Houtzen stars as Australian buyers strike at Keeneland
A pair of Australian-raced mares lit up the Keeneland sales ring on the opening day of the November Breeding Stock Sale as international buyers circled from across the globe on an enthralling session in Kentucky.
Magic Millions 2YO Classic (RL, 1200m) winner Houtzen (I Am Invincible), sold in foal to Hill N Dale Farm’s Curlin (Smart Strike), sold for US$1,500,000 (approx. AU$2,064,270) to Barbara Banke’s Stonestreet Farm, while later in the day the former Gai Waterhouse-trained dual Group 1 winner Con Te Partiro (Scat Daddy), saw a bid taken for US$1,900,000 (approx. AU$2,614,740) before being passed in.
Trained in Australia by Toby Edmonds, Houtzen retired the winner of seven of her 21 career starts that included the 2017 Magic Millions 2YO Classic, part of a two-year-old campaign that saw her win her opening four races. She returned as a three-year-old to capture the Champagne Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) in September and then the PJ Bell Stakes (Gr 3, 1200m) in the autumn of 2018.
Houtzen was sold as Lot 31 by Peter O’Callaghan’s Woods Edge Farm as agent, who credited her outstanding looks in achieving the seven-figure return.
“We expected her to do very well,” said O’Callaghan to Bloodhorse. “She was a really talented race mare. She was a grade 1 mare that didn’t win a grade 1. She was just so good looking and by a really top international sire and in foal to a top international sire.
“Those were her main selling points: her talent, her looks, her sire, and her cover. I think her looks really got her over the line. It was easy to say she was worth $800,000 (approx. AU$1,100,940) to $1 million (approx. AU$1,376,180) on paper, but when you looked at her you knew she’d be better. There aren’t that many mares here quite as good-looking as her. I think that is what got her to the next level.”
The daughter of Yarraman Park’s I Am Invincible (Invincible Spirit) is the only winner out of Set To Unleash (Reset) who is a half-sister to the dam of Listed winner Mystery Love (Eurozone). Her third dam Elfenjer (Last Tycoon) produced Grade 1 winner Sun Classique (Fuji Kiseki).
Con Te Partiro, a dual Group 1 winner in the autumn, had a bid of $1.9 million (approx. AU$2.61 million) taken for the mare before the daughter of Scat Daddy (Johannesburg) was passed in.
Con Te Partiro was a revelation for Waterhouse and Bott during an 18-month stint in Australia, having been picked up by SF Bloodstock and Newgate Farm out of the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky November Sale in 2018 for US$575,000.
The mare won both the Group 1 Coolmore Classic (Gr 1, 1500m) at Rosehill and Group 1 Queen Of The Turf Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) at Randwick this year, with both victories arriving after Con Te Partiro was brought out of retirement following her failure to get in foal to Zoustar (Northern Meteor).
Waterhouse had hoped to run Con Te Partiro in the Breeders Cup this year but the mare was retired to stud after one spring run, where she finished fifth in the Winx Stakes (Gr 1, 1400m).
Shortly afterwards, Cornerstone Stud had cause to celebrate, after American Oaks (Gr 1, 10f) winner Lady Prancealot, a daughter of shuttler Sir Prancealot (Tamayuz), sold for US$1,600,000 (approx. AUD$2,201,890). Consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency as Lot 48, the three-time stakes winner, who finished fourth in Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (Gr 1, 9.5f), was bought by Shadai Farm.
Australian buyers were in action from the first drop of the hammer, with James Harron swooping for Lot 1, Fashion Faux Pas (Flatter), a winner by 14 and a half lengths in a three-year-old conditions race at Delaware Park in June last year.
Harron tweeted his delight at the purchase for US$310,000 (approx. AU$426,615), who is planned to be mated with ATC Sires Produce (Gr 1, 1400m) and Champagne Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) winner King’s Legacy (Redoute’s Choice) upon his retirement to Coolmore Stud.
Milburn Creek, in conjunction with Andrew Williams Bloodstock, struck for Lot 233, the stakes-winning two-year-old Eclair (Bernardini), for US$200,000 (approx. AU$275,235). The now three-year-old is from the family of Group 1 winner in France, Mutual Trust (Cacique).
It was Larry Best’s OXO Equine who purchased the two top-priced horses on the day, getting Grade 1 winner Concrete Rose (Twirling Candy) for US$1,950,000 (approx. AU$2,683,500) and the mare Indian Miss (Indian Charlie), dam of Mitole (Eskendereya), a four-time Grade 1 winner and now Spendthrift stallion, for US$1,900,000 (approx. AU$2,614,750).
Cherokee Maiden, a filly with a major recent pedigree update, caught the attention of buyers, as the three-year-old daughter of Distorted Humor (Forty Niner) was purchased by Emmanuel de Seroux for US$1,850,000 (approx. AU$2,545,900) on behalf of Grand Farm.
Out of champion Tiznow (Cee’s Tizzy) mare Folklore, the filly is a close relative of Contrail (Deep Impact), this year’s undefeated winner of the Japanese Triple Crown, while as recently as this last weekend, her pedigree took a further boost when Essential Quality (Tapit), produced from a stakes-placed half-sister to Folklore, won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (Gr 1, 8.5f) at Keeneland. The filly’s likely destination is in Japan.
Keeneland reported an aggregate of US$49,775,000 (approx. AU$68,499,300) down 27 per cent from day one a year ago, while the average fell 12 per cent from $442,513 (approx. AU$608,977) to $388,867 (approx. AU$535,150).
“We had a solid day of trade,” said Shannon Arvin, Keeneland president-elect and interim head of sales. “We were really happy with the broad domestic and international participation. Overall, we were happy with how the day went.”