Eight of Effinex's First and Only Foals at NY-Bred Sale

The New York breeding industry will find out this weekend, unfortunately, how much it lost with the premature death of first-crop yearling sire and multiple graded stakes winner Effinex.

A son of Mineshaft , who won five graded stakes including the Clark Handicap (G1) and earned more than $3.3 million, Effinex entered stud at Questroyal North, near Stillwater, N.Y., for a fee of $10,000. Following a successful first breeding season that produced 103 mares confirmed in foal, tragedy struck Oct. 18 when the stallion died suddenly due to a ruptured pulmonary artery.

"He is the kind of horse every owner should have at least once in their life. He filled a huge void in my life," said owner/breeder Dr. Russell Cohen at the time of Effinex's death.

Effinex will be represented at the Aug. 11-12 Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearling Sale by four colts and four fillies. Six of the yearlings will be offered during the Monday second session.

One of the better bred Effinex colts is Hip 563, who is out of stakes winner and stakes producer Queen Amira (by Forestry). The mare is from the family of grade 1 winners Musical Romance and Battle of Midway. The colt is consigned by Van Meter-Gentry Sales.

"He is a good, solid colt that looks like a nice Mineshaft," said Renee Dailey, referring to Effinex's sire. Dailey is Van Meter-Gentry's yearling manager, who is running the consignment at the Fasig-Tipton sale. "I've had him the whole time for his sales prep, and he's done everything right and just kept improving. He looks like he'll be precocious and early."

The colt was bred in New York by Hidden Lake Farm. He was purchased as a pinhook prospect for $15,000 out of the Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale by Pintail Thoroughbreds out of the Mulholland Springs consignment.

"He was purchased for the purpose of aiming at this sale," Dailey said.

The New York-bred incentive program offers significantly higher rewards for foals by New York-based sires. For horses competing in open company, owners are eligible to receive a 20% bonus on purse money earned for first through third place with a New York-sired horse. A non-New York-sired horse is eligible in open company for a 10% bonus if it finishes first through third.

Adrian Regan, co-owner of Hunter Valley Farm, said his consignment's filly, Hip 557, is definitely a more valuable prospect at the New York-bred sale.

"Being by a New York sire makes a big difference," Regan said. "You have all the trainers and owners who race here. We all know about the upside of racing in New York."

Regan said they are quite happy with their Effinex filly out of the winning Bellamy Road mare Picolata, who is a half sister to stakes-placed winner Maegans Princesses (Yankee Gentleman). Picolata's second dam is North East Dancer, the dam of grade 1-placed, multiple graded stakes winner North East Bound. The sale filly was bought as a pinhook prospect for $32,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Winter Mixed Sale by Spring Mountain Investments out of Mulholland Springs' consignment.

Another Effinex filly to watch is McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds' Hip 604, who is out of the unraced Distorted Humor  mare Sign Off, a daughter of multiple grade 1 winner Imperial Gesture. The filly was bred by McMahon of Saratoga with Spruce Lane Farm.