’s very special. He’s a homebred for my dad (John) and one of his partners, John Dicken of Dicken Equine. 

“We sell 25 yearlings or so every year at Keeneland,” he added, “but there are always three or four that are so nice as babies and you think, ‘Why do we hold onto them?’ We’ve had a lot of success here at Keeneland November selling babies because it’s a great market.” 

Purchases by Randy Hartley and Dean De Renzo’s AAA Thoroughbreds were led by a colt by Uncle Mo for $510,000. Consigned by Stone Farm, agent, he is the first foal out of the Curlin mare American Caviar and from the family of Broodmare of the Year Better Than Honour.

“If you find a good baby now, you’ve got to step up and pay,” Hartley said. “It’s up to us to come buy the babies and to get the best ones. We’re super big Uncle Mo fans. (He is out of) a Curlin mare – just the whole family thing we were just shooting for. I got a big order of babies to buy. So it’s hard because I’ve got to stretch a little bit in order to get them.”

Keenelenad Release

Advertisment
More Reading...
Breeding To Win - 2025 G1 Queensland Oaks
Unbeaten this preparation, Philia will be looking to emulate her half-sister Duais in winning the $1million Group I BRC Queensland Oaks (2200m) on Saturday, but a swarm of up and comers are nipping at her heels, so who are they?
A Passion That Lasts a Lifetime
A passion for pedigrees and thoroughbreds is often one that lasts a lifetime and so it has been for one of the co-breeders of Bravery, who contacted me this week following our earlier and very well read story on current 2YO star Cool Archie.
New Winner for Bivouac
Godolphin have been  enjoying a winning run with their late season juveniles and it continued at Geelong on Thursday where Bivouac gelding Loving opened his account.
$1500 Weanling Becomes $525,000 Top Lot at MM National Yearling Finale
A colt by Harry Angel set a new benchmark in Australia for his sire and topped the final day of the Magic Millions National Yearling Sale when selling for $525,000 to conclude a hugely successful two weeks of sales.
North Pacific 2YO Ready to Win
Byerley Park trainer Steven Cole will head to Ellerslie with a quartet of runners on Saturday, and he is particularly upbeat about the chances of Pacific Breeze in the Network Visuals 1200.
SWs in foal to Wootton Bassett and Snitzel headline the June (Early) Online Sale
Stakes winners in foal to Wootton Bassett and Snitzel, along with a significant number of young, well-bred racing and breeding prospects headline another intriguing catalogue for the Inglis Digital June (Early) Online Sale.
$850,000 Extreme Choice Colt Equals MM National Yearling Record
A stunning colt by Extreme Choice equalled the all time record price at the Magic Millions National Yearling Sale on the Gold Coast today when he sold for $850,000.
Sires With Winners - Thursday June 5
Here is the full list of 36 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
Sires With Winners - Friday June 6
Here is the full list of 31 stallions which had winners throughout Australasia today with winners and result details.
In-Demand Stallions Feature in NZB Weanling Sale Catalogue
The catalogue for the 2025 NZB National Weanling Sale features the progeny of a broad range of sires, from proven topliners to exciting up-and-comers as well as the brand-new kid on the block, Profondo.