Dottie Ingordo-Shirreffs remembers standing on a hill at the Fasig-Tipton Florida Sale in 1992 and being impressed by a 2-year-old Stop the Music filly from Bill Graves's consignment. Liking her conformation and pedigree, Ingordo-Shirreffs and members of the Mayberry family, who she worked with, purchased the filly for just $45,000 on behalf of clients Jerry and Ann Moss.
Ingordo-Shirreffs couldn't have guessed at the time that the filly, Set Them Free, would become a cornerstone in her professional life, bringing to her and the Mosses, among other things, a GI Kentucky Derby victory. Nor could she have guessed the filly would also eventually become the dam of yesterday's third-highest-priced horse, the $2.4 million Stanwyck (Empire Maker).
Bloodstock agent Steven W. Young saw off two rivals to purchase Stanwyck, a half-sister to the 2005 Derby winner Giacomo (Holy Bull), on behalf of an undisclosed client. Young confirmed the 5-year-old, selling as a racing or broodmare prospect, would be retired from the track.
“She's going to be bred,” he said. “I think I know who to, but I'm not 100% sure, so don't want to say.”
In addition to the 2005 Derby hero, Stanwyck is a half to MGISW Tiago (Pleasant Tap) and MGSP Sea Jewel (Sea Hero).
Like all of of those horses, Stanwyck raced in the colors of the Mosses, who where selling Stanwyck through Lane's End as hip 132.
“We have some half-sisters [to Stanwyck] coming up, and so they decided to take advantage of this opportunity and sell one,” Ingordo-Shirreffs said of the Mosses's decision to sell.
Set Them Free has an unraced 3-year-old filly named Rutile (Medaglia d'Oro), as well as a weanling filly by Street Cry (Ire). She also has an unraced 2-year-old colt named Veneto (Malibu Moon) who is up to working four furlongs in New York.
“It's interesting, they all have similarities,” Ingordo-Shirreffs said of Set Them Free's offspring. “They may be a different color, but they basically all have her face and her hindquarters.”
Ingordo-Shirreffs said Set Them Free is now living the good life as a pensioner. “It's been amazing, and she's been nothing but fabulous to us,” she said.
Young agreed, and hopes her daughter could continue on the family tradition.
“I have great respect for the Moss family and their operation, and they've done great out of Set Them Free,” said Young. “[Stanwyck] was a standout mare, and all she has to do is produce herself once. You could get anything out of her; there's no ceiling to what she could throw.”
A durable, consistent filly, Stanwyck blossomed in late 2013, winning the GIII Turnback the Alarm S. at Aqueduct for trainer John Shirreffs, who had her throughout her career. This season, she placed in six of eight–all in stakes company–including the GI Santa Margarita and GI Personal Ensign S. Stanwyck was most recently seventh in the GI Breeders' Cup Distaff.
Young said he wasn't sure what to expect price-wise.
“I think she's comparable to the horses who sold [at Fasig-Tipton] on Monday night,” he said. “You get to a certain level, and then it becomes about who's bidding on them. The difference between $1.4 million and
$2.4 million is two people wanting to fight. I wasn't sure we'd get her.”
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