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Rich Family Rewards Farfellow Farms With $1M Colt

Farm described the Street Sense colt as the nicest horse they've brought to a sale.

The Street Sense colt consigned as Hip 1022 in the ring at the Keeneland September Sale

The Street Sense colt consigned as Hip 1022 in the ring at the Keeneland September Sale

Anne M. Eberhardt

The team at Farfellow Farms believed they'd brought a special colt to the Keeneland September Yearling Sale for the fourth session Sept. 16. The dark bay son of Street Sense  consigned as Hip 1022 had the pedigree, the conformation, and the right people seemed to be looking at him.

"We expected something big would happen, that he could be a breakout horse, but we keep our expectations in check because this is the horse business," said Jak Knelman, whose parents Kip and Suzanne Knelman own Farfellow Farms, a 12-broodmare breeding operation near Paris, Ky., they started in the 1990s.

"Sometimes it all lines up and it works out," he continued.

Kip Knelman with Farfellow after selling Hip 1022 colt by Street Sense out of Critical Reason at Farfellow Farms<br>
Keeneland September yearling sales on Sept. 16, 2021.
Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt
Kip Knelman with Farfellow Farms at Keeneland

Boy did it work out. A protracted bidding battle late in the day pushed the colt to $1 million, with the BSW/Crow Colts Group prevailing. The venture with a group of partners put together by trainer Brad Cox had been shopping primarily in the $200,000 to $500,000 range all week, but everyone on the selection team was solidly behind this colt.

"He was really the first horse at the sale that we all lined up on and felt good about," said Liz Crow, who is a partner with Bradley Weisbord.

Their short-listers include Paul Sharp, who will break and train all the horses for the group; Eric Gustavson and Ned Toffey of Spendthrift Farm; and, most importantly, Cox, all believed this was the colt to buy—so much so that they all agreed in advance to go to seven figures.

"He had a nice pedigree and was a really nice physical, with a beautiful shoulder and a really nice hip," said Crow. "He's a really classy, great mover. He seems like a route horse and that was what we were looking for and by a great sire that I really respect.

"A million was definitely tops for us, but we were really happy to get him for that price," Crow continued. "We are looking for grade 1 quality horses and we want to make stallions. If you have a horse that checks every box, this is what you have to pay."

Liz Crow<br>
Keeneland September yearling sales on Sept. 11, 2021.
Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt
Liz Crow at Keeneland

The final price was a thunderclap for the Knelmans, who once sold another horse for seven figures years ago, but know these types are few and far between.

"Everyone who was on the horse I really respect, so it was rewarding as a breeder to see who was interested," said Jak Knelman. "That was part of the excitement—to see that you brought a horse that people really appreciated, and it's not every year you do that."

This colt hails from a family that is particularly special to the Knelmans. His second dam, Critikola, they imported from Argentina and raced with trainer Bill Spawr. For Farfellow Farms, she placed in the 2001 Santa Margarita Invitational Handicap (G1) and the Santa Maria Handicap (G1).

As a broodmare, Critikola produced a striking filly by Lemon Drop Kid named Lemons Forever, who won the 2006 Kentucky Oaks (G1) for Horton Stable and trainer Dallas Stewart. Lemons Forever would later produce grade 1-winning full sisters Forever Unbridled and Unbridled Forever.

The Street Sense colt is out of the stakes-placed winner Critikal Reason (Aptitude), who is also the dam of grade 1-placed, stakes winner Bajan (Speightstown ) and grade 3-placed Virtual Machine (Drosselmeyer).

"He just kept getting better and better," Kip Knelman said. "Our farm manager and staff at the farm did a marvelous job. We handle our horses all the time, from the time they are babies. He was a real gentleman the whole time. …We are very pleased and very blessed. This horse business can be tough, so sometimes when you get a little luck like this, it brings it back so we can do it again."

"We have always been coming to the yearling sales, but we started selling under our own banner a few years ago," Jak Knelman added. "We haven't brought a colt like this to the sale, so it is very exciting. This family has a lot of sentimental value and it is such a rewarding family with the highs we've experienced on the racetrack and now in the sales ring.

"The people who really deserve a lot of credit are the people at the farm, like our farm manager Josh Hennessy, who year in and year out put so much work into these horses and caring about them," he said.

Jak Knelman after sale of Hip 1022 colt by Street Sense out of Critical Reason at Farfellow Farms<br>
Keeneland September yearling sales on Sept. 16, 2021.
Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt
Jak Knelman at Keeneland

Partnership Bags 17 Colts, Reveals Participants
The new yearling-buying partnership headed by Weisbord, Crow, and Cox made some serious headway on building their arsenal over the past four days at Keeneland.

After wading with the purchase of three horses at The Saratoga Sale, Fasig-Tipton's selected yearling sale in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., the partnership has purchased 17 yearling colts in Lexington for more than $5.9 million in receipts.

CROSBY: Fasig-Tipton Purchases Kick off Cox's Colt-Buying Group

The prices of the acquisitions range from a $90,000 Accelerate Colt (Hip 727) taken Sept. 15 from the Garrencasey Sales consignment, to their $1 million Street Sense  splash.

"Brad Cox and I have been working together since 2014, really before either of us were on the map in the industry," Crow said. "Luckily, both of us have had quite a bit of success, and it's gotten us to the point where we were going to the sale and buying one or two clients a couple of colts, and that's just not a recipe for success. The recipe for success is numbers and diversity."

Ten owners pooling their resources together into this new venture has now given them that opportunity, raising $8 million, Crow said. Previously unidentified, Weisbord revealed the partners Sept. 16, led by Spendthrift, which he called a "seed partner" responsible for a third of the group's funding. Others in the venture include Steve Landers Racing, Martin S. Schwartz, Michael Dubb, Jim Bakke, Ten Strike Racing (Marshall Gramm/Clay Sanders), Paul Farr, Kueber Racing (Rick Kueber), Big Easy Racing (Chris Jean), and Winners Win (Rick Kanter).

Crow said the minimum investment was $500,000.

Many of the owners are existing clients with Cox, who Weisbord credited for the concept. Cox will train the majority of the purchases, though some horses may need to go to trainers at other circuits where last year's 2020 Eclipse Award-winning trainer is not based, Weisbord indicated.

Bradley Weisbord after sale of Hip 1022 colt by Street Sense out of Critical Reason at Farfellow Farms<br>
Keeneland September yearling sales on Sept. 16, 2021.
Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt
Bradley Weisbord at Keeneland

Weisbord hopes all the partners will see their names on the program when their horses compete and not be limited by publishing restrictions in the industry that have frustrated other large partnerships.

Crow indicated the group's goal is to buy 15 or 20 colts "to try to win grade 1 races and try to make a stallion."

She praised Weisbord, saying: "He's a big part of this as he really pieced the partnership together."

Others involved in examining potential prospects include Katelyn Jackson, Jake Memolo, Sarah Sharp, Gina Gans, and Kelsey Lupo. Cox also must approve every horse they buy after examining them.

"And Ned Toffey and Spendthrift Farm, they're involved in the group. They're a part of it," Crow added. "So we sit down with their team and have a discussion every night, and they approve each horse, as well. It's a big team involved in this to make all the decisions."

Weisbord mentioned the involvement of Spendthrift owner Eric Gustavson and his wife, Tammy, who is the daughter of the late B. Wayne Hughes. He called the team of Crow, Toffey, and Cox their "three-headed monster."

Though the group made headlines for its seven-figure purchase Thursday, as a value purchase for them, Crow mentioned Hip 457, a $200,000 Tapit  colt out of grade 1 winner Molly Morgan. Eaton Sales sold the colt as agent for Stonestreet Bred & Raised.

"He's just got a huge pedigree page, and he was a nice physical," she said. "So anytime you can get a Tapit for $200,000, that feels like a steal."

The group has shown a preference for proven sires, buying two colts by Into Mischief , "the best stallion in the world," Crow said.

Still, they acquired some by young stallions if they met other criteria. One such horse is Hip 405, a $435,000 purchase by popular freshman sire City of Light  out of the stakes-placed Dixie Union mare Inventive, making him a three-quarter brother to graded stakes winner Klimt (Quality Road).

They have sought out horses they expected to succeed on dirt, even if they had some turf blood in their pedigrees, such as Hip 18, a $400,000 Medaglia d'Oro  colt consigned by St. George Sales with grass influences in his second and third dams.

Though most have pedigrees to route, Crow sees some short-distance types, noting an Into Mischief colt (Hip 589) out of graded stakes winner Vertical Oak sold by Summerfield for Stonestreet Bred & Raised. His dam won the 2017 Prioress Stakes (G2) at six furlongs at Saratoga Race Course.  

The partnership paid $475,000 to get him.

"What a talented-looking horse," Crow said.

LIz Crow with some of her team looking at horses<br>
Keeneland September yearling sales on Sept. 16, 2021.
Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt
LIz Crow with some of her team inspecting horses at Keeneland