With an eye toward the biggest prize in the sport—stallion prospects—John Stewart’s Resolute Bloodstock bought a pair of seven-figure yearling colts Aug. 5 on opening night of Fasig-Tipton’s The Saratoga Sale.
Stewart went to $1.7 million for Hip 75, a Gun Runner half to grade 1 winner and sire Leofric , from Bluewater Sales, agent. Earlier in the night, Stewart bid $1.5 million to land a Charlatan colt and half brother to leading freshman sire Complexity from Warrendale Sales, agent for Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings.
Stewart said he is thinking about his colt purchases through the lens of his racing stable and their stallion potential.
“I think you have to. There were some great physical horses here, but then you’re asking yourself if this one does everything it’s supposed to do, what are you gonna do with it if it doesn’t have (a stallion’s) pedigree page,” Stewart said. “So of course we’re looking for horses that will have commercial value if everything works out, and it’s a big if, these are yearlings.
“We think we got two of the five nicest colts tonight, and that was something on our list with us starting a breed-to-race operation. We’re trying to fill in (the racing stable). We have 23 yearlings right now. And you know you have to participate in these sales if you want access to some of the best colts. You just look at Sierra Leone and some of the other horses that have come out of these sales.”
The Gun Runner colt, out of the unraced Unbridled’s Song mare Lady Godiva, is closely related to Leofric, who is by Gun Runner’s sire, Candy Ride .
“He’s a great physical specimen and he’s a Gun Runner colt, I mean, what else do you have to say about him?” Stewart said.
Consignor Bluewater Sales, as agent, purchased Lady Godiva, in foal to Candy Ride, for $600,000 at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky November Sale. Hip 75 was bred in Kentucky by Cypress Creek Equine.
Hip 57, the Charlatan colt Stewart purchased earlier in the night, has one of the best and most current pages in the Saratoga sale. Out of the Yes It’s True mare Goldfield, the colt is a half to Complexity (Maclean’s Music ) and Doubledogdare Stakes (G3) winner and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) runner-up Valadorna (Curlin ). Valadorna is the dam of current 3-year-old Tuscan Gold, who finished third in the Louisiana Derby (G2) and fourth in the Preakness Stakes (G1).
“We think Charlatan is going to emerge as a good stallion, and Stonestreet bred (Hip 57). That says a lot. Any time Barbara Banke’s name is associated with something, it gives you a lot of confidence as a buyer,” Stewart said.
Hip 57 is from the first crop of grade 1 winner Charlatan. The brilliant son of Speightstown stands at Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms for an advertised fee of $50,000. He won the Arkansas Derby (G1) and the Malibu Stakes (G1) as a 3-year-old, with a runner-up finish in the Saudi Cup (G1) at age 4.
Warrendale Sales’ Kitty Day was delighted with the result for Hip 57.
“Everyone loved him,” Day said. “He’s beautiful, he has a stallion’s pedigree, great physical, and a great representation of Stonestreet and Charlatan. We are thrilled that Mrs. Banke and the whole Stonestreet team gave him to us to sell.”
Stewart said he was on track with what the colt would bring, but he was prepared to spend even more.
“There were a few horses here that in my mind are one hundred percent coming home with me, and he was one of them,” Stewart said. “It takes a lot to go through our whole process, to go through 120 horses and get down to six or 10 that you’re gonna buy.”
Stewart also purchased three fillies Monday night. He bought Hip 37, a Curlin filly and half to grade 2 winner Dream Lith (Medaglia d’Oro ), from Hill ‘n’ Dale at Xalapa, agent, for $850,000; Hip 54, a Munnings filly, the second foal out of the stakes-winning Ghostzapper mare Ghoul’s Night Out from Darby Dan Farm, agent, for $600,000; and Hip 106, a Justify filly half sister to grade 1 winner Nickname (Scat Daddy) from Hunter Valley Farm, agent.
Resolute was the session’s leading buyer by gross at $5,425,000 with five purchases.
“We got all the colts we wanted so far tonight. I’ve been really surprised on a couple of the fillies—the half to Vahva (Hip 62, $725,000)—I really wanted that one and probably should have bought her. I’m gonna kick myself on that,” Stewart said. “And Hip 85 ($1.9 million Curlin filly), that was a really nice horse that got away from us, but it got a little too expensive for what I thought the horse was at this point in time as a broodmare prospect.”
Stewart said he enjoyed his first experience at The Saratoga Sale.
“I really like the atmosphere that Fasig-Tipton puts on here. It’s a who’s who of the industry. These are some of the best horses.”
Courtesy of the Bloodhorse
