McKulick tops November Sale as Coolmore stretch to $5.1 million for Ramatuelle
When Grade 1 winner and millionaire McKulick (Frankel) (lot 289) left the ring on Monday deep into Fasig-Tipton’s The November Sale, she left as its highest-selling mare. Narvick International, agent for Grand Stud, went to US$6 million (approx. AU$9.06 million) to land the five-year-old daughter of leading European sire Frankel (Galileo).
Campaigned by Klaravich Stables and trainer Chad Brown, McKulick won five Graded stakes, including the 2022 Belmont Oaks Invitational Stakes (Gr 1, 10f). She raced from two to five and won or placed in 14 Graded contests.
McKulick was consigned by ELiTE. She is out of the stakes-placed winning Makfi (Dubawi) mare Astrelle, who has also produced Group 3 winner Just Beautiful (Pride Of Dubai) and Group 2 winner Fearless King (Kingman).
“Her physique,” said Emmanuel de Seroux on what appealed to him the most about McKulick. “She’s a beautiful filly and she’s by Frankel, the best stallion in the world. She’s a Grade 1 winner; she’s fantastic.”
McKulick earned US$1,955,290 from 20 starts, finishing on the board 15 times, with seven wins. She was bought at Tattersalls October Sale in 2020 for 180,000gns by Mike Ryan, agent.
“We didn’t expect that, we really can’t take all the credit,” said Bradley Weisbord, founder and managing partner of EliTE Sales. “All the credit goes to Seth Klarman and Chad Brown and Mike Ryan. They went over to Tattersalls and found a beautiful filly. She won a Grade 1, and we got a chance to sell the only Grade 1 winner by Frankel, and they’ve been the number one supporter since we started ELiTE, Chad and Seth. We’ve been waiting a long time to have a breakout sale for them, and we didn’t expect that, the reserve was half of that.”
There was strong international and domestic interest as the bidding war ensued.
“Several times he stopped, and then he came back,” said de Seroux about Yoshiyuki Ito of Japan’s Grand Stud.
He said they have yet to discuss any mating plans for McKulick.
Narvick International purchased three mares for Grand Stud and one for Pride Rock on Monday night for a total of US$11.7 million (approx. AU$17.67 million) to become the sale’s leading buyer.
Ramatuelle set for a date with Wootton Bassett
The last ten lots included one of its brightest stars when Ramatuelle (Justify) (310) sold for US$5.1 million (approx. AU$7.7 million) to Coolmore’s M.V. Magnier.
The three-year-old daughter of Justify (Scat Daddy), whose ownership group includes Matthew Sandbolm, became a Group 1 winner when she captured the Prix de la Foret (Gr 1, 1400m) at Longchamp October 6 and was dramatically pulled out of her intended run in last weekend’s Breeders’ Cup Mile (Gr 1, 8f).
Consigned by Bedouin Bloodstock, the filly is the only runner out of Group winner Raven’s Lady (Raven’s Pass).
“She’s a lovely filly, and in fairness to Christopher Head [trainer], he’s done an incredible job with her,” Magnier said of Ramatuelle. “Arthur Hoyeau, in fairness, spotted her as a yearling, and everybody else didn’t really. She’s a very good filly, and well done to them.”
Magnier said the plan is to send Ramatuelle to shuttler Wootton Bassett (Iffraaj) next year.
“That’s what the guys want to do at the moment anyway,” he said. “What he’s [Wootton Bassett] done this year with his first Irish crop, and what he did with his French crops has been very good, too. He’s the leading sire of two-year-old Group winners, he set a record of Group 1 winners. He’s very exciting.”
A total of three weanlings sold for US$500,000 (approx. AU$755,490) or more, topped by lot 26, a colt by Horse of the Year Flightline (Tapit), from the Lane’s End consignment, who sold for US$675,000 (approx. AU$1.02 million) to David Ingordo. A Justify colt (lot 77), consigned by Eaton Sales, sold to Logan Bloodstock for US$550,000 (approx. AU$831,040), while the highest-priced weanling filly was Mardigras Mischief (Into Mischief), sold for US$500,000 to Tropical Racing, from the Hill ‘n’ Dale at Xalapa consignment.
Hill ‘n’ Dale at Xalapa was the leading consignor with a total of 14 horses selling for US$20,235,000 (approx. AU$30.57 million). It had many top race mares in its draft, including Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf (Gr 1, 11f) winner Moira (Ghostzapper), who sold for US$4.3 million (approx. AU$6.49 million) to Bayles, an international owners group.
War Like Goddess (English Channel) sold for US$1.8 million (approx. AU$2.71 million) to Willingham Stud, and Adare Manor (Uncle Mo) sold for US$2.8 million (approx. AU$4.23 million) to Katsumi Yoshida.
“She [Moira] is a special filly, incredible talent,” said Jared Brudine, general manager at Hill ‘n’ Dale at Xalapa. “A Ghostzapper mare, and we wish the new owners the best of luck. We’re glad that Donato [Lanni] entrusted us with representing her again, and the whole group. Kevin Attard [trainer] and his team did a fantastic job.”
Neal Clarke of Bedouin Bloodstock said: “I thought the sale was great, we’re very happy, obviously the owners are very happy. She’s a beautiful filly, she came in just the last 24 hours. She’s been a complete angel and a princess, never put a foot wrong the whole time she was here.
“She was very popular all day. She has the kind of speed that I think they’re looking for. She was a catch, there’s no doubt about it. It’s been a great sale for us, we’re tickled with it.”
Freyer strikes for two
Jon Freyer will be hoping for more success buying at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale, with Arrowfield’s bloodstock manager purchasing two mares at the Kentucky auction on Monday for a total spend of US$1,550,000 (approx. AU$2,548,800)
It was no surprise to see Freyer getting in on the action at the sale, having purchased Ms Bad Behavior (Blame), dam of Saturday’s Coolmore Stud Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Switzerland (Snitzel), for US$600,000 at the 2019 renewal.
Catalogued within a few lots of each other, Freyer first struck for Downtown Mischief (Into Mischief), a dual stakes winner who was offered in foal to leading sire Gun Runner (Candy Ride), paying Bedouin Bloodstock US$800,000 (approx. AU$1,206,000) for the mare.
Consigned by, Downtown Mischief is out of Downtown Mama (Speightstown) and she is herself a half-sister to Grade 2 winner Alpha Kitten (Tale Of The Cat).
A few lots later, Freyer made his second and final purchase of the day when going to US$750,000 (approx. AU$1,130,600) for Grade 3 scorer Evvie Jets (Twirling Candy).
Catalogued as by Taylor Made Sales Agency, the mare is out of Natchez Trace (Consolidator), making her a half-sister to stakes-placed winner Forever Mo (Uncle Mo). Natchez Trace herself is half-sister to stakes winner Perfectly Clear (Woodman).
Numbers and statistics
Fasig-Tipton’s “Night of The Stars Sale” saw 25 horses sell for US$1 million (approx. AU$1.51 million) or more among 172 horses sold for a total of US$93,948,500 (approx. AU$141.95 million), with an average of US$546,212 (approx. AU$825,320), down from last year’s results. The median was US$250,000 (approx. AU$377,750). A 27.1 per cent RNA rate represents the 64 horses who failed to meet their reserve.
Last year’s sale saw 154 horses sold of the 205 offered through the ring for a total of $101,281,000. The average price was $657,669, with a median of $295,000. A 24.9 per cent RNA rate, represented the 51 horses who failed to meet their reserve.
“Another tremendous November Sale,” said Boyd Browning, president and CEO of Fasig-Tipton. “Twenty-five horses sold for a million dollars or higher. Very, very competitive bidding. Obviously, tremendous support from an international buying base. Our friends from Japan continue to be major supporters of this sale. We also saw European participation, Australian participation, strong American participation. It was a very broad market.
“The market is certainly not easy, and it’s discriminating,” he added. “If you might have a little age on a mare, you might have a little question with the produce; if you give them a reason not to bid, they don’t bid. I mean, that’s just the reality.”
