A year after bringing the $5 million sales-topping Curlin colt to the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, the dynamic Stonestreet operation returns to the ring for Book 1 with a quartet of high-quality offerings.
While all eight Stonestreet offerings stir the possibility of raising fireworks, two of those yearlings in particular, produced from a pair of Stonestreet blue hens, are sure to bring the thunder.
The two colts, Hip 278 and Hip 312, are out of the top-class broodmares Cavorting and Dream Rush, respectively. Both colts will go under the hammer Sept. 8 for the second session of Book 1.
Purchased as a weanling for $360,000 at the 2012 Keeneland November Sale, Cavorting banked over $2 million on the track and collected three grade 1 wins under the Stonestreet banner. The daughter of Bernardini has since flourished as a broodmare, producing three stakes performers, led by three-time grade 1 winner Clairiere (Curlin).
Cavorting's colt, Hip 278, is in fact a half brother to last year's Keeneland September sale topper. That colt, named Courting, is currently in training with Todd Pletcher working toward his debut.
Hip 278, a vision of his Horse of the Year sire Gun Runner with his crimson coat and athletic physical, has generated an early buzz around the sale grounds and could very well give his sale-topping half bother a run for his money come ring time.
"It's exciting to have another colt out of Cavorting this year and (Hip 278 is) an outstanding representation of Gun Runner," said Sarah Sutherland of Indian Creek. "He's very different from the Curlin colt last year, as you would expect, since he's by Gun Runner. But they are similar in that they have unbelievable minds, great energy, they handle themselves well, carry themselves well. They are similar in their quality."
At 13 years old, Cavorting has years ahead of her in the breeding shed while another Stonestreet mare, Dream Rush, is nearing the end of her tenure as a broodmare. Twenty-one-year-old Dream Rush, a foundation mare for the Stonestreet breeding program, ensured her legacy lives on through the accomplishments of her daughter, Dreaming of Julia. A grade 1 winner on the track, Dreaming of Julia, by A.P. Indy, became an even better broodmare, producing two-time champion and Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) heroine Malathaat.
After Malathaat sold for the sum of $1.05 million at the 2019 Keeneland September Sale, the Curlin filly became one of the best horses Stonesteet ever bred, posting triumphs in the Kentucky Oaks (G1) and Breeders' Cup Distaff among her six grade 1 wins on her way to earnings of $3.7 million.
Hip 312 is Dream Rush's youngest offspring to date and the first to be offered at public auction since 2019. The colt, consigned by Taylor Made sales, is by none other than Curlin, the sire of Malathaat.
"He's by a great stallion, he has a great pedigree, and to top it all off, he's just a very good physical," said Frank Taylor of Taylor Made. "(He's) very athletic and looks like a two-turn horse. We're excited about him; he looks like the real deal."
Another collector's item of the Stonestreet offerings is Hip 8, a Quality Road colt out of the brilliant race mare Lady Aurelia. The Indian Creek-consigned colt is the first of Lady Aurelia's progeny to pass through the sales ring.
"Nothing out of the mare has ever come to the market before, so it's pretty exciting to see this colt," Sutherland said. "This colt gives you a great feel when you see him. It was a great mating. It looks like he's going to give you a good blend of speed to go with the Quality Road, so that's the genes from 'Mom' coming through."
"Mom", or Lady Aurelia, became one of the most talented United States-bred horses to grace the European turf in the modern era. Well-regarded for her exceptional speed, Lady Aurelia defeated males at the highest level in such prestigious sprint contests as the King's Stand Stakes (G1) and Nunthorpe Stakes (G1).
Stonestreet went to $7.5 million for Lady Aurelia to buy out partner Peter Leidel at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton November Sale. Her first foal to race was the Curlin colt American Rascal, who graduated first time out during the Keeneland spring meet and captured the 2023 Zia Park Juvenile Stakes as a 2-year-old.
"American Rascal was very talented and I think the expectations would be the same with this colt," Sutherland said.
Indian Creek also consigns Hip 42, a Gun Runner filly out of the grade 1-winning mare Mia Mischief. Stonestreet acquired Mia Mischief, a millionaire daughter of Into Mischief , for $2.4 million at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton November Sale.
"She's a beautiful filly," Sutherland said. "It's a great cross, and obviously Mia Mischief was very accomplished herself. I think you have a good mix of both the sire and the dam in her. She's a very nice moving filly and she looks like she'll be able to carry her speed around two turns, she's not going to be limited in distance by any stretch."
