Midnight Bisou Heads Group of Sales-Bound BC Runners

Capitalizing on exposure from the Nov. 1-2 Breeders' Cup World Championships at Santa Anita Park, nearly 20 horses will wheel out of those prestigious races into auctions that begin next week at Fasig-Tipton and Keeneland in Lexington, led by Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) favorite and probable older mare champion Midnight Bisou.

Six of the 11 fillies and mares racing in the Distaff are sales-bound. Besides Midnight Bisou, widely considered a Horse of the Year candidate, others exiting the Distaff into an auction are Ollie's Candy, Wow Cat, Secret Spice, La Force, and Blue Prize.

The lineup of Breeders' Cup horses heading to November sales only begins there. Others race in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1), the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1T), and even in the 2-year-old Breeders' Cup races on "Future Stars Friday."

These horses will not be lingering after their races in California too long before embarking for Kentucky. Many will fly out of California early Sunday morning in preparation for either The November Sale Nov. 5 at Fasig-Tipton or the Nov. 6-17 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale.

This year, both horses and humans have a bit more time to catch their breath between racing and the sales. Fasig-Tipton and Keeneland announced in September they would push their sales back a day to accommodate travel logistics.

"The additional time between the Breeders' Cup and the sales, the November sales, is something we've been advocating for many years," said Fasig-Tipton president and CEO Boyd Browning Jr. "I think it's a positive change in the calendar for both buyers and sellers, as well as the entire industry. It allows industry participants to basically enjoy our championship day and not be torn or conflicted whether they are going to go to the Breeders' Cup or whether they are going to do their shopping and do their due diligence."

The move to adjust the sales was made with buyers and sellers in mind more than the horses, officials from both sales companies said, though the extra time does allow more rest for horses after Breeders' Cup races and their Sunday cross-country air travel.

"We'll show Monday morning," said ELiTE Sales' Bradley Weisbord, consignor of Midnight Bisou and other Breeders' Cup runners. "A lot of them will be tired off their races, and we'll clean them up. Obviously, they will come in looking so fresh off their trainers. So there is very little prep needed. You put a halter on them, grab a shank, and show them."

Fasig-Tipton's one-day sale, known as the "Night of the Stars," landed an abundance of Breeders' Cup runners, all offered in relatively quick succession. Though most of these are older mares, two are 2-year-olds—Comical and K P Dreamin—both entered in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1).

Being young, with racing still ahead of them, they offer appeal to racing-geared buyers in addition to those looking for bloodstock. The same applies to 4-year-old Midnight Bisou, whom Weisbord believes could be raced by her new owner against males in a rich race such as the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1), Saudi Cup, or Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline (G1).

He compares her form and championship-caliber season to attributes seen in Royal Delta, who sold for $8.5 million to Besilu Stables at Keeneland during its 2011 November sale.

Because a strong Breeders' Cup effort adds sales value, sellers and consignors have an interest in seeing these runners perform well this weekend. This also applies to when they are consigning the dam or a relative of a Breeders' Cup runner, which is the case for Taylor Made Sales Agency. Among its offerings is Diva Delite, the dam of Midnight Bisou.

"To me, there are going to be a lot of people that are wanting to buy Midnight Bisou that won't get her, and this is a hell of an opportunity to buy the next best thing," said Mark Taylor, vice president of sales at Taylor Made.

Following Tuesday's auction at Fasig-Tipton, the focus shifts to Keeneland beginning Wednesday. Again, Breeders' Cup runners will be in demand.

Ollie's Candy sells on Keeneland's first day, as do Spiced Perfection and Danuska's My Girl—both Filly & Mare Sprint entrants. Two days later, there is another high-class Breeders' Cup horse: Abscond, a Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T) runner who won the Natalma Stakes (G1T) at Woodbine in September.

Next year, Keeneland has both Breeders' Cup and sales duties, serving as the host site for the rotating event and then quickly shifting gears to its November Breeding Stock Sale.

With horses and prominent buyers and sellers already in Lexington in 2020, delaying the sale won't be necessary.

"Next year at Keeneland, we'll sell horses on Monday night," said Bob Elliston, Keeneland's vice president of racing and sales. "When you're in town and you don't have the logistics of shipping three time zones back east, we can do it more tightly bunched, if you will."