Curlin Yearlings Could Shine at Saratoga Second Session

Stone Farm's Arthur Hancock is not going to take only one yearling to The Saratoga Sale unless he has total confidence the horse will be attractive to a large buyer base.

During the Aug. 6 second session of Fasig-Tipton's selected yearling sale, Stone will send an attractive son of Curlin  into the ring that his team has nicknamed "Curlin Junior" due to the close resemblance he bears to his champion sire.

Cataloged as Hip 174, the Stone Farm offering is one of eight Curlin yearlings set to go through the ring Tuesday. A total of 11 are entered in the sale. Fifth on the North American sire list for 2019, Curlin stands at Hill 'n' Dale Farms near Lexington where his 2019 fee was $175,000.

Bred in Kentucky by Bobby Flay's B. Flay Thoroughbreds, the colt is the first foal out of the A.P. Indy mare America, who earned $580,532, won a grade 3 race, and finished third in four graded stakes, including two grade 1 events. The extended female family includes Broodmare of the Year Better Than Honour, champions Rags to Riches and Peeping Fawn, and grade 1 winners Blush With Pride, and Jazil, among other top-class runners.

"I have a one-horse stable," Hancock said, proudly showing off comparison photos of the colt and his sire to potential buyers. "Isn't he beautiful? Somebody said he's better-looking than Curlin. He's very balanced like a good stallion ought to be, and he's got some toughness to him. He's all man. The mare is out of a great family, and we're fortunate to have such a great individual."

Hancock said it was Flay's suggestion to enter the colt in the Saratoga sale.

"Bobby loves Saratoga and he wanted to bring the horse up here, and I said, 'Yes sir,'" said Hancock, who previously sold at Saratoga but now targets most of his yearlings for the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. "But I wouldn't have brought him if he wasn't a real nice horse. Stone Farm's reputation is on the line. Isn't he beautiful?"

Another well-bred Curlin yearling who is expected to attract plenty of interest is Hip 134 from Hill 'n' Dale Sales Agency. The chestnut colt produced from the grade 1-winning Flatter  mare Taris was bred in Kentucky by Heider Family Stables.

"He's a classy horse. He speaks for himself; you don't have to say anything," said Hill 'n' Dale's Donato Lanni.

Denali Stud is sending two Curlin colts through the ring Aug. 6, including Hip 153, the first foal out of Wapi, a daughter of Scat Daddy who was a champion in Chile. The colt was bred in Kentucky by Don Alberto Corporation and Three Chimneys Farm, which bought Wapi for $1.05 million at the 2017 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale while carrying the colt in utero.

"This is an exceptional colt who is very well-built, with a lot of the strong characteristics the good Curlins tend to have," Denali's Conrad Bandoroff said. 

Denali's other Curlin (Hip 159) is a bay colt out of the stakes-placed Yes It's True mare Yes Liz from the family of multiple grade 2 winner and sire Chimes Band. The colt is consigned on behalf of breeder Stonestreet Bred & Raised.

"That has been a phenomenal cross," Bandoroff said of the colt's bloodlines.

From Bluewater Sales, agent, Hip 132 is a gray/roan colt bred in Kentucky by China Horse Club out of the unraced Tapit  mare Tapas, a $1.3 million purchase in 2016 at The November Sale, Fasig-Tipton's mixed sale. Tapas is a half sister to multiple grade 2 winner Justwhistledixie and grade 2 winner Chace City. Justwhistledixie has produced grade 1 winner and sire New Year's Day, multiple grade 2 winner Mohaymen , and the Aug. 4 La Jolla Handicap (G3T) winner, Kingly.

"He's a nice, big, strong Curlin colt," Bluewater's Meg Levy said. "He's very well bred."

Hip 147 (Lane's End, agent) is a Curlin filly out of the stakes-winning Galileo mare Twirl, who is a full sister to multiple group 1 winner and multiple grade/group 1 producer Misty For Me as well as Total Prix Marcel Boussac-Criterium des Pouliches (G1) winner and 2016 QIPCO Two Thousand Guineas (G1) runner-up Ballydoyle. The filly was bred in Kentucky by St. Elias Stables. Her dam was bought back on a final bid of $3.1 million while carrying the filly in utero when offered at the 2017 Keeneland November sale.

"She's an exceptional filly—a big, scopey, two-turn-looking filly," said Allaire Ryan of Lane's End. "She's got a lot of style and class to her, and all along we thought she was an ideal candidate for this sale and she's been very well received. She's appealing to both domestic and international buyers because she has an international pedigree."

Gerry Dilger's Dromoland Farm, agent, sends out Hip 193, a colt out of the grade 1-winning Byron mare Byrama bred in Kentucky by St. Elias.

"He's a nice, good-looking colt that is medium-sized," Dilger said. 

Hip 206 from Warrendale Sales, agent, is a dark bay/brown full sister to multiple grade 1 winner and sire Exaggerator  bred in Kentucky by Joseph B. Murphy. 

The filly's half sister by Medaglia d'Oro  was sold by Warrendale for $1.3 million at last year's Saratoga sale.

"She's got large residual value even if she never steps foot on a track," said Warrendale's Hunter Simms.

Three yearlings by Curlin sold during Monday's first session. The first was a filly consigned as Hip 38 by Blake-Albina Thoroughbred Services out of the Indian Charlie mare Kateri, a half sister to grade 1 winner Tiz Miz Sue. The chestnut filly brought a final bid of $725,000 from Live Oak Plantation.

Hip 86 was the next by Curlin, from Taylor Made Sales Agency. The colt out of the Giant's Causeway mare Pine Needles sold to Solis/Litt for $375,000. He is the third foal out of his dam, who is a half sister to grade 1-placed Center Divider and three other stakes winners.

The third yearling by Curlin to sell was a colt consigned as Hip 100 by Woodford Thoroughbreds. Purchased by Peter Brant's White Birch Farm for $600,000, the colt is second foal out of the Harlington mare Room For Me. He descends from the female family of champion Sacahuista and grade 1 winners Ekraar, Giant's Steps, and Raging Fever.