M V Magnier

by Jessica Martini & Stefanie Grimm OCALA, FL - While it took some time to find its stride, the first session of the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training gained momentum throughout the day and concluded with figures in line with the first session of its record-setting 2023 renewal. "I thought it was a good day," said OBS Director of Sales Tod Wojciechowski. "A good horse sells well and I thought we had a lot of nice horses today. Holding true to last year, that's a...

5th-KEE, $100K, Msw, 3yo, f, 1 1/16mT, 3:08 p.m. ET. SCARLET POPPY (IRE) (Night of Thunder {Ire}) makes the races after she was purchased by Stonestreet Stable and M.V. Magnier for 800,000gns at the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale. The Wesley Ward trainee has a trio of gelding half-brothers who have won stakes in Europe, including Ross Castle (Ire) (Bushranger {Ire}), Snazzy Jazzy (Ire) (Red Jazz) and Ten Year Ticket (Ire) (Rock of Gibraltar (Ire). Also drawn is Ready for Shirl (More Than Ready), who is out of GI Breeders' Cup...

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis LEXINGTON, KY - With the very first horse through the ring bringing $1.3 million, the second session of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale was off to the races Tuesday and the action didn't slow down throughout the day as the second-to-last offering brought $1.25 million. In between, 13 other yearlings sold for seven figures, including a colt by Into Mischief who brought top price of $3 million from the partnership of Chuck Sonson, West Point Thoroughbreds and Woodford. With eight million-dollar yearlings Monday, the...

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis The Keeneland September Yearling Sale opened with a packed pavilion and plenty of bidding from a diverse buying bench ultimately producing eight seven-figure sales led by a $2.3-million daughter of Into Mischief. At the end of the session, numbers were largely in line with the figures from the opening session of last year's record-breaking auction. "We were all biting our nails a little bit thinking about being measured up to last year's sale which was so phenomenal," said Keeneland President Shannon Arvin. "But the...

M.V. Magnier stretched to $1.35 million to acquire hip 130, a colt by Uncle Mo--Forever for Now (War Front) as the first day of trade at the Keeneland September Sale rolled on Monday afternoon. The Feb. 7-foaled bay was consigned to the sale by Penn Sales, agent for Bar C Racing Stables and is out of an unraced half-sister to the Irish Group 3-placed Carlisle Bay (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) who was purchased by Pam Christopherson for $210,000 with the Uncle Mo colt in utero at the 2021 Keeneland November Sale....

Saturday's Bord Na Mona Recycling Irish EBF Maiden at the Curragh has been a springboard to success in the G1 Vincent O'Brien National S. for Al Riffa (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}) and Thunder Moon (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}), who annexed two of the last three editions. This year's renewal witnessed the emergence of another potential candidate after Aidan O'Brien trainee Diego Velazquez (Ire) (Frankel {GB}) romped to 'TDN Rising Stardom' in the seven-furlong contest. He had already caused a stir at Newmarket last October, when knocked down for 2.4-million guineas at...

There was an abundance of pre-race hype surrounding the Aidan O'Brien-trained debutante Ylang Ylang (GB) (Frankel {GB}--Shambolic {Ire}, by Shamardal), who was hammered down to 8-13 favouritism for Friday evening's Kildare House Hotel Irish EBF Fillies Maiden at the Curragh, and she rewarded that faith with a 'TDN Rising Star' display in the seven-furlong test. Relaxed under Ryan Moore during the preliminaries, she was professional on the lead throughout and extended her margin of superiority, keeping on powerfully under mild coaxing, inside the final quarter-mile to easily account for Dollerina...

First job in the Thoroughbred industry? Mucking out at Guirys 1 in Coolmore Ireland on my year out from University. I think there were 20 foals in the barn - 18 by Sadler's Wells and two by Danehill. Biggest influence on your career? Ultimately, my father, who introduced both my brother William and I to racing. He loved his National Hunt and we spent many a happy afternoon at Huntingdon and Towcester. Later in life, both Richard Henry and Simon Mockridge played major roles in my experience and development. Favourite...

Globe-trotting MG1SW and highweight Campanelle (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) matched the top price paid (so far) at Fasig-Tipton November Sunday when Coolmore's M.V. Magnier came out on top of a spirited duel to land the Stonestreet colorbearer for $5 million. Seventh in Saturday's GI Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint, the Wesley Ward-trained millionaire was consigned as hip 272 by Eaton Sales and offered as a racing or broodmare prospect. She was purchased for the equivalent of $243,773 by Ben McElroy as a Tattersalls October yearling.

NEWMARKET, UK -- Even in what proved a record-breaking edition, Book 3 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale last year yielded just a couple of six-figure sales. On Thursday, we had two in the first half hour. Any prospectors who had staggered out of the opening two books gasping for some oasis of affordability already knew what they were up against. To be fair, trade would not remain quite as consistently wild as had been the case across the two preceding catalogues. While unsatisfied demand from Book 2 was transparent...

The phrase is traced to Bob Hope, apparently when challenged by a heckler during one of his military morale-boosters to explain why he wasn't in uniform. "Don't you know there's a war on?" he replied. "A guy could get hurt!" It would have been perfectly legitimate for one of the Keeneland auctioneers to respond in similar vein to the torrent of bidding that elevated the September Sale to unprecedented highwater marks. Somehow, the kind of factors that traditionally send markets into nauseous free fall have failed to stem a breathless...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency               7th-CD, $120K, Msw, 2yo, f, 7f, 3:50 p.m. Debuting in the royal blue Friday, METHODOLOGY (Uncle Mo) is the third foal out of GSW Innovative Idea (Bernardini), making her a half-sister to GI Acorn S. winner Matareya (Pioneerof the Nile). Further back in her family is GISW & sire Sky Mesa (Pulpit) and MGISW & Darley stallion Maxfield (Street Sense). In training with Brad Cox, Methodology has made her two most recent works over the Churchill main track and...