Test Winner Paola Queen Brings $1.7 Million

Grade I winner Paola Queen was sold to SF Bloodstock for $1.7 million, the highest priced offering early during the Nov. 9 second session of the Keeneland November breeding stock sale.

Offered as Hip 274 by Brookdale Sales, agent, the 3-year-old daughter of Flatter   won the Aug. 6 Test Stakes (gr. I) at Saratoga Race Course and finished second in the Gulfstream Park Oaks (gr. II) this year for Grupo Seven C Stable and trainer Gustavo Delgado. She most recently ran 12th in the Nov. 5 Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at Santa Anita Park.

Bred in Kentucky by CFP Thoroughbreds, Paola Queen was bought for $180,000 from the Hermitage Farm consignment to the 2014 Keeneland September yearling sale.

"Absolute pick of the day. She's a beautiful mare," said Tom Ryan, who signed the ticket for SF Bloodstock.  "She's such a good dirt filly. You can breed her to anything and maybe she'll go back into training. But how good would she be for Pioneerof the Nile? We'll figure it out. We'll  put it together next week."

Paola Queen's dam is multiple stakes winner and grade III-placed Kadira, a half sister to stakes winner and group II-placed Our Channel both of whom were produced from grade II winner Raw Gold.

"Judging by how these grade I and graded stakes winning fillies have been selling the past few days, we weren't surprised," said Joe Seitz of Brookdale Sales. "It was a great sale but we weren't surprised. What was really great was watching that stretch run (in the Test) when they put it up on the screen and how she closed and went around that other horse. It just showed what kind of class she has."

Alicia Wincze Hughes contributed to this report