Pop a Choc Leads Sixth Session of Keeneland November

The sixth session of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale ended on a high note Nov. 15 as the gray racing/broodmare prospect Pop a Choc , who had only five hips follow her through the ring, hammered at $265,000 to the partnership of Clear Ridge Stables to top the day. 

Pop a Choc, a 4-year-old filly by the late Bernardini, whose daughters offered at auction this fall have become collectors' items, was consigned as Hip 2242 by Bluewater Sales, agent. Out of the stakes-placed Cuvee  mare Chocolate Pop , she is a half sister to Airoforce  , a dual surface graded stakes winner his juvenile year in the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes (G2) and Dixiana Bourbon Stakes (G3T).

Sean Tugel, Gainesway's director of stallions sales and recruiting, purchased Pop a Choc for Clear Ridge Stables.

"She is a beautiful mare. Bernardini is an exceptional broodmare sire," Tugel said. "She was a high-priced yearling. Mares that are good physicals and high priced yearlings usually throw good physicals that can be good sales horses. She is a quality, commercial mare."

Pop a Choc was bred in Kentucky by Camas Park Stud and Lynch Bages. She was previously purchased by agent Justin Casse for $330,000 from the Paramount Sales consignment to the 2018 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Trained by Mark Casse for owners Gary Barber and John Oxley, Pop a Choc went through the ring Monday with a race record of 2-2-2 in 11 starts at ages 3 and 4 and earnings of $117,385.

"She will come back to Gainesway Farm and become part of the herd, and we will talk to all the partners and find a good mate for her," Tugel said. "(Gainesway general manager) Brian Graves thought we may have to pay this much for her; he knows how to appraise them. He thought she was the best broodmare prospect out there today and we are very excited to have her."

Keeneland reported 271 horses sold during the sixth session for gross receipts of $10,507,100, an average of $38,772, and a median of $26,000, all up over the comparable session a year ago. The 61 horses that failed to meet their reserve represented an RNA rate of 18.4%. In 2020 on the sixth day of selling, 276 horses sold for gross receipts of $6,446,900, an average of $23,358, and a median of $15,000, with an RNA rate of 12.9%.

Cumulative figures for the past six days of selling show 1,427 horses have sold from 1,748 to go under the hammer. Gross sales stand at $180,008,100, the average at $126,144, and the median at $75,000. The cumulative RNA rate is 18.4%. Comparatively, last year at this point of the sale gross sales reached $141,424,400 for the 1,318 horses sold. The average was $107,302, the median was $55,000, and the RNA rate was 19.5%.

Sale statistics continue to be updated as post sales are reported.

Pitlochry Secures Stakes Producer Repartee

Pitlochry Partners went to $215,000 to acquire Repartee , the dam of Munnyfor Ro , a multiple stakes winner at Woodbine this year. The 9-year-old Distorted Humor   mare was consigned as Hip 1849 by St George Sales, agent for Shannondoe Farm and South Point Sales. She was not mated for 2022.

Munnyfor Ro, a 3-year-old filly by Munnings  , just last month won the Ontario Damsel Stakes on the main track after taking the Wonder Where Stakes on turf. She also won the Woodbine Oaks Presented by Budweiser in August for owner Raroma Stable and trainer Kevin Attard.

Repartee was bred in Kentucky by Darley out of the A.P. Indy stakes winner Dubai Dancer , a full sister to grade 1 winner Little Belle , the dam of grade 1 winner Dickinson . A $37,000 RNA at this year's Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale, Repartee previously sold for $34,000 to agent Ben McElroy out of Brookdale Sales' consignment to the 2016 Keeneland November Breeding Sale. She had placed in one of her two starts for Godolphin. 

Hunter Valley Stretches for Not This Time Colt

Hunter Valley Farm purchased the session-topping weanling, a Not This Time   colt consigned as Hip 1988 by Castle Park Farm (Noel Murphy), agent, for $200,000. The March 15 foal is slated to return during the yearling sales next year.

"We loved him. Word on the street was he was pretty nice, but when we went to the barn to see him, he was beautiful, a good mover, and a classic foal," Hunter Valley's Adrian Regan said. "He is a very athletic colt.

"We bought a mare earlier and have been beaten out today on a few other weanlings. $200,000 was our final bid, and we were stretching on him."

Hip 1988, bred in Kentucky by Castlepark Farm and Dermot Joyce, is the first foal out of the unraced Uncle Mo   mare Worth a Chance Mo. He comes from the family of graded stakes winners Just Louise  and Sara Louise . Murphy was all smiles in the back ring after the colt sold, scoring big for the home team.

"He was received very, very well," Murphy recalled. "He had a lot of scopes, a lot of double and triple shows to people, a tremendously popular horse. Both pinhookers and end users were on him.

"The market is unbelievable here today; it's strong. Horses are selling well over their reserve. I only have weanlings, but I am finding they are selling quite well. Today is my last day, and I am six sold for seven offered."

Fellow pinhooker Colin Brennan purchased two weanlings Monday by Audible   and Accelerate  , whose respective first and second round of weanlings are being sold at auction.

"A lot of the freshman sires have been equally impressive," Brennan said of sires with their first foals this year. "I'm pleased with the progeny … of course they have been difficult to buy … the Maximus Mischief  s and Vino Rosso  s, they have all presented themselves very well.

"Generally, I think prices are around 30% more than I would appraise them … we don't want to overpay, of course, but at the same time, you have to allow for some of that and take it into account when you're bidding."

Monday's leading buyer was Halmar International, which bought 12 mares for a total of $415,000. Martha Jane Mulholland purchased the mares on behalf of Halmar, bringing the client's Keeneland November total to 22 mares that cost a combined $793,000 through Monday. Plans are for Halmar to keep buying through the next couple of sessions to reach 40 mares.

The session's leading consignor was Lane's End Farm, which sold horses for total receipts of $1,434,500 and an average of $44,828.

Zach Madden, whose Buckland Sales sold 20 head for $620,700 Monday, said he felt the sixth session was one of the stronger days of the sale.

"There are still hoops to jump through and the normal stuff," Madden said. "Whether it's the back ring vibe or the action in the barn, it seems to be a little steadier than it's been, but maybe that's the transition from Book 3 to 4 and a new crowd—there is still a lot of people here."