NEWS
A.P. Indy colt tops Keeneland opener
Posted: Sunday, September 12, 2010 11:44 PM
OPENING SESSION TOPPER: A.P. INDY COLT
PhotosByZ.com/Thoroughbred Times
For walking video of the session's top price, click here.
by John P. Sparkman
New owner Ben Leon paid $4.2-million for a colt by A.P. Indy at the opening session of the 2010 Keeneland September yearling sale.
Leon did not jump into the protracted bidding war until $3.5-million, but he then countered each bid by Racing Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, seated with Kaleem Shah, and John Magnier of Coolmore Stud behind the bidder's stand.
“The people I trust, J.J. and Todd Pletcher, thought he was the very best horse in the sale,” said Leon, who was attending his first Thoroughbred sale. “We're trying to be at the very highest level of the sport, and we did not want to let him go.”
Leon founded Leon Medical Centers in Miami, and now is a director of HealthSpring Inc. Todd Pletcher also purchased the $1.2-million sale topper for Leon’s Besilu Stable at the 2010 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale of selected yearlings in August.
The $4.2-million was the highest price paid for a yearling at Keeneland since Meydan City sold for $11.7-million at the 2006 September sale.
Consigned by Mill Ridge Sales, agent, the A.P. Indy colt was bred by John and Jerry Amerman, who purchased the colt's dam, multiple Grade 1 winner Balance, by Thunder Gulch, for $260,000 at the 2004 Keeneland September sale. Balance is half sister to undefeated two-time champion older female Zenyatta.
“He's such a wonderful colt, and we're just so glad that he got to a great owner and a great trainer,” John Amerman said. “He's really the first horse we've sold. We normally race everything, but the people that advise us said [to sell him] since he's a first foal, and such a special horse.”
At the first session under the new, smaller evening session format, 69 horses were reported as sold for $23,965,000, an average of $347,319. There is no legitimate comparative session from 2009, but at the much larger first session last year, 107 horses sold for $24,949,000, an average of $233,168. Average price was up 49% and median was up 25% at $250,000.
“I thought it was a great sale,” said Geoffrey Russell, Keeneland's director of sales. “It accomplished what we had strived to do, to add some excitement into the market. There's nothing more exciting than having the sale topper that we haven't had the likes of since 2006. I think he was identified early by a lot of people that he was one of the top horses on the grounds and he obviously delivered.
“It's a new format, it's a new Book 1, it's a new Book 2 that's part of Book 1 and part of Book 3. I thought the [buy-back] rate was very good, 25.8%, especially at this level of the market.”
Shah was outbid on the sale topper, but secured the second highest-priced horse of the session, going to $950,000 for a colt by leading sire Giant's Causeway out of stakes winner Spunoutacontrol, by Wild Again, consigned by Lane's End, agent. A half brother to stakes winner Spun Silk, the colt's dam is a half sister to successful sire Tale of the Cat and to the dam of champion and sire Johannesburg.
Lane's End, agent, also sold the session's highest-priced filly, a $685,000 Unbridled's Song filly out of Grade 1-placed winner Soul Search, by A.P. Indy, a half sister to stakes winner Reform Act from the family of champion Pleasant Stage. The top-priced filly was purchased by agent Mike Ryan in the name of Flag Lake #2.
The sale continues at 7 p.m. EDT on Monday.
For hip-by-hip results, click here.
John P. Sparkman is bloodstock editor for Thoroughbred Times
READER COMMENTS
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Posted by: Elizabeth, Janesville, WI on September 13, 2010 at 11:04 PM
Robert--I must admit I never liked A.P. Indy's name. I saw him sell as a yearling, took some nice pictures of him and hoped he would do well. Which he did. I for one like Claiborne Farm's naming policy--simple, dignified, one-word names.
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Posted by: Ann, Fort Worth, TX on September 13, 2010 at 01:55 PM
Very happy for the TB breeders and industry - my question is how does one become rich enough to buy a 4.2 million dollar yearling out of a "medicare" business? There is a lot wrong with this picture.....I hope all the poor working slob taxpayers enjoy watching him run if he makes it to the races.
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Posted by: Robert, Louisville, KY on September 13, 2010 at 01:09 PM
Elizabeth......AMEN !!!! Nothing kills me more than a stupid name. Now I have to confess...19 years ago I was looking at this Seattle Slew colt run in California. He won the race, but his name was one that made me repeat it several times. How could the owner name him that....with his beautiful breeding. If you are wondering.....that colt turned out to be A.P. Indy. Now a name we all know and love. Having said that...."The Green Monkey?????" How could they. ANd he turned out to be a dink and will probably be a dink sire also. Go figure.
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Posted by: Elizabeth, Janesville, WI on September 13, 2010 at 12:07 PM
He certainly is a gorgeous individual. I just hope he gets a good, dignified name--none of this The Green Monkey type of inane name. A good horse deserves a good, dignified name.
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