Midway into the first day of the Ocala Breeders' Sales March 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale March 11, Hip 119, a colt by first-crop sire Maxfield , commanded a price of $1 million from Japanese trainer Mitsu Nakauchida. The bay colt was a $75,000 yearling purchase by Polo Bloodstock at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
The Wavertree Stables-consigned colt fought a strong headwind on the first day of the under tack show March 6, clocking an eighth of a mile in :09 4/5. The son of Maxfield was bred in Kentucky by War Horse Place out of the stakes-winning, graded-placed Sky Mesa mare Eyeinthesky.
"It all comes down to the work," said Ciaran Dunne of Wavertree Stables. "It's a breeze show, and it all comes down to the work. He worked sensational on a day when horses were struggling to work, and he produced. He showed himself good all week."
"He breezed really good," Nakauchida said. "Physically, he looks really strong and his movement was really smooth and nice. I just liked everything about him. I liked his breeze show first. Then I looked at him physically, and I really liked him. Plus, freshman sire Maxfield, he looks really good. I cannot complain about the stallion."
Racing as a homebred for Godolphin, Maxfield earned more than $2 million on the track and notched grade 1 wins at 2 and 4. He won the 2019 Breeders' Futurity (G1) by 5 1/2 lengths at 2, and capped his career with a win in the 2021 Clark Stakes (G1) in his final start. Never worse than third in 11 career starts, he won eight races, including four additional graded stakes victories. He stands for an advertised fee of $40,000 at Darley near Lexington.
Entering stud in 2022, Maxfield's first yearlings were well received at the 2024 sales. The son of Street Sense had 79 yearlings sold from 96 offered for an average of $203,057 and a $135,000 median. Two Maxfield yearlings sold for $1 million.
Nakauchida said the colt will head to Japan and race there.
Of the $1 million price tag, Dunne said it was not even close to what he was expecting. "That's the other thing you have no control over," he said. "Two people wanted him, and they were willing to go to the mat for him. It's often enough we walk up there and we only have one guy, we were lucky today we had two. The underbidder is more important or as important as the buyer.
"He jumped through all the hoops, as cliché as it is. He vetted good, he stayed sound, and he worked great. When they do that, it's easy."
