Despite the fact it has bred more than its share of top-end horses, the Knelman family's Farfellow Farms keeps a pretty low profile. The farm usually offers its yearlings through other outfits, but this year Farfellow will present a two-horse consignment out of Barn 7 during Book 3 of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. On offer is a Hard Spun homebred colt (Hip 1227) and an Honor Code filly (Hip 1355) it pinhooked out of last year's Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale with H & H Equine.
"We periodically will consign a couple of broodmares or broodmare prospects in November ourselves," Kip Knelman said. "It just depends on our workload, if we can we afford to have a couple of people on our farm go and deal with all of that."
The last Farfellow Farms yearling consignment was in 2017 when it sold five of six horses for $342,000. This year, the Knelmans have had a bit more time. Based in Minnesota, the Knelmans have remained at their farm near Paris, Ky., while riding out the pandemic. Kip's "day job" is the managing director of strategy and investment relations for Geronimo Energy.
"With COVID-19, I've been on the farm since March and won't be leaving until mid-November, so I can lend a helping hand," he said. "I've been happy to be here. It's the place to be when you need to be away from the maddening crowd."
Farfellow has developed a reputation as a good place to raise racehorses. Horses it has bred and raised include Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) winner Anees, Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner and Kentucky Broodmare of the Year Lemons Forever, and Wood Memorial Stakes (G1) winner Buddha.
"People will know what they're getting, and that's one asset for potential buyers," Knelman said. "They can come to us and ask us questions because we know everything that there is to know about these two young horses since the beginning—or since November in the case of the filly."
The colt is out of the Farfellow-bred mare Waltzingintherain (Tizway). Though she's unraced, she's a half sister to stakes winner and grade 3-placed Hashtag Bourbon, Arkansas Derby (G2)-placed Wild Horses, and stakes-placed Waltzing With Blue. Farfellow Farms purchased their dam, Waltzing With Deb, in January 1999.
"We have had Waltzing with Deb ever since she was retired from racing," Knelman said. "She's been a really good mare for us. She's still on the farm and is retired. (Waltzingintherain) is physically a really good-looking mare. She had issues and didn't make it on the track. We've always liked Hard Spun. This is a colt that physically is imposing. He has developed nicely. You take the physical aspect of the colt and the pedigree together, and he'll have a fighting chance out there."
The filly, out of the Johannesburg mare Exonerated, is a half sister to grade 2 winner Skye Diamonds (First Dude). Bred by Donald Dizney and W. S. Farish, she was an $80,000 purchase last fall by Farfellow Farms and Hennessy Bloodstock from Lane's End.
"We typically don't (pinhook) but thought she was something of interest and we'd go ahead and try to sell her," Knelman said. "We are very, very familiar with Skye Diamonds. Some friends of ours raced her, and her trainer, Bill Spawr, is one we use in California.
"She's grown and has a great mind, is a good physical, and vets out," Knelman said. "Her approach is great."
While this is their first foray as a consignor in a while, the Knelmans have a couple of other yearlings selling later in the sale under the Hidden Brook banner.
