Keeneland November: Take Charge Brandi takes sale lead, weanling sets record

Blue hen Take Charge Lady’s family led the day at the Keeneland November breeding stock sale, as her champion granddaughter Take Charge Brandi sold for a sale-topping $6 million, and her weanling filly then went for a North American record $3.2 million.

John Sikura signed the ticket on Take Charge Brandi, a daughter of perennial leading sire Giant's Causeway. Sikura’s Hill 'n' Dale Sales, as agent, had consigned the filly for owner Willis Horton. Her price tied her for the sixth most-expensive broodmare or broodmare prospect ever sold at Keeneland November, and she is the sale’s most expensive horse since 2007.

"I thought the horse was a $5 or $6 million mare,” Sikura said. “She’s a champion, unique pedigree, beautiful individual. It’s a highly coveted family in the marketplace. Very rare, and you have to have rare and unique stuff if you’re going to compete at the top of market.”

Take Charge Brandi pulled the upset in the 2014 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies, then captured the Grade 3 Delta Princess Stakes and the Grade 1 Starlet Stakes to secure her divisional Eclipse Award. She won the Martha Washington Stakes early this year before suffering a bone chip that derailed her campaign.

Take Charge Brandi is out of the winning Seeking the Gold mare Charming, a daughter of multiple Grade 1 winner and Broodmare of the Year Take Charge Lady. The latter is the dam of multiple Grade 1 winner and champion Will Take Charge, as well as Grade 1 winner Take Charge Indy.

Immediately following Take Charge Brandi through the ring was Take Charge Lady's weanling filly by popular commercial sire War Front, who sold to Mandy Pope’s Whisper Hill Farm. Her price surpassed the North American record $3 million paid for a Tapit filly at this sale last year.

“She has a good amount of leg for a War Front, and nothing seems to bother her,” Pope said of the record weanling. “She is very well minded.”

The filly was consigned by Eaton Sales, as agent.