Keeneland September yearling sale: Cody's Wish leads first-crop sires
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Cody’s Wish was one of the most popular racehorses of his time due in part to his mesmerizing relationship with the late Cody Dorman. The touching story rose to national attention as Cody’s Wish turned out to be an elite racehorse, earning 2023 Horse of the Year honors.
Cody’s Wish is now proving commercially popular as a leader of the first-crop sire class, which comes to a key test with wide swaths of their progeny on offer at the Keeneland September yearling sale.
Cody’s Wish, a Godolphin homebred by sire of sires Curlin, won 11 of 16 career starts for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott and never missed the board, earning more than $3.1 million. He won the 2022 and 2023 editions of the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, with additional Grade 1 scores in the 2022 Forego, 2023 Churchill Downs, and 2023 Metropolitan Handicap.
“He was an absolute powerhouse on the racetrack,” said Darren Fox, sales manager for Darley.
Cody’s Wish entered stud under Godolphin’s Darley banner in Kentucky. He was the most expensive incoming stallion in North America for 2024, with an advertised fee of $75,000. He covered 165 mares, according to The Jockey Club’s Report of Mares Bred.
“They have good size, a lot of strength, a lot of substance, a lot of class,” Fox said of Cody’s Wish’s offspring. “They really are very nice horses, and I think the market should respond accordingly.”
Thus far, it has. Last fall, Cody’s Wish was represented by 15 first-crop weanlings who sold for an average price of $277,225. So far this year, he is represented by 10 yearlings sold for an average $337,500. That figure includes “short yearlings” sold just past the official weanling stage at the mixed sales in January and February.
At the three major-market yearling sales held this summer – Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July and Saratoga select and New York-bred sales – Cody’s Wish has been represented by seven yearlings who have averaged $411,429, more than five times his 2024 advertised fee.
The group is led by a $950,000 colt who fetched the top price for a first-crop sire at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga select sale. At the New York-bred yearling sale the following week, Cody’s Wish had the top price for a first-crop sire and the fourth-highest price of the sale overall, a $360,000 colt.
“Just a really nice physical on the colt,” said Phil Hager of Taproot Bloodstock, who signed the ticket at the New York-bred sale on behalf of Lee Lewis. “A lot to like, big walk, very athletic – he was at the top of our colt list. We were excited to get him.”
Pinhookers have not been afraid to take big swings for offerings by Cody’s Wish, indicating a market belief that his offspring will continue to mature into their 2-year-old season and beyond. The only Cody’s Wish yearling at the Fasig-Tipton July sale was a $220,000 filly purchased by Dylan Venosa, as agent, from the consignment of St. George Sales.
“The ones I’ve seen are very nice,” consignor Archie St. George said. “Cody captured the imagination of everyone beyond racing, and a wonderful story, but he was also a phenomenal racehorse and just seemed to know where the winning post was. He’s got the looks, as well, to match his race record.
“[His offspring are] good, strong horses – they’re very athletic. You’d have to say they’re very nice horses.”
Of his 84 total yearlings cataloged at the marathon Keeneland September sale, Cody’s Wish had 16 selected for the sale’s elite Book 1 portion and 35 placed in Book 2, which is still the upper marketplace. The size of that quality group leads the first-crop sire class.
While all Book 1 and Book 2 yearlings are selected based on solid pedigrees and physical attributes, Cody’s Wish’s catalog pages the first week of the sale include yearlings out of graded stakes winners Gamble’s Ghost, Hotshot Anna, Sassy Sienna, and Tiger Moth; half-siblings to Grade 1 winners Bleecker Street and Kilwin; and a half-sibling to Canadian champion Avie’s Flatter and Canadian classic winner Avie’s Mineshaft.
The first-crop stallion with the second most yearlings in Books 1 and 2 is, interestingly, another champion son of Curlin who was trained by Mott. Juddmonte’s Elite Power has 10 yearlings in Book 1 and 30 in Book 2. They include a half-sibling to Grade 1 winner Speed Boat Beach, plus the first foal out of graded stakes winner Yuugiri.
Elite Power earned more than $3.7 million while winning nine of 13 starts. The six-time graded/group stakes winner notched victories in the 2022 and 2023 Breeders’ Cup Sprint.
Elite Power retired for an advertised fee of $50,000, tied for second highest in this class, and covered 203 mares. He averaged $182,353 from 17 weanlings sold at public auction last year and is averaging $194,235 from 17 yearlings, including short yearlings, offered this season.
Cody’s Wish and Elite Power are among five Eclipse Award champions in this first-crop sire class. The others, alphabetically, are 2023 champion 3-year-old male Arcangelo (Lane’s End Farm), who won the Belmont and Travers Stakes in his championship campaign; 2022 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner and divisional champion Forte (Spendthrift Farm), who won the Florida Derby and was second in the Belmont Stakes; and 2023 champion turf male Up to the Mark (Lane’s End), a three-time Grade 1 winner.
Along with Arcangelo, classic winners in this class include 2023 Kentucky Derby winner Mage (Airdrie Stud) and Paddington (Coolmore Stud of Ireland), who counted the 2023 Irish 2000 Guineas as one of his four Group 1 wins that year.
Mage was one of five first-crop sires to put yearlings in the top 10 prices at the Fasig-Tipton July sale, which is known for showcasing outstanding physicals. As Mage was unraced until age 3, he is another who figures to have continued development in the offing for his offspring, and that belief was evident when pinhooker Tom McCrocklin went to $270,000 for a colt by the stallion.
“I’ve been very impressed by the Mage offspring,” McCrocklin said. “Obviously, a Kentucky Derby winner. Had tremendous acceleration. He was one of my favorites, so we took a big swing.”
Joining Mage in the top 10 prices at Fasig July were, alphabetically, classmates Arabian Lion (Spendthrift), Forte (Spendthrift), Gunite (Coolmore’s Ashford Stud), and Taiba (Spendthrift). All were Grade 1 winners.
The Grade 1 winners in this class include another young gun for Darley to go along with Cody’s Wish. Proxy, a homebred by Tapit, won three graded stakes, highlighted by the Grade 1 Clark in 2022. He placed in eight other graded stakes, including a third in the 2023 Breeders’ Cup Classic.
“These are very nice, leggy, two-turn [type] horses,” Darley’s Darren Fox said of Proxy’s progeny. “He’s an attractive, pretty horse himself with a great walk, and his yearlings generally are in his own mold.”
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