Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm landed the day's top-selling mare during the Nov. 5 opening session of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale when she bought multiple graded stakes winner Roses for Debra (Hip 198) for $2.4 million. The strapping gray or roan mare is a daughter of Liam's Map who won graded stakes on all-weather and turf.
Roses for Debra, consigned by Candy Meadows Sales, is out of the Bernardini daughter Essential Rose, making her a half sister to stakes winners Rose's Vision (Artie Schiller) and Rosie's Alibi (Justify ).
"She was very elegant, very well put together," Pope said. "She was very fast. It was on the grass, which is not necessarily ideal for American breeding programs, but she was so fast. I needed some mares with speed to add to the stallions that I'd like to breed to."
John O'Meara, who raced Roses for Debra alone at first and later in partnership with Cheyenne Stable, said the sale was "unbelievable," considering he bought her for $25,000 from Dromoland Farm that dispersed stock following the death of farm owner Gerry Dilger, a friend of O'Meara's.
"Very exciting. I can't believe I was lucky enough to purchase such a nice mare for a small amount of money. It's all thanks to Gerry Dilger," he said. "It was unbelievable to go to the races with a horse like this. It was a wonderful ride, it's going to be awful hard to find another one like her."
While Pope said she is always looking for opportunities at the breeding stock sales, she is keen this year to find mares to support homebred stallion and grade 1-placed, grade 2 winner Charge It , who is entering stud next year at Gainesway at $12,500, and 2023 Blue Grass Stakes (G1) winner Tapit Trice , whom she raced with Gainesway and also enters stud next year with a $20,000 fee. Both entering-year stallions are by Gainesway's multiple leading sire Tapit .
WATCH: Roses for Debra Tops Book 1 at Keeneland November
"Probably similar kind of mares (for both sires). Neither one of them could really get out of the gate. They always needed a chance to get going. We'll probably be looking for some mares to put some speed with them," she said.
As for mating plans for Roses for Debra, Pope said she is looking for a stallion capable of the same versatility as her newest broodmare purchase. Roses for Debra won her first graded stakes in the 2023 Caress Stakes (G3T) at Saratoga Race Course. At 5 this year, she added to her graded stakes credentials by capturing the Giant's Causeway Stakes (G3T) at Keeneland and then proved her versatility in winning the Presque Isle Downs Masters Stakes (G2) on the Tapeta main track at Presque Isle Downs.
"Thinking Curlin, Justify, we have a couple good options there. Both work on the grass and the dirt, it's a good cross," she said.
Roses for Debra compiled a 9-2-2 record from 16 starts and earned $821,618.
