By Bill Finley
When most everyone else looked at the record of Seeking Gabrielle, they saw a filly who couldn't run. Not James Keogh. He saw a filly that might just turn out to be a serious broodmare.
Keogh didn't have to be right, but for $6,500 what did he have to lose?
That's what Keogh paid for the Forestry filly back in 2010 when he purchased her privately. Four months later, he sold her for $45,000 as Hip 542, a broodmare prospect, at the Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale. Making a quick $38,500 profit is one thing, but it's quite another to be able to say you were the one that found the dam of today's Kentucky Derby favorite Nyquist (Uncle Mo) buried in cheap claiming races at Louisiana Downs.
Keogh, who is always on the look out for fillies or mares that he can buy at a bargain price, was intrigued by Seeking Gabrielle's pedigree. Her dam, Seeking Regina (Seeking the Gold) won the GII Adirondack in 1994 and had produced four straight horses that had run Beyer numbers of 92 or above. Her son Seeking the Money (Capote) finished second in the GII Sanford in 2001 and her daughter, Seeking It All (A.P. Indy), ran second in the GII Schuylerville in 2000.
“First and foremost, I am a consignor,” Keogh said. “I like to supplement my income by procuring a few fillies every year off the racetrack. There was a lot of quality in the filly. It goes back into a family that was developed by Dr. Gary Lavin down in Louisville. I am a bit of a pedigree guy. I enjoy those deep, old families because they have a habit of regenerating.”
Keogh almost lost out on Seeking Gabrielle as he said the person he sent to Louisiana to claim her didn't get the claim in. He was able to buy her a few days later privately. For his $6,500, he got a filly that had won just once, in a $20,000 maiden claimer, and was non-competitive in cheap races at Louisiana Downs and Delta Downs. She had little value as a race horse and, apparently, her connections overlooked her potential as a broodmare.
“There's a great segment of the industry out there who are totally focused on racing and really are not in breeding business,” he said. “It's not in their wheelhouse. Their focus is what they can run today and what their earnings potential is over the next 30 days.”
Blanford Bloodstock was the buyer of Seeking Gabrielle in 2011. In 2013, she was sold for $100,000 at Keeneland November, where she was purchased by Hinkle Farms. Keogh has no regrets that he sold a horse for $45,000 who is now worth much more.
“That's not my thing,” Keogh said when asked why he didn't hold on to Seeking Gabrielle. “I buy them, I breed them, I sell them. And sometimes I just buy them and sell them. It's a niche in the market that I enjoy and it works. It's been very good to me.”
Keogh came here from Ireland in 1982 and worked at Gainesway Farm for 10 years before going out on his own as a consignor.
Two of his other big success stories were the acquisitions of Epitome of a Lady (Poteen) and Kiss the Lady (Quiet American). He claimed Epitome of a Lady for $5,000 and purchased Kiss the Lady privately. A filly by Curlin out of Epitome of a Lady sold for $975,000 at Keeneland September last year and an Uncle Mo colt out of Kiss the Lady went for $700,000 at the same sale. Both were session toppers.
On Saturday, he'll be rooting for Nyquist (Uncle Mo), but isn't going to take any credit in what would be the saga of an undefeated champion winning the GI Kentucky Derby.
“Absolutely, I am pulling for him. I think I'm the first of seven Irish guys to actually be involved with him,” Keogh joked. “But my part is very small. There are a lot of very good horsemen who are responsible for making this horse the horse he is. Kudos to them.”
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