Fasig-Tipton February: Pool Land tops evening at $900K

Grade 1 winner Pool Land sold for a sale-topping $900,000 to Charlotte Weber’s Live Oak Plantation Monday night at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky winter mixed sale.

The 11-year-old Silver Deputy mare, in foal to Smart Strike, was offered by Taylor Made Sales, as agent for Eugene Melnyk's Winding Oaks Farm. Melnyk, a multiple Sovereign Award-winning owner and breeder, plans to exit the breeding business and concentrate on maintaining a quality racing string. He is selling the majority of his remaining broodmares at Fasig-Tipton.

“There’s not many Silver Deputies out there to pick from, and when there are, they’re expensive,” said Jim Wells, who signed the ticket for Weber. “This mare was really a nice mare, in foal to the right horse. She fits [Weber’s] program really well.”

Pool Land, unraced as a juvenile, blossomed as an older horse, winning four stakes at age four, including the Grade 1 Ruffian Handicap and Grade 3 Allaire du Pont Breeders' Cup Distaff Stakes. Also a stakes winner at age five, the mare retired with seven wins from 11 starts for earnings of $529,776.

The mare's first foal, the A.P. Indy colt Harris, was a winner last year as a 3-year-old.

Wells said that Pool Land will be sent to Ocala, Fla.-based Live Oak to foal, but he did not know where she would be sent for her next mating.

“[Weber will] give her a shot,” Wells said. “She’ll bring her to a good horse.”

Pool Land is out of the unraced Slew City Slew mare Slew City Slicker, dam of five winners from as many starters. Her progeny include Grade 3 placed My Chickadee, dam of Grade 1 placed Fast Falcon. It is the family of Breeders' Cup Sprint winner and multiple stakes producer Very Subtle.

This was the second time Pool Land was offered at public auction. Melnyk bought her for $475,000 out of agent Fred Setiz' consignment at the 2003 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling sale.