Catching up with the top sellers from 2015 Keeneland September

With the Keeneland September Sale kicking off on Monday, it’s time to revisit the top sellers from the 2015 yearling auction.

Of the 11 who sold for at least $1 million, eight have been named, three have raced, and one has won.

$2.1 million Tapit-Silver Colors colt named TAPIT HIGH

Purchased by Mandy Pope’s Whisper Hill Farm, this grandson of 1988 Kentucky Derby (G1) champion Winning Colors got his early education with Todd Quast at GoldMark Farm near Ocala, Florida. The gray recorded his first breeze May 7, and continued to appear on the GoldMark worktab for a couple of months. The paper trail ends, however, with his last three-furlong drill on the synthetic Safetrack in :36.80 on July 9.

This is vaguely reminiscent of Tapit High’s full sister, Tapping Colors, who was a $700,000 Keeneland September purchase – also by Pope – in 2014. After working regularly at GoldMark late last year, she joined trainer Ralph Nicks at Gulfstream Park, only to be sidelined. Tapping Colors returned to the worktab back at GoldMark in April, but the three-year-old disappeared from view again.

Their dam, Silver Colors, was unplaced from four starts in England. Her first foal, the four-year-old Silver Ride, just returned from a layoff to win an entry-level allowance at Saratoga September 3. Owned by Jim and Susan Hill and trained by Brian Lynch, Silver Ride has now won three of 12.

For a sense of what morning training’s like at GoldMark, check out this video from 2013:

 

$1.65 million Tapit-Pure Clan colt named NEZET (trainer: Bill Mott)

The Lael Stable purchase is bred for surface versatility. Tapit sires all types, and Pure Clan was a multiple Grade 1-winning turf star who also captured the 2007 Golden Rod (G2) and Pocahontas (G3) and placed in the Honeybee (G3), Fantasy (G2), and Kentucky Oaks (G1) on dirt.

Hence Nezet is already experimenting on the worktab. Beginning this summer with a trio of breezes on Saratoga’s Oklahoma training track, he took July off and resurfaced with a series of works on the Belmont main in August. Nezet tried the Saratoga training turf in his latest, covering a half-mile around the “dogs” in :52.18 on September 9.

$1.525 million Distorted Humor-Forest Music colt

As a full brother to smashing lone-start winner and promising stallion Maclean’s Music, this Stonestreet-bred colt was sure to attract interest. He’s also a half-brother to 2015 Laz Barrera (G3) victor Kentuckian, who’s managed to make just six starts over two years himself.

Although Goncalo Torrealba’s Three Chimneys was the top bidder on the gray yearling, both Torrealba and Barbara Banke of Stonestreet said that they’d likely strike up a partnership to race the colt. Torrealba’s overriding interest was reportedly in his appeal as a future stallion prospect.

Neither Maclean’s Music nor Kentuckian raced at two. So the 2014 colt, still unnamed at this writing, would emulate them if he wins in his career debut at three.

$1.5 million Bernardini-Pilfer filly named CZARINA (trainer: Bob Baffert)

The full sister to multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire To Honor and Serve, and to 2014 Chandelier (G1) victress Angela Renee, was bought by Justin Zayat for his family’s stable and the Coolmore principals.

If that teamwork sounds vaguely familiar, it should – Zayat Stables’ Triple Crown champion American Pharoah stands at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud. Czarina’s pedigree suggests she might be a royal match for Pharoah one day.

As would be expected for a Zayat/Coolmore runner, Czarina is in the care of Bob Baffert. She trained steadily throughout July and August to prepare for her unveiling at Del Mar. Although given an early nomination to the Del Mar Debutante (G1), she wasn’t cranked up to try it.

Indeed, Czarina went straight into a one-mile maiden on the Debutante undercard. Sent off as the slight 2-1 second choice September 3, she rallied from last for third.

Czarina is nominated to the October 1 Chandelier, a 1 1/16-mile “Win and You’re In” for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies at Santa Anita. Whether she tries to emulate big sister there or not, connections are obviously thinking big.

$1.45 million War Front-Betterbetterbetter filly named INTISAAR (trainer: John Gosden)

With all of the success Coolmore has had with progeny of War Front, it’s logical for the Maktoum Family to pursue the same sire. Sheikh Hamdan’s Shadwell prevailed for this exquisitely bred filly, whose dam is a Galileo three-quarter sister to classic winner Yesterday and classic performers Quarter Moon (dam of Diamondsandrubies) and All My Loving (dam of Thomas Chippendale).

Not long after the sale, Intisaar was exported to Dubai for her pre-training lessons with John Hyde. Watch Hyde discuss his role on Team Shadwell in this Dubai Racing Channel feature with Laura King: