Home » Marquee Miss tops nearly $35M in sales on day two of Keeneland’s November Breeding Stock Sale

Marquee Miss tops nearly $35M in sales on day two of Keeneland’s November Breeding Stock Sale

Marquee Miss sold to WinStar Farm for $750,000 on day two of Keeneland’s November Breeding Stock Sale.

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Multiple stakes winner Marquee Miss, a half-sister to 2018 Grade 1 winner Promises Fulfilled, sold to WinStar Farm for $750,000 and led a strong day of commerce on Tuesday at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale.

On Tuesday, the first day of the two-session Book 2, Keeneland sold 223 horses for $34,942,000 for an average of $156,691 and a median of $125,000. There are no comparable figures from last year.

“The bidding today was very strong and consistent,” Keeneland Director of Sales Operations Geoffrey Russell said. “There was good domestic involvement at the top end, and we still had a fair amount of international buyers, especially from Japan and Australia. The foals sold very well, especially considering we had a lot of end-users ending up with the top prices. It was good to see Marquee Miss, a good race mare, sell. She’s a beautiful mare, and going to WinStar she should be very well looked after and bred to the best stallions in the world.

“Bidding on foals was very competitive and at times quite aggressive,” Russell added. “The weanling market has been very strong the past couple of years. Our breeders are pretty savvy. They know they have to bring a good quality foal. The ones that are here, as they say, ‘tick all the boxes.’ That gives buyers confidence.”

Through the first two days of the November Sale, 343 horses have sold for $91,371,000 for an average of $266,388 and a median of $180,000.

Lane’s End, agent, consigned Marquee Miss, a 5-year-old daughter of Cowboy Cal out of the graded stakes-placed Marquetry mare Marquee Delivery. WinStar President, CEO and Racing Manager Elliott Walden said Marquee Miss, cataloged as a racing or broodmare prospect, would be retired from racing but breeding plans were undetermined.

“She’s a beautiful mare, and we love Promises Fulfilled,” Walden said, referring to the Shackleford colt who won Keeneland’s Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix (G2) in October. “We have a lot of respect for him. The price was a little more that we wanted to spend, but she is the one we wanted today.”

WinStar was the leading buyer Tuesday, spending $1,170,000 for three horses.

The appeal of champion Lady Eli, who sold for $4.2 million on opening day of the November Sale, continued Tuesday when Larry Best’s OXO Equine paid $600,000 for the day’s top-priced weanling, a colt by Nyquist out of Lady Eli’s half-sister Holy Place.

The weanling, also consigned by Lane’s End, agent, is from the first crop of Nyquist, who won the 2015 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) at Keeneland to close his juvenile championship campaign and captured the 2016 Kentucky Derby (G1). The colt’s dam, the Pulpit mare Holy Place, also is a half-sister to Grade 3 winner Bizzy Caroline.

“This colt is a bet on good breeding,” said Best, who later purchased a Quality Road weanling colt for $525,000. “I love Lady Eli. I like Uncle Mo and (his son) Nyquist. He has good conformation and is the right size for his foaling date. Given how he stood out on this day and at this time, I thought he was going to go for somewhere between $450,000 and $600,000. (He) was one of the better ones in the sale today, so I feel fortunate.”

The Quality Road colt Best acquired is from the family of Grade 1 winners Paulassilverlining and Dads Caps. Consigned by Bedouin Bloodstock, agent, he is out of the High Cotton mare Tanasi.

Lane’s End was the session’s leading consignor, selling 33 horses for $7,260,000.

Two broodmares sold for $550,000 apiece.

Hinkle Farms purchased the first, Remembered, dam of 2018 Grade 1 winner Bowies Hero, in foal to Gun Runner. Consigned by Pope McLean (Crestwood Farm), agent, she is out of the Conquistador Cielo mare Sister Girl and from the family of Grade 1 winner Sharp Azteca and Grade 3 winner Firing Line.

“She’s a lovely mare. She’s going to be 9, and she’s already a Grade 1 stakes producer,” Tom Hinkle said. “We actually have some of the family already. We own the dam of Sharp Azteca (So Sharp), so we like the family. (She stood out) because she is a proven producer. We had a good (Keeneland) September (Yearling) Sale, and we are always trying to upgrade the quality of our broodmare band.”

The second mare to sell for $550,000 was 2010 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1) winner Shared Account, acquired by Ontario’s Sam-Son Farm (J. Wigan, agent). In foal to Mastery, the 12-year-old daughter of Pleasantly Perfect is the dam of 2018 stakes winner Riley’s Choice. She was consigned by Upson Downs Farm, agent.

“We (don’t have breeding plans because) we have been trying so hard to get a mare that we did not know what we were going to get,” Sam-Son Broodmare and Stallion Manager Dave Whitford said. “Her price is fair market value. She is in foal to an unproven stallion so we thought we might get her for a little less.”

“It is hard to sell a Breeders’ Cup winner but you have to refocus,” Alex Rankin of Upson Downs said. “She was well sold and well bought so we are pleased. There was (a reserve) because she has that kind of value to us.”

Pacific Union Bloodstock paid $500,000 for a weanling colt by Into Mischief out of Nest Egg, by Eskendereya. Consigned by St. George Sales, agent, the colt is from the family of multiple Group 1 winner and Irish and Italian highweight Muhtarram and graded stakes winners Profit Column and Final Round.

The November Sale continues through Friday, Nov. 16, with all sessions beginning at 10 a.m. The entire sale is streamed live at Keeneland.com.