Kingswood Farm Brings Quality to Keeneland September

Roderick Wachman of Kingswood Farm is no stranger to success, and though he brings a very small offering to the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, it is not short on quality.

The first of just two Book 1 offerings, Hip 30, is a full sister to millionaire Slow Down Andy . Slow Down Andy won graded races from ages 2-4, on the dirt and turf, including the 2023 Awesome Again Stakes (G1). By Nyquist   and out of the Square Eddie  mare Edwina E , the dark bay or brown filly is also a full sister to stakes winner Team Merchants . 

"She's a really nice filly, she looks like she's probably going to be more of a two-turn filly," said Wachman. 

Bred by Reddam Racing, who campaigned 2015 champion 2-year-old male Nyquist, the mare Edwina E was sent back to him once again and produced a colt this year. 

"The mare has a really, really nice colt weanling. He's a really nice colt and the cross works, clearly," he said.

Nyquist, a son of Uncle Mo  , has had a terrific year both on the track and in the sales ring. He is the sire of four grade 1 winners of 2024 through Sept. 7, landing him in a tie for first by that metric among North American sires. Undefeated juvenile fillies Immersive  and Tenma  recently joined the ranks with wins in the Spinaway Stakes (G1) and Del Mar Debutante Stakes (G1), respectively.

At The Saratoga Sale, Fasig-Tipton's selected yearling sale, Nyquist lit up the board with four yearlings selling for an average of $643,750, including a colt purchased for $875,000 by renowned bloodstock agent Donato Lanni. Nyquist has produced an average of $408,337 for seven yearlings sold overall in 2024.

Hip 294 is a striking colt by Street Sense  , bred in a partnership by Wachman, Brian Kahn, and River Oak Farm. He is out of the stakes-placed Bernardini mare What a Fox . This is her second foal. 

"Her first foal is a Nyquist filly, ironically," said Wachman.

Hip 294 is by an aspiring sire of sires in Street Sense, who has produced stallions Maxfield  , Speaker's Corner  , and McKinzie  , who recently sired Hopeful Stakes (G1) winner Chancer McPatrick  from his first crop. That colt is also out of a Bernardini mare.

"He's always been a very nice colt from day one, he's really athletic. He's a fast-looking Street Sense. We've always liked that colt and nothing has happened that has changed my mind," Wachman said while watching Hip 294 show. 

The last time Wachman consigned yearlings was in 2020. Although he brought a small offering to that sale as well, the stats speak for themselves. His six-horse consignment that year included three black-type performers: grade 1 winner A Mo Reay; Provocateur, who was a grade 1-placed stakes winner; and stakes-placed Del Mo.

"They weren't big horses, which is what I really liked about them," Wachman said. "They were well made, just balanced, quality horses."

Wachman has a keen eye for horse flesh, as he picked out Seize the Grey  from the 2022 Saratoga Sale when working for the MyRacehorse partnership. The Arrogate colt posted wins in the Preakness Stakes (G1) and Pat Day Mile Stakes (G2) earlier this year. 

"He was a medium-sized, quality, balanced colt. He was a late April foal, so he was quite immature compared to a lot of the more forward horses at Saratoga. He was all there, but he didn't fill your eye as much as some of the obvious bigger, more mature horses. That's what I liked about him," he explained.

"And he was by Arrogate, who in my opinion was underappreciated at the time. He was also out of a Smart Strike mare, and they are great.

"You need to look at the pedigree to appreciate where the make of a horse comes from," he said.

Wachman has sold many graded stakes performers over the years, and should history repeat itself, he looks to add a few more to that list with his consignment at the Keeneland September Sale.