After selling eight horses for more than $200,000 each during the first three days of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Machmer Hall Sales looks to continue its momentum Sept. 18 with the start of Book 3.
Machmer Hall Sales, launched last year, could send as many as 24 yearlings into the auction ring Saturday. Many are from the Brogden family's breeding and foal-raising operation at Machmer Hall, and others are for clients such as D & J Racing, MJK Bloodstock, Stoneriggs Farm, and WinStar Farm. Four horses from Machmer Hall's Saturday consignment had been withdrawn as of 4 p.m. ET Sept. 17.
With a spike in yearling prices this week, Machmer Hall's Carrie Brogden anticipates plenty of activity, believing that different groups of buyers will pursue Book 3 horses.
"The Book 2 buyers that couldn't buy are pushing back, and then you have all the new people that have 50 or 75 (thousand dollars) to spend, and they're coming on board," she said.
She pointed to the popularity of Hip 1429, a Malibu Moon filly within her consignment, noting the yearling had 91 shows Sept. 16. Out of the unplaced Artie Schiller mare Chilly Fashion, she is a half sister to Arm Candy (Twirling Candy ), who ran third in the Hilltop Stakes at Pimlico earlier this year and is 2-0-3 from 10 starts with earnings of $144,870.
"Her first foal is a stakes filly and (1429's a) beautifully bodied filly, as you can guess from the number of shows," she said.
Chilly Fashion is a half to two graded stakes winners, Corfu (Malibu Moon) and New York Central (Tapit ).
Many of the yearlings in the Machmer Hall Sales consignment on Saturday are out of young mares, including Hip 1476, a Speightstown colt who is the first foal out of dual winner Fast Mama (Kitten's Joy).
Others in the fifth session of the sale include Hip 1221, a Collected filly that is a half sister to Antigravity (First Samurai ), who was elevated to third upon the disqualification of Hot Rod Charlie in the TVG.com Haskell Stakes (G1) at Monmouth Park this summer; Hip 1421, an Always Dreaming half sister to Curlin Florida Derby Presented by Hill 'n' Dale Farms at Xalapa (G1) winner Known Agenda ; and Hip 1322, a Munnings colt whose stakes-winning half brother, Never Surprised, ran second in the Sept. 4 Saranac Stakes (G3T) following a layoff at Saratoga Race Course.
"The physical standout of the consignment is probably 1322," Brogden said.
Few yearlings at this point in the sale can match the catalog page of Hip 1421, being out of grade 1 winner Byrama and with the latter already producing Known Agenda.
St. Elias Stable's Known Agenda ran ninth after starting from the rail in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) at Churchill Downs for trainer Todd Pletcher, then was fourth in the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets (G1) in the final start of his career June 5 at Belmont Park.
"Now he is going to be stallion at Spendthrift, so that's exciting," Brogden noted.
