TOPPER GOES TO SUMMERHILL'S ADMIRE MAIN CONNECTIONS

Click above to watch Azeri selling at the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale
(Footage : Keeneland)

KEENELAND NOVEMBER BREEDING STOCK SALE 2009

International connections have been the lifeblood of Summerhill going back twenty years to the time the Maktoum family arrived with their first stallions. More recently, Summerhill has connected with Japan’s headline breeding dynasty, the Yoshida’s, and one of the family was in the news again yesterday.

Multiple champion Azeri made her second appearance of the year in the Keeneland sales ring Monday, and the second time was a charm, with the chestnut mare bringing a final bid of $2.25 million from Northern Farm’s Katsumi Yoshida to top the opening session of the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale in Lexington. Azeri, in foal to Ghostzapper, failed to reach her reserve at $4.4 million at Keeneland in January. She sold yesterday in foal to Distorted Humor. The auctioneer looked to start the action at $1 million, but bidding began at a more modest $300,000. From there, bids came in rapid-fire succession in $100,000 increments, with Blandford Bloodstock’s Tom Goff among the bidders inside the pavilion. Bidding began to stall approaching the $2-million mark, but with encouragement from the auctioneer’s stand Azeri’s price tag inched up to the final figure. Shunsuke Yoshida, on the phone with his father Katsumi, did his bidding behind the pavilion and signed the ticket on the prized mare.

“We didn’t expect that we could buy this mare,” Yoshida said. “We just kept bidding up to our budget, and finally she came to us.”

Extract from Thoroughbred Daily News

A Difficult Act To Follow

Robert Sangster (getty)It seems only fitting that the late Robert Sangster, who paid a then world-record price of $13.1 million for a yearling at the 1985 Keeneland July sale, would have a hand in establishing a Keeneland November and world record for a broodmare. John Ferguson, representing Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, outlasted John Magnier and representatives of Coolmore—a stud Sangster helped develop into one of the world ’ s preeminent farms—to land English champion Playful Act (Ire) (Sadler ’ s Wells) yesterday. When the dust had settled, the Keeneland toteboard read $10.5 million, demolishing the previous record of $9.4 million for a broodmare achieved by Magical Romance at the 2006 Tattersalls December sale. The North American record was set by broodmare prospect Ashado, who sold for $9 million at this sale in 2005. “ I was delighted and surprised, I must say, but when those two get into battle, you never know what might happen, ” said Sangster ’ s son Ben, who now manages the family’s Swettenham Stud with his brothers Guy and Adam.

KEENELAND NOVEMBER
TOP BROODMARE/RACING PROSPECTS

Hip       Name                         Covering Stallion       Price ($)

231       Playful Act (Ire)      not in foal                    10,500,000
Purchased by John Ferguson

294       Spun Sugar              A.P. Indy                        4,500,000
Purchased by Shadwell Farm LLC

174       Kamarinskaya         Kingmambo                   3,200,000
Purchased by Kern Lillingston Association, agent

125       Evil                            Bernardini                      2,700,000
Purchased by John Ferguson

204       Melhor Ainda         Maria’ s Mon                   2,300,000
Purchased by John Ferguson

257       Rosa Parks (GB)     Kingmambo                   2,300,000
Purchased by John Ferguson Bloodstock

263       Sand Springs          Kingmambo                   2,300,000
Purchased by RBTS, agent

037       Amorama (Fr)       Ghostzapper                   2,100,000
Purchased by Cecil Seaman, agent

Extract from Thoroughbred Daily News 06.11.07