Kentucky Derby (G1) fever is alive and well in Japan following the narrow defeat of world traveler Forever Young this spring.
Japanese trainer Mitsu Nakauchida was on hand Sept. 9 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale looking for a potential Derby horse, and he found it in a son of Into Mischief consigned by Lane’s End as Hip 167. After the hammer dropped at $1.25 million, Nakauchida was all smiles.
“Yes, I would hope so,” Nakauchida said about whether he will return with the colt for the 2026 Derby. “He’s a very lovely horse. Well fitted and a strong, muscular type. I’m very happy to get him.”
Nakauchida told Lane’s End’s director of sales Allaire Ryan that the bay colt bred by Alpha Delta Stables was his favorite in the sale.
“He’s always been one of the most forward on the farm,” Ryan said. “Coming into the sale, we had confidence that he was going to appeal to people at the top level, and that’s what he did.”
The Japan-bound colt is the first foal out of 2019 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2) winner Point of Honor (Curlin ). A three-time winner in 13 starts, she placed in four grade 1s while earning $738,890.
“(Point of Honor) was a very talented, classic-distance type of mare,” Ryan said. “The type of pedigree that, if he can do well, he’s got it built in to be a stallion.”
Nakauchida echoed that sentiment, already dreaming beyond the colt’s racing career.
“He has a very good pedigree, so I hope he will be a stallion one day,” he said. “I hope that he will suit the Japanese racing style.”
SF, Starlight, Madaket, Stonestreet Team Up on $1.15 Million Nyquist Colt
The “old characters,” as Tom Ryan of SF Racing put it, were back together again on a $1.15 million Nyquist colt, Hip 82, consigned by breeder Candy Meadows Sales.
The characters Ryan was referring to on the ticket signed by agent Donato Lanni are Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, and Stonestreet Farms, who have partnered together for many top horses, including three-time grade 1 and Preakness Stakes (G1) winner National Treasure . The colt will be sent to Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert.
“He is a horse that there was a consensus about,” Ryan said. “We have no doubt that he’ll see out a mile, and hopefully he’ll get a little further.”
“He was beautiful from the day he was born until today,” said Candy Meadows’ Matt Lyons. “You never can predict a million-dollar horse, but we knew he had a chance.”
The bay colt is out of the winning mare Impasse (Quality Road ). Impasse’s dam, Tempus Fugit, produced 2014 Molly Pitcher (G2) winner Majestic River .
The Nyquist colt consigned as Hip 82 sells for $1.15 million at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale
The expensive sale came on the heels of a big pair of weekends for the 2016 Kentucky Derby winner. Nyquist sired grade 1 winners on each coast, Immersive in the Aug. 31 Spinaway Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course and Tenma in the Del Mar Debutante (G1) Sept. 7.
“We like Nyquist,” Ryan said. “He doesn’t take any introduction anymore. He’s clearly a top-flight stallion. Very good example of what a good son of Uncle Mo can do.”
Gun Runner Filly Stays in Seltzer Family
Hip 117 will be kept in the Seltzer family after Krista Seltzer, daughter of Ed and Beverly Seltzer, bought back the Gun Runner filly for an even $1 million.
Ed joined the Thoroughbred industry almost 65 years ago but now, at age 90, was in the process of dispersing his bloodstock.
Out of the multiple stakes-winning mare Lucrezia (Into Mischief), the bay filly hails from a family that has been with the Seltzers since they purchased the Bold Ruler mare Overpowering seven generations back.
“There is a lot of sentiment there. She’s a lovely filly,” said Krista Seltzer. “(My dad) loves the family and I love them.”
Seltzer was expecting to pay a handsome fee for retaining her family member, but said she was not expecting the price to go that high.
“We love everything and it’s really hard to part with them. For me, for this one—for the partners whoever they are going to be with us—I want my dad to be able to enjoy the racing as if it was him.”
Broman Looking For Derby Horse
Becky Thomas, agent for Chester and Mary Broman, went to $1.15 million for Hip 73, a Gun Runner colt consigned by Brookdale, agent.
Bred in Kentucky by Larkin Armstrong, the chestnut is out of the grade 1-winning Scat Daddy mare Harmonize and is a half to grade 2 winner Integration .
“We really loved his walk. Mr. Broman wants to go to the Derby, and we thought he looked like the type,” Thomas said. “I’m not one to bid that high, but Mr. Broman told me if I come to this sale, we don’t have a (maximum) budget.”
AMO Goes to $1.35 million for American Pharoah Filly
Kia Joorabchian of AMO Racing fell in love with Hip 97, an American Pharoah filly, and went to $1.35 million to land her.
“We loved her and we went back to see her a couple of times,” said the Iranian-born, British-educated Joorabchian. “She has a great pedigree. To be honest, that is what we are looking for. We are looking for fillies with great pedigrees and she was a standout for us, so we weren’t going to stop.
“We are going to take our time now. She will go now to take a break and we will give her a little bit of time off and we will see. But she will race here. It will definitely be an American trainer.”
Kia Joorabchian of Amo Racing at Keeneland
Bred in Kentucky by Gabriel Duignan’s Springhouse Farm and consigned by Paramount Sales, of which Duignan is a founding partner, Hip 97 is a full sister to multiple grade 2 winner Forbidden Kingdom .
“She is a beautiful filly, and she was extremely popular all week,” Duignan said. “As you can see, it’s a great family. Her brother was an exceptional horse. We’re very happy with the price and very happy with who bought her. She’s going to get every chance, and she deserves it.”
Repole, Spendthrift team up for Gun Runner Colt
Repole Stable and Spendthrift Farm teamed up to go to $1.1 million for Hip 121, a Gun Runner colt out of grade 2 winner Magical Feeling (Empire Maker). The bay colt is a half to grade 2 winner Imagination (Into Mischief), grade 3 winner Occult (Into Mischief), and stakes winners Exulting (Tapit ) and Magical (Tapit).
Hip 121 was consigned by Bridie Harrison, agent for breeder Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds.
“This Gun Runner colt was loved by both teams,” said Bloodstock agent Jacob West, speaking for the partnership. “He comes from Bridie Harrison, who raises an incredible horse, and Peter Blum, who breeds incredible horses. You mix all that into the pot, and it equals $1.1 million.”
The group at Keeneland included Todd Pletcher, who will train Hip 121, West said.
The Repole/Spendthrift partnership started about two years ago, West said, and they have a number of 2-year-olds in the pipeline. One of the partnership’s first to hit the track was Tenacious Leader, a Not This Time colt who broke his maiden at Saratoga and finished second in the With Anticipation Stakes (G3).
