Consignors High on Animal Kingdom Yearlings

Twenty-nine first-crop yearling sires, with three or more cataloged, will be represented over the next 13 days at the Keeneland September yearling sale.

A handful have already been identified by the market as sires to watch, including 2011 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) winner Animal Kingdom  . His four yearlings sold so far have averaged $147,500.

The striking chestnut son of Leroidesanimaux—Dalicia, by Acatenango, has nine yearlings cataloged for Book 1 of the Keeneland sale that starts Sept. 12. He has 63 cataloged for the entire sale.

Some of the first Animal Kingdom yearlings through the ring are tall and scopey with long strides and good minds, according to the consignors offering them.

Jack Jones Jr.'s Mineola Farm will offer the first Animal Kingdom yearling as Hip 19. The exceptionally tall March colt is out of the English stakes winner Shady Reflection, the dam of Las Vegas Marathon Stakes (gr. II) winner Cary Street. Jones bred the colt.

"The mare is average-size but everything she throws is big," Jones said. "It is an all-European pedigree but that is the emphasis of most of my pedigrees.

"This colt," he continued, "is strong willed. He does what he wants, or at least tries. He's never mean about it, but he's a handful."

While Animal Kingdom, who stands at Darley, won the Derby in his first start on dirt, he does have a primarily turf pedigree and his other grade I win came in the Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline when Meydan still had a synthetic main track. Horses that excel on turf have shown an affinity for the synthetic surfaces as well.

Few consignors expressed any concerns about the emphasis on turf.

"A good horse of any kind will be rewarded," said Andrew Cary with Select Sales, which has Hip 325, an Animal Kingdom filly who was bred by Carrie and Craig Brogden's Machmer Hall. The filly is a half sister to Drefong, who won the King's Bishop Stakes (gr. I) Aug. 27 in his first stakes start.

"Turf racing is getting more popular in the U.S. all the time; it has definitely changed over the past 10 years," he said. "Buyers really just want quality."

Catherine Parke with Valkyre Stud offers an Animal Kingdom filly (Hip 23) on opening day. She bred the filly out of her graded stakes-producing mare Silk N' Sapphire, the dam of 2010 Emirates Airline Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (gr. IT) winner Shared Account. While Parke wishes the Keeneland September yearling had a couple more months of maturity behind her, she said the filly displays all the class and quality of another Animal Kingdom yearling she has.

"She needs time to mature but there is a lot of quality; she's graceful and correct," Parke said. "Both of the Animal Kingdoms have good brains, a wonderful mentality. They are very calm and very intelligent. Whether it is walking at the sales or whatever you are asking them to do, these horses keep going. I noticed that in all the good horses I've had; they dig down and don't quit."