Midnight Aria sold to Saudi Arabian interests for $40K

Midnight Aria, the winner of the 2013 Queen’s Plate, was sold at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky winter mixed sale in Lexington, Ky., for $40,000 to Saudi Arabian interests to continue his racing career in that country. The ticket was signed by Thamer Abdullah Alkanhal, who said the horse’s looks and race record were the biggest draws for bidding.

Midnight Aria, a 6-year-old son of Midnight Lute, has won 3 of 23 starts and earned $744,311. While his front-running score in the Canadian classic was his career highlight, Midnight Aria also finished in the money in the Grade 2 Eclipse and Grade 2 Autumn stakes.

“He’s a good-looking horse,” Sergio de Sousa of consignor Hidden Brook said prior to the sale. “He could run. He has a good pedigree, so we just hope we can find the right buyer for him at this sale.”

Midnight Aria came from modest roots, having been claimed for $35,000 in his third start, a Gulfstream Park maiden claimer, for owner Tucci Stables. He most recently finished seventh in the Grade 3 Valedictory Stakes on Nov. 29 at Woodbine.

“They tried to run him and missed a few deadlines where to go, and they decided this was the last spot to go before the breeding season gets going,” de Sousa said. “He was a good racehorse and is an imposing-looking animal, so if you’re looking for the race record, the physical, and the pedigree, it’s there.”