Mayberry Signs for $950,000 Uncle Mo Colt

David Ingordo remained steadfast during a long-running bidding war Sept. 16 for a well-related Uncle Mo  colt at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. After several tense minutes, the bidding slowed and the bloodstock agent was finally declared the winner on a final bid of $950,000. The ticket was signed in the name of Mayberry Farm. 

Consigned by Gainesway, agent, the colt (Hip 506) was bred in Kentucky by Three Chimneys Farm and is the first foal out of the Smart Strike mare Bella Rafaela, a half sister to Malibu Stakes (G1) victor and sire Twirling Candy , Del Mar Derby (G2T) winner Ethnic Dance , and grade 3 winner Dubai Sky.

Ingordo said that out of all the yearlings he examined at farms across the state before the sale, Hip 506 was far and away his favorite. 

"I saw that horse at Three Chimneys a few weeks before the sale, and he was one of the best-looking prospects I saw, and we probably looked at 1,500 on farms before the sale," Ingordo said. "He was my personal top pick. We've got a Twirling Candy out on the farm and he looks like the family. He was the horse we wanted to have." 

"He was a really nice colt, and in what has proven to be a pretty selective market, it's great to see him jump through all of the hoops and do well," said Chris Baker of Three Chimneys. "His price isn't surprising, but it's certainly encouraging in this market. And he's in good hands to do well, so we are excited about that also."

With the market experiencing the side effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Baker said that the opening books—though relatively strong considering the state of the economy—had been somewhat difficult to navigate as breeders who always hope to see greater returns on their horses. 

"For us, it's been kind of moderate at best," Baker said. "This is the first colt that has exceeded expectations on any level. The others, we've gotten some traded, had some RNAs. It's been a challenging, selective market with a lower ceiling.

"We try and bring 50% of the value of the crop to market. So it's not a number, it's more of an internal appraisal. We are trying to meet some budget restraints and to generate some revenue. If you kept what are your best half and sold the lesser half, we've got a business to run and operational expenses and all of that. So we've got to generate revenue. Something has to sell and sell well. You've got to feed the beast." 

With prices dipping slightly below what was achieved by several individuals during Book 1 Sept. 13-14, Ingordo said he found the market to be competitive. The most difficult aspect, he felt, was competing with partnerships, which are able to spread risk when buying and drive up the asking price. 

"I know everybody is worried about the market, but if you bring a good horse up here and it jumps through the hoops, you'll get rewarded," Ingordo said. "We've found it very competitive to buy horses. I know it's not for every horse, but I think we are all trying to breed a better horse, and if you can, you're rewarded. 

"We just try to buy the best horse. We have our price in mind, and we know you have to stretch for the better ones. What's hard, and what we do have to figure out how to adjust to, is that my clients are usually their own entities. So it's one person's finances, in some instances, against many people's finances. That's the hardest thing when you have a partnership going in and buying 20. It's a great strategy, and I have to figure out my own plan for that. But when you're bidding for one person against an entity that is many-headed and many-walleted, that's something we have to figure out how to adjust for."

Ingordo waited until the final moments of Wednesday's sale to purchase Hip 812, a $775,000 colt by Three Chimneys Farm's Gun Runner  on behalf of Mayberry. Consigned by Baccari Bloodstock, agent, the bay was bred by Breeze Easy in Kentucky out of the grade-1 placed Broken Vow mare Sweet Shirley Mae, who is also the dam of stakes winner Mae Never No. 

"He's a very nice colt. We raised him at the farm and we're very proud of that," said Baccari. "That is what we are trying to do—raise good horses."

Mayberry was listed as the buyer on three other yearlings Wednesday beginning with Hip 662, a Union Rags  colt consigned by Gainesway, agent, purchased for $300,000. Hip 661, a Ghostzapper  filly also consigned by Gainesway, was bought for $260,000. Rounding out the purchases for the day was Hip 787, a $100,000 Hard Spun  filly from the consignment of Lane's End, agent. 

Over three days, Mayberry is listed as the buyer on eight yearlings for receipts of $4,065,000. 

"I think the market is good for buyers," said Baccari. "There are horses that everybody lands on but there is a lot of value here. If a horse isn't super obvious, you can get a good bargain. If a horse is super perfect—and those are few and far between—you're going to have to pay for it."