Grade 1-Placed Enaya Alrabb Brings $640,000 Tuesday at Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale

James Schenck, agent, acquired the two most expensive horses of Tuesday’s second session of the Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale when he purchased Grade 1-placed Enaya Alrabb for $640,000 and Confidently, a half-sister to champion and leading sire Uncle Mo, for $560,000. Both horses were offered as broodmare prospects. 

With the purchases, Schenck spent a total of $1.2 million to lead all buyers Tuesday.

On Tuesday, Keeneland sold 233 horses for $17,288,800, for an average of $74,201 and a median of $40,000. Enaya Alrabb, Inflamed at $525,000 and Pomeroys Pistol at $475,000 – all supplemented to the January Sale – sold near the conclusion of the session.

Through Book 1, conducted during the first two days of the sale, 464 horses grossed $32,167,100, for an average of $69,326 and a median of $37,000.

“The supplements were ones we knew would be very popular with the buyers, and they shone a light tonight,” Keeneland Director of Sales Operations Geoffrey Russell said. “The first book is a typical January catalog without a major dispersal. The quality was even. We are delighted to see Glen Hill back in the consignment business and selling two of the top three. Buyers were all over the right yearlings today.”

Consigned by Paramount Sales, agent, Enaya Alrabb is a 4-year-old daughter of Uncle Mo, whose dam, the Rhythm mare Lotta Rhythm, is a half-sister to the dam of Racing Hall of Famer Rachel Alexandra. She finished second in the 2018 Starlet (G1) and 2019 Las Virgenes (G2).

“That was on the top end (price wise),” Pat Costello of Paramount Sales said. “She was lovely, she didn’t turn a hair and she was a great racehorse. We were delighted; the owners are delighted. If you bring the goods here, you get well paid, maybe even paid more than you thought.”

Confidently is a 4-year-old War Front filly who is out of the Arch mare Playa Maya. She was consigned by Glen Hill Farm.

“We thought about breeding her and maybe selling her in November,” Glen Hill President and COO Craig Bernick said. “But when I’m buying a horse myself, a lot of times I like to pick out the stallions. I thought whoever bought her would breed her to who they wanted to. When you get to November, you have to make sure they like the covering sire and so on. I thought this was a good place to sell her.”

Glen Hill also sold Inflamed, dam of 2019 Eclipse Award finalist as champion turf male Mo Forza, to Shadai Farm of Japan for $525,000, the day’s third-highest price. Mo Forza reeled off consecutive wins in the Qatar Twilight Derby (G2), Hollywood Derby (G1) and Mathis Brothers Mile (G2) to close 2019.

Naohiro Hosoda signed the ticket for Terry Yoshida.

“She is the dam of Mo Forza, who is a tough horse,” Hosoda said. “She’s still young, 10 years old, and Unusual Heat was also California’s leading sire. The progeny do good on fast ground, and in Japan we have the same racing on fast ground. I expected (to pay) $500,000 or $600,000. We have no plans for the next mating.”

Bernick said Tuesday “was a good day. It’s about the horses. And we have a great crew. Lindsay Schultz (who manages Glen Hill’s Florida farm) did the equine program at (the University of) Louisville and was an assistant to (trainer) Tom Proctor and was in Godolphin Flying Start. She has worked a sale or two but never in a management position. This is her first sale where she’s ever run a barn, and she sold two of the three most expensive horses (today). She did a great job.”

Mike Ryan, agent, paid $475,000 for Pomeroys Pistol, a multiple graded stakes winner and dam of undefeated Thousand Words, winner of the Los Alamitos Futurity (G2) in December.

Ryan said he bought the 12-year-old daughter of Pomeroy on behalf of Jeff Drown.

“He wants to play at the upper end of the market,” Ryan said. “She is a quality mare, a brilliant race mare and who knows how good (Thousand Words) is. She is only 12. Hopefully we can breed a couple of good ones out of her.”

Grade 3 winner Tiz Breathtaking, a 4-year-old daughter of Tiznow, sold for $375,000 to WinStar and Larry Taylor.

“We bought her to go to (WinStar stallion) Constitution,” WinStar General Manager David Hanley said. “We love Tiznow broodmares. She’s a beautiful, quality mare. She was a very good 2-year-old and had plenty of speed so we just loved the package. We love the family.”

Eaton Sales, agent for the Estate of William D. Graham (Windhaven Farms), consigned Tiz Breathtaking. Out of the Elusive Quality mare I’m Breathtaking, she is a half-sister to stakes winner Matador and from the family of Grade 1 winner Shared Account; Grade 2 winners Pok Ta Pok, Sapphire n’ Silk and Shaniko.

At $365,000, the session’s highest-priced yearling is a filly from the first crop of Mastery who sold to Andre Lynch, agent. Royal Oak Farm, agent, consigned the filly, a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Nereid. Her dam is Dowry, by Belong to Me.

“The good ones they show up on,” Royal Oak’s Braxton Lynch said. “On a short yearling, that’s a huge price. The Masterys are very popular, but she just showed herself so well. These are the easy ones to sell.”

Eaton Sales, agent, sold a filly by War Front for $345,000 to England-based Jamie Railton Sales Agency. Out of Agreeable Miss, by Speightstown, she is a full sister to King Neptune and Faydhan, stakes-placed in Ireland and England, respectively.

Eaton Sales was the leading consignor Tuesday with sales of $1,829,000 for 15 horses.

A yearling colt from the first crop of Grade 1 winner Practical Joke sold for $320,000 to Larry Best’s OXO Equine. Brookdale Sales, agent for breeder Mina Von Voss’ Vossfeld Bloodstock, consigned the colt, who is out of the Dixie Union mare Bayou Miss.

Voss, who owns eight mares, said the yearling is the highest-priced horse she has sold.

“Over the moon,” Voss said. “He’s been a superstar from Day 1. My mare is just a little Dixie Union mare with some speed from a nice family. I booked her back to Practical Joke because this colt was so nice. There is a really good family behind Practical Joke, and my mare gets runners.”

The January Sale continues Wednesday at 10 a.m. ET. The auction covers a total of five sessions through Friday, and all sessions start at 10 a.m. ET. The entire sale is streamed live on Keeneland.com.