With the CTHS Canadian Premier Yearling Sale posting increases across the board, attention now turns south of the border, where Ontario breeders and consignors will offer a strong group of yearlings at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
The mammoth Lexington auction begins Monday, Sept. 14 and runs through Saturday, Sept. 26, with more than 4,600 yearlings catalogued over 12 sessions. Among them are 77 Ontario-breds giving buyers dozens of opportunities to acquire an Ontario-eligible youngster.
Ontario-breds are represented throughout the sale, with many selling through some of the industry’s leading consignments. Here are some of the Ontario connections to watch.
Susan Y. Foreman, Agent
Fresh off a busy and successful CTHS Ontario sale, Susan Foreman heads to Keeneland with 12 yearlings. Foreman sold three of the nine six-figure yearlings at the Canadian Premier Sale, including the $140,000 sale-topping Mucho Macho Man colt.
Her Keeneland consignment features offspring by an impressive group of established and emerging North American sires. Among them is a colt by Maxfield, sire of brilliant Grade 1 winner Englishman from his second crop. Hip 804 is a colt out of Sport’n Forty, dam of Woodbine stakes winner Souper Sporty, and was bred by Deborah Holmes’ Phoenix Rising Farm.
Foreman also offers Ontario-breds by prominent first-crop sires Golden Pal, Early Voting, Jack Christopher and Speaker’s Corner.
Hip 919 is a colt by Life Is Good, the son of Into Mischief who has emerged as one of North America’s leading freshman sires. The bay colt is out of Carat Weight, dam of Grade 3 winner Rondure, and was bred by Borders Racing.
Anderson Farms, Agent
David Anderson’s Anderson Farms of St. Thomas brings another strong Ontario contingent to Keeneland, with 10 yearlings on offer.
One of the standouts is hip 959, a Constitution colt who is a full brother to Luv Your Neighbor, winner of the Delaware Oaks (G3) and one of the leading three-year-old fillies in the U.S. this season.
Anderson also offers hip 794, a filly from the first crop of Horse of the Year Cody’s Wish.
The filly is the first foal out of multiple stakes winner Sister Seagull, by Hard Spun. Cody’s Wish has already proven popular with Ontario buyers, with Anderson selling a colt by the stallion for $100,000 at the CTHS Ontario sale.
Cara Bloodstock
Bernard McCormack’s Cara Bloodstock has 10 yearlings catalogued for McCormack and clients including Saintsbury Farm’s Christine and Jay Hayden, Apricot Valley Farm, John McCormack and Mitchell Kursner.
The Haydens bred three horses in the consignment, including hip 840, a Charlatan filly out of stakes winner and stakes producer Unspurned.
Apricot Valley Farm is represented by yearlings by Army Mule and Speaker’s Corner, while McCormack offers a filly from the first crop of champion two-year-old Forte.
Kursner’s colt by Elite Power is hip 967 and has an especially notable Canadian connection as a half-brother to Queen’s Plate winner Safe Conduct.
Hill ‘n’ Dale at Xalapa, Agent
John Sikura’s Hill ‘n’ Dale at Xalapa consignment includes several Ontario-breds for Ivan and Colleen Dalos’ Tall Oaks Farm.
Among them is hip 631, a colt by leading first-crop sire Golden Pal out of Golden Ami, a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Kopion, Canadian champion Amis Gizmo and graded stakes winner Ami’s Flatter.
Other Tall Oaks-breds selling through Hill ‘n’ Dale include a Maclean’s Music colt out of Victorious Tapit (hip 2070) and a Golden Pal filly out of Keen Victory (hip 2275).
Hill ‘n’ Dale will also offer hip 1147, an Ontario-bred filly from the final crop of influential sire Medaglia d’Oro. Bred by Murray Smith, she is out of Right Matter.
Another eye-catching pedigree belongs to hip 1434, a Constitution filly out of Hopping Not Hoping, dam of Canadian champion My Boy Prince.
Josham Farms and Yvonne Schwabe, breeders of promising Ontario-bred two-year-old filly Cattrall, are also represented by hip 2178, a McKinzie colt who is a half-brother to Cattrall.
Eaton Sales, Agent
The first Ontario-bred scheduled to go through the ring is Hip 421, bred by Dave Clancy’s Track West and consigned by Eaton Sales.
The filly is from the first crop of champion two-year-old Forte and is out of multiple stakes winner Singing Kitty.
Woods Edge Farm, Agent
Ontario breeder Mark Dodson has both Ontario- and Kentucky-breds selling through Woods Edge Farm.
His Ontario offerings include hip 2008, a Complexity filly out of stakes-producing mare Sister Nova. Sister Nova is the dam of stakes winner Notorious Gangster and promising two-year-old Lamirada, who recently won her debut and is scheduled to contest the Grade 1 Natalma Stakes at Woodbine.
More Ontario-Breds to Watch
The Ontario representation extends well beyond the larger consignments.
Robert Marzilli’s mare Pacify has produced hip 1111, an American Pharoah colt catalogued in Book 2 through St. George Sales.
Warrendale Sales offers hip 1914, an Oscar Performance colt out of Maythefourthbewithu, the dam of Canadian Horse of the Year Patches O’Houlihan, bred by Frank Di Giulio Jr.
There is also hip 2139, a filly from the first crop of Kentucky Derby winner Mage, consigned by Paramount Sales. She is out of the Irish-bred mare Bola de Cristal, owned by CamHaven Farm and Jesse Korona.
From established breeders and proven families to offspring of some of North America’s most exciting young stallions, Ontario will be well represented when the world’s Thoroughbred buyers descend on Lexington.
For buyers looking specifically for Ontario-breds, Keeneland’s online catalogue can be searched by sire, dam and state or province of foaling, making it easy to find the Ontario contingent before the first horse enters the ring Monday.
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