Aussie buyers busy at Keeneland November

4 min read

Australian buyers were busy on the opening day of the Keenland November Sale, with Emirates Park, Milburn Creek, Newgate and Blue Sky Bloodstock among those buying current or future broodmares in the first session.

Emirates Park picked up the very speedy mare Red Lodge (USA) (Midshipman {USA}). Trained by Wesley Ward, she still holds the 1000m turf record at Belmont Park, setting a time of 55.73s in her maiden win.

She then contested the G2 Norfolk S. at Royal Ascot before winning the Colleen S. at Monmouth Park by 3.5l.

Emirates Park paid US$500,000 for her and Bryan Carlson, who is in Lexington, said Red Lodge fitted their brief perfectly.

Red Lodge

"The main thing was that we were looking for fast mares that we could bring back to Australia that could pedigree up well. The good thing is, she's by Midshipman, who was a very good 2-year old. He was a Breeders' Cup juvenile winner," he told TDN AUSNZ.

"She was a great physical type and she also broke and still holds the track record at Belmont Park for five furlongs." - Brian Carlson on Red Lodge

"She was a great physical type and she also broke and still holds the track record at Belmont Park for five furlongs. She ran that in 55s, so she's very fast."

"We had to pay a bit of money for her. She's in foal to Kitten's Joy (USA). She’ll foal down up here and we’ll decide if we sell or keep that foal and the mare will return back home."

Carlson said she would be the perfect match for any of the fast colonial sires in Australia, with an early preference for I Am Invincible.

"Physically, she's a very neat type. She would very much suit any top sire down there. Anything like I Am Invincible. The aim to get her to a commercial stallion down there," he said.

"Physically, she's a very neat type." - Brian Carlson

There are plenty of Australians at Keeneland for the sale and Carlson said Emirates Park's business was probably done for the week.

"I’d say that'd be it for us, unless something came up that we really like," he said. "There's some nice mares here but we are being very specific. There's plenty of Australians up here and I'd expect that there will be a few mares coming back."

John Muir of Milburn Creek purchased Lot 19, Soft Kiss (USA) (Bernardini {USA}), for US$300,000. She was unplaced in two starts and is a sister to black-type winner Den's Legacy (USA), She is in foal to American Pharoah {USA}).

John Muir purchased a mare in foal to Coolmore stallion, American Pharoah

Newgate, through SF Bloodstock, purchased a trio of mares to go with the two they bought at the Fasig-Tipton sale on Sunday.

They paid US$425,000 for Chanteline (USA) (Majesticperfection {USA}), who ran sixth for Steve Asmussen in the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint on the weekend. She was a Group 3 winner at her previous start and is a half-sister to another black-type winner in Kell Paso (USA) (Divine Park {USA}).

Insta Erma (USA) (Pioneerof The Nile {USA}), a Group 3 winner in September who has also been Group 1 placed, also went to Newgate/SF for US$425,000. She is out of the stakes-placed Enchanted Woods (USA) and is a half-sister to stakes-winner Mordi's Miracle (USA) (Lawyer Ron {USA}).

Coco as in Chanel (USA) (Awesome Again {USA}) completed the trio of buys, purchased for US$150,000. She is in foal to Violence (USA) and is a Listed winner.

Blue Sky Bloodstock also purchased the multiple Group placegetter Laney (USA) (Shackleford {USA}) for US$135,000.

The two highlights of the day saw five-time G1 winner Lady Eli (USA) (Divine Park {USA}) sell to John Sikura from Hill 'n' Dale for US$4.2m, while G1 Kentucky Oaks runner-up My Miss Sophia (USA) (Unbridled's Song {USA}), in foal to War Front (USA), went to agent Steve Young for US$4m.