A filly by Triple Crown winner American Pharoah who is a half-sister to four-time champion Beholder, Grade 1 winner Mendelssohn and Grade 1 winner and leading sire Into Mischief sold for a record $8.2 million to Mandy Pope’s Whisper Hill Farm to headline Wednesday’s powerhouse day of trade at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Eight yearlings brought seven-figure prices today, the final session of the three-day premier Book 1 catalog, driving gross sales for the session to more than $65 million and average price to more than $524,855.
The $8.2 million price set a September Sale record for a filly and equals the fourth-highest price for a yearling sold at the auction. It is the highest price paid at the September Sale since the $11.7 million given for Meydan City in 2006. Clarkland bred the top-selling filly, whose dam is the stakes-winning Tricky Creek mare Leslie’s Lady.
The $8.2 million AMERICAN PHAROAH filly from Leslie’s Lady by Tricky Creek – Keeneland photo
Some Canadian racing fans may remember Leslie’s Lady’s dam, the Ontario bred CTYSTAL LADY, a Stop the Music – One Last Bird filly bred by Reade Baker and Rick Kennedy. Crystal Lady raced a fedw times for Baker and Kennedy and then was claimed for $5,000 at Fort Erie by Rudy Von Skopczinsky. Crystal Lady went on to a successful broodmare career with Leslie’s Lady, a stakes winner and incredible producer being her highlight foal.
“I don’t have any words,” Clarkland’s Fred Mitchell said. “It’s unreal. But in my opinion, this was the best individual the old mare has ever had. Can you believe a 22-year-old mare (in 2018) had something like this? But Leslie’s Lady, she still thinks she’s 12 or 13 years old.”
In 2006, Clarkland bought the-then 10-year-old Leslie’s Lady in foal to Orientate for $100,000 at Keeneland’s November Breeding Stock Sale. Clarkland sold Beholder, by Henny Hughes, for $180,000 at the 2011 September Sale and sold Mendelssohn, by Scat Daddy, for the 2016 sale-topping price at $3 million.
Mitchell said the record-setting daughter of Leslie’s Lady was special from birth.
“She was born with muscle,” he said. “She was correct when she was born, and she just has such a mind on her. When I watch her – compared to Beholder and Mendelssohn growing up – it looked like she had Beholder’s sprinting speed because when the other fillies came to her out in the field and were running, she was like, ‘I’ll see ya,’ and had another gear. She’s just been special since Day One.”
WINDHAVEN, owned by the late Bill Graham, sold a $350,000 yearling colt by Nyquist – Moon Music, by Malibu Moon to DJ Stable.
Graham had purchased the mare Moon Music in foal to Nyquist in 2017 at Keeneland November.
Canadian-breds in Book 1
13 OUT
133 Bill Werner 250,000
211 RNA 140,000
276 RNA 95,000
298 out
300 180,000
314 200,000
337 RNA 115,000
421 – OUT
429 – RNA $100,000
550 – $350,000
More from People:
