No stone is unturned when shopping for potential racehorses at a yearling sale, with every possible advantage weighed.
One of the angles leveraged is a yearling's broodmare sire, and through session six of the ongoing Keeneland September Yearling Sale, the late Bernardini leads the broodmare sire ranks by number of seven-figure purchases with six.
Bernardini, an American classic-winning son of A.P. Indy, ranks fifth by progeny earnings on the North American leading broodmare sire list as of Sept. 15 and ranks third by number of stakes winners year-to-date with 21 behind Galileo (37) and Tapit (23).
A $1.7 million colt by Not This Time (Hip 211) out of the winning mare Wembley, who is a daughter of grade 1 winner Game Face (Menifee), is Bernardini's top-selling September yearling as a broodmare sire. Agent Pedro Lanz bought the colt on behalf of Saudi Arabia's KAS Stables out of the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment.
"I told them this is my favorite colt in all of the sale," Lanz said after purchasing Hip 211. "A Bernardini mare, by a hot sire (Not This Time), I'm very excited."
KAS Stables is racing a broodmare prospect in the making with Mazayaat, a 3-year-old daughter of Bernardini, in training with Bill Mott. So far, she has a win and two seconds from four career starts.
Three of the seven-figure Bernardini yearlings are by Three Chimneys Farm's leading sire Gun Runner , who is the September sale's leading sire by average (among sires with a minimum of three sold) at $887,436. This cross so far is meeting the rosiest of predictions. Out of 14 foals of racing age representing the cross, six are winners and three are black-type stakes winners (21% from foals of racing age). The top performer to date is Life Talk, who won the 2023 Demoiselle Stakes (G2) and ran third in the Frizette Stakes (G1) for Repole Stable.
Not surprisingly, Repole Stable bought the Gun Runner colt (Hip 278) out of three-time grade 1 winner Cavorting for $1.5 million out of the Indian Creek consignment for Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings.
| Top 10 Broodmare Sires by Avg. (10 or more sold) | ||
| Broodmare Sire | Average | No. Sold |
| Quality Road | $568,571 | 14 |
| Into Mischief | $551,000 | 20 |
| Union Rags | $507,083 | 12 |
| Pioneerof the Nile | $498,125 | 16 |
| Bernardini | $471,845 | 42 |
| Curlin | $456,625 | 32 |
| Tapit | $449,457 | 46 |
| Harlan's Holiday | $396,818 | 11 |
| Ghostzapper | $368,939 | 33 |
| Congrats | $367,500 | 10 |
Following Bernardini, the next leading broodmare sires represented by seven-figure yearlings are Gainesway's Tapit and Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa's Curlin , who have four apiece.
Tapit is the leading North American broodmare sire with $28,734,536 in progeny earnings as of Sept. 15. The multiple leading North American sire is the September sale's top broodmare sire by number of yearlings sold for $500,000 and up with 13, just one ahead of Bernardini.
Tapit's top September yearling is a $3.3 million Gun Runner colt (Hip 177) that Hill 'n' Dale sold to Coolmore's M.V. Magnier, Peter Brant's White Birch Farm, and Winchell Thoroughbreds. Hip 177 is out of Thoughtfully, who won the 2020 Adirondack Stakes (G2) and is a half sister to grade 2 winner Annual Report and stakes winner Giant Payday, plus a full sister to stakes winner Signator.
Curlin's top yearling as a broodmare sire is a $1.7 million Flightline (Hip 45) colt that Japanese owner Naohiro Sakaguchi bought from Warrendale Sales. Hip 45 is out of the unraced mare Mira Alta, who is a half sister to grade 1 winner Great Hunter and to stakes-placed, stakes producer Glitzen Glory. The immediate family also produced grade 1-placed, multiple grade 3 winner Owendale.
Tapit and Bernardini have been represented by the largest number of September yearlings sold among the broodmare sires represented at the sale, with 46 and 42, respectively. The higher number of yearlings sold tend to suppress the average, so Bernardini is the fifth-leading broodmare sire with a $471,845 average (among broodmare sires with 10 or more sold) and Tapit ranks seventh at $449,457.
Lane's End's prominent sire Quality Road leads the broodmare sire standings by average at $568,571 from 14 sold through the September sale's sixth session. The 19-year-old son of Elusive Quality has been represented by two seven-figure yearlings, topped by a $1.9 million Gun Runner colt (Hip 731) bought by Spendthrift Farm out of Hill 'n' Dale Farms' consignment.
Spendthrift Farm's six-time leading North American sire Into Mischief ranks second as a broodmare sire with a $551,000 average from 20 sold. The 20-year-old son of Harlan's Holiday has been represented by three seven-figure yearlings and is co-ranked third with Curlin by number of yearlings selling for $500,000 or more with nine.
Into Mischief's top yearling as a broodmare sire is a $1.6 million Flightline colt (Hip 364) that Doug Scharbauer bought from breeder/consignor Clearsky Farms. The colt is out of the winner Immediate Impact, who is a half sister to four-time grade 1 winner and North America's richest racehorse Arrogate.
Into Mischief is well-positioned to eventually add leading North American broodmare sire to his already extensive résumé. He currently ranks 15th on the leading broodmare sires list, which he has accomplished with the third-lowest number of producing daughters (228) among the top 15 broodmare sires behind Congrats (163) and Uncle Mo (196). Into Mischief is co-ranked in seventh with Giant's Causeway by number of black-type winners so far this year as a broodmare sire with 13 apiece.
| Top 25 Broodmare Sires (Five or more sold) | ||||
| For Sessions 1-6 of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale | ||||
| Broodmare Sire | Average | No. Sold | No. $1M+ | No. $500k+ |
| Quality Road | $568,571 | 14 | 2 | 6 |
| Into Mischief | $551,000 | 20 | 3 | 9 |
| Gun Runner | $545,000 | 7 | 2 | 2 |
| Union Rags | $507,083 | 12 | 3 | 5 |
| Pioneerof the Nile | $498,125 | 16 | 2 | 8 |
| Mr. Greeley | $492,000 | 5 | 1 | 2 |
| Bernardini | $471,845 | 42 | 6 | 12 |
| Curlin | $456,625 | 32 | 4 | 9 |
| Tapit | $449,457 | 46 | 4 | 13 |
| Mineshaft | $435,000 | 5 | 2 | |
| Broken Vow | $420,625 | 8 | 1 | 1 |
| Munnings | $407,500 | 8 | 1 | 1 |
| Harlan's Holiday | $396,818 | 11 | 4 | |
| Liam's Map | $392,222 | 9 | 1 | 3 |
| Exchange Rate | $385,000 | 6 | 1 | |
| Majestic Warrior | $381,250 | 8 | 4 | |
| Include | $370,000 | 5 | 1 | |
| Ghostzapper | $368,939 | 33 | 1 | 7 |
| Congrats | $367,500 | 10 | 2 | |
| Empire Maker | $366,818 | 22 | 1 | 4 |
| Unbridled's Song | $365,263 | 19 | 6 | |
| Speightstown | $362,045 | 22 | 1 | 5 |
| Candy Ride (ARG) | $360,870 | 23 | 1 | 6 |
| A.P. Indy | $356,000 | 10 | 3 | |
