Padraig Campion, owner of Blandford Stud, didn’t sell last month's Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1) hero Epicenter when he was a yearling—but the consignor has high expectations for the star colt’s younger half sibling, an attractive chestnut filly by Tapiture .
"She’s a big fish in a small pond in Book 3," Campion said with a grin on the morning of Sept. 16, as prospective buyers filed by Barn 27 to take a look at the filly.
In a Keeneland September Yearling Sale catalog inundated with yearlings that are relatives to grade 1 winners, Hip 1600 offers buyers one of the most relevant, standout pages of the entire sale, due to Epicenter's 2022 success.
WATCH: Half Sister to Epicenter Set to Shine at Keeneland
Bred by Westwind Farms and sold at the 2020 Keeneland September Sale for $260,000, Epicenter has gone on to bankroll over $2.9 million for Winchell Thoroughbreds. The Not This Time colt was victorious in the Travers, Jim Dandy Stakes (G2), Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2), and Risen Star Stakes presented by Lamarque Ford (G2) in addition to a tough defeat by three-quarters of a length to Rich Strike as the favorite in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1). He was also second in the Preakness Stakes (G1) after an awkward start.
“I think (Epicenter has) got a pretty good shot at being named champion 3-year-old colt—no one can argue with that—unless another 3-year-old comes up and wins the Breeders’ Cup,” said Mike Harris, president of Westwind Farms.
A family-run operation located in Bowling Green, Ky., Westwind is no stranger to grade 1 winners, having bred or raised Sweet Reason, Santa Teresita, and Valid Point.
“We’ve had one champion at our farm, and that was in 1976 (My Juliet), so they are far and few between for us, but Epicenter is the best horse we’ve ever raised, there’s no question," Harris said. "If he stays sound I think he’s just getting started. He’s improving with every race, and it’s going to be fun to watch the (Longines) Breeders’ Cup (Classic (G1)).”
Westwind, a 1,000-acre farm that prides itself on bread and butter-style horsemanship, has brought yearlings to the September Sale since the mid-1960s. Up until last year, the Harris family managed its own consignment in addition to using other consignors, but as of 2021 has handed selling duties fully over to Campion.
“(The Harris family is) low-key and they’re very smart about their horses,” Campion said. “They don’t overdo it. They raise a really good horse. … It’s basic horsemanship. And the proof is in the pudding. Since I’ve been around them I’ve sold two grade 1 winners for them.”
Harris likes what he sees in Hip 1600, a daughter of the stakes-winning Candy Ride mare Silent Candy. The mare, the “boss mare in the field” according to Harris, was purchased by Westwind for $130,000 at the 2014 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. She delivered a filly by Outwork this spring.
“(Hip 1600 has) a lot of similarities to Epicenter,” Harris said. “She’s very well-balanced and has a good walk. She’s also extraordinarily smart, and he was too. That means a lot.
“She’s a month or two younger than Epicenter was as a yearling at this sale. But both of them came a long way (in their development) in the final two months before the sale. I was worried about her being too small, and she’s not. Epicenter was on the smaller side early on too. Both of them have big engines, though, and a nice hip.”
Although Campion didn’t sell Epicenter as a yearling, he recalls seeing the colt at that stage. He believes Hip 1600 takes more after her sire, Tapiture, in size and scope.
“She’s medium-sized with a lot of quality,” Campion said. “She moves very well. When she puts her head down and goes she can really cover some ground.”
Tapiture, a Winchell Thoroughbreds’ homebred, was a multiple graded stakes-winning millionaire on the track. The 11-year-old son of Tapit has yet to sire “the big horse” but has more than proven himself to be a capable stallion, topping last year’s third-crop sire list by winners. He stood the 2022 breeding season for a $10,000 fee at Darby Dan Farm.
“I like (Tapiture),” Harris said. “Thirty to thirty-five thousand is normally the most we’ll spend on a stud fee. And I was just always very high on Tapiture. He throws very good-looking foals. They are all similar. In fact, I’ve got three In the sale, and I like all three of them. He’s one of my favorites.”
Epicenter's little sister will take center stage Sept. 18 as one of the first 60 lots to go through the ring Sunday morning.
“She really is a nice filly, and I think she’ll sell well, but if she doesn’t, we wouldn’t be too sad if we brought her home,” Harris said.
