Southern Phantom Draws Crowd at Keeneland November

While a steep drop in temperature and dusting of snow drove many buyers at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale indoors Nov. 12, the appearance of one horse outside Select Sales Barn 1 was all it took to draw an audience. 

Graced with one of the most unique faces ever seen on a Thoroughbred, Southern Phantom posed patiently with his groom Tuesday morning as buyers, fans, and curious onlookers stripped off their gloves and whipped out their phones to capture one of the most viral equine social media stars in recent memory.

"I'm sure there will be someone who will take a shot on this guy, because he's well-known on social media," said Carrie Brogden of Select Sales. "He is kind of a star." 

Southern Phantom's stark white head inspired an online frenzy after his birth, prompting his breeder, Mike Moreno of Southern Equine, to partner with BloodHorse in a naming contest. Originally scheduled to run for a week, the contest was flooded with so many proposed entries that it had to be closed only days after it began. Louisiana native Mary Beth Woods was awarded the winning submission, drawing inspiration from Gaston Leroux's classic, The Phantom of the Opera.

In the ensuing years, images of the son of Bodemeister  graced the pages of websites, blogs, and magazines across the country. Southern Phantom's heterochromia made him a striking subject for portraitures, his blue eye gleaming like ice in profile. As his racing debut approached, the reach of Southern Phantom's online following was extended even further when he was profiled by CNN and The New York Times within the span of a month. 

Raced in partnership by Calumet Farm and Southern Equine, the ivory-visaged colt made seven starts in New York for trainer Eric Guillot, placing third twice in maiden company, and earned $29,260. Southern Phantom made his last start in February of 2019 and is offered by Select Sales, agent, as Hip 3111 to the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale as a racing or stallion prospect.

Southern Phantom's pedigree is just as intricate as his appearance. Out of the Bernardini  mare Out for Revenge, he is a full brother to stakes-placed winner Stronger and his extended female family features a bevy of winners including Oklahoma Derby (G3) victor Untrapped, sires Minardi, Tale of the Cat , and Fed Biz , Vosburgh Stakes (G1) winner Joking, and dual European and American champion Johannesburg.

With dozens of strong racing prospects slated to go through the ring during the Nov. 13 session of the Keeneland November sale, hopes are high that Southern Phantom's good looks will help him along as he looks to extend his current career, or start a second one.

"We don't really sell many racehorses," said Brogden. "He (Southern Phantom) hasn't been in training for a long time and hasn't had a work. My expectation would be that he would hopefully go to a nice show hunting home."