'Twirl', Conquest Dispersal Pace Lively Keeneland Session

It was an atypical seventh session of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale Monday, featuring both the auction's first second-week seven-figure offering, as well as the power-packed dispersal of Ernie Semersky's Conquest Stable. Lane's End Farm was responsible for both, selling the session-topping Uptown Twirl (Twirling Candy) for $1.075 million to Three Chimneys Farm, as well as the next six highest offerings, all from the dispersal.

“We're very pleased to have the Conquest dispersal, which was obviously a great draw today, but also selling a million-dollar race filly for the first-time ever in the November sale is very exciting,” said Keeneland's Director of Sales Geoffrey Russell. “It shows what we've always said. If you bring the quality product, it sells. Whether it is the first week or the second week. I think this sets the stage for the continuation of the Conquest dispersal Tuesday with the colts.”

Uptown Twirl was merely a multiple stakes winner when she was catalogued in the racing section of the November sale, but her half-brother and likely juvenile champion Classic Empire (Pioneerof the Nile), winner of the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile, increased her value Monday.

“When she was entered [in the sale], her racing ability was probably the more important aspect,” Russell said. “Things have changed since then. She was a very expensive 2-year-old with great quality and black-type and she has a lot of racing left in her. So the idea was to put her in the racing age section because they felt that is where she would have her most value. Now, thanks to Classic Empire winning two Grade I races, it changed the ballpark a little bit.”

Conquest Serenade (Unbridled's Song) (hip 2242) was the leading seller from Monday's session of the Conquest dispersal, bringing a final bid of $800,000 from Stonestreet Stable's John Moynihan. In all, 35 Conquest runners sold Monday for a total of $4,321,500 and an average of $123,471.

“They've exceeded our expectations today,” commented bloodstock agent Jared Hughes, who is assisting Lane's End with the massive dispersal. “Overall, we're very pleased. They brought nice horses and they brought good money. It's feast or famine in this market and luckily today has been a little more on the feast side.”

The dispersal continues Tuesday with an offering of racing or stallion prospects. Asked how he thought those horses would fare, Hughes said, “We'll see. It's a different market. These fillies have broodmare potential, so we'll see what happens Tuesday. It will be even more feast or famine, but there are some really nice colts in there and we're excited to see what they bring.”

In all during Monday's session, Keeneland sold 254 horses for a total of $13,221,100. The average was $52,052 and the median was $27,000. Two weanlings topped the six-figure mark on the day, with a colt by Fed Biz (hip 2366) bringing the highest price of $170,000 when selling to Machmer Hall.

“Obviously, during the second week, there is more emphasis on foals,” Russell said. “And the foal market is still very strong, I think. The quality foals are bringing top dollar still.”

The Keeneland November sale continues through Sunday with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m.

Three Chimneys Steps Out for Uptown Twirl

Three Chimneys Farm, which has been active on both sides of the leger at the Keeneland November sale, made its biggest purchase of the auction when acquiring Uptown Twirl (Twirling Candy) (hip 2305) for $1.075 million Monday in Lexington. A multiple stakes winner herself, the 3-year-old filly is a half-sister to recent GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner and likely 2-year-old champion Classic Empire (Pioneerof the Nile).

“It's pretty simple why we made a big run at the mare, being a half to Classic Empire,” Three Chimneys' Jacob West said after signing the ticket. “But she was a great physical herself. She won two stakes this year and showed she had ability. Her pedigree is only going to get better, she's going to be a half to a champion 2-year-old, so we're pretty excited to own her.”

Uptown Twirl, a $110,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase in 2014, was purchased for $630,000 at the 2015 OBS March sale. Racing for Hronis Racing and trainer John Sadler, the bay filly won this year's Surfside S. at Los Alamitos in April and added the Pleasanton Oaks in June. She has raced nine times to date with four wins and earnings of $170,714.

She is out of Sambuca Classica (Cat Thief), a daughter of MGISP In Her Glory (Miswaki). She is also a half to multiple stakes winner Anytime Magic (Fusaichi Pegasus).

West left open the possibility the filly, who sold through the Lane's End consignment as a racing or broodmare prospect, would return to the track.

“That's up to [Three Chimneys owner] Mr. [Goncalo] Torrealba, whether we put her back into training, maybe for the rest of the year,” West said. “The long-term plan is that she will be added back into the broodmare band. We'll sit down and talk about it after the sale and figure out what we're going to do.”

Three Chimneys sold four seven-figure mares at the Keeneland November sale. West admitted the market remained polarized.

“We've had some mares that have shocked us with what they brought, both good and bad,” he said. “We've had some mares that exceeded expectations and we've had some disappointments, too. It's a tricky market. You've got to have the goods and if you don't, there is no one there for your horse. But if you walk one in here that has everything that everyone wants, you're going to get rewarded for it.”

Serenade to Return to Casse Barn

Conquest Serenade (Unbridled's Song), a two-time winner in Kentucky last spring, will be returning to the barn of trainer Mark Casse after Stonestreet Stable's John Moynihan purchased the 3-year-old filly for $800,000 from the Conquest Stables dispersal Monday at Keeneland.

“She is by Unbridled's Song, a great broodmare sire, and we're praying that she is going to win a stakes for us,” Moynihan commented.

Second on debut at Gulfstream last March, Conquest Serenade (hip 2242) broke her maiden at Keeneland Apr. 8 and added a Churchill allowance victory May 6. After setting the pace in the June 4 Penn Oaks, the gray filly clipped heels along the rail and fell at midstretch.

Conquest Serenade, a $350,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase in 2014, is out of Sararegal (Regal Classic) and is a half-sister to Canadian champion Fatal Bullet (Red Bullet).

“She's really pretty and a half to a champion,” Moynihan continued. “She can run some and we thought we'd take a shot.”

Conquest Vivi to Adena Springs

Unbeaten Conquest Vivi (Court Vision) (hip 2531) will be joining the Woodbine-based stable of Frank Stronach's Adena Springs after selling for $480,000 from the Conquest Stable dispersal at Keeneland Monday.

“She is just a very nice, quality filly,” said Adena Springs' Eoin Ryan after signing the ticket on the 2-year-old filly. “She's got a great race record, she's three-for-three and a dual stakes winner. She's Ontario-sired and Ontario-bred, so she fits the program up there at Woodbine. We think she can go on. We'll give her a break most likely and have her ready for next spring and we think she can go on and be a very good 3-year-old.”

Purchased by Conquest Stable for $112,710 at last year's Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society's Yearling Sale, Conquest Vivi graduated at first asking in June before adding victories in the June 25 Nandi S. and Oct. 30 Victorian Queen S. She is a half-sister to multiple graded stakes placed Conquest Enforcer (Into Mischief), who sells Tuesday at Keeneland as hip 2973, as well as to stakes placed Keen Gizmo (Giant Gizmo).

Ryan added that no trainer had been decided on for the filly's sophomore season.

“There are plenty of options,” he said. “We have quite a few horses in training at Woodbine with several different trainers. That decision will be up to Frank.”

Curlgirl Provides First Conquest Fireworks

Graded stakes placed Conquest Curlgirl (Curlin) (hip 2178) provided the first big result of the Conquest Stables dispersal Monday in Lexington when selling for $400,000. Tim McMurry of Fleetwood Bloodstock made the winning bid on behalf of an undisclosed client. McMurry signed the ticket in the name of Sea Horse Breeders, LLC.

“She'll stay here and get bred,” McMurry said of the 4-year-old, who sold as a broodmare prospect only. “She's for a breeder here. She'll go to Bruce Gibbs's Greenfield Farm.”

Conquest Curlgirl, a $160,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase in 2013, was third in the GII Summer Oaks at Santa Anita last summer. She most recently finished third in the Mari Hulman George S. at Indiana Downs in July. On the board in eight of 11 starts, she retired with three wins and earnings of $171,575.

The chestnut filly is out of the unraced Montera (Easy Goer), a half-sister to graded stakes winner Sue's Good News (Woodman), the dam of Grade I winner Tiz Miz Sue (Tiznow), and also a half to multiple graded stakes placed Easyfromthegitgo (Dehere).

“She is graded stakes placed, from a big family and a pretty individual,” McMurry said of the filly's appeal. “We've been trying to buy mares and this gentleman has lots of shares, so he can pay little more for mares because he has a big portfolio of shares.”

Fed Biz Colt to Machmer Hall

Carrie Brogden of Machmer Hall signed the ticket at $170,000 for a colt from the first crop of multiple graded stakes winner Fed Biz (Giant's Causeway). Hip 2366 is the first foal out of Ascot Momma (Purge), a half-sister to multiple graded stakes placed Five Star Momma (Five Star Day). Five Star Momma sold through Brogden's Select Sales for $550,000 during Saturday's session of the Keeneland November sale.

The dark bay colt was bred by Tom VanMeter and consigned through the VanMeter-Gentry Sales consignment.

“I didn't want to bring him [to the sale], I loved him so much,” VanMeter admitted. “He is the nicest horse I raised this year.”

VanMeter's association with the foal's family goes back to the purchase of Momma In Law (Nureyev) for $135,000 at the 1998 Barretts March sale.

“I raced his grandmother,” VanMeter recalled. “I pinhooked Yes It's True when he was a 2-year-old and he brought $800,000 and I had all this money in my pocket. My partner Olin Gentry told me there was a Nureyev mare that I needed to look at. So I went and looked. I bought the Nureyev mare out of Infringe, who turned out to be the grandmother of this horse.”

The weanling attracted plenty of attention in the lead-up to the sale, according to VanMeter.

“This was a spectacular guy,” VanMeter said. “He had 100 shows in two days and 15 scopes. We were walking him up here and people were stopping and leafing through their catalogues to find out who he was.”

Fed Biz, who won the 2013 GII Pat O'Brien S. and 2014 GII San Diego H., has had 14 weanlings sell at Keeneland November for an average of $78,857. Hip 1180 is his top seller at the auction, bringing a final bid of $230,000 from K.D. Bloodstock. Fed Biz stands at WinStar Farm for $10,000.

Brogden also signed for the second-highest priced weanling Monday, paying $165,000 for a colt from the first crop of GII Holy Bull S. winner Cairo Prince (Pioneerof the Nile). The stallion, who stands at Airdrie Stud for $15,000, has had 14 weanlings sell for an average of $102,429. Hip 1091 is his highest-priced weanling at the auction, bringing $200,000 from Blue Sky Stable.