Street Sense Colt Destined for Godolphin Stable

While it's usually ill-advised to put all your eggs in one basket, sometimes the risk is worth the reward—and for consignors Michael and Julia O'Quinn, the gamble definitely paid off. 

With only one horse entered in a catalog of 345 yearlings to The July Sale, Hip 312 had all the hopes of the husband and wife team riding on his shoulders July 10 at Fasig-Tipton's Newtown Paddocks near Lexington. 

One of the top-selling pinhooks of the sale, the strapping son of Street Sense  had been purchased for $140,000 by Artic Bloodstock from Taylor Made Sales consignment at the Fasig-Tipton February Winter Mixed Sale. 

As a bidding war ensued between Darley's chief operating officer Dan Pride and bloodstock agent Justin Casse, the gavel finally rang out at $350,000 and Sheikh Mohammed's global operation reclaimed a little piece of their stallion's legacy. 

"A good son of Street Sense always works great," said Pride with a smile. 

Street Sense entered stud at Darley in 2008 and since then has shuttled several times to the operation's locales in Australia and Japan, siring eight crops of racing age, 53 stakes winners, and one champion. Bred in Pennsylvania by Blackstone Farm, the colt is out of the Bernardini  mare Mahkama and is a half brother to stakes winner Yulong Warrior. 

"It's a female family that we know well," Pride continued. "He fits in the group we are trying to add here to our racing stables. Great to get him and we're excited and thank Sheikh Mohammed for supporting us and to get to add a colt to the racing stable. 

"It (the price) was in the range. The sale has picked up in the last 50 hips but it's been a good, solid sale. He stood out in the group and we thought he deserves to be re-bought. There are some good horses here and they'll be runners coming out of this sale and we hope this Hip 312 is one of them." 

Ringing in the fourth highest price in a day of mixed sales results and a market that could be described as somewhat fickle, Julia O'Quinn was more than pleased about with what the colt had already achieved and his prospects going forward. 

"He was just a blessing in disguise, easy to work with he did everything we asked," she said. "He didn't grow as tall as we wanted, but he's made up for it in manners and a big walk. He's just a pleasant horse to be around."

Pride said the colt was a selective purchase made from an ongoing effort to enhance the quality of Sheikh Mohammed's internationally acclaimed Thoroughbred racing and breeding program. 

"We hope that he has a 'high ceiling' as I call it," Pride said. "If he's successful on the racetrack he could one day be a stallion, and you've got to have some female family to do that."