Pioneerof the Nile Legacy Lives On at Gulfstream Sale

The sudden death of WinStar Farm's top sire Pioneerof the Nile  March 18 left a hole in the Thoroughbred breeding industry that will be difficult to fill in years to come. One of the brightest stars in the Unbridled sire line, Pioneerof the Nile ushered in a new generation of runners that have left an indelible stamp on racing history. 

The sire of 11 graded stakes winners and four champions worldwide—including 2015 Triple Crown winner American Pharoah —buyers looking to preserve a little piece of history for their own racing stables will have their first chance since the stallion's death to buy into one of his sons. 

Two colts by the son of Empire Maker  are entered in The Gulfstream Sale, Fasig Tipton's March 27 selected 2-year-olds in training sale. The first is Hip 79 from the consignment of Hoby and Layna Kight, agent. 

Bred in Kentucky by WinStar Farm, the colt is out of the winning Mineshaft mare Minesave. His second dam, Jaramar Rain, was grade 3-placed and the dam of five winners, including Imperial Council—by Empire Maker—who placed second in the 2009 Peter Pan Stakes (G2) at Belmont Park. 

"We weren't particularly trying to buy that sire, he was just one of a couple good colts that if they worked out and worked good they had a good shot," Kight said. "That's how we landed on him. (Pioneerof the Nile) didn't need any help. He was already a phenomenal sire, especially for those looking for classic horses."

The colt worked a quarter-mile in :22 flat during the March 25 under tack show. He was previously purchased by Kight as a pinhook on behalf of Sonny Stokes for $175,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. 

Kight, who recently sold another Pioneerof the Nile colt March 12 for $1.2 million at the Ocala Breeders Sales' March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, said he was unsure if the sire's recent passing would incentivize buyers to spend more for his progeny just yet. 

"I would say that if you have one and he works good and you had the guys that wanted him, it might spur them on a little. The good ones are going to be really good because there is a high demand for good horses." Kight said. 

The only other Pioneerof the Nile on offer Wednesday is Hip 122, a bay colt out of the stakes-winning Flower Alley mare Saturday Nite Ride.

Consigned by Randy Bradshaw as agent, the colt is the second foal for his dam and was bred in Kentucky by Aaron and Marie Jones. Bradshaw purchased the colt for $300,000 from the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment to the Keeneland September sale. The colt worked an eighth-mile in :10 1/5 during the under tack show. 

Also on offer during the one-day sale are two juveniles descending from the female family of Pioneerof the Nile through his dam, Star of Goshen, who passed away in late November of last year due to complications from old age. 

Hip 86, a colt by More Than Ready  consigned by Kip Elser's Kirkwood Stables as agent, is special to his consignor, who also sold Star of Goshen as a 2-year-old in 1996. 

"It's been a beautiful pedigree for a long, long time," Elser said. "What a wonderful mare Star of Goshen was. More Than Ready is a wonderful sire on any surface on any hemisphere. He's a remarkable horse and is by a nice horse. It's a really deep, classy family." 

Out of the stakes-placed Hard Spun  mare My Lady Lauren—whose second dam is Star of Goshen—the colt was bred by Jake Delhomme in Kentucky and was an RNA on a $100,000 bid as a yearling. Like all of the nine entrants in Elser's consignment, the colt galloped instead of breezing during the under tack show. 

From the same family as Hip 86 is Hip 108, a chestnut filly by Competitive Edge . The filly is out of the Old Trieste mare Regala Di Trieste, who is the dam of My Lady Lauren. 

Consigned by Jimbo and Torie Gladwell's Top Line Sales as agent, the filly was bred in New York by Sequel Thoroughbreds and Long Grove Stables. Purchased for $60,000 from Sequel New York's consignment to the Fasig-Tipton's New York-Bred Yearling Sale, the filly was one of 10 yearlings bought by the Gladwell's farm manager, Omar Ramirez, as part of an ever-expanding pinhooking venture. 

"This year I had my biggest numbers," Ramirez said. "Normally I only buy four or five. I really like the filly. She's a really nice filly and I was really upset when Pioneerof the Nile died." 

Working March 25 during the under tack show, the filly clocked an eighth-mile :10 2/5. 

"Any breeder who likes the Pioneerof the Nile line will be interested in this filly," said Top Line's Tori Gladwell. "She's a really pretty filly on the end of the shank." 

"She's grown a lot since I bought her and I was not thinking she would end up here," Ramirez said. "She's been doing really good in training and I liked what she was doing so we decided to bring her here and take a shot with a family like hers. She's just a really nice filly." 

Although he may be gone, Pioneerof the Nile continues to be well-represented by his sons standing at stud. A total of five 2-year-olds by Cairo Prince  are cataloged to The Gulfstream Sale, and 10 by American Pharoah.