Among the most active buying groups during the Sept. 13 first session of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale was the partnership of SF Bloodstock, Starlight Racing, and Madaket Stables.
Represented by agent Donato Lanni, the trio that calls themselves "the Avengers" wound up as the session's leading buyer, with eight purchased for $4,170,000, an average price of $521,250. Starlight and Madaket own an interest in Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) winner Authentic , along with MyRacehorse.com and majority owner Spendthrift Farm, while SF was among the original owners who sold their interests to Spendthrift in early June.
Topping the group's Sunday purchases was a ridgling by Into Mischief , Spendthrift's leading sire who is the sire of Authentic, bought for $775,000 from Four Star Sales, agent. Bred by Spendthrift, Hip 78 was produced from the grade 3-winning Flower Alley mare Banquet Booth and descends from a loaded female family that includes Horse of the Year Havre de Grace and Belmont Stakes (G1) winner and sire Tonalist .
"He is by Into Mischief, who is now proven as an elite stallion," SF Bloodstock's Tom Ryan said. "Authentic demonstrated that (Into Mischief) is capable of siring a horse who can win at the highest level at the classic distance.
"We had to reach to buy him, but he was a horse we felt suited our program very well," Ryan said of Hip 78. "The market has been soft in patches, but as we just saw, a good horse can still bring big money."
The group was also the leading buyers at the Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase Sept. 9-10, with eight horses bought for $3.29 million, an average price of $411,250.
