Kentucky Derby (G1) fever is alive and properly in Japan following the slender defeat of world traveler Perpetually Younger this spring.
Japanese coach Mitsu Nakauchida was readily available Sept. 9 on the Keeneland September Yearling Sale searching for a possible Derby horse, and he discovered it in a son of Into Mischief consigned by Lane’s Finish as Hip 167. After the hammer dropped at $1.25 million, Nakauchida was all smiles.
“Sure, I’d hope so,” Nakauchida mentioned about whether or not he’ll return with the colt for the 2026 Derby. “He is a really pretty horse. Properly fitted and a robust, muscular kind. I am very comfortable to get him.”
Nakauchida advised Lane’s Finish’s director of gross sales Allaire Ryan that the bay colt bred by Alpha Delta Stables was his favourite within the sale.
“He is all the time been one of the vital ahead on the farm,” Ryan mentioned. “Coming into the sale, we had confidence that he was going to attraction to individuals on the prime stage, and that is what he did.”
The Japan-bound colt is the primary foal out of 2019 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2) winner Level of Honor (Curlin ). A 3-time winner in 13 begins, she positioned in 4 grade 1s whereas incomes $738,890.
“(Level of Honor) was a really gifted, classic-distance kind of mare,” Ryan mentioned. “The kind of pedigree that, if he can do properly, he is obtained it in-built to be a stallion.”
Nakauchida echoed that sentiment, already dreaming past the colt’s racing profession.
“He has an excellent pedigree, so I hope he will likely be a stallion sooner or later,” he mentioned. “I hope that he’ll swimsuit the Japanese racing type.”
SF, Starlight, Madaket, Stonestreet Workforce Up on $1.15 Million Nyquist Colt
The “previous characters,” as Tom Ryan of SF Racing put it, had been again collectively once more on a $1.15 million Nyquist colt, Hip 82, consigned by breeder Sweet Meadows Gross sales.
The characters Ryan was referring to on the ticket signed by agent Donato Lanni are Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, and Stonestreet Farms, who’ve partnered collectively for a lot of prime horses, together with three-time grade 1 and Preakness Stakes (G1) winner Nationwide Treasure . The colt will likely be despatched to Corridor of Fame coach Bob Baffert.
“He’s a horse that there was a consensus about,” Ryan mentioned. “We’ve little doubt that he’ll see out a mile, and hopefully he’ll get a bit of additional.”
“He was lovely from the day he was born till immediately,” mentioned Sweet Meadows’ Matt Lyons. “You by no means can predict a million-dollar horse, however we knew he had an opportunity.”
The bay colt is out of the profitable mare Deadlock (High quality Street ). Deadlock’s dam, Tempus Fugit, produced 2014 Molly Pitcher (G2) winner Majestic River .
The Nyquist colt consigned as hip 82 sells for $1.15 million on the Keeneland September Yearling Sale
The costly sale got here on the heels of an enormous pair of weekends for the 2016 Kentucky Derby winner. Nyquist sired grade 1 winners on every coast, Immersive within the Aug. 31 Spinaway Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course and Tenma within the Del Mar Debutante (G1) Sept. 7.
“We like Nyquist,” Ryan mentioned. “He would not take any introduction anymore. He is clearly a top-flight stallion. Superb instance of what son of Uncle Mo can do.”
Gun Runner Filly Stays in Seltzer Household
Hip 117 will likely be stored within the Seltzer household after Krista Seltzer, daughter of Ed and Beverly Seltzer, purchased again the Gun Runner filly for an excellent $1 million.
Ed joined the Thoroughbred business virtually 65 years in the past however now, at age 90, was within the strategy of dispersing his bloodstock.
Out of the a number of stakes-winning mare Lucrezia (Into Mischief), the bay filly hails from a household that has been with the Seltzers since they bought the Daring Ruler mare Overpowering seven generations again.
“There may be lots of sentiment there. She’s a stunning filly,” mentioned Krista Seltzer. “(My dad) loves the household and I really like them.”
Seltzer was anticipating to pay a good-looking payment for retaining her household member, however mentioned she was not anticipating the value to go that top.
“We love all the pieces and it is actually arduous to half with them. For me, for this one—for the companions whoever they’ll be with us—I would like my dad to have the ability to benefit from the racing as if it was him.”
Broman Trying For Derby Horse
Becky Thomas, agent for Chester and Mary Broman, went to $1.15 million for Hip 73, a Gun Runner colt consigned by Brookdale, agent.
Bred in Kentucky by Larkin Armstrong, the chestnut is out of the grade 1-winning Scat Daddy mare Harmonize and is a half to grade 2 winner Integration .
“We actually cherished his stroll. Mr. Broman desires to go to the Derby, and we thought he seemed like the kind,” Thomas mentioned. “I am not one to bid that top, however Mr. Broman advised me if I come to this sale, we do not have a (most) funds.”
AMO Goes to $1.35 million for American Pharoah Filly
Kia Joorabchian of AMO Racing fell in love with Hip 97, an American Pharoah filly, and went to $1.35 million to land her.
“We cherished her and we went again to see her a few instances,” mentioned the Iranian-born, British-educated Joorabchian. “She has an awesome pedigree. To be trustworthy, that’s what we’re searching for. We’re searching for fillies with nice pedigrees and she or he was a standout for us, so we weren’t going to cease.
“We’re going to take our time now. She is going to go now to take a break and we are going to give her a bit of little bit of time without work and we are going to see. However she is going to race right here. It’s going to positively be an American coach.”
Kia Joorabchian of Amo Racing at Keeneland
Bred in Kentucky by Gabriel Duignan’s Springhouse Farm and consigned by Paramount Gross sales, of which Duignan is a founding associate, Hip 97 is a full sister to a number of grade 2 winner Forbidden Kingdom .
“She is an attractive filly, and she or he was extraordinarily widespread all week,” Duignan mentioned. “As you’ll be able to see, it is an awesome household. Her brother was an distinctive horse. We’re very pleased with the value and really pleased with who purchased her. She’s going to get each likelihood, and she or he deserves it.”
Repole, Spendthrift group up for Gun Runner Colt
Repole Steady and Spendthrift Farm teamed as much as go to $1.1 million for Hip 121, a Gun Runner colt out of grade 2 winner Magical Feeling (Empire Maker). The bay colt is a half to grade 2 winner Creativeness (Into Mischief), grade 3 winner Occult (Into Mischief), and stakes winners Exulting (Tapit ) and Magical (Tapit).
Hip 121 was consigned by Bridie Harrison, agent for breeder Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds.
“This Gun Runner colt was cherished by each groups,” mentioned Bloodstock agent Jacob West, talking for the partnership. “He comes from Bridie Harrison, who raises an unbelievable horse, and Peter Blum, who breeds unbelievable horses. You combine all that into the pot, and it equals $1.1 million.”
The group at Keeneland included Todd Pletcher, who will practice Hip 121, West mentioned.
The Repole/Spendthrift partnership began about two years in the past, West mentioned, and so they have a variety of 2-year-olds within the pipeline. One of many partnership’s first to hit the observe was Tenacious Chief, a Not This Time colt who broke his maiden at Saratoga and completed second within the With Anticipation Stakes (G3).
