Rattle N Roll Half Sister on Offer at Keeneland January

Frigid temperatures and 3 inches of snow weren't enough to stop the vans of incoming horses flooding into Keeneland's gates Jan. 11. Mares, short yearlings, and racing prospects trickled into the grounds in anticipation of the Jan. 13-15 Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale.

Among those stabled in Keeneland's pseudo-winter wonderland is Hip 249, from the Indian Creek consignment. Coat thick and fuzzy from a month of sub-25-degree temperatures, the filly posed patiently Saturday morning amidst a light snowfall.

The filly's class undoubtedly stems from that of her sire, 2022 champion 3-year-old male Epicenter  , and her half sibling, grade 1 winner Rattle N Roll .

Bred by Magnolia Mares in Kentucky, the April-born foal hails the first crop of Epicenter, who retired to Ashford Stud after suffering a condylar fracture in the 2022 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1). The 2022 Travers Stakes (G1) winner has been well received with his first crop at stud, with that initial crop of weanlings selling for a $122,619 average in 2024. A son of prolific stallion Not This Time  , Epicenter will stand the upcoming breeding season for $35,000.

"The few (Epicenter short yearlings) that we've had been quite nice," said Sarah Sutherland, the sales director at Indian Creek. "They seem to be consistently good movers and I think they're horses that look like their going to have good stretch as they develop. They aren't limited-looking by any means.

"I bet they will be quite versatile. (Epicenter is) such a nice cross, he's by Not This Time out of a Candy Ride mare so you could see (his offspring) being multidimensional which will be fun."

Hip 249 is the most recent foal out of the Johannesburg mare, Jazz Tune, the dam of $2.1 million earner Rattle N Roll. Purchased for $210,000 by trainer Kenny McPeek at the 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Rattle N Roll has been a player in his division since capturing the Breeders' Futurity (G1) as a 2-year-old in the fall of 2021. The newly turned 6-year-old son of Connect   has since added seven more black-type scores onto his résumé, including a last-out victory in the Nov. 29 Clark Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs.

"It's nice anytime you have an active family like this," said Sutherland. "He had a really nice win there in the Clark around Thanksgiving and he's worked back again since that race so hopefully there's more to look forward to, he's been so consistent."

Rattle N Roll's connections have mentioned the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1), Saudi Cup (G1), and Dubai World Cup (G1) as possible targets for his 2025 campaign.

Hip 249 will go through the ring during the first day of selling at Keeneland as part of Book 1. The sale continues through Jan. 15.

"She's a nicely grown filly for being a mid-April foal," Sutherland said of Hip 249. "She's got plenty of leg and good length. She's one that's got a good strut to her frame, she's a nice-moving filly, she's light on her feet. I think she's one that will continue to develop and strengthen with time, she's going to be a good-sized filly later in the year."