Lane's End sires dominate Book 2 proceedings at Keeneland September

A trio of stallions from Lane’s End Farm dominated the leaderboard of Keeneland September’s Book 2 portion as the Farish family’s operation enjoyed a banner run in that section of the yearling sale.

A pair of seven-figure colts, by Lane’s End sires Union Rags and Candy Ride, respectively, led Book 2 as it concluded Saturday night. The Union Rags colt was offered as agent by the Lane’s End consignment, which, after selling a pair of seven-figure horses in Book 1, accounted for four of the top six prices of Book 2. That quartet included a colt by fellow Lane’s End sire Quality Road, who also figured prominently on the leaderboard.

"It lined up well for us," Bill Farish said. "We had some really good horses in this book, and it was great to see a couple of our stallions represented there at the top."

Young stallion Union Rags, who had already checked in with a seven-figure lot during Book 1, was the first to the threshold in Book 2, with the partnership of SF Bloodstock, Starlight Racing, and Madaket Stables going to $1 million to acquire a colt by the 2012 Belmont Stakes winner. Tom Ryan of SF Bloodstock called the colt a “big, obvious horse,” and said bidding competition was stiff to acquire him.

"Competition was strong from all over the ring as I could see,” Ryan said. “We found ourselves in the position where that’s what we had to give if we wanted to buy him.”

Union Rags is already the sire of Grade 1 winners Dancing Rags, Free Drop Billy, Paradise Woods, and Union Strike from his first four crops. In addition to Paradise Woods on the track this year, he is the sire of multiple graded stakes winner Catalina Cruiser. The stallion’s Book 2 co-topper, out of the winning Smart Strike mare Miss Squeal, was consigned by Lane’s End on behalf of breeder G. Watts Humphrey Jr. Miss Squeal is out of stakes-placed Miss Kate, making her a half-sister to stakes winners Katerbug, Outplay, and Raconteur. Japanese champion To The Victory and Belmont Stakes winner Creme Fraiche appear on the catalog page, as do Grade 1 winners Clear Mandate, Dream Deal, Romantic Vision, and Strong Mandate.

A $1 million son of Candy Ride matched the top price for the book during its second and final session, purchased by Peter Fluor and K.C. Weiner's Speedway Stable. Candy Ride is the sire of Horse of the Year Gun Runner, and also counts Eclipse Award champions Game Winner and Shared Belief among his Grade 1 winners.

“I love Candy Ride,” said bloodstock agent Marette Farrell, who signed the sales ticket. "He's an incredible stallion.”

The colt was consigned by Don Robinson's Winter Quarter Farm, as agent for breeder Arnold Zetcher. He is out of the Leroidesanimaux mare Always a Princess, who was a multiple Grade 2 winner and also Grade 1 placed. Out of multiple stakes winner Gabriellina Giof, the mare is a half-sister to multiple Grade 1 winner Gabby's Golden Gal.

"Our whole team loved him," Farrell said. "Every single person on my team loved this horse from the very first sighting. He took my breath away. We were the underbidder on [Candy Ride's graded stakes winner] Mastery a couple years ago, and for me, this horse gave me that same feeling. He's very easy on the eye, such a good mover, and an amazing demeanor. I saw him at the beginning of the day and I saw him at the end of the day, and he looked the exact same, and that was very important to me."

Keyed by their co-book toppers, Union Rags averaged $241,000 and Candy Ride $234,500, respectively, for Book 2. But surpassing them both in that regard was fellow Lane’s End sire Quality Road at $357,778. Currently third on the general sire list by earnings, Quality Road was represented by a $950,000 colt co-bred and consigned by Lane’s End, as well as a $900,000 colt bred and consigned by Nursery Place.

Bloodstock agent Josh Stevens, on behalf of Tom Durant, stretched to $950,000 for his Quality Road colt.

"Quality Road is one of the best out there,” Stevens said. “Tom bought a couple at the 2-year-old sales this year and, like everyone else, is looking for a Derby horse.

“This colt was just an elite physical,” Stevens continued. “You look at what Lane's End has accomplished for the past couple of years and so when you see a nice colt that they consigned, and raised, you know what they're capable of doing. That gives you more excitement about the possibility.”

Durant's purchase is out of the winning Storm Cat mare Storm Showers, who in turn is out of Grade 3 winner Welcome Surprise. Two of the latter's daughters have produced stakes horses – with Guest House the dam of Grade 3 winner Guest Suite, by Quality Road.

Welcome Surprise is out of the graded stakes winner and Broodmare of the Year Weekend Surprise, dam of 1990 Preakness Stakes winner Summer Squall, followed by 1992 Belmont Stakes, Breeders' Cup Classic winner, and Horse of the Year A.P. Indy. Both went on to become classic sires for Lane's End, with A.P. Indy multiple times a leading sire and broodmare sire.

"People that are buying horses at this level are looking down the barrel at stallion futures and stuff like that," Stevens said. "You just have to dig in and pay for these types."

Farish and Stevens both noted that Quality Road could be on the upswing thanks to his continued racetrack success in recent years. The stallion stood for an advertised fee of $70,000 in 2018 – up from $35,000 the prior year – after a career season in which he was represented by champions Abel Tasman and Caledonia Road. Abel Tasman was a multiple Grade 1 winner again in 2018, and was joined on the track by City of Light, who won the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile – and Quality Road’s fee more than doubled to $150,000 for this season. City of Light won this past January’s Pegasus World Cup Invitational in his career finale, but Quality Road has still been represented by Grade 1 winners Bellafina, Dunbar Road, and Roadster this season.

“His mare books get better and better and better, and this [crop of yearlings] is still [out of] $35,000 mares,” Farish said. “Next year’s $70,000, and then the next year is $150,000, so I think he’s really going to be one of the top-tier commercial stallions.”

Nursery Place’s Quality Road colt sold to SF, Starlight, and Madaket.

In addition to its Union Rags and Quality Road colts, the top lots from the Lane’s End consignment during Book 2 were a $975,000 American Pharoah filly, consigned as agent for Dixiana Farm, sold to Courtlandt Farm; and an $800,000 Curlin colt sold to SF, Starlight, and Madaket for breeder Paul Pompa Jr.

Keeneland September is continuing through Sept. 22 with its Books 3 through 6 portions. Through the first five sessions of Keeneland September, comprising Books 1 and 2, the sale’s average price was up 24 percent from the similar point last year, through the first six sessions making up Books 1 and 2. The median price was trending upward 25 percent from the comparable point. The overall buyback rate sat at 28 percent, fairly steady when compared to 27 percent at that point in 2018.