November sales: Sires from all over represented by first weanlings
There is a decidedly international flavor among the first-crop weanling sires who will be represented at the major fall mixed sales in Kentucky following the Breeders’ Cup, when international buyers will descend upon the Fasig-Tipton November sale (Nov. 7) and the Keeneland November breeding stock sale (Nov. 8-20).
First-crop weanling sires include a number of Grade 1/Group 1 winners who competed on multiple continents during their racing careers, including familiar names Magician (by Galileo) and Verrazano (More Than Ready), both based at Ashford Stud, the Kentucky operation of international outfit Coolmore. Magician won the Irish 2000 Guineas in 2013 and later that year landed the Breeders’ Cup Turf. He was Group 1-placed in three countries, including a runner-up effort in the 2014 Arlington Million.
Verrazano was based in the United States for the majority of his career, winning four graded events, including the Haskell Invitational and Wood Memorial. He went on to race in Europe as a 4-year-old, with a second in the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot and a third in the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes at Newbury.
Also represented by their first weanlings this fall are three Group 1 winners based at Coolmore’s Irish headquarters: Australia (Galileo), No Nay Never (Scat Daddy), and War Command (War Front).
A son of champion Ouija Board, Australia won the Epsom Derby, Irish Derby, and Juddmonte International. He also was second in the Irish Champion and third in English 2000 Guineas.
No Nay Never was a Group 1-winning juvenile in France who later finished second in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint. War Command was a Group 1-winning juvenile in England.
First-crop weanling sire Noble Mission (Galileo) is a full brother to unbeaten champion and standout young sire Frankel. Noble Mission gained fame in his own right by becoming a European champion with Group 1 victories in three countries, taking the Champion Stakes in England, the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud in France, and the Tattersalls Gold Cup in Ireland. Noble Mission also was Group 1-placed in Germany. He stands at Lane’s End.
Standout U.S.-based runners represented by their first weanlings in November include champion Will Take Charge (Unbridled’s Song), who blossomed late in his 3-year-old season to earn an Eclipse Award, and multiple Grade 1 winner Goldencents (Into Mischief), whose career was highlighted by back-to-back victories in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. They stand at Three Chimneys Farm and Spendthrift Farm, respectively. Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Mucho Macho Man also is represented by his first weanlings. He stands at Adena Springs.
The one-day Fasig-Tipton sale has 51 selected weanlings cataloged, seven of which are by first-crop sires, including two each by Verrazano, Mucho Macho Man, and Grade 1 winner Strong Mandate, who stands at Three Chimneys. The Keeneland November sale, which runs for 13 sessions, includes 48 weanlings by Verrazano, 30 by Will Take Charge, 27 by Goldencents, 23 by Noble Mission, 13 by Magician, and 10 by Mucho Macho Man.
Other first-year weanling sires represented this fall include Grade 1 winners Alpha, Cross Traffic, Drill, Itsmyluckyday, Real Solution, and Shakin It Up.