Keeneland September: Full sister to Afleet Alex goes to Pope for $400,000

A full sister to dual classic-winning champion Afleet Alex sold to Mandy Pope’s Whisper Hill Farm on Saturday for $400,000 to set the early pace in Book 2 of the Keeneland September yearling sale.

The bay filly is out of winning Hawkster mare Maggy Hawk, who is the dam of three winners from five foals to race. In addition to three-time Grade 1 winner Afleet Alex, the filly is a full sister to Grade 3-placed stakes winner Unforgettable Max and a half-sister to stakes-placed winner Stormin Maggy. She is also a half-sister to two additional stakes-producing mares.

“She’s a nice filly,” Pope said after signing the ticket. “She’s smaller, but she’s well-balanced and put together. Obviously, she’s a full sister to two very nice horses, and hopefully she’ll be able to run like they did and go on and have a wonderful broodmare career.”

Pope, who purchased Horse of the Year Havre de Grace and Kentucky Oaks winner Plum Pretty for a combined $14.2 million at last November’s Kentucky breeding stock sales, continues to purchase well-bred fillies for her operation. On Wednesday, she landed an Indian Charlie filly out of Grade 1 winner and producer Take Charge Lady for $2.2 million.

Three Chimneys Sales consigned the Kentucky-foaled filly as agent for breeder Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings. Maggy Hawk joined the Stonestreet broodmare band in 2004 when the late Jess Jackson bought the mare privately after Afleet Alex’s Grade 1-winning juvenile season. The following year, Stonestreet purchased an interest in Afleet Alex, who captured the 2005 Preakness and Belmont Stakes, upon his retirement to stud at Gainesway Farm, where he stands today.

The filly is from the family of Grade 1-winning second dam Qualique, as well as Group 3 winners Vale Mantovani and Yorukhanim.

Maggy Hawk has now had four yearlings sell at public auction for an average price of $650,000. That group is led by Awesome Fleet, who brought $1.4-million at the 2007 Keeneland September sale. Afleet Alex was not offered as a yearling, but sold for $75,000 as a juvenile at the 2004 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-olds in training sale.