Even before Book 1 of the sale started, prospective buyers at this year's Keeneland September Yearling Sale were making their way to the far reaches of the property to view horses scheduled for the two-session Book 2 of the mammoth auction.
Those visits provided good news for consignors such as Indian Creek, which has top yearlings scheduled for Book 2 that started Sept. 13 and continues Sept. 14. Indian Creek is scheduled to offer nine yearlings Thursday, including a colt by Complexity and a filly by Authentic that are generating buzz. This is the first crop of yearlings for both Complexity and Authentic.
Bred in Kentucky by the Ack Naughty Syndicate (a partnership of successful owner Sol Kumin and multiple Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown), the dark bay or brown Complexity colt (Hip 769) is out of the winning, stakes-placed Afleet Alex mare Ack Naughty, making him a half brother to this year's Santa Anita Derby (G1) winner Practical Move . Practical Move closed out his 2-year-old season with a victory in the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) before opening this season with a win in the San Felipe Stakes (G2) ahead of the Santa Anita Derby score.
That run of success by Practical Move, who is Ack Naughty's first foal to start, figures to ensure plenty of interest in her 2023 yearling.
"That mare got off to a great start with Practical Move," said Indian Creek's Sarah Sutherland. "With this yearling, I think you're seeing her consistency. He's a big, strong, well-grown colt who covers a lot of ground. Like Practical Move, it looks like he'll be a nice two-turn horse."
Complexity, a son of Maclean's Music , showed precocity in winning the 2018 Champagne Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park and continued to race well through his 4-year-old season, when he won the Kelso Handicap (G2) at Belmont and earned a grade 1-placing in the Forego Stakes at Saratoga Race Course. In Keeneland Book 1, Complexity had a yearling (Hip 356) consigned by Airdrie Stud that was purchased for $375,000 by Mike Ryan, agent.
Sutherland noted that Indian Creek had several mares bred to Complexity and has been pleased with what they're seeing. She said in general they have big hips but this colt is a "little bit stretchier," which is one of the reasons she sees two-turn potential.
The aforementioned Authentic filly also boasts a family that fills the catalog page with black-type as she's out of the winning, stakes-placed Curlin mare Inspired by Grace, who already has produced grade 2 winner General Jim , by Into Mischief . The yearling filly is closely related to General Jim as Authentic is a son of Into Mischief.
Inspired by Grace is a full sister to grade 1 winner Off the Tracks and half sister to grade 2 winner Concord Point, by Tapit . Indian Creek is plenty familiar with the family after consigning General Jim to the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, where he was purchased for $850,000 by Courtlandt Farm.
"Inspired by Grace has been a really, really nice mare for us and we're excited about this filly as well," Sutherland said. "I hope (like General Jim) we can we can line her up with another nice end-user. She's a May foal so she's young. She's just improving all the time, a very smooth filly. She's very similar to General Jim so we're excited about her."
Authentic continues his strong start with his first crop of yearlings. His 18 yearlings sold in Book 1 averaged $349,722.
In Book 1 of the sale Indian Creek enjoyed a strong start, selling three yearlings for a total of $2.25 million ($741,667 average). That trio was led by a Constitution colt that sold for $1.3 million to Oxo Equine.
BloodHorsePlus Video: Sutherland on Indian Creek's Book 1 Yearlings
The 1,200-acre Indian Creek farm near Paris, Ky., is owned by the Parrish family's Clay Ward Agency and is run by its president, Shack Parrish.