Quality Road Filly First to Break Million Dollar Mark
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Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt
The Quality Road filly consigned as Hip 8 in the ring at the Keeneland September Sale
It took less than 10 hips for the prices to skyrocket past the $1 million mark Sept. 12 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. A strapping Quality Road filly hailing from the strong female family of Horses of the Year Gun Runner and Saint Liam was the first to crack the mark, dropping the hammer for $1.2 million to Claiborne Farm.
Consigned as Hip 8 from Gainesway, the bay filly was "at the top" of a private client's list for Claiborne Farm, said Claiborne's bloodstock manager Bernie Sams.
"She's a nice filly with that pedigree," Sams said. "When Mr. (Benjamin) Leon had that dispersal with a bunch of that family it was all expensive. (Claiborne) bought a couple out of dispersal too. So we planned on it being pricey."
The filly was bred in Kentucky by Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm. Pope acquired her dam, the winning Medaglia d'Oro mare Princesa Silvia, for $1.4 million at the 2016 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. The mare comes from a star-studded family, being a half sibling to four graded stakes winners including 2005 Breeders' Cup Classic Powered by Dodge (G1) hero Saint Liam and 2018 United Nations Stakes (G1T) winner Funtastic. She is also a half sibling to two grade 1-producing mares in grade 2 winner Quiet Giant, the dam of Gun Runner, and Beatem Buster, the dam of 2011 Mother Goose Stakes (G1) victress Buster's Ready.
Bernie Sams at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale
Princesa Silvia has produced four foals to date, including the Tapit 3-year-old colt King Silvio. The Whisper Hill Farm homebred broke his maiden last month at Gulfstream Park for trainer Kent Sweezey.
"(Hip 8) just looked like she'd be quick," Sams said. "The guy (client) is looking for a dirt filly to go two-turns. She's got that and got plenty of page in the second dam."
Brian Graves of Gainesway was expecting the filly to bring a considerable sum in the sales ring.
"(Hip 8) is the real deal," Graves said. "She was a special type and she's from the family of Gun Runner. We expected a lot of her coming over here and she trickled over (the final sales price) by 10 to 20%.
"It turned out well. She was a leggy filly. She was raw. She had a long neck and a really good walk to her. She looked like she could run through a brick wall and that is what you would expect of a good Quality Road filly."