Tuesday morning bloodstock agent, Part 3: Potential Second-Chance Deals

So it's been nearly two weeks since the conclusion of the 2010 Keeneland sale of 2-year-olds in training, but I'm delivering on the last of my three promised lists: The potential second-chance deals from the sale's RNAs.

Previously I offered my thoughts on the "steals" of the sale, and the "surreal" prices paid (or in one case, refused) for a handful of the 2-year-olds.

Forty of the 111 juveniles to go through the ring on April 5, or 36 percent of the horses offered, failed to sell for an unknown reserve price designated by the consigner prior to the sale, hence the abbreviation RNA -- Reserve Not Attained. Some of these colts and fillies still brought hefty bids without selling. Others received little attention from bidders and were more quickly spirited out of the sales ring to be returned to their consigners.

Certainly a horse that RNAs for a really short price has been tabbed by most or all potential buyers as one with a problem. Having not reviewed the animals in the flesh, I wouldn't have knowledge of these knocks. Could be the horse is small (not always the worst thing), or a little (or a lot) crooked, or the x-rays or scopes came back unclean. Something wasn't right.

Nevertheless, each of those foals is -- in my opinion -- well-bred, stems from quality female family, and has a family history that suggests he or she should be a racehorse.

For a short while after the sale (the time period in which I should have filed this list) potential buyers could have placed a second-chance bid on these horses through Keeneland's relatively new Kee-bid service, introduced at the company's 2009 September yearling sale. Several yearlings were sold last year when buyers submitted offers through Kee-bid, with e-mail notice of their interest and contact information being forwarded by the system to Keeneland and to the consigner.

If you're interested in one of these colts or fillies, money does talk and I'm sure their connections would like to hear from you. And if you're a bidder who took a pass -- or merely a fan, maybe one with winner's circle dreams but not yet the gumption to take the plunge -- you can watch the foals on this list for the next three or four seasons and perhaps lament the horse you woulda, coulda, shouda bought at Keeneland April 2010. (Or laugh at my tabbing them as horses with potential, should every one of them prove a failure.)

Without further ado, my favorites among the juveniles that didn't sell at Keeneland on April 5.

The Second-Chance Deals:

Hip 2: Chestnut colt by Lemon Drop Kid-Eliza's Time, by Barathea. The list begins with the first foal to pass through the sale (since Hip 1 was an "out"), and this fellow brought just a $12,000 bid. I wouldn't have sold him for that, and neither did the consigning agent, McKathan Brothers Thoroughbreds. He didn't run a particularly rapid eighth-mile, 10 3/5 seconds (click for video), but he wasn't the slowest at the sale, either. And while there are potential drawbacks even on the catalog page (let alone the x-rays or scopes I haven't seen), he has up-side, as well. His sire stands for $35,000, nearly triple the amount bid for the colt at the sale. And he has a pretty good record of producing racehorses, with 79 percent starters and 51 percent winners from all foals of racing age through Nov. 8, 2009; average earnings per starter are more than $78K and median earnings per foal are over $30,000. I have a hunch this boy might be a later-developing horse (only about 13 percent of LDK's foals win at 2), and a turf or synthetic runner, to boot. About 40 percent of all wins and 46 percent of all progeny earnings for sons and daughters of Lemon Drop Kid have come on grass (including G1 winner Citronnade), the sire also boasts G1 all-weather winners in the likes of Richard's Kid, Christmas Kid and Santa Teresita, and an Irish-bred dam by the late English and Irish champion (and Breeders' Cup Mile winner) Barathea certainly doesn't lead me to believe this colt is most likely to want traditional dirt. ... There are some gaps in his credentials. His dam was unraced, and he's her first foal, so we don't know yet whether she can produce runners. Second dam Meadow Spirit (Chief's Crown-Liberty Spirit, by Graustark) was unplaced in her only start, and has a weak produce record save one foal -- SUNSHINE STREET (by Sunshine Forever), a distance-running grass horse and winner a decade ago of the San Juan Capistrano H.-G1 going 14f at Santa Anita. Third dam Liberty Spirit was unplaced in two starts, but did produce DAWN'S CURTSEY (Far North), who won the 10-furlong-turf Flower Bowl H.-G1 among older fillies and mares in 1995 when she was just 3. Liberty Spirit was also half-sister to MEHMET (Monmouth H.-G1, Cartleton F. Burke H.-G2T, etc., $718,015, sire) and to the noteworthy filly MISS SWAPSCO (Ashland S., etc.), who was the dam of two stakes winners, two more stakes-placers and is in the tail-female line of at least two dozen stakes horses, including the likes of: SINGSPIEL (turf G1s on three continents, multiple champion, sire); GLORIOUS SONG (G1, four championships including Canada's Horse of the Year); DEVIL'S BAG (G1, Eclipse champion juvenile, sire); SLIGO BAY (G1T, sire); SAINT BALLADO (G2, sire); RAHY (G2, sire); BOSTON COMMON (G2); RAKEEN (G2-SAF, sire); HISHI NATALIE (G2-JPN); LADY BALLADE (G3-JPN); BLACKSBURG (G3T); STORM SURGE (G3, sire); and WORTH AVENUE (G3). Deeper in this female family, related to this colt through his fourth dam, Soaring, are full brothers PARADE GROUND and PARADE LEADER, both G2 winners sired by Kingmambo, who is the paternal grandsire here. ... TrueNicks rates the mating an "A" based on Lemon Drop Kid over a Northern Dancer-line mare, while Werk grades it an A+++ for Kingmambo's line over Sadler's Wells. ... This pedigree shows a lot of turf form (and, more recently, synthetic) and more than its share of stamina in an increasingly speed-laden breed (remember, sire Lemon Drop Kid won the Belmont). So I wouldn't be surprised to see this colt wait until he's 3 to race, and when/if he does show up for it to be on grass somewhere, perhaps at Arlington Park or in California, where he can find both turf and synthetics.

Hip 9: Chestnut filly by Speightstown-Evangelizer, by Saint Ballado. This filly was the co-speed-demon of the under-tack show, blazing a 10-flat eighth, but only brought a high bid of $100,000 (six figures, but well beneath the sale's median and average, and she was a $40K yearling last September at Keeneland). It's said that you want to see a horse who is running fast even when he looks like he isn't, and from the video, this filly doesn't exactly fit that bill. From the instant I saw the clip, I thought, "Wow, it looks like she's running fast." Thankfully, the time agreed that she was. So she's quick, but maybe not smooth, and she didn't look like she had a lot of size, though she appeared compact and muscular. ... On the plus side -- and a big plus -- her female family says she should run (although soundness could be an issue). Her dam was a winner, but only made three starts. She has already produced a Malibu Moon filly, Worship the Moon, who was G2-placed in the Matron Stakes at Belmont last year at age 2, and has won her 3-year-old debut, making five starts thus far. Second dam Religiosity (Irish Tower-Winter Sleep, by Rising Market) was a G3 winner at 3, though she only raced 10 times. She produced 10 winners and three stakes winners (all fillies), including: Ill-fated Canadian champion juvenile KNIGHTS TEMPLAR (Exploit), who died of lymphoma at 3; FOR ALL SEASONS(Crafty Prospector, G1-placed); and DIAL A SONG (Mining). Another daughter of this second dam, Kit's Girl (Carson City) has produced multiple G2-winning sprinter EATON'S GIFT(Johannesburg). This filly's third, fourth and sixth dams also were unraced, but all were stakes-producers. So, I'm concerned about her durability, but the family has talent. And, that talent appears to be pretty precocious and destined for going short, which should be pluses both when coupled with champion sprinter Speightstown and for winning (and earning blacktype, perhaps?) this year, not necessarily waiting for later. Speightstown, for his part, got 76 percent runners from his first two crops, about 44 percent 2-year-old starters, and 17.9 percent 2-year-old winners. ... Wavertree Stables Inc. (Ciaran Dunne) was the consigning agent.

Hip 11: Dark by or brown filly by Rock Hard Ten-Fascinating Gal, by Theatrical.This one already has a name, Black Tulip. An unraced dam doesn't add to the appeal, but from two prior foals of racing age she's already produced a Keeneland allowance winner namedImpressive Look, by Silver Hawk, who is a son of Roberto, who in turn is the grandsire of Rock Hard Ten. The dam is half to a pair of Philly Park stakes winners in COZY LACE (Cozzene) and GLIMMERING CREST (Gold Crest). Their dam, Dangling (Silent Screen) only earned $27,531, but placed in two minor stakes races at Delaware Park and Ellis Park and was a half-sister to SCRIMSHAW (G3, NTR Aqueduct, sire ... no, not this Scrimshaw). ... This one is bred to run all day and potentially on turf (or synethetic?). Yet her 10 2/5 breeze is pretty fair and I thought she looked good doing it. And while Rock Hard Ten is a massive horse who didn't race until 3, who got only 27 raced foals and just eight winners (with a 7.55-furlong average winning distance that is long for a group of 2-year-olds) from 82 juveniles in his freshman crop last year, and whose foals should, like their sire, get better with time, that limited group of 2-year-old runners produced three stakes winners, two of them annexing Grade 3 races. So you might have to wait on this one, but I think she'll eventually race effectively, probably around two turns. Solitary Oak Farm (Danny Pate), agent, were unwilling to sell her for $50,000 and I can't blame them. She was a $25K RNA when offered by consigner Brad Murray Thoroughbreds at Fasig-Tipton's October sale, then was wheeled back into the November Keeneland sale by Lane's End as agent for Bentley Bradshaw, where she sold for $28K. So the price has gone up, but so has her upkeep and training, and I'm not at all surprised that $50K wasn't enough to buy her.

Hip 19: Bay colt by Bernstein-Foundit, by Seeking the Gold. OK, I picked on Bernstein in this series, but the $10,000 top bid on this War Horse Place LLC consignee probably seemed insulting. His 10.3 breeze wasn't awe-inspiring, but some horses were whipped to go just a tenth faster and the rider never laid leather on this one. His dam was unraced, but from three older foals she's produced two winners, including the gelding Fundit (Successful Appeal) who won twice last year at 3 and set a Colonial Downs track record for 6.5 furlongs at 1:16.44. (The other foal is Horse Chestnut-sired gelding Swakop, who was a $9,000 Keeneland yearling and won two cheap races in Canada.) The allure here is in the second dam, multiple G1 winner Chaposa Springs, and the third dam, La Chaposa, a champion sprinter in Peru who is also the dam of Metropolitan H.-G1 winner YOU AND I. Neither Chaposa Springs nor her daughters have produced much of anything so far, and it's likely the buyers are growing wise to that unfortunate fact; it's sad when a great stallion or mare can't seem to pass along their own talent. But the fact that two out of three foals from Foundit have managed to score wins somewhere suggests to me that this colt will eventually break his maiden, too. Maybe he'll even beat one of these horses who sold for five or 10 times his RNA price at Keeneland April 2010.

Hip 25: Bay colt by Broken Vow-Go Again Valid, by Valid Appeal. What happened to this kid from 2009 to 2010? Bluegrass Thoroughbred Services Inc. was the agent when he sold for $92,000 to Sugar Valley Farm as a short yearling at KEEJAN '09. By September, Eaton Sales was the agent when Zayat Stables bought him at Keeneland for $180,000. But his third time through the Keeneland ring was not charmed, as he brought a bid of only $50,000 for his consigners, the aforementioned McKathan Bros. ... It isn't the time of the breeze that failed him; 10.2 is fine. Nor should it be the catalog page; his dam won the G3 Interborough Handicap at Aqueduct and has already produced a (very) minor stakes winner in BELONG AGAIN (Belong to Me) and a Louisiana Downs stakes-placer in Miss Afleet Alex (Afleet Alex, duh). Of her five foals of racing age, all are winners. However, none of those five have yet reached $50K in earnings, so maybe hopes have dimmed for this one. Still, his dam is half to Italian champion ONCE MORE DUBAI (E Dubai, highweight from 9.5-11f at 3), his second dam, the multiple-winning Broad Brush mare Go Again Girl, was a full sister to LOOMING (12 wins, four stakes, G3-placed, $337,709), and the third dam is multiple stakes-winning mare Native Derby (Master Derby). So there's evidence he should run, but also no doubt some reason why Zayat Stables -- who run a lot of horses -- apparently didn't want to keep this one, and why buyers this time around weren't willing to pay even half the average he sold for in two trips past the auction block as a yearling.

Hip 26: Bay filly by Ghostzapper-Golden Antigua, by Hansel. All right, she's slow, at least by 2-year-old-show-breeze standards; 11-flat through the eighth. But she's bred to get a distance and a year or two from now if she's coming home the last eighth of a mile or a 9-furlong race in anywhere near 11-flat, an owner would wet his pants with excitement. So Ghostzapper didn't exactly light the world on fire with his first crop of juveniles in 2009; 21st among freshman sires with only 27.5 percent runners and 10 percent winners from 80 2-year-olds? While the sire did win a race at 2, he didn't come into his own until age 3 and was a champion at 4. Should we have expected lots of 2-year-old winners? (And his surprise winner of the April 10 Blue Grass S.-G1, Stately Victor, suggests a little bit of seasoning and distance will be positives for his get.) Meanwhile, the female family here is quite good. Dam Golden Antigua was a winner at 2 and 3 and stakes-placed in Italy before being returned to the States, where she showed strong turf form and won six more times at 4 and 5, including two renewals of the Nicole Stakes at Hawthorne, earning $309,260. She has already produced GIANT GIZMO (Giant's Causeway), who won the G3 Alysheba Stakes in the slop at Churchill and later the G3 Lone Star Park Handicap, both after setting a track record for a mile on Pro-Ride at Santa Anita with a time of 1:34.59. All four of Golden Antigua's foals of racing age are winners (including another stakes-horse, 9-furlong Turfway stakes-placed Slick Pardoned Me), and her dam, Greinette (Greinton) produced five winners from seven foals. Third dam Ribonette, by the great, unbeaten Ribot, produced MI SELECTO (Explodent, three G1 wins, $1.475 million, sire), BAR DEXTER (True Knight, two G2 wins), TAIBHSEACH (Secreto), and unplaced filly Leaf Spring (Torsion), who in turn produced 100 percent winners from 13 foals, four of them blacktype horses, including South African 2-year-old champion BLOSSOMING FIELDS. This filly's dad is from good broodmare-sire stock in the Deputy Minister line (with her sire's dam being by Relaunch), her female family produces, and she's already half to a multiple-graded winner with her 13-year-old dam presumably still in production. If she runs out at all, she has broodmare potential, possibly commercial. I'm not sure of Ghostzapper over a turf-running mare in Golden Antigua. (Polytrack, maybe?) And she has plummeted in price since selling for $200,000 as a weanling (Sugar Hill Farm at KEENOV '08) and a loss at $150,000 to Dale Romans as a yearling at FTSAUG. Still, the $22,000 bid turned aside by consigner Jerry Bailey Sales Agency shouldn't have been nearly enough to buy her. Look for her at a track by the end of 2011, and if it's for a reasonable tag, give her a close look in the paddock and consider dropping a claim.

Hip 36: Bay colt by Rockport Harbor-Java Jolt, by Hennessy. Another whose value plummeted from yearling sale -- $140,000 at OBSAUG '09 to Nick de Meric, agent, down to $35K and an RNA at KEEAPR when consigned by Niall Brennan Stables, who are known for good horses. The colt rumbled through the eighth in 10.3, which is hardly rotten. His dam was unraced and has a spotty produce record so far, with only one winner from three to race and five registered foals. But that winner is G2-placed True Addiction (Yes It's True). The second dam here is G3 winner Risen Colony (Pleasant Colony), who was a full sister to G1 winner and sire CHEROKEE COLONY. It's reaching back a bit, but fourth dam Copper Canyon (Bryan G) was a minor stakes winner whose dam First Flush and noteworthy granddam, Hildene, are reines de course, and who herself is in the tail-female lines of at least 16 other blacktype horses, including G1 winners SPEIGHTSTOWN (champion sprinter, whose dam was Canadian champion juvenile SILKEN CAT), TURK PASSER ($735,320) and CRUSADER SWORD (sire). ... While I'm a little leery of freshman sires, of Rockport Harbor being from the seemingly fragile Unbridled line and making just eight starts himself, and of this dam's produce record, this one was cheap compared to the Rockport Harbor juveniles to have sold ($113K average, $67K median) and, if he scored blacktype and stayed sound (big "ifs") does have the pedigree to stand at stud. So despite some reservations of my own, I think he was worth more than the $35,000 offered, though I've no idea what it would have taken to buy him after being a $140K yearling, plus the added cost of training up to the sale.

Hip 39: Bay colt by Sir Shackleton-Keepers Hill, by Danehill. This one, already named Shackleton Hill, actually is on the list not because he's a potential deal, because frankly had he sold for the $27,000 bid that Kirkwood Stables, agent, refused, I'm not sure whether I'd have labeled him a "steal." In fact, that phrase, "I'm not sure," applies all-around to this colt. I'm just not sure what his breeders were going for here. His dam, Keepers Hill, was a winner in both Ireland and the U.S., was stakes-placed in Ireland, and has already produced a son, Swilly Ferry (by Wiseman's Ferry) who earned a whopping £206,492 (that's $343,305 in Uncle Sam's dollars) in a sturdy 10 starts (nine on turf, one win on all-weather) at age 2 in the U.K. He won the Weatherby's Insurance 2-year-old Stakes on grass at Doncaster, a race that doesn't qualify for catalog blacktype by U.K. standards, but with 19 runners and a £183,000 purse, it should. Second dam Asnieres (Spend a Buck) despite her Kentucky Derby-winning, dirt-raced sire was a winner on grass in France and who in addition to Keepers Hill has produced the French-turf G3-winning Sadler's Wells filly AUSTRALIE and the Danehill Dancer gelding Forgotten Voice, who won his first four lifetime on all-weather and turf in the U.K., and is G3-placed on both grass in the U.K. and on Tapeta at the new Meydan course in the UAE. Third dam Albertine (Irish River) was French-born and G3-placed on grass there; a half-sister to French champion ASHMORE (Luthier) and to Group 3 grass winners ART BLEU (Legend of France) and ACOMA (Rheffic). Albertine produced French G1 winner and champion ARCANGUES (Sagace), and here we finally have a major dirt winner as in 1993 he shocked the likes of Bertrando, Kissin Kris, Best Pal, Devil His Due, Marquetry, Miner's Mark, Colonial Affair, Diazo, and the world by winning the Breeders' Cup Classic-G1 at 133/1 odds. Albertine also was the dam of French Group 3 winner AGATHE (by Manila, dam of treble Group 1 winner AQUARRELISTE and U.S.-raced G1 turfer ARTISTE ROYAL), and of French turf stakes winner ALAMO BAY (Nureyev). ... Now, with all that grass in the bloodstream of the mare, why Sir Shackleton, a multiple G3 dirt horse with two records sprinting on the main tracks at Gulfstream and Tampa? At least Wiseman's Ferry, like Sir Shackleton a West Virginia Derby winner, was Group 3-placed on turf in Ireland at 2. Seeking a synthetic horse here? Well, his breeze over the Polytrack was a comparatively sluggish 11-flat, but he didn't particularly look "bad" doing it. Of course, Sir Shackleton's sire, Miswaki, could get his share of turf horses, including French highweight Urban Sea, champion broodmare in the U.K. and Ireland, famed as dam of G1 winners SEA THE STARS, GALILEO, MY TYPHOON and BLACK SAM BELLAMY. Still, I wonder if more than the slow breeze (i.e., "What's up with this mating?") had something to do with the low bids, because the female family here is just downright good and his older half-brother had more than earned his keep before he ever turned 3. ... He was only a $15K yearling, so maybe this boy just doesn't look that good on the hoof (or x-ray or scope well), and he wasn't quick. But this female family produces racehorse after racehorse, so don't be surprised if he's eventually one, too. I'm just not sure where or on what surface.

Hip 45: Gray or roan colt by Bluegrass Cat-Lady Cruella, by Capote. If it feels like I'm selecting every RNA as a potential bargain, it's starting to seem like that to me, too. But I'm not. In the case of this one, I'm again somewhat reluctant to recommend the get of a freshman sire. But Bluegrass Cat was a gutsy performer; a two-turn winner at 2 (including the Remsen S.-G2 at 9f), a G1 winner at 3 (Haskell Invitational), and finished second to the likes of the brilliant but ill-fated Barbaro in the Kentucky Derby, Belmont-stunner (from a multi-Belmont family) Jazil and champ Bernardini in the Travers. Only twice did he finish worse than second in 11 lifetime starts (I do wish that number were bigger), and eight of those starts were stakes races. This son of his ran a pretty decent 10.2 breeze, though from the clip only it looks like his base might be a little narrow in front (but that's just a guess). And the colt is out of a $115K-earning mare who has already produced two stakes winners, multiple-G2 millionaire LEAH'S SECRET (Tiger Ridge) and G3-winning juvenile BEAR TOUGH GUY (Roar of the Tiger), both by Storm Cat sons who weren't nearly the racehorses that Bluegrass Cat proved to be. Third dam here is Great Lady M. (Icecapade), a multiple-stakes winner and track record-setter who bore 12 winners including beloved Horse of the Year LADY'S SECRET (Secretariat). ... A colt with a decent breeze, a sire from one of America's first-families of stallions, a graded-blacktype-producing dam whose own dam was half to a multiple champion; I can fully understand Hartley/De Renzo Thoroughbreds, as agent, rejecting a bid of $90,000.

Hip 61: Dark bay or brown colt by Bluegrass Cat-Maid's Broom, by Deputy Minister.Here I go again, recommending a 2-year-old by a freshman sire. But this one scores with me on the strength of his dam's produce. He's a half-brother to four stakes winners: G2 millionaire TENPINS (Smart Strike); 12-race winner OVERRIDE BATTLE (Conquistador Cielo); 13-race winner IT'S A SWEEP (Jade Hunter); and filly DUST AROUND (Geiger Counter). Yeah, they're Michigan-breds and three of them did most of their running in restricted races. You still don't combine for 40 wins (the total output of these four) without being racehorses. So I suspect this guy will also be a racehorse. (Although I will point out that the four blacktype siblings are all from Mr. Prospector-line sires.) ... Second dam Overreaction (Nodouble) was a minor stakes winner herself, and half to more serious blacktype in Spanish Horse of the Year PETIT LOUP, Canadian champion grass horse BOUNDING AWAY and SW/G1-placed sire ASCOT KNIGHT. This one breezed a quarter instead of an eighth, and while 22 2/5 isn't blazing, it isn't altogether slothful, either. Unsurprising that Kirkwood Stables as agent turned down a mere $22,000 (the sire stands for $25,000). But when Bill Murphy was the agent last year, the sellers had a chance to turn this boy over for $110,000 at Fasig-Tipton July. (His price had slipped to $47K by the EAS September sale, again with Murphy as agent.) ... Hindsight of course says he should have been sold for $110K nine months ago; regardless $22K broke and ready to move forward as a racehorse wasn't gonna happen.

Hip 115: Dark bay or brown colt by Vindication-Solid Eight, by Fit to Fight. The sire here, a 2-year-old champion who died early in his stud career, at age 8, has gotten a few nice horses in his first four (large) crops, as evidenced by G2 winner More Happy and G3 winners Vocalised and Free Judgment. Unfortunately, I'm not sure those are showing any more durability than their sire, who just raced four times, as the trio of graded winners have but 21 starts between them and More Happy is already retired. So the real allure here is the dam's side. There, we find Solid Eight, a multiple listed stakes winner (albeit of just 11 starts) who has produced nine winners from 12 other foals of racing age, including G2 winner of $900K EUCHRE (Personal Flag), 14-win listed stakes winner LOUIE THE LUCKY (Saratoga Six) and Meadowlands stakes winner of over $200,000, C. C. ON ICE (Hansel). This sales colt's half-sister Ale Eight Woman (Gone West) is the granddam of WAYZATA BAY (Roar), a G2 winner of 12 victories for nearly $719K. Half-sisters Solid Claim (Mining) and Gretel Girl (Hansel) are minor stakes producers. The colt breezed a decent 10 2/5 and fairly looks the part. He was a $40,000 RNA as a Keeneland September yearling and only brought a top bid of $45,000 that wasn't enough for Eddie Woods, as agent, to let him go. Granted, this colt's more recent siblings haven't run out as well (particularly three in a row by Unbridled's Song who are 3-for-16 lifetime with $76,022 earned between them). But when other horses that, on pedigree and breeze time, don't seem any more likely to succeed than this one, sell for many times his price (I'm lookin' at you, Hips 3 and 52 at $310,000 each), I think a colt like this is evidence that a buyer can be well-served by shopping in the low to middle end of the price spectrum.

There were others in the remaining RNAs that I considered recommending, but something always cropped up to back me off. Many of these 11, I have a fair measure of confidence, will prove themselves to be racehorses who might have been worth more than was offered for them.

Now, let's see 'em do it.

Keeneland unkind, at least at the window

Arriving late after a bit of a morning (and early afternoon) drive from Saint Louis, Keeneland Race Course was a beautiful sight and a great (albeit sweltering) place to spend an April afternoon. But it was not my lucky day at the window.

In the first race I wagered, Race 5, I had what I thought was a certain cold trifecta melted down by 14/1 McLard and James Graham, who finished third when Julien Leparoux got 4/1 Cat Park boxed in on the rail and couldn't get running room in time to avoid finishing fourth by a head. In the next race, a maiden special weight, I had another tri nixed by a horse at a double-digit price, as Proud Jared overcame a wide trip to finish third at 20/1, a good 2 1/4 lengths ahead of my prospective show horse, Ghost Shopper, who went off at a little more than 9/1. ... I should have just bet the exacta on that race because I had a little trouble trying to separate the rest of the field for third.

In deep stretch of Race 6, I thought my luck was going to turn around as Corey Lanerie looked positioned to bring Gore Bay home at nearly 21/1 -- and me with $10 on her across the board. But the pair got overtaken at the wire by about a length, finishing third behind Tarrip and Patti's Regal Song. Yeah, the ticket still paid ($7.20 for each $2 to show), but not like it would have if Gore Bay had managed to finish what she started.

I was apparently completely lost on Race 8, trying to beat odds-on Affirmatif (a dumb idea) with 10.6/1 Whitley, who was steadied at the 7/16ths pole and only made it home in fourth.

So, I decided to quit while I was behind. And then the only horse I really liked at all in the ninth and final -- Big Blue Streaker -- was sent off at 3.3/1 and won like he should have been 1/9, scoring by 13 3/4 lengths beneath Leparoux and paying $8.60.

Still, even a losing day at the racetrack is better than -- well -- just about any day anywhere else. So I'm still feeling pretty good as I hit the road from this Lexington, Ky., McDonald's and truck home about eight hours to Henderson, N.C.

Oh ... and my favorite picture I took all day at Keeneland is posted above. On the walk out, it cracked me up that whomever it was who stashed this SUV in the spot apparently reserved for one "M. Trombetta," is a rebel for whom white lines on pavement do not apply.

Keeneland on my Wednesday agenda

As the last stop on a roughly 10-day adventure that included Zenyatta's breeze at Oaklawn (formerly known as the Apple Blossom Invitational H.-G1), I'll be venturing east from Saint Louis early on Wednesday, with a stop at Keeneland planned for the midweek race card.

Anybody from my half-dozen or so non-familial readers who might be trackside for racing on Wednesday at Keeneland, feel free to say "hello."

It will be my first trip to this high-class facility. I might even wear a jacket.

Nevertheless, if you see me, expect jeans and not slacks.

Tuesday morning bloodstock agent, Part 2: The Surreal

My recent travel schedule and a week largely without Internet service interrupted the series I began last week, detailing my thoughts in the aftermath of Keeneland's annual sale of 2-year-olds in training.

All things considered -- the still-sour economy particularly -- it was a pretty good sale. Gross revenues actually went up by 1.8 percent instead of down, and the median price rose a healthy 14.9 percent. The buy-back rate declined, and while the average price dipped, it fell at only 5.4 percent vs. 2009, which had been more than 15 percent worse than 2008.

Last week's first installment of the series included my 11 "steals" of the sale; horses that, on pedigree and sire-power, I believe sold for comparative bargain prices vs. the average and median. Horses that, for the money, have what I believe to be a better chance of being runners at (for this business) reasonable prices.

Today I offer my thoughts on the opposite end of the spectrum; a group I've dubbed "The Surreal." Every one of these horses I mention today might go on to win a graded stakes race and make me look like both an idiot and a jackass. And, as someone who is yet to buy an auction horse or race a horse I've owned, I'd have to be considered a neophyte in judging these horses and their sales figures. (Read: Everyone who sold one of these expensive horses, or bought one, should they read this, is going to respond with an incredulous, "What the hell does he know?")

So I'm going out on more of a limb here than I do with the steals and the forthcoming second-chance deals (the RNAs that could be bought privately or turn up perhaps at a later sale). Those are horses that I'm saying might be better than anticipated; that's a good thing. In this case, I'm speculating that these horses cost more than they're worth -- without having seen them in the flesh.

It's sort of like kicking another man's dog -- something that could get you shot in some company.

That stated, here we go.

The Surreal (in order of Hip No.):

Hip 3: Bay colt by Birdstone-Elle Nicole, by El Corredor. I get started early with the price-point nit-picking, as this colt by sire surprise Birdstone was actually the second horse through the sale (Hip 1 was an "out") and with an RNA of Hip 2, was the first to sell. Now, I'm a big Birdstone fan -- not so much when he was passing Smarty Jones in the stretch of the Belmont Stakes, but pretty much all the time thereafter. He proved to be a huge bargain as a $7,500 stallion, and with two champions (Canadian 2-year-old champ and Kentucky Derby winner Mine That Bird and U.S. 3-year-old champ Summer Bird) out of his first crop, he's realistically priced at $30,000 today. But this colt sold for $310,000 and I just don't see it. Maybe he looked like a million bucks and Prime Equestrian (a mysterious group of investors with a billing address in France, who spent the most at the sale) bought him for two-thirds-off. But I think this could be a case of now over-valuing Birdstone in a 2-year-old that did run a sharp drill (10.1 for an eighth) and has a fair female family. After all, 21 of the 88 sales babies to run an eighth, did it in 10.1 -- that's nearly a fourth of them. (And a couple ran faster, 10-flat.) So the breeze is good, but not "Green Monkey good." (And we know what happened to him despite the brilliant speed.) The same goes for the catalog page; the sales colt's dam placed at 2, but never won. She has produced one other foal who did win last year at 2, but she hasn't had time to establish herself as a stellar producer. And while there's evidence of soundness and stakes performance under the second and third dams, only one of those horses was a graded winner, and that a G3 (Greatsilverfleet). ... It's the kind of page that frankly a lot of my "steals" can match. ... So while I think this fella has a fair chance to be a good racehorse, bear in mind that merely "good" racehorses don't generally earn back $310,000 purchase prices; that takes a "great" racehorse. (Of nine blacktype-winning or -placed horses on this colt's page, in fact, only one of them exceeded $300,000 in earnings.) And while Birdstone's get have average earnings per runner of more than $85,000 -- pretty huge in this game -- that figure is skewed heavily by multimillionaires Summer Bird and Mine That Bird. Birdstone's median progeny earnings are under $14,000 per runner. ... Finally, Birdstone's 2-year-olds that sold in 2009 (just two of them) went for $12K and $40K, and his other two juveniles to sell so far this year have gone for $5,000 (a filly who RNA'ed at $19K as a yearling) and $50,000 (a colt who twice RNA'ed as a $14K weanling and $57K yearling). ... So even though this colt RNA'ed as a yearling for a lot more than those last two -- $150,000 -- a $310,000 price this spring still seems a bit surreal.

Hip 29: Dark bay or brown filly by Bernstein-High Heeled Hope, by Salt Lake. This one will reveal a bias of mine; I'm a little bit anti-Bernstein. It isn't that this son of Storm Cat has done nothing at stud; he has accomplishments -- but much of that performance is overseas (not necessarily a bad thing). Bernstein undeniably has his positives. He's a G3 winner. (Though he raced just eight times, a negative). He has full sisters who are stakes winners in CARESS(G3 on both dirt and turf, dam of SKY MESA) and COUNTRY CAT (G3), and a G2-winning half-sister by Danzig, DELLA FRANCESCA. And Bernstein has sired champions in Argentina and Japan. But in North America, from 360 foals of racing age entering 2010, Bernstein going into 2010 had sired 247 runners (69 percent of all foals) and 185 winners (51 percent), 20 stakes winners (6 percent) and two G1 winners (Dream Empress, Miss World) with average progeny earnings of $60,083. Those figures are good, but aren't exhilarating even among Storm Cat sons who went to stud in 2001. Catienus, standing for $10K in New York, entered stud the same year and has sired foals who have exceeded Bernstein's North American standards (and Bernstein stands for $25K): 79 percent runners, 61 percent winners, 6 percent stakes winners, $63K average earnings. Cat Thief, now $5K in Pennsylvania, has sired 78 percent runners, 60 percent winners, and 4 percent stakes winners with $59K average earnings. Bernstein is billed with the phrase "Top juvenile sire in NA," but how do we define "top?" He was 35th in the country among sires of 2-year-olds in 2009, a high fourth in 2008, but 122nd in 2007 and apparently didn't make the top 150 in either 2006 or 2005. So, generally speaking, Bernstein's advertised fee seems too high to me for the North American results, and from a running standpoint, I would be disinclined to spend $200,000 on one of his 2-year-olds. ... Now let me tell you why $200,000 for this filly might make sense, despite what I just wrote. ... Her dam was a listed stakes winner at both Keeneland and Hollywood Park, and was twice G1-placed (the Las Virgenes and the Hollywood Startlet). She's already produced a G3 stakes-winner who is G1-placed in SWEET HOPE (Lemon Drop Kid). And an A.P. Indy half-sister to the sales filly is stakes-placed, as well. High Heeled Hope's half-brother, KOENNECKER (Arts and Letters), annexed stakes races at Hialeah and Hawthorne and won 22 times in total. Half-sister Saratoga Honey (Boundary) was a winner who produced Irish-raced G3 winner JUPITER PLUVIUS (Johannesburg). And, the filly breezed her eighth in 10 1/5, which was plenty good. Even if she doesn't score blacktype of her own, she has a potentially commercial future as a broodmare because of the blacktype already on the page. ... So I have mixed emotions on this one. I love the female family enough to see why a buyer would want her, especially after the brisk breeze, but I remain nonplussed by the sire's price and popularity.

Hip 52: Dark bay or brown colt by Rockport Harbor-Limestone Landing, by Red Ryder. Prime Equestrian re-enters the "surreal" fray with this handsome, bald-faced, stocking-footed, $310,000 colt. While I listed one Rockport Harbor foal among my "steals," that was because I felt that colt (Hip 129) came from a rock-solid, if not heavy on blacktype, line of runners, and he sold for $13,000, only $500 more than the sire's 2010 advertised fee. In this case, there are some holes in the foal's pedigree (which I'll detail) and at $310,000, he sold for almost 200 large more than the average Rockport Harbor from this, the sire's first 2-year-old crop. Among the aforementioned "holes" in this pedigree, frankly, is the stallion. While any auction purchase is a risk, with the progeny of a freshman sire there's no prior track record to ease your mind that "this horse usually gets runners." We simply won't know for a few years how the Rockport Harbors will do at the track. And, what we do know about Rockport Harbor is that, while talented (five wins, three in graded stakes), he only lasted eight races; another in a long line of seemingly fragile Unbridled sons and grandsons. Meanwhile, this foal's dam was an 0-for-8 maiden -- although she is out of a multiple stakes winner and the mare herself has produced, with six winners from seven raced foals. The colt did breeze 21.4 for a quarter and is half to a Remington Park stakes winner who is Louisiana Derby-G2 placed (IT'SALLINTHECHASE), and also to G3-placed Upscaled (by the inexpensive sire Sir Cat, now in Chile). But even those two were only a combined 3-for-29 lifetime. ... It isn't that I wouldn't want this horse at all; I might. But I wouldn't want him at $310,000. Not when I feel like I could buy four to six horses for that money who all would, in my mind and at this stage, be equally likely as this one to succeed at the track.

Hip 62: Chestnut filly by Tapit-Malia, by Regal Classic. It might seem like I have it out for Prime Equestrian, which also bought this filly for $110,000. Or maybe it's just that we have a very different idea of what to look for. But here we go again. This time, the filly isn't inordinately expensive; in fact, she sold for about $25K less than the sale median. But while the breeze of 10.1 is among the best, unless she's just drop-dead gorgeous, I don't quite get it. Tapit does stand for $50K this year and his average filly price for the eight juvenile females to sell this year is a whopping $239,375. So maybe this girl is a steal. But her dam was just a modest winner of three races and about $30K. The Tapit filly's older brother by Stephen Got Even, her dam's only foal of racing age, did win last year at 2, but for only $6,075, so it wasn't a high-class race. Her second dam did win twice and earned about $94K, and has produced a stakes winner in the United Arab Emirates of over $300K (BURNT EMBER), plus a couple of other useful and sturdy winners. Third dam Very Sophisticated (Affirmed) was unraced, but did produce five winners, though no blacktype. Fourth dam Hire A Brain (Seattle Slew) was a modest winner in Ireland and half to G1 winner TWILIGHT AGENDA, and she produced three stakes-placers. Anyway, while it's unfair to crack too hard on a filly who sold for less than the sale median, six figures for this one was more than I would have paid, even if money weren't much of an object for me.

Hip 86: Dark bay or brown colt by Tiznow-Papa Sids Girl, by Souvenir Copy. I'm a big proponent of Tiznow, who has already proved his worth to the breed not only on the track as an Eclipse Award-winning horse of the year, but also in the shed, with champions Folklore (in the States), Bear Now (Canada) and Well Armed (UAE) and G1 winners such as Tough Tiz's Sis and Colonel John already to his credit from five crops to race. But $270,000 seems a bit much for my budget-minded preferences on this fellow, the first foal out of a dam who wasstakes-placed, albeit at Turfway and Indiana Downs. Second dam Woodman's Lady was unraced and had just two winners from four foals. Third dam My True Lady was a listed stakes winner by Seattle Slew and produced Saudi champion Le Oyoun Noorah and 10-race, non-blacktype winners in Vancouver ($164,265) and Colonel Kelly ($155,077), but no blacktype. You have to reach back to fourth dam Lady For Two, whose daughter Two to Waltz was the dam of TWO STEP SALSA, to find a graded stakes-winner. That isn't very much "recency" on the page for a $270,000 foal, even if he did run a 10.1. ... The buyer was Gary S. Broad, who also campaigns G3 winner Mr Gruff.

Hip 120: Bay colt by Bernstein-Spies in My Midst, by Elusive Quality. Here's where the "surreal" list deviates from the "steals;" on this roster I'm also offering a foal that I believe should've sold at the price offered, but didn't. This is that foal. If you've read this far, you already know what I think of Bernstein -- he's good, but not necessarily great, and not in my mind worth $25,000 a throw, his advertised fee. So when one of his foals goes through a 2-year-old sale, brings a $340,000 bid, and doesn't sell, I have to think that might be a decision the consigner will live to regret. Yes, this colt fired a sales-quickest 10-flat one-eighth. That would be an awesome credential if thoroughbreds ran eighth-mile races. And if five others in the sale hadn't run the same effective time, including a Speightstown (Hip 9) who RNA'ed at less than a third this boy's bid. And yes, this sales colt's dam has a half-brother by Bernstein (PROCEED BEE) who is a G3 winner. But the dam herself was unraced, and while the page as a whole looks pretty decent, I'd have taken $340,000 for this boy and grinned all the way to the bank -- and would have kept grinning even if he went on to earn $1 million for somebody else.

Hip 123: Bay colt by Indian Charlie-The Church Lady, by Valid Wager. Here's another of those 10-flat eighth-milers, and noteworthy players Padua Stables signed a $350,000 ticket to get him. It would be foolish to argue that Indian Charlie isn't capable of siring such an expensive foal; he's produced champions in Indian Blessing and Fleet Indian, and 9 percent of his get become stakes winners, quite a good number by today's standards. And, this mare already has produced a stakes winner and a stakes-placer in SHEYENNE GIRL and Codio, both by Doneraile Court. But most of those stakes performances were at "lesser" Canadian tracks in Northlands Park and Hastings Park, and other stakes-performers on the page have generally done their damage in restricted races; there is no graded blacktype anywhere to be seen. So while Indian Charlie certainly has a knack for upgrading his mares (1.92 AEI vs. 1.54 CI), and while I actually do agree this colt has a chance to be a nice racehorse, this son of Indian Charlie has his work cut out for him if he hopes to make that $350,000 price tag look like a steal.

Hip 135: Chestnut colt by Malibu Moon-Whirlwind Charlott, by Real Quiet. Speed sells, and this $575,000 colt breezed a lightning-fast 20.4 over a quarter. Certainly Malibu Moon is a popular and commercial sire, with successes such as G1 winners Funny Moon, Declan's Moon, Malibu Mint and Devil May Care to back him up. Blacktype on the catalog page also helps, and he's from the female family of three-time G1 winning, triple-millionaire BEHRENS, G1 twice-millionaire COMMENTATOR, G2 millionaire COWBOY CAL, G3 winners LEGISLATOR (11 wins) and HOT NOVEL (dam of Behrens), and other sharp stakes horses such as HYDROGEN (a dozen wins) and MAKINANHONESTBUCK ($362,711). But that speed will need to hold for at least two and a half or three more furlongs for the horse to win a race (which it might). Malibu Moon only made two lifetime starts -- something that always makes me a bit nervous with his get, though they presently average 13.6 starts per runner, which sadly is average durability by modern standards. And almost all that aforementioned blacktype is under one daughter (Hot Novel), under the third dam on this page. That third dam, Quite Honestly (by Believe It) was unraced. Second dam Dontstealmyroses (Storm Cat) hit the board twice from four starts, and has been sent to Australia where she has foaled at least one winner but not much I can find that's exciting. And the dam here, Whirlwind Charlott, was stakes-placed at Monmouth twice (including a G3) but has three other foals of racing age, only one of which has even made a start; Charlott Humor (Distorted Humor), who was a $300K auction sale himself but hasn't exactly set the world on fire, winning at 3 and placing at 4 for a grand total thus far of $39,335. Buyer Katsumi Yoshida paid the second-highest price of the day for this one, and he and his Northern Farm are global players in the thoroughbred game, including the record-setting purchase of a Green Desert 2-year-old for 625,000 guineas at a Tattersalls sale four years ago. That colt, later named Danon Augusta, broke his maiden at 2, but only raced three times in his life. ... Meanwhile, I probably should have credited Mr. Yoshida with a "steal" of Hip 139, though $200,000 is hardly cheap. That Songandaprayer colt is out of G1, multimillionaire and champion Xtra Heat (26 wins from 34 starts), who has already produced SW/G3-placed SOUTHWESTERN HEAT (Gone West), SW/G3-placed ELUSIVE HEAT (Elusive Quality), and stakes-placed X Rated Cat (Storm Cat). From the dam's success and the recency on the page, I have considerably more faith in the $200K purchase than the $575K colt. And the Songandaprayer colt was only one-fifth slower through the quarter than the Malibu Moon, to boot.

There were other horses who went for quite-expensive prices at this year's Keeneland sale, and while I might be able to quibble with them, as well, I can see more reasons in their pedigrees for why the buyers felt they were worth the money.

These eight, I felt, are among the more likely to be busts (for their prices at least) than most of the rest that were sold. Now I'll be watching closely to see how foolish they make me look.

Tuesday morning bloodstock agent, Part 1: The Steals

Most of you have heard of playing "Monday morning quarterback."

Consider this to be a game of "Tuesday morning bloodstock agent."

Keeneland's annual 2-year-old in training sale went off on Monday, and showed some "positive signs" for the breeding and sales industry. Gross revenues were up 1.8 percent and the median price a stout 14.9 percent. The buy-back rate declined from 43.6 percent in 2009 to 36.6 percent on Monday. And while the average sales price for 2010 was 5.4 percent lower than 2009, it could be worse -- and last year, it was, as the 2009 sale showed a 15.5 percent plummet in average price vs. 2008.

So who were the winners and losers at Keeneland on Monday? We won't know until these babies race later this year. Or next year. And hopefully for several years. But maybe never.

In the meantime, I'm going to give a quick rundown of my thoughts on the sale, via lists of steals, the surreal and potential second-chance deals.

First, The Steals (in order of Hip No.):

Hip 17: Bay colt by Silver Deputy-Flower Canyon, by Gulch. This fellow isn't from a big, immediate blacktype family. But his dam was a winner at 2, has produced seven foals, six to race, and five winners, and of those winners, three are full siblings to this one who have combined to win 10 races and earn more than $175,000. Thus, family history suggests this colt, who posted a respectable 10 2/5 eighth of a mile in the under tack show, should race and should win, somewhere. And that makes the paltry $10,000 paid by purchaser Connie Apostelos look a lot like stealing in my book.

Hip 60: Bay filly by Empire Maker-Maid Guinevere, by Gilded Time. Well, Ms. Apostelos made off with another one here, this time paying just $15,000 for a filly whose sire stands for a $50K fee in 2010. The dam, Maid Guinevere, wasn't a blacktype horse, but did win four times as a 3-year-old and earned $172,046, good earnings by anyone's standards. She's also half-sister to a whopping 16 other winners including Grade 3 winner MASS MARKET, graded-placed Alberta Clipper and Carson Creek, and blacktype producers Dear Morgana (who earned $110K herself) and Tales of Camelot (unraced). Third dam Brave and Free (by Warfare) produced IRON PEGASUS (25 wins), CLASSIC TOLI (17 wins), Big Richie (13 wins), and Mouse That Roared (seven wins). ... That's a lot of running and winning on the page of a filly who sold for $120,000 less than the sale's median price. The only knock I can make without seeing her in the flesh is that her 23 2/5-second quarter-mile is on the slow side.

Hip 93: Dark bay or brown colt by Roman Ruler-Pretty Flame, by Mt. Livermore. If anybody who saw this one on the hoof can e-mail me and let me know what's wrong with him, I'd appreciate it. Otherwise, I'll never know how John F. Haran bought him for $20,000. ... Is he by a cheap or ineffective sire? No, Roman Ruler stands for $20K -- the same price as this son brought at the sale -- and was the No. 2 freshman sire of 2009 nationally thanks to offspring like G1 winner HOMEBOYKRIS and G3 winner and potential 2010 Kentucky Derby horse RULE. ... Maybe there isn't much female family? But yes, there is; dam Pretty Flame has produced seven winners from 13 foals (nine to race), and an impressive six of those winners are at least stakes-placed. Two are stakes winners including CLAMOROSA, who won the G3 River Cities Breeders' Cup Stakes. ... Was the colt slow in his drill? Not unless you consider 10.1 to be a bit pedestrian for an eighth, which of course it isn't.

Hip 94: Dark bay or brown colt by Songandaprayer-Prima Neenya, by Spend a Buck. Not a ton of immediate blacktype on the page and I don't much like the 11-second lick for an eighth, but he wasn't being flogged to run faster and still unable to perform; he just ran what he ran. His dam was a winner and stakes-placed at 2 and 3 for more than $100K and has produced four winners from six registered foals. And his sire stands for $20,000 a pop, producing (through the end of 2009) 48 percent winners from all foals. A good, inexpensive gamble by agent Gerry O'Meara for $10,000.

Hip 100: Dark bay or brown filly by Medaglia d'Oro-Quite a Rapper, by Dixieland Band. A man of my modest means has to swallow hard before declaring a $75,000 horse a "steal," but buyer G. Watts Humphrey Jr.'s purchase has that kind of potential. Start with her being sired by $100,000 stud Medaglia d'Oro, whose daughters from just three crops of racing age already include Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra, Acorn S.-G1 winner Gabby's Golden Gal, and Arlington-Washington Lassie S.-G3 winner C.S. Silk. Toss in a dam who was unraced, but has produced two stakes winners and a stakes-placer already and is from the family of 10 graded-stakes winners including multiple-champion ASHADO, and the pedigree looks good. Her 22 1/5 quarter wasn't atrocious, either, and she sold for about half the sale's average price per horse. So it isn't unreasonable to say that that this filly was a bargain.

Hip 113: Dark bay or brown colt by More Than Ready-Sister Swank, by Skip Away.... Wow, how crooked or seemingly flawed must this fellow be? Otherwise, I have no means of explaining his $10,000 purchase by Highfield Bloodstock. His sire stands for $30,000 and through 2009 in North America has produced 52 percent winners and 7 percent stakes winners. This colt is the first foal out of a G3 winner of $389,989 who was half to a pair of additional stakes winners and whose dam was stakes-placed and produced nine winners from 11 foals. And it's hard to quarrel much with his 21 4/5 quarter time. ... Leaves me wondering what was not to like.

Hip 128: Chestnut colt by Lion Heart-Turtle Creek, by Sky Classic. The first of two Hips in a row to be bought cheap by Robin Parks, this one sold for $17,000. His dam was unraced and his only racing-age sibling hasn't started. But his second dam, Ayanka (Jade Hunter), was a stakes winner with eight victories from ages 2 to 5, who produced five winners including G1-placed Shooting Party, who is a full sister to the dam here, Turtle Creek. The sales colt looks to be stout in the body and his 10.2 lick for an eighth wasn't at all bad. A fair gamble.

Hip 129: Gray or roan colt by Rockport Harbor-Unchained Princess, by Clever Trick. I'd usually avoid first-crop sires in a "bargain" list, because there's no way to know what their progeny will do when they reach the track. In this case, the dam's side of the pedigree was so strong -- and the prices that other Rockport Harbors have been bringing are so high (average colt more than $98,000) -- that I think Robin Parks might have made out like a bandit at $13,000. The colt's dam was only a modest winner of about $20K, but did win at age 2. Much more important, she has produced a dozen foals of racing age, 11 to race, and 10 of them winners, including Meadowlands stakes winner UNCHAINED STORM, stakes-placers Valid Miss Chain ($156,315) and Sweep Princess ($156,240) and $100K-earner Tiger On The Loose. All that work from three different sirelines, so she's just a producer, plain and simple. The dam here is half-sister to a stakes winner of 19 total victories in MAJESTIC EMPIRE, too. For now, and for $13K, I'll forgive the fact that this colt's 22 4/5 quarter was far from brisk and that the rider had to crack him a few times to get him to go even that fast. From the video he looks like a loper with a big stride who isn't likely to do his winning at short distances anyway.

Hip 141: Dark bay or brown filly by More Than Ready-York Woods, by Mining. Another More Than Ready on the list, and another -- bought at $40,000 by Oak Bluff Stable -- whose price is lofty by "everyman" standards. But her dam was a 2-year-old winner who has already produced nine winners from 12 foals of racing age, including three-time G2 winner MIDDLESEX DRIVE (Pine Bluff), stakes-placed Specific (Monarchos) and stakes-producing winner Holy Forest (Demons Begone). The filly ran a 10.2 eighth-mile, and from the video I thought she looked pretty fair in doing it.

Hip 144: Bay colt born in Ireland, by Bluegrass Cat-Alcina, by Kingmambo. Personally, I might rather see a turf-raced sire bred to this mare, but there is dirt performance in the female family, as well. The dam was only placed at 2, but is a half-sister to four-time stakes winner CAMELLA (Housebuster) and stakes winner (of 11 total victories) STONE CANYON (Mt. Livermore), both of whom were G3-placed. Half-brother Mamalik (Diesis) was Group 1-placed in France. Their dam, Have It Out (Roberto) was also a stakes-placer, as was her dam, Quarrel Over (One for All). Quarrel Over was half-sister to LETS DONT FIGHT, FUZZY (G3, sire), FIGHT OVER (G3, sire) and WISE COUNSELLOR (G3, sire). Quarrel Over also produced G2 winner SUIVI, who was the dam of three blacktype foals including stakes winner SUFFRAGETTE, and Suivi's half-sister, Timely Quarrel, was the dam of G3 winner MR. NIGHTLINGER (10 wins, $644,355). The colt's 10.2 eighth is at least an average time, and the price of $20,000 paid by Barry Arnason is less than 15 percent of the sales average, so it sounds like a deal to me.

Hip 179: Bay filly by Pulpit-Divine Lady, by Kris S. Last to sell on the day, for $30,000 to Fred W. Hetrich III, this filly only ran a 10 4/5 eighth, but didn't look like she was trying all that hard to do it anyway. Her dam didn't win until she was 4, and her one foal of racing age has started, but done nothing of note yet. But the dam is a half-sister to G1 winner and multiple Gulfstream record-setter BANDINI (who didn't start until age 3) and to stakes-placed My Mammy (who did manage to win at 2). Their dam, Divine Dixie, was stakes-placed herself. The blacktype gets better under the third dam, Santa Anita Oaks-G1 winner Hail Atlantis (Seattle Slew). She produced both STORMY ATLANTIC and MR. KATOWICE, and was the granddam of G2 winners ATLANDO (IRE) and INCANTO DREAM, French-raced stakes winner STERN OPINION, and of DR ARBATACH, champion imported sprinter and older horse in Puerto Rico, who won 30 races and more than $301,000 in that lesser jurisdiction. I'd have to say Mr. Hetrich made a decent gamble in buying this filly for half her sire's current $60,000 stud fee.

Overbrook dispersal will rev up 2009 sales

Overbrook Farm, home to former half-million-dollar stallion Storm Cat and one of the key players in the United States thoroughbred market for three decades, will disperse all its stock in the coming months, according to Blood-Horse.com.

That should really jazz up the sales while giving buyers a rare chance to pick up nice breeding stock at something resembling recession-era prices. And when a major operation divests itself of the herd, it can shift the balance of power in the industry or even change the face of the breed as lines that once were somewhat unique to one family's breeding plans play a round of musical chairs and find new homes in other bloodstock programs.

"The retirement of Storm Cat ended a phenomenal era at Overbrook," said Bill Young Jr., whose father, William Young Sr., founded Overbrook and made it what it is today. "The dispersal will give buyers a unique opportunity to purchase (horses from) families that previously have not been available commercially."

Bill Young said he was ending the business because he wasn't interested in continuing.

"Over a period of more than 30 years, my father developed Overbrook Farm into one of the most successful and respected breeding operations in the world," he said. "The decision to disperse is a personal one. ... I simply don't have the same passion for the thoroughbred sport that my father did ..."

Too bad the Young family didn't know I was available for adoption.

Among the stock seeking new homes are three stallions: Kentucky Derby champion Grindstone (sire of Birdstone; grandsire of 2009 Derby winner Mine That Bird); A.P. Indy son Jump Start; the accomplished Cape Town (sire of champion Bird Town, half-sister to Birdstone); and a value-priced ($3,500) Mr. Prospector son of note, and half-brother to Storm Cat, Pioneering.

Some 200 other horses will be sold, including an estimated 75 broodmares, about 50 each of weanlings and yearlings, and 20 to 30 horses of racing age, though Bill Young said that his son, Chris, intended keep a few horses in a small family racing stable.

The dispersal, under direction of agent Eaton Sales, will begin at Keeneland's September yearling sale. Weanlings, broodmares and racing-age stock will be sold at the November breeding stock sale. Any remaining horses will likely be entered in the 2010 Keeneland January sale for horses of all ages.

Time to start saving those pennies ...