A filly from the first crop of Bernardini was knocked down for $1,475,000 (A$2,137,734) at the opening session of Keeneland’s November Sale.
Her grand-dam Better Than Honour was the star attraction at Fasig-Tipton’s November Sale over the weekend when she sold for $14m (A$20.3m) and this filly, out of three-time winner Teeming, who is a half-sister to the Belmont winners Rags To Riches and Jazil, was always likely to prove popular. She was bred by John Sikura of Hill ‘n’ Dale Equine Holdings and his father-in-law Ed McGhee and sold to Chesapeake Partners.
Other weanlings by the young sire to do well at the sale so far include a colt out of Banshee Winds (hip 275), who sold for $360,000 (A$521,439). A colt from Castanea (hip 584), a half-sister to Tale Of The Cat and Minardi, fetched $300,0000 (A$434,581) while Pilfer’s March-foaled colt (hip 135) made $250,000 (A$362,151). Six of seven Bernardini weanlings offered sold for an average of $456,666 (A$673,271).
The stock of fellow first-crop stallion Henny Hughes have also proved popular. A colt from Tactic Move (hip 888), a half-sister to Stakes winners Cat Fighter and Ishiguru, was knocked down for $220,000 (A$324,243) during Wednesday's session, while earlier in the week, his daughter out of Here Comes Betty (hip 355) raised a bid of $200,000 (A$294,900). To date, Henny Hughes' foals have set an average of $172,500 (A$254,190).
Street Cry has also had several six-figure weanlings go through the ring. A colt out of Her She Kisses (hip 584), bought in utero at Keeneland’s January Sale when his dam fetched $250,000, added another $300,000 (A$443,581) to the pot when sold on Tuesday. A colt and a filly both made $260,000 (A$376,733) on Monday, the colt (hip 36) being out of the Irish-bred Glimmering and the filly (hip 218) a daughter of Tizsweet.
The G1-winning Smart Strike mare Shadow Cast is the third highest priced broodmare to be sold at Keeneland so far this November. Carrying to Bernardini, she realised $2.3m (A$3.3m) during the opening session. Shadai Farm’s Katsumi Yoshida spent $1.2m (A$1.7m) for four-year-old Freud mare Quick Little Miss, who is in foal to Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense.
