Keeneland January: Horses to watch in opening session

Hip No. 25, Unbridled Belle, dk. b. or br. m., 2003, by Broken Vow—Little Bold Belle, by Silver Buck, consigned by Hill ‘n’ Dale Sales Agency, agent.

A fixture of the North American distaff division for three years, Unbridled Belle won eight of 25 career starts for earnings of $1,909,823, highlighted by the Grade 1 Beldame Stakes in 2007. The 11-year-old Broken Vow mare also picked up wins in the Grade 2 Delaware Handicap, the Grade 3 Turnback the Alarm Stakes and two editions of the Grade 3 Obeah Stakes. Selling in foal to Bernardini, Unbridled Belle has produced foals by Distorted Humor and Medaglia d’Oro. She is out of the stakes-winning Silver Buck mare Little Bold Belle, who has produced six winners from as many foals to race, including stakes winner Stones River.

Hip No. 36, Life Happened, ch. m., 2001, by Stravinsky—Round It Off, by Apalachee, consigned by Select Sales, agent.

The dam of Grade 2 winner Vyjack, Grade 3 winner Tepin, and Grade 2-placed Prime Cut. An unraced daughter of Stravinsky, Maryland-bred Life Happened has produced four winners from as many foals to race, and experienced her most successful year as a broodmare in 2013 when Vyjack won the Grade 2 Jerome Stakes and Grade 3 Gotham Stakes, followed by Tepin winning the Grade 3 Delta Downs Princess Stakes. Life Happened is out of the stakes-placed Apalachee mare Round It Off, making her a half sister to Grade 3 winner and sire Disco Rico. She will go through the ring carrying a foal from the final crop of the late sire Harlan’s Holiday.

Hip No. 246, Liam’s Dream, dk. b. or br. m., 2007, by Saint Liam—Danzig’s Dreamer, by Rubiano, property of Lisa and Tim Turney.

A Grade 3-winning mare from the only crop of sire Saint Liam, selling in foal to Hard Spun. Liam’s Dream won four of five starts during her racing career for earnings of $194,760, with her biggest victory coming in the Grade 3 Cicada Stakes. She has produced two foals: a Medaglia d’Oro filly and a Lemon Drop Kid colt. Her dam, the winning Rubiano mare Danzig’s Dreamer, has had three winners from five foals to race, also including Grade 2-placed Holdontoyourdream. The second dam of Liam’s Dream is Grade 2 winner Danzig’s Beauty, making first dam Danzig’s Dreamer a sibling to leading sire Distorted Humor and Grade 2-placed stakes winner Dancing Gulch.

Hip No. 251, Louvakhova, b. m., 2008, by Maria’s Mon—Louvain, by Sinndar, consigned by Hill ‘n’ Dale Sales Agency, agent.

After beginning her racing career in France, Louvakhova won her stakes debut in the U.S. during fall 2011. She retired the next spring with three wins in 10 career starts for earnings of $116,378. She is out of the Grade 3-winning Sinndar mare Louvain, making her a half sister to Flotilla, who won the 2012 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf and won the Group 1 French One Thousand Guineas the following year. Louvakhova has produced one foal, a Mizzen Mast filly, and she sells in foal to Arch.

Hip No 262, b. c., 2013, by Bernardini—Magic Merger, by Corporate Report, consigned by Legacy Bloodstock, agent.

A yearling colt out of the unraced Corporate Report mare Magic Merger, whose six winners from as many foals to race include Grade 1 winner Hooh Why, stakes winner Rumbling Cloud, and stakes-placed D’wild Beach. Bred in Kentucky by Mike Abraham, the colt is from the family of multiple Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner Mizdirection, Grade 2 winner Sultry Sun, and Grade 3 winner Jaded Dancer.