Category: sales

Book Six – Episode 4: Gone West to Indiana

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In Episode 4 of Book Six, we head to Indiana to look at a filly from Elusive Bluff’s first crop since moving to the Crossroads of America.

Though the sale is a mixed sale, we continue with the fall theme of yearlings.  This episode focuses on Hip 6: a filly named Explosive Justice, by Elusive Bluff out of Explosive Miss.  Elusive Bluff is by Elusive Quality, a son of Gone West.  Explosive Miss is by Gone West.  This 3×2 inbreeding to Gone West made me wonder: what happens when Gone West is crossed closely with Gone West?

Find out in Episode 4 of Book Six!

Listen here, or subscribe on Google Play or Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode!

Book Six – Episode 3: Honest Ohioans

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Episode 3 pays a visit to the Ohio Thoroughbred Breeders & Owners Sale, coming up October 7.

The sale is a mixed sale — but it’s yearling season, and I zoom in on Hip 33, a yearling filly by new Ohio sire Cryptolight out of the Shakespeare mare Be True.  Cryptolight is a rarity in the stud barn nowadays, a horse to raced to age 11.  Both his female family and Be True’s pop up frequently in state-bred stakes ranks, though some close dam-side relatives have shown up in stakes races in New York and California, too.

Get to know an honest Ohio pedigree in the third episode of Book Six!

Listen here, or subscribe on Google Play or Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode!

Book Six – Episode 2: World-Class Bloodlines, Mid-Atlantic Focus

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Book Six continues with Episode 2, which turns focus to the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Yearling Sale.

Joining me on this week’s edition of Book Six is Melissa Bauer-Herzog of Pyrois Media!

Since there are two of us, we discuss two hips of Fasig-Tipton Midlantic in detail — both of whom are by stallions whose first crops are two this year, and both of whom have fascinating pages.

We start with a look at hip 19, a filly by Real Solution out of the Perfect Soul mare Winsome Woman, who goes through the ring on October 1.  This filly is inbred to one of the classiest stallions of the last forty years.

Then, we discuss hip 162, a colt by Super Ninety Nine out of the Touch Gold mare Fleet and Fancy who goes through the ring on October 2.  His pedigree is a perfect example of looking to a regional sire to reproduce breeding patterns that have succeeded on the biggest stages.

Dive into them both in the second episode of Book Six!

Listen here, or subscribe on Google Play or Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode!

Book Six – Episode 1: Seeing Double Maplejinsky

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Welcome to the first episode of my new podcast!

Entitled Book Six, it is dedicated to unearthing the hidden gems in sales catalogs: pedigrees from the back pages of national sales, or from regional sales, that get my heart racing and my mind churning.

The first episode is right here, and fittingly, it discusses a horse coming up in Book Six of Keeneland September: hip 3848, by Tale of Ekati out of Indy’s Million.  This colt is inbred 3×3 to Maplejinsky.

This got me wondering: what’s so great about Maplejinsky?  Have her lines been crossed before?  What happened?

Find out in the first episode of Book Six!

Illinois-breds at Keeneland September: book 6

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Six Illinois-breds were originally catalogued in book 6 of the Keeneland September sale.  Four of them have so far been declared out, but this piece still takes a look at all six.  Since it is not uncommon for these horses to turn up in another sale, it makes sense to have this material there for reference just in case they do come back through the ring.

Two Illinois-breds are still expected to go through the ring for Book 6: hip 4290 and hip 4314.  Both are scheduled to be auctioned on Sunday.

Continue reading “Illinois-breds at Keeneland September: book 6” →

Illinois-breds at Keeneland September: books 4-5

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This is the second in a three-part series looking at the Illinois-bred yearlings in Book 4 and Book 5 of Keeneland September.  It covers four in all: one in Book 4, and three in Book 5.

A previous piece looked at the Illinois-breds catalogued in Book 2 and Book 3.  A forthcoming third piece will discuss the six Illinois-bred horses in Book 6.

Continue reading “Illinois-breds at Keeneland September: books 4-5” →

Illinois-breds at Keeneland September: books 2-3

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It’s that time again: the biggest yearling sale of the year, Keeneland September.

This year’s catalogue features fifteen Illinois-breds.  Blinkers Off will look at all of them, in a three-part series.  Here, we look at the yearlings in Book 2 and Book 3, five in total.  (There are no Illinois-breds in Book 1).  A future piece will look at the four yearlings form the land of Lincoln across Book 4 and Book 5, and the final installment will shine a light on the six Illinois-breds in Book 6.

Continue reading “Illinois-breds at Keeneland September: books 2-3” →

for the first time in ten years, a seven-figure Illinois-bred

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When writing (or tweeting) about Illinois-breds in the auction ring, it jumps out enough when an Illinois-bred horse commands five figures.  Six figures, for a horse bred here, is eye-popping.  It happens — recent examples include My Option and Magnetic Miss — but not often.

Seven?

Until yesterday, that had not happened since Sassy Pants commanded $4,500,000 at Keeneland November in 2006.

Continue reading “for the first time in ten years, a seven-figure Illinois-bred” →

Curlin babies and Curlin covers at Keeneland January

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The Keeneland January Horses of All Ages sale happens this week.  As of Saturday, January 9, there are nine horses sired by Curlin who remain in the sale, as well as one broodmare covered by Curlin.

Here, we preview each of the horses connected to Curlin who are still slated to go through the ring at Keeneland January.

Continue reading “Curlin babies and Curlin covers at Keeneland January” →

Illinois-breds at Keeneland September: Book 6

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Book 6 of Keeneland September runs on Friday and Saturday of this week, and marks the end of the sale.  This book also contains the last four Illinois-bred yearlings in the sale.  Buried here in Book 6 is another one of the five yearlings highlighted here among 2014’s Illinois-bred foals to watch out for: the only member of Musketier’s first crop to be bred in the state.

Let’s meet the last few Illinois-breds of Keeneland September!

Continue reading “Illinois-breds at Keeneland September: Book 6” →