Keeneland sale: Atrea new session topper at $435,000

The young mare Atrea, from the family of outstanding broodmare Get Lucky, became the new session topper Saturday evening as the Keeneland November breeding stock sale continued, with Craig Bernick of Glen Hill Farm signing the ticket on the $435,000 purchase.

The 5-year-old Storm Cat mare, who was consigned by Lane's End, agent, is in foal to Flatter. Bernick said he paid "about $100,000 more" than he expected for the mare after a spirited round of bidding.

"I couldn't help myself," Bernick said.

Atrea is out of the Capote mare New Dice, dam of Molto Grande, a stakes winner in Japan. Out of the Grade 3-winning Mr. Prospector mare Get Lucky - a full sister to champion Rhythm - New Dice is a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Girolamo; Grade 2 winner Daydreaming; Grade 3 winner Accelerator; Supercharger, dam of Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver; and She's a Winner, dam of Grade 1 winner Bluegrass Cat.

"She's probably got the best pedigree in book three, for sure," Bernick said of Atrea. "It's a really good family. Get Lucky is probably one of the most important American pedigrees. You've got Super Saver, Girolamo, Bluegrass Cat - all those horses are out of A.P. Indy mares. [Atrea is] carrying a filly - this horse [she is carrying] has the right cross [Flatter is a son of A.P. Indy]. Those families are really hard to get into. So we just kind of targeted [her] and were sitting around for three days waiting for it to come. We're really excited about it."

Bernick said that Atrea would likely be bred to a son of A.P. Indy in 2013.