Pin Oak Sale Offers Chance for History in the Making

For once in this lifetime, Pin Oak Stud will offer a unique selection of 24 broodmares, weanlings, and horses in training Sept. 12 at Fasig-Tipton's Newtown Paddocks starting at 6 p.m. ET.

Known for its results on the track and in the sales ring, Pin Oak Stud is rooted in tradition from breeding, raising, and racing horses. Pin Oak owner Josephine Abercrombie has made her life's work curating a product that continues to give back, both on the track and on the farm.

"Ms. Abercrombie has been a breeder at heart her whole life; I've spent over 30 years with her—her vision has never really changed," said Clifford Barry, manager at Pin Oak Stud. "It's always about breeding a sound, quality racehorse. (Ms. Abercrombie) lived on the farm day in and day out, so she knew the horses' idiosyncrasies and took great pride in doing the matings and being very involved in the matings. Knowing that she had a major hand in producing horses like Broken Vow   and Alternation   and especially some of these fillies that you can see in the catalogs."

A Kentucky stalwart, Pin Oak Stud has a rich history, steeped in traditional breeding, producing the likes of Eclipse Champion Laugh and Be Merry , Canadian Horse of the Year Peaks and Valleys , Canadian Champion Grass Horse Hasten to Add , grade 1 winners Confessional , Tree of Knowledge , Elocutionist , Touching Wood , Grease , Higher Power  , Cool , Perfect Alibi , See How She Runs , Missed the Storm , Changeintheweather , and more than 100 stakes winners.

"Ms. Abercrombie has accomplished remarkable things in not only the Thoroughbred Industry, but being passionate about the Central Kentucky community, it's an honor to be able to sell these horses on her and Pin Oak's behalf," said Boyd Browning Jr., president of Fasig-Tipton.

"We are honored to be facilitators in one of the final chapters of Ms. Abercrombie's Thoroughbred history lesson," Browning said. "We think the marketplace will be appreciative of the opportunity to buy horses of this quality.

"When you look through the catalog, it's a nice group of horses, with both commercial and racing appeal," said Browning. "For the most part, her operation was a breed-to-race operation over the years, and you can see that in the families and the results she achieved on the racetrack. It's a nice balance of proven and exciting young stallions."

Twelve broodmares will be offered, heralding from the families of Whisper Who Dares , dam of Confessional (G1W); Brownie Points  (G3SW) dam of Synchrony  (G2SW) and Chocolate Kisses  (G3SW); Whimsy  (G3SW); Wedding Vow  dam of Broken Vow (G2SW) and Threshold ; See How She Runs (G1SW) dam of Don't Leave Me  (G3SW), Sweet Eloise  dam of Don Dulce  (SW), Sweet Relish  (SW); and Gold Medal Dancer  (G2SW). 

All mares are Kentucky Breeders Incentive Fund nominated and in foal to stylish stallions: Authentic  , Broken Vow, Collected  , Gun Runner  , Improbable  , Mastery  , McKinzie  , Munnings  , Practical Joke  , Volatile  , and War of Will  .

"The mares are bred commercially, they're attractive, they've all got race records, and you've got a handful of graded stakes-producing mares strolling in there," Barry said. "It's a pretty exciting package of mares, to be honest."

"It's an interesting group of weanlings, and we wouldn't be surprised to see any of these weanlings go on to be graded-stakes performers in their careers ahead," Browning said. "They have the sire power, deep female families, and have been raised right thus far."

The weanling fillies' sires are Ghostzapper  , Justify  , Flatter  , and Medaglia d'Oro  . The dam's side reads to the likes of Bedanken  (G3SW), Overheard  (G2SW), Ready to Confess  (SW), and Don't Leave Me (G3SW). Colts by Lookin At Lucky  , Union Rags  , Dialed In  , and Candy Ride   will be offered out of impressive dams such as Bedanken (G3SW), Brownie Points (G3SW), and Gold Medal Dancer (G2SW). All weanlings are Breeders' Cup nominated and Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund registered.

"Overall, they're a substantial group; they were raised right, weaned well, and came through all the process without any hiccups," said Barry. "There were no conformational issues and are all by stallions that get you racehorses."

Racing/broodmare prospects include the unraced 2-year-old Dance Routine by Into Mischief  , who comes from the family of Azeri Stakes (G2) winner Gold Medal Dancer. Two 3-year-old fillies are on offer: Planetary, by Lemon Drop Kid  , unraced to date. She comes from Red Bud Stakes winner Another World,   whose family traces back to grade 2 winner Colonial Play  and to Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) winner Pleasant Stage ; and Fascination, by Into Mischief out of the stakes-placed mare Whimsicality , who started Aug. 22 at Woodbine, and finished third in maiden company. Whimsicality has a 2-year-old, Tonkawa Springs , by Ghostzapper  , who recently started for owner Jack Garey. Second dam Whimsy is the winner of the Iowa Oaks (G3) and a daughter of the multiple stakes winner Sigrun .

Browning said, "Buyers will have confidence in the racing/broodmare prospects coming from the programs of Graham Motion and Mike Stidham."

"Ms. Abercrombie has never done anything without a lot of talk and vision for both her horses and her staff. This is the next step in the process right here," Barry said. "It is a very rare thing to happen in our industry where you get somebody that's nurtured these families for a lifetime. We've been in this business since the late '40s, and it's pretty neat that you can look down through some of these pedigrees, and she's raised the third dam."

"From her boots up, let me tell you, she eats, sleeps, and lived on the farm for her whole life," Barry said. "She continues to do so, and she'll tell you that herself—she's enjoyed every moment of it."

"It's very special to the Denali Stud team, my father and I, our relationship with Pin Oak Stud is something that's hard to put into words," said Conrad Bandoroff of Denali Stud, which will handle the dispersal. "Whenever we sell a horse for Ms. Abercrombie, people ask where the horse was raised, we take a lot of pride in telling them it came from Pin Oak—it really resonates with people. The program Ms. Abercrombie has put together, the product and quality of horse that Clifford and the team raises, it's so much more than selling horses; it's a reflection of Ms. Abercrombie's legacy and the culmination of the work she has been doing for the past 50 years.

"It will be emotional; it's an honor to handle it."