NEWS
Cotton Blossom among Overbrook stars
Posted: Wednesday, November 11, 2009 4:16 PM
by Jeff Lowe
The bloodstock market may be down considerably, but broodmares in Overbrook Farm’s dispersal continued to draw high demand on Wednesday afternoon, with Grade 1 winner Cotton Blossom going for $2.3-million to Betty Moran’s Brushwood Stable.
The price barely exceeded the $2.25-million Katsumi Yoshida paid for Azeri on Tuesday as the highest in the Keeneland November breeding stock sale, with about 60 hips remaining in the second session that has been highlighted by some of Overbrook’s top families.
Overbrook bought Cotton Blossom, who is in foal to Street Cry (Ire), for $1.9-million in the 2007 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky selected fall mixed sale, a few months after her victory in the Acorn Stakes (G1).
“There’s everything to like about her,” said Dean DeRenzo, who signed the ticket for the five-year-old Broken Vow mare out of For Dixie, by Dixieland Band. “She’s unbelievable. She’s the biggest, most beautiful mare that’s going to walk through the ring here in this sale.”
Cotton Blossom is a half sister to Grade 3 winner Vicarage. She did not produce a foal in 2009.
“She’s just a fantastic racehorse and a fantastic-looking mare,” DeRenzo said. “Mrs. Moran will race those babies. She’s what everyone needs in their stable, one like her.”
About 15 minutes later, Edward P. Evans went to $1.3-million for Dark Sky, a full sister to French classic winner Nebraska Tornado from the Overbrook dispersal.
Overbrook bred the winning four-year-old filly by Storm Cat out of Group 3 winner Media Nox (GB), by Lycius, on a foal share agreement with Juddmonte Farms. Juddmonte bred and raced 2003 Prix de Diane (Fr-G1) (French Oaks) winner Nebraska Tornado and her half siblings Burning Sun, a Group 2 winner, and Mirabilis, a Grade 3 winner.
“What we’re paying today I don’t know if it’s better value, but it’s good value for the families getting into,” said Chris Baker, farm manager for Evans’ Spring Hill Farm in Casanova, Virginia. “There aren’t many opportunities to get into that family. That was full price to get into it, but there aren’t many chances to do it.”
Evans bought Wild Poppy from Overbrook’s dispersal for $950,000 earlier in the day. The three-year-old winner is out of 1994 champion two-year-old filly Flanders, by Seeking the Gold, who produced 2000 champion three-year-old filly Surfside, by Seattle Slew.
“We’re always trying to focus on quality and continuing to build quality, and that’s what we’re trying to do here,” Baker said.
Jeff Lowe is a Thoroughbred Times staff writer
