On the heels of Jas' successful introduction to the 2027 Kentucky Derby (G1) trail with a victory in the Street Sense Stakes (G3) Oct. 25 at Churchill Downs, the market was hot for his dam Flag Day Nov. 3 at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale.
By the end of the bidding, it was Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm that landed the mare consigned as Hip 79 for $2.9 million, the farm's second seven-figure purchase of the day.
The 10-year-old mare was offered as part of a complete dispersal of Earle Mack's breeding stock, which is being handled by Denali Stud. Flag Day is by Giant's Causeway and is out of the winning, stakes-placed Street Sense mare Sense to Compete, making her a half sister to multiple graded stakes-placed Street Ready and stakes-placed Robin Hood. The family also includes grade 1 winner Diversify through Sense to Compete's half sister Rule One.
It was that pedigree that enticed Pope.
"I love Giant's Causeway mares. I know he's kind of ancient at this point, but I think he's still one of the top broodmare sires that we've had," Pope said. "Also being out of a Street Sense mare, I think a good broodmare type. She's already produced now two stakes horses, with the second one being the 2-year-old."
The 2-year-old is Jas, a son of Justify who outdueled promising maiden winner Staunch in the stretch of the Street Sense Stakes while making his dirt debut. He had previously finished second in the Kentucky Downs Juvenile Mile Stakes on the Kentucky Downs turf to How's Al Today, who was the morning-line favorite for the Oct. 30 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) and finished fifth behind a strong European contingent.
Flag Day is in foal to elite sire Gun Runner , making that soon-to-be-born foal a full sibling to grade 3 winner Hall of Fame. Pope is hopeful she will be able to recoup her money on just that one foal.
"The plan would be to foal her out and come back with that one as a yearling and get three, 3 1/2 million for it," Pope said.
The $2.9 million price point was higher than Pope expected. She was hopeful to get the mare for $2 million, but was not surprised she needed to go higher given the current market.
"Everything is bringing a lot of money," Pope said. "If you want these kind of mares, it's what you have to do."
Well-Bred Weanling Joins Pope's Stable
Earlier in the session, Pope bought a weanling filly by Good Magic from the immediate family of grade 1 winners Dornoch , Mage , and Baeza . She signed the ticket for Hip 19 at $1.05 million.
"She's from an unbelievable family," said Todd Quast, general manager and racing manager for Whisper Hill Farm. "When you get out of that mare and going back to Good Magic, and the good ones that are out of (Puca), you have to look at it long range."
Nursery Place bred and consigned the filly. She is out of the Silver Ghost mare Boat's Ghost, making the filly a half sister to grade 1 winner and millionaire Finnegans Wake and 2025 Broodmare of the Year Puca, who produced Baeza, Dornoch, and Mage; classic winners Dornoch and Mage are both by Good Magic.
Nursery Place purchased Boat's Ghost for $17,000 at the 2023 Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale.
Quast said Whisper Hill hopes to campaign the filly for a successful career on the track, but given her strong pedigree, the filly holds a lot of residual value as a broodmare down the road.
"I think that's why everybody was there (bidding) and we were paying a lot more money than we normally would for that physical," Quast said.
To outpace a highly competitive market, he explained that they are buying more weanlings to capitalize on the substantial value increase by the time they become yearlings.
"You have to start with weanlings thinking they're going to be in the broodmare band, because it's just getting more and more competitive; and if they have a good family, they've got to step up and pay for it," he said.
"It's definitely a long-range goal to raise, breed, and it takes all that nowadays it seems like to get into these families."
Quast said he expects the filly, who is a bit on the small side, to blossom as she gets older.
"The only thing is she might be a little bit small, but it was all there and all in the right spots," he said. "And that family tends to be a little bit that way, so we're hoping she'll continue on.
"But, she did everything right. Moved well, looked good, vetted good."
