Sierra Farm Celebrates First Breeders' Cup Starter

Opening week of the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale proved to be an extraordinary, and yet bittersweet, turning point for the Hudon family's Kentucky breeding operation.

The owners of Sierra Farm near Lexington offered four homebreds during the first week of the sale, including an American Pharoah  colt out of multiple graded stakes winner Bsharpsonata and a Speightstown  colt out of the unraced Medaglia d'Oro  mare Golden Flair.

A handsome, athletic colt now named Kittansett, the Bsharpsonata offspring exceeded all expectations when he sold for $1.4 million to Larry Best's OXO Equine during the third session. The colt became the farm's first seven-figure auction yearling since the late Ed Hudon and his wife, Sharon, bought Sierra Farm in 2002. Sadly, Ed Hudon died at the age of 80 at the farm in the early morning hours the day after Kittansett was sold.

The day after the home run sale, the Hudon family and farm employees struggled with the loss of the man they loved dearly, accepting condolences while showing their lone offering of the session, the Speightstown—Golden Flair colt.

"That was a really, really tough day for everyone at Sierra Farm," recalled farm manager Mike Callanan. "It helped that the people who bought the Speightstown colt were very excited and came by the barn to take a lot of pictures. When I talked with the buyer, he said, 'We'll go for the Breeders' Cup.'"

Japanese trainer Hideyuki Mori bought the colt, and Callanan thought maybe he had misunderstood when he thought he'd heard Mori say "Breeders' Cup." Even though Mori paid a handsome $250,000 for the colt, whose dam is a half sister to European champion sprinter Stravinsky and grade 1-placed stakes winner Moscow Ballet, such a goal was certainly ambitious.

When the 2019 Breeders' Cup entries came out, though, Mori's colt, named Full Flat, was listed as part of the field for the TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) and became Sierra Farm's first Breeders' Cup contender.

"We're so happy he's turned out to be a decent horse," Callanan said. "He looks like he is handling everything well and is just as chill as any horse I've ever seen. Now we keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best."

Full Flat has raced exclusively in Japan for owner Tsuyoshi Ono. He broke his maiden in his second start Aug. 11 on firm turf going six furlongs, winning by 2 1/2 lengths at Kokura. He next finished in midpack Oct. 12 in the Momiji Stakes at Kyoto on a soft course. With two unplaced finishes on soft going (his debut was on a yielding course) and a strong finish on firm ground, plus being by a sire that won the 2004 Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1), a trip to Southern California for the Breeders' Cup seemed worth taking.

The Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) had been the first preference for Full Flat, but that race was oversubscribed with 21 pre-entries, so he wound up in the Juvenile on dirt.

Ono and Mori also have entered the 5-year-old Speightstown son Matera Sky in this year's Sprint. The horse was unplaced in his previous two starts but finished second March 30 at Meydan in the Dubai Golden Shaheeen Sponsored by Gulf News (G1) to X Y Jet, defeating multiple grade 1 winner Imperial Hint along the way. The legendary Yutaka Take will ride both Full Flat and Matera Sky.

Full Flat is the third foal out of Golden Flair, whom the Hudons bought privately as a yearling after she failed to meet her reserve on a final bid of $220,000 at the 2011 September sale. Callanan said they paid $250,000 for the filly because, as the last foal out of multiple black-type producer Fire the Groom, she had more value as a broodmare prospect than a racing prospect.

"You don't get to see Fire the Groom's daughters very much (at the sales) and she was the last, so it made sense," he said. 

Callanan said they bred Golden Flair to Speightstown because of the success they had been seeing from multiple grade 1 winner Rock Fall and grade 3 winner Strike Power, who are both Speightstown sons out of Medaglia d'Oro mares.

"We were lucky enough that we got a very nice foal out of her, a very straightforward foal," he said. "You always say about the really good ones, you hardly know they are in the barn because they do everything right."

Golden Flair has a yearling Ghostzapper  colt that was bought back at this year's September sale and a weanling Distorted Humor  colt. The mare was not bred back this year, but Callanan expects she'll be bred to Speightstown in 2020.

"We don't have to think about that too much," Callanan said.

The mystique surrounding the 2018 Keeneland September sale may yet produce more milestones for Sierra Farm. When Breeders' Cup pre-entries were announced, Sierra Farm initially was represented as the breeder of two World Championship starters. Kretz Racing's American Theorem, a ridgling 2-year-old by American Pharoah, had been entered in the Juvenile. By Oct. 26, however, Kretz chose to pass on the Breeders' Cup and give the ridgling time to get ready for his 3-year-old campaign.

American Theorem, out of multiple stakes producer Mighty Renee, was bought back on a final bid of $190,000 on Day 1 of the September sale. He was later sold privately to bloodstock agent Gayle Van Leer for his reserve price of $200,000, according to Callanan.

Of the four horses Sierra Farm sold at the 2018 September sale, American Theorem was the first to earn black type with a runner-up effort in the American Pharoah Stakes (G1).

"It is funny the way it works out," Callanan said. "We had two 'Pharoahs' in the sale last year. They had been turned out in the paddock together and were buddies all the way along. There really wasn't much difference between them, except the Bsharpsonata colt was a bit more athletic and just a fantastic walker.

"We really believed in both horses, and it is nice to see what (Gayle) saw in the horse come to fruition. (American Theorem) could do anything next year," he said.

American Theorem's winning half sister Pauline Revere (Distorted Humor ) will be offered by Sierra Farm at The November Sale, Fasig-Tipton's breeding stock sale, as Hip 109. She is in foal to current leading North American sire Into Mischief .