Speedway Stables Goes to $1.4 Million for Justify Filly

Marette Farrell, acting on behalf of Speedway Stables, outbid Donato Lanni to secure Hip 428—a filly by 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify—for a record-setting $1.4 million June 17 at the Ocala Breeders' Sales June 2-Year-Olds in Training and Horses of Racing Age Sale. Hip 428 surpassed the previous record set at last year's sale when Caliente Thoroughbreds sold a filly by Curlin for $975,000 to Gus King. "Oh, my God. As soon as I saw the breeze, all I wanted to do was go to the barn to see her," Farrell said. "And so many times you're disappointed when you see a phenomenal breeze like that. When I went to the barn, she was everything I could have hoped for. She had size, muscle, presence, great sense of mind. "She's by a phenomenal stallion, Justify. We're real believers in (him). That was an added plus. Then of course she's a half to a grade 1-placed (gelding), and it's Mindframe's extended family, and Speedway Stable has a broodmare band now, and these are the fillies we want to add to the band, the ones who have brilliance." Consignor Jesse Hoppel, who purchased the filly as a yearling at the 2025 Keeneland September Yearling Sale from the Vinery Sales consignment, was thrilled with the result. Known for his tremendous eye for pinhooking prospects, Hip 428 marks the second seven-figure sale for Hoppel. His first came earlier this year when a colt by Mo Town brought $1.05 million at the OBS March 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale from Donato Lanni, agent for Baoma Corp. He purchased that colt as a weanling at the 2024 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale for $40,000. "We got really fortunate," Hoppel said. "I'm just grateful everyone believed in us enough to bid on our horses like that. She exceeded our expectations by far. She's a really nice filly; she's got a really nice family. Hopefully she's really successful on the racetrack and goes on to become a really nice broodmare. All those things are a possibility with that filly." The daughter of Justify breezed a quarter-mile in :20 4/5, the co-fastest at the distance for the third session of the under-tack show. Hip 428 was bred in Kentucky by Big Aut Farms and is out of the stakes-winning and graded-stakes-producing mare Harbingerofthings. The daughter of Justify is a half sister to grade 1-placed, graded stakes winner Tell Your Daddy—by Justify's sire Scat Daddy—and grade 3 winner Dynadrive. Harbingerofthings shares a tail-female connection to multiple grade 1 winner and sire Mindframe through The Big Boss daughter Ran's Chick, who is Harbingerofthings' third dam and Mindframe's fourth dam.