Keeneland September: Son of top international sire Galileo brings $1.4 million

A colt by European champion Galileo and also a half-brother to an Irish champion and hot first-crop sire sold for $1.4 million to the Irish-based Coolmore Stud during the third session of the Keeneland September yearling sale on Wednesday.

The colt is out of Starlight Dreams, by Black Tie Affair, and is a half-brother to the sire Mastercraftsman, by Danehill Dancer, who was a European champion at 2 and won both the Irish 2000 Guineas and the St. James’s Palace Stakes at 3. Starlight Dreams is also the dam of Genuine Devotion, a graded stakes winner in the U.S., and Famous, who finished second in the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes in Ireland.

Mastercraftsman stands at Coolmore Stud in Ireland, as does Galileo.

“He’s a very nice horse,” said M. V. Magnier, the representative of Coolmore who signed for the colt. “He’s a good mover, [with] a very good pedigree. Mastercraftsman is doing extremely well this year. I think he’s got 16 winners and four stakes horses. Just the right kind of horse. He’s got the right things going for him at the moment.”

Woods Edge Farm, agent, was the consignor of the colt, who Magnier said would be sent to Ireland.

“We’ll see what happens from there,” he said.

The colt was the third foal out of Starlight Dreams to sell for seven figures. Famous sold for $1,461,300 at the Goffs yearling sale in 2008, while Genuine Devotion fetched $1 million at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall mixed sale in 2008.

At the time he left the ring, the colt was the second to sell for $1 million or more during the Wednesday session, and the 10th overall to sell for $1 million or more. Last year during the September sale, seven horses in total sold for $1 million or more.