Shah Spends Big for Fillies at Gulfstream Sale

When Kaleem Shah arrived at Gulfstream Park last year to attend The Gulfstream Sale, Fasig-Tipton's premier sale of 2-year-olds in training, the prominent owner/breeder went to $800,000 to secure a Quality Road  filly he named Bellafina. 

The filly has paid Shah back in spades, winning five graded stakes—including two grade 1s—and earning $828,000 in purses. 

Spurred by his success, Shah returned to Gulfstream March 27 in search of another filly as special as Bellafina. This time, he went home with two.

First to strike Shah's fancy was Hip 12, a speedy Uncle Mo  filly consigned by Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds who breezed the co-fastest eighth-mile in :09 4/5 during the March 25 under tack show. Ben McElroy signed the $800,000 ticket as agent for Shah's KSI. 

"Ben and (trainer) Simon (Callaghan) liked this filly, so I'm hoping she'll be a good one like Bellafina," Shah said. "She was the same price as Bellafina, so we're hoping it's two times the charm."

Bred in Kentucky by the Coin Broker Syndicate, the filly is out of the Montjeu mare Coin Broker and hails from the female family of grade 1 winners Cash Run, Shared Interest, and Forestry. Randy Hartley and Dean DeRenzo purchased the filly for $450,000 from Hill 'n' Dale Sales Agency at last year's Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

"She's a special filly," Hartley said after the under tack show. "She has done everything right since the day I bought her. She's come down here and trained. Uncle Mo, everyone is hyped on the stallion, and I think people … have started breeding their quality mares to him. 

"This filly has everything. She has a demeanor to her where she's like a colt. Nothing bothers her. She has a way about her." 

Initially unsure about whether he would buy anything else during the one-day sale, Shah made the decision to partner with M.V. Magnier of Coolmore on Hip 119, a $1.3 million Curlin  filly consigned by Paul Sharp, agent. McElroy signed the ticket as agent. 

"This is the first time ever we've done a partnership with Coolmore, and I'm looking forward to it," Shah said. "She is a very nice filly. I think we paid a lot more than what we expected to, but we hope that we get lucky with this filly. We've bought two nice fillies in this sale, so we will see what happens." 

The filly was bred in Kentucky by Southern Equine Stables and Team Valor International. She is the ninth foal out of the Argentina-bred Luhuk mare Sarasota and is a half sister to grade 1 winner Salutos Amigos and grade 2 winner Sarah's Secret.

The filly was purchased for $470,000 last year by Sand Ridge Stables from Bluewater Sales, agent, at The Saratoga Sale, Fasig-Tipton's selected yearling sale. She worked an eighth-mile in :10 during the under tack show. 

"We expected her to sell well, but you never know," Sharp said. "That's a little different stratosphere. Obviously, a filly with this kind of pedigree that worked as well as she did and jumped through all of the hoops deserved to sell well. Most of all, she's a very, very nice horse. I could say all the good things that everybody says, but I really believe in this filly. I think she has a great future ahead of her. I think Kaleem will do well with her. 

"Sand Ridge is a client. I've had horses with them for a couple years now, and we've done pretty good for them. They're happy, too."