Midnight Bisou

With the Breeders' Cup returning to Lexington for the third time, headlined by the mighty Flightline (Tapit), the buzz in Lexington was electric from late October all the way through the nearly two weeks of breeding stock sales that followed the World Championships. Combine that with a deep and diverse buying bench and high demand and the result was gains in both gross and average for the 10-day Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, which ran from Nov. 7-16. "With the close of the November Breeding Stock Sale, Keeneland is nearing...

by Jessica Martini, Christie DeBernardis & Christina Bossinakis LEXINGTON, KY - The Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale opened with a jam-packed pavilion and the $4.6-million sale of the fractional interest in superstar Flightline (Tapit) and hit another high late in the day with the $5.5-million sale of champion Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute) to Katsumi Yoshida Monday in Lexington. By the end of the opening session of the auction, 136 head had grossed $66,980,000. The average of $492,500 was up 14.77% from a year ago, while the median dipped 12.12% to...

Katsumi Yoshida of Northern Farm went on a late session buying spree during the supplemental portion of Keeneland November Monday, purchasing champion Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute) for $5.5 million as hip 235 and then adding 2022 French two-time Group 1 winner Dreamloper (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) for $2.7 million as hip 239. Midnight Bisou had previously sold for $5 million at the conclusion of her racing career to partner Chuck Allen at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton November sale. Since then she produced a Curlin colt Feb. 12 and was offered...

Champion Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute--Diva Delite, by Repent), in foal to leading sire Tapit, has been supplemented to the Book 1 section of the upcoming Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. The 7-year-old will be consigned by Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa. "It's impossible to describe what she's meant to me, my family and my partners," Jeff Bloom of co-owner Bloom Racing Stable said. "She took us on an incredible journey and created so many amazing experiences for us across the globe. All those memories I will treasure the rest of...

1st-Saratoga, $105,000, Msw, 8-27, 2yo, 6f, 1:10.26, ft, 1 3/4 lengths. VERIFYING (c, 2, Justify--Diva Delite {GSW, $300,067}, by Repent), a half to none other than Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute), Ch. Older Dirt Female, MGISW, $3,971,500, ran to advanced billing to take a typically tough-looking Travers Day maiden as the 3-5 favorite. Debuting with blinkers on, the bay broke well and took a short lead to post splits of :22.90 and :46.04. He turned for home a bit wide, allowing Track Mate (Union Rags--Teammate) to challenge to his inside at...

1st-SAR, $105K, Msw, 2yo, 6f, 11:35 a.m. EDT The star-studded GI Runhappy Travers S. day card kicks off with a pair of juveniles events, starting with this main track sprint. VERIFYING (Justify), a $775,000 KEESEP acquisition by the Coolmore contingent, is one of the most intriguing firsters in this event. The Brad Cox pupil is out of GSW Diva Delite (Repent), who summoned $1.2 million with this colt in utero at the 2019 Fasig-Tipton November Sale. That makes Verifying a half-sibling to champion Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute), who brought $5-million...

The highly-anticipated first foal out of champion Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute) arrived on Feb. 12 this year and is now thriving at Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa. Jeff Bloom stopped by the farm in the midst of Triple Crown season to visit the Curlin colt and his Eclipse Award-winning dam. "He is what you would expect to see out of a champion and by a champion," Bloom said after inspecting 'Baby Bisou' for the first time. "I think he takes after his mom quite a bit, but certainly there are...

Champion Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute) gave birth to her first foal, a colt by Horse of the Year Curlin, Hill 'n' Dale Farms and owners Allen Racing and Andrew Yaffe announced Monday evening. "This colt was born to be a champion," said Jeff Bloom, founder of Bloom Racing, who purchased Midnight Bisou for $80,000 at the 2017 OBS April sale. "He is the personification of the age-old adage 'breed the best to the best and hope for the best.' This exciting colt ushers in the next chapter in our amazing...

Authentic (Into Mischief), the 2020 Horse of the Year who won the GI TVG.com Haskell S. as a prelude to victories in the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Breeders' Cup Classic, and champion Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute), who won the GIII Molly Pitcher S. at Monmouth in 2019, will join Monmouth Park's Hall of Champions when the track kicks off its 76th season of live racing Friday, May 28. Monmouth Park's Hall of Champions was established in 1986 and is located on the track's first floor Grandstand with banners representing...

   Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute), 2019's champion older mare and a five-time GISW with earnings of nearly $7.5 million, has been pronounced in foal to Hill 'n' Dale stalwart, two-time Horse of the Year and fellow Steve Asmussen trainee Curlin. "Midnight Bisou was a mare with extraordinary ability. One can only imagine the possibilities from the mating of two such Greats of the breed," said John G. Sikura, President of Hill 'n' Dale. Midnight Bisou sold for $5 million at last year's Fasig-Tipton November sale to Chuck Allen, who was...

Champion Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute) arrived at Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa Thursday afternoon after completing her final phase of rehabilitation at WinStar Farm. The five-time Grade I winner will visit Hill 'n' Dale flagbearer Curlin. Midnight Bisou was preparing for her Breeders' Cup bid this fall when she incurred a sesamoid fracture during a work at the end of September that forced connections to retire the mare prematurely. The champion shone as one of brightest stars at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale Nov. 8. Co-owner Chuck Allen of Allen Racing...

Superstar and champion Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute--Diva Delite, by Repent) was a predictably popular item at the Fasig-Tipton November 'Night of the Stars' Sunday, but in the end she'll go to a familiar face, as Chuck Allen, partner on the mare during her racing career, bought out the other partners and brought the hammer down at $5 million. The 5-year-old sold as hip 185, consigned by ELiTE Sales. A five-time graded stakes winner and dual Grade I winner as a sophomore, the $80,000 OBS April buy earned a runaway divisional...