Summer Wind to $2.2 Million for Tapicat

Jane Lyon's Summer Wind Farm, among the most active buyers at the Fasig-Tipton November sale, showed it is going to a major player at the Keeneland breeding stock sale Nov. 8, going to $2.2 million to acquire the 6-year-old Tapit   mare Tapicat.

Consigned by Three Chimneys Farm as Hip 85, the 2013 Florida Oaks (gr. III) winner was sold in foal to Pioneerof the Nile  . Produced from a winning Storm Cat mare who is a half sister to grade I winner Pohave, Tapicat is from a loaded female family that includes champion Track Robbery and Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I) winner and sire Cat Thief  .

"It was a little more than I really wanted to go for her, but she is a very beautiful mare," Lyon said. "She’s a graded stakes (winning) mare and hopefully if she reproduces herself, we’ll get it back."

Lyon added that she isn't done buying. In addition to Tapicat, she also landed Whatdreamsrmadeof for $1.65 million at the Nov. 7 Fasig-Tipton November sale as she works to shore up her broodmare operation.

"We're trying to get a little heavier towards the upper end and maybe retire some of the mares who haven't done what we'd hoped so far," Lyon said. "There are not that many proven producers in here and I thought she was an exceptionally beautiful mare. And you've got to have the looks to get a foal that people want to buy.

"I hope to add four (mares) in a perfect world. It just depends. I have more on my list but it will depend on what they bring."

Case Clay of Three Chimneys Farm said that Tapicat's final price was "a bit more than we thought she would bring," indicative of a market that is seeing heated action at the top end.

"She's got tons of quality, she's by Tapit and she is in foal to the sire of a Triple Crown winner so we knew she was going to do well," Clay said. "We didn't know she was going to do quite that well. 

"There are some horses—and I don't know if it's due to some of the outs—but some of these mares, it's two people kind of locking up on them. Last night (at Fasig-Tipton) when we sold Lady Zuzu, there were four people bidding over $2 million. The auction format is like that, sometimes it just goes kind of crazy."