Saudi owner Khalid bin Mishref stocks up at Keeneland November

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Racing in Saudi Arabia will be a topic of discussion early next season, with the inaugural running of the $20 million Saudi Cup and a rich undercard set for Feb. 29, 2020. Ahead of that, one of Saudi Arabia’s leading owners, Khalid bin Mishref, a regular at prominent international sales, has made his presence known at the Keeneland November breeding stock sale as he continues to bolster his operation with an eye toward those races.

Mishref purchased the 2-year-old colt Liam’s Legend, a maiden winner just weeks ago, for $325,000 out of the selection of racing or stallion prospects last Tuesday at Keeneland November. Less than 24 hours later, he stretched to $240,000 for graded stakes winner New York Central to lead Wednesday’s session.

Mishref is known in U.S. racing for purchasing an interest in Grade 1-winning 3-year-old Math Wizard prior to the Breeders’ Cup Classic. He also purchased an interest in last year’s Belmont Stakes runner-up and this year’s Dubai World Cup runner-up Gronkowski, who has an ambitious international campaign planned for 2020, including the inaugural Saudi Cup. Mishref could now have an entrant on the undercard, as he says he plans to aim New York Central at the $1.5 million Dirt Sprint.

“Hopefully, he will do well for us,” Mishref said. “He looks good as an individual. I love his conformation, and he’s filled out. Hopefully, the son of Tapit will do well. He could be a stallion prospect in Saudi Arabia down the road. Step by step, we’re going to try and promote the breeding in the long run.”

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New York Central raced for WinStar Farm, China Horse Club, and SF Racing, and was consigned to Keeneland by WinStar. Under the tutelage of Steve Asmussen, the colt finished second in last year’s Grade 3 Pat Day Mile on the Kentucky Derby undercard. This spring, he broke through for a graded stakes victory, winning the Grade 3 Maryland Sprint Stakes by 1 3/4 lengths.

New York Central is out of the winning Forest Wildcat mare Fashion Cat, making him a half-brother to Grade 2 winner Corfu and to stakes-placed Runway Ready. Fashion Cat is a half-sister to multiple Grade 1 winner Peace Rules.

Meanwhile, Liam’s Legend is a prospect for the future. The colt, from the first crop of Liam’s Map, finished fifth in September at Churchill Downs in his first start before scoring by three lengths in a 1 1/8-mile maiden on Oct. 26 at Keeneland. He scored that victory for trainer Rodolphe Brisset and owners Niall Brennan, Mike Ryan, and Mike Anderson.

“He will suit the track in Saudi Arabia,” Mishref said. “He will like the distance. As a 2-year-old, he already won at a mile and an eighth. We are targeting eight, nine, 10 furlongs. He might have potential for the [2021] Saudi Cup.”

Liam’s Legend is out of the stakes-winning Cherokee Run mare Indian Legend, a full sister to graded stakes winner Cherokee Queen. Indian Legend’s first starter is the stakes winner Kenda, who, like Liam’s Legend, is by an Unbridled-line stallion.

These racing and stallion prospects, a growing segment of the market in recent years at Keeneland November, have helped bolster the market in the second week of the marathon mixed sale, leading to a small uptick in average prices entering its final stretch. Through five of six books in the Keeneland catalog, making up nine of 12 sessions overall, a total of 2,159 horses have sold, including private sales, for revenues of $196,173,500. To this point last year, through the same nine of 12 sessions and five books, 2,142 horses had sold for a gross of $193,597,100. The average price at this year’s renewal of the sale through Thursday was $90,863, trending upward 1 percent from $90,381 at this point last year.

Keeneland November will conclude with a three-session Book 6, running from Friday through Sunday. Last year’s final three sessions consisted of one Book 6 section, followed by a two-day Book 7.