Arrogate Leads First-Crop Sires by Average at Keeneland

From a limited offering, Juddmonte Farms' first-crop weanling sire Arrogate  is tracking at the top of his sire class by average price through Book 2 of the ongoing Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale.

The four-time grade 1 winner and 6-year-old son of Unbridled's Song was represented by three weanlings offered out of seven cataloged. All three sold for an average of $315,000, with the highest-priced weanling bringing $425,000 early in the selling Nov. 8. The others sold for $285,000 and $235,000.

While Juddmonte manager Garrett O'Rourke was happy with the reception of Arrogate's first crop, he said the best is definitely still to come.

"Breeders in general are impressed enough with the ones they have that they're keeping them until they're yearlings," he said. "Even someone like Peter O'Callaghan, who bought one yesterday, immediately afterward said he's nice, but he has an even nicer one at home."

The Arrogate colt bred in the name of O'Callaghan's Woods Edge Farm is a half brother to grade 2 winner Engage.

"If you've got a really nice one out of an exceptional mare, it makes more sense to keep them until they're yearlings," O'Rourke said. "They are owned by people who don't have to sell them as weanlings. I think the real fireworks with Arrogate will be seen next September."

Gainesway consigned the top-selling Arrogate weanling at the Keeneland sale as Hip 704. She is a gray/roan filly out of the stakes-placed Silver Deputy mare Lucas Street, the dam of 2015 TwinSpires Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) winner Wavell Avenue. The filly was bred by Bonne Chance Farm.

"The Arrogates are big and rangy, a throw to him," said Michael Hernon with Gainesway. "This filly was quite popular and had a following. She is a scopey filly and a good mover. The frame is there for her to grow into money, a good yearling that will appeal to a lot of people."

The other first-crop weanling sires with averages above $150,000 so far include Three Chimneys Farm's 2017 Horse of the Year and six-time grade 1 winner Gun Runner  ($295,000); Ashford Stud's Classic Empire , the 2016 champion 2-year-old colt ($172,000); Claiborne Farm's undefeated grade 1 winner Mastery  ($155,625); and Ashford's three-time grade 1 winner Practical Joke  ($151,167).

Gun Runner's first weanlings quickly earned a spot on most major buyers' shortlists. His daughter out of multiple grade 1 winner Pure Clan brought $475,000 on opening day of the sale, making her the highest-priced first-crop weanling sold at the November sale thus far. The filly was supplemented to the catalog by Four Star Sales and was bought by Van Gen. 

The sire has been represented at Keeneland by five other weanlings sold, one for $350,000, one for $325,000, two for $225,000 each, and a colt for $170,000.

"I like the Gun Runners a lot," said Mike McMahon with McMahon & Hill Bloodstock. "They are good movers. Their shoulders and their hips are excellent."

Warrendale Sales offered the last Gun Runner weanling in the sale (Hip 1062), a colt out of the stakes-placed Harlan's Holiday mare Harlan's Romance, who is a half sister to grade 1 winner Shotgun Gulch (Thunder Gulch). Whitehorse and Three Chimneys partnered to buy the colt for $350,000.

"We like to support our stallions, and it was a good opportunity on a great colt," said Tom Hamm, director of stallion nominations for Three Chimneys. "I've looked at over 100 Gun Runner foals. It's a really good crop collectively. They've got good size, they're athletic. There's a lot of quality out there, and there are some really good ones that haven't even come to the sales yet that are going to yearling sales or are going to race.

"I think, overall, they are some really good-quality foals out of some really good mares, so we're excited to be able to support the stallion. He's sold very well at this sale with a great average, and the best is yet to come."

"I've only seen a couple of Gun Runners other than the one we have, but they have been good-sized with a beautiful hind leg," said Warrendale's Kitty Taylor.

Taylor said she also has been impressed with Classic Empire's weanlings. She has a unique perspective on the first foals by the son of Pioneerof the Nile  because she sold Classic Empire at the 2015 Keeneland September Yearling Sale for $475,000 to John Oxley on behalf of Steven and Brandi Nicholson's Silver Fern Farm, which bred him. 

Warrendale sold a Classic Empire colt (Hip 786) out of the stakes-placed Distorted Humor mare Rever de Vous for $185,000 to Enfuego Stables. 

"He is a really nice horse," Taylor said of the colt. "He has a great walk and is bigger than I expected because Classic Empire is a medium-sized horse. Buyers targeted him like they've done all the first-year sires. After the Great Recession, everyone ran from the first-year sires to the proven sires. Now they are running back."

McMahon also has been impressed with Classic Empire's first foals.

"He was kind of a quirky horse in training, but I really like the way they act here," he said. "I don't think that is an issue, and I think that 2-year-old stallion-making machine that is Ashford is going to kick in. They are five out of 10 (with sires leading the freshman sire standings) and expect next year they will be six out of 11."

Mastery's first weanlings have been noticed in particular for their good strides, according to several consignors.

The son of Candy Ride  had two weanlings sell for more than $200,000 through Book 2 at Keeneland, led by a $290,000 colt out of the graded stakes-winning Summer Bird mare Distinta that Bedouin Bloodstock sold to de Meric Stables. The other big seller was a $260,000 filly out of the Elusive Quality mare Helensvale, whose dam is grade 1 winner In the Gold. 

Taylor sold a Mastery colt out of the Langfuhr mare Tactful Lady, a half sister to graded stakes winner and sire Gone Astray, for $190,000.

"We have a couple Masterys, and I see a lot of Mastery in them," she said. "They are big, leggy horses that stand over some ground. They have really good walks."

Gainesway sold a Mastery colt at The November Sale, Fasig-Tipton's breeding stock sale, for $240,000.

"He was a big, rangy, and well-balanced colt and a good mover. It was easy to see him float to the top as he was an obvious horse," Hernon said.

Walker Hancock, president of Claiborne, said he has been pleased with the strong reception of Mastery's first foals from both pinhookers and end-users.

"At Fasig, he had an average over $282,000, and that's pretty strong for a $25,000 sire," Hancock said. "Most of the ones I've seen have been athletic with great walks and really balanced bodies, which I love to see because it helps them to stay sound. They have plenty of leg, good substance, and athletic frames."