American Pharoah Half to Echo Zulu Brings $1.4M
Image:
Description:
Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt
The American Pharoah filly consigned as Hip 43 heads to the ring at the Keeneland September Sale
An American Pharoah filly from the red-hot family of recent Spinaway Stakes (G1) winner Echo Zulu brought $1.4 million during the Sept. 13 opening session of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
Alan Quartucci of Northshore Bloodstock signed the ticket on behalf of Joe Allen. The filly, consigned by Betz Thoroughbreds as Hip 43, will be trained by Shug McGaughey once she reaches the track.
"She looks like a real runner and has a fantastic pedigree that's still going forward every day," Quartucci said. "The filly that won in Saratoga was amazing. She was the whole package."
Alan Quartucci at Keeneland
Hip 43 is out of the grade 2-winning Menifee mare Letgomyecho , whose daughter Echo Zulu captured Saratoga Race Course's featured 2-year-old fillies race Sept. 5. Letgomyecho has also produced 2020 H. Allen Jerkens Stakes Presented by Runhappy (G1) winner Echo Town , grade 3 winner J Boys Echo , and graded stakes-placed Unbridled Outlaw .
Letgomyecho is a half sister to the stakes winner Soundwave , who produced 2020 Ohio Derby (G3) winner Dean Martini .
Hip 43 was bred in Kentucky by Betz/J. Betz/Burns/CHNNHK/CoCo Equine/Ramsby/Ashford Stud.
"She's a lovely filly—she has strength, balance, movement, pedigree," Betz said prior to the sale. "The mare had a grade 1 winner in Echo Town last year … She's a filly that would appeal to just about anybody looking for a quality yearling. She has everything."
While McGaughey is looking forward to the exciting race prospect in his barn, he also sees value in her beyond racing.
"Even if she doesn't run you can still breed out of her. Who knows where the 2-year-old filly's (Echo Zulu) going to go. Chances are she's got a good chance of being a champion.
"I thought that (Hip 43) was the best American Pharoah that I saw and one of the two or three best fillies that we saw at the sale," McGaughey added. "We were on her from Day 1. My son Reeve and Dr. David Priest had shortlisted for me before I got down here and that was one that I sure kept going back and taking a look at.
"I really like where she was raised with the Betz. I know they raise horses the way they're supposed to be raised. We were happy to get her."
Northshore Bloodstock made one additional purchase as agent Monday, going to $850,000 for the Candy Ride colt consigned as Hip 181 by Gainesway, agent. The colt was bred in Kentucky by Emory Hamilton out of the Pulpit mare Sweet Corine, a full sister to grade 2 winner El Padrino and a half sister to multiple grade 1 winner Verrazano .