MONDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2019 KEENELAND NOVEMBER ERIK JOHNSON SHOWS THAT RACING HAS A BIG HEART SALE CONCLUDES The Week in Review, by Bill Finley Every time a horse breaks down at a Southern California racetrack, it is front-page news. But no one bothers to dig any deeper and find out if there is more to the story. Had they done so when three horses were injured Nov. 10 at Del Mar, they would have discovered how much some individuals really do love their horses and the extent they will go to make sure they are safe. It was an awful day at Del Mar, with three horses suffering serious injuries, which led to two of them being euthanized. The third was an $8,000 claimer named Princess Dorian (Idiot Proof). She is alive today and that probably wouldn=t be the case if not for owner Erik Johnson=s steadfast determination to do whatever it took to save the mare. Cont. p8 Take Charge Brandi | Keeneland photo The Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale concluded its IN TDN EUROPE TODAY 12-session run Sunday in Lexington with 14 million-dollar mares GOFFS NOVEMBER SALE KICKS OFF and increases in gross and average, but overall figures closely in The Goffs November Sale begins Monday with Part I of the line with the auction=s 2018 renewal. foal sale getting underway at 10am. Kelsey Riley has our AThe November Sale continued the trend of robust trade, preview. Click or tap here to go straight to TDN Europe. evidenced by a clearance rate of nearly 80%, and healthy returns that we=ve experienced in recent years,@ Keeneland President and CEO Bill Thomason said. AWe saw strong participation by major domestic and foreign buyers, and a number of new buyers, who enthusiastically invested in broodmares and weanlings--both long-term commitments-- which indicates an optimistic view of the sport.@ During the 2019 November sale, 2,667 horses sold for an aggregate of $200,139,400. The average ticked up 0.28% to $75,043, while the median remained unchanged from a year ago at $25,000. In 2018, 2,644 horses sold for $197,851,300. The 2019 buy-back rate was 22.6%. It was 23.5% in 2018. Keeneland now includes post-sale transactions in the results of all of its auctions. Hill >n= Dale Farm=s John Sikura made the auction=s highest bid, going to $3.2 million to buy out his Elevage partners on the champion mare Take Charge Brandi (Giant=s Causeway). The 7-year-old was one of 14 to bring seven figures during the auction. Three of those million-dollar transactions came from the Hill >n= Dale Sales Agency=s Elevage Dispersal offerings. Cont. p3 PUBLISHER & CEO Sue Morris Finley @suefinley [email protected] V.P., INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS Gary King @garykingTDN [email protected] EDITORIAL [email protected] Editor-in-Chief Jessica Martini @JessMartiniTDN Managing Editor Monday, November 18, 2019 Alan Carasso @EquinealTDN Senior Editor Steve Sherack @SteveSherackTDN Racing Editor Brian DiDonato @BDiDonatoTDN Associate Editors Christie DeBernardis @CDeBernardisTDN Christina Bossinakis @CBossTDN Joe Bianca @JBiancaTDN News and Features Editor In Memoriam: Ben Massam (1988-2019) ADVERTISING [email protected] Director of Advertising Alycia Borer Advertising Manager Lia Best Advertising Designer Amanda Crelin Advertising Assistants Alexa Reisfield Amie Morosco Advertising Assistant/Dir. Of Distribution Rachel McCaffrey Photographer/Photo Editor Sarah K. Andrew @SarahKAndrew Thoroughbreds on display. Phillip Dutton and Sea Of Clouds are leading the [email protected] Thoroughbred contingent following the cross-country round at the 2019 Ocala Jockey Social Media Strategist Club 3-Day Event. The competition, which is serving as a qualifier to next year’s Tokyo Justina Severni Olympics, is offering over $16,500 in cash prizes across the four divisions for Director of Customer Service Thoroughbreds . | Shannon Brinkman Photo Team Vicki Forbes [email protected] Marketing Manager SPUN TO RUN HEADS TO CIGAR MILE 10 Alayna Cullen @AlaynaCullen Spun to Run (Hard Spun), upset winner of the GI Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, is slated to make his next start in the Dec. 7 GI Cigar Director of Information Technology Mile at Aqueduct. Ray Villa [email protected] Bookkeeper DARBY DAN ANNOUNCES 2020 STUD FEES 10 Terry May With Dialed In leading the way at $20,000, Darby Dan Farm [email protected] announced stud fees for its 2020 stallion roster. The farm WORLDWIDE INFORMATION also announced the departure of Run Away and Hide, who International Editor will stand the 2020 season in Turkey. Kelsey Riley @kelseynrileyTDN [email protected] European Editor Emma Berry [email protected] Associate International Editor Heather Anderson @HLAndersonTDN Newmarket Bureau, Cafe Racing Sean Cronin & Tom Frary [email protected] 60 Broad Street, Suite 100 Red Bank, NJ 07701 732-747-8060 | 732-747-8955 (fax) www.TheTDN.com TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 3 OF 11 • THETDN.COM MONDAY • NOVEMBER 18, 2019 Keeneland November Concludes (cont. from p1) Sikura also made the biggest purchase at the 2018 November sale, going to $4.2 million to acquire the star mare Lady Eli Thirteen horses sold in the Elevage dispersal of the partnership (Divine Park), who was one of nine million-dollar transactions a which included Sikura and Craig Bernick of Glen Hill Farm, for a year ago. total of $11,700,000 and at an average of $900,000. Cont. p4 Signing as Hill >n= Dale at Xalapa, his new operation on Xalapa Farm near Paris, Kentucky, Sikura was the November sale=s leading buyer, with 10 purchased for $5,351,000. KEENELAND NOVEMBER CUMULATIVE 2018 2019 $ Catalogued 4,507 4,548 $ No. Offered 3,454 3,444 $ No. Sold 2,644 2,667 $ RNAs 810 777 $ % RNAs 23.5% 22.6% $ No. $1M 9 14 $ High Price $4,200,000 $3,200,000 $ Gross $197,851,300 $200,139,400 $ Average (% change) $74,830 $75,043 (+0.28%) $ Median (% change) $25,000 $25,000 (n/c) John Sikura | Keeneland photo 2020 Stud Fee: $15,000 LFSN 118 BEYER FASTEST 3YO BEYER OF 2018 2018 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1) www.hillndalefarms.com LGB, LLC 2019 / Photo: Candice Chavez TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 4 OF 11 • THETDN.COM MONDAY • NOVEMBER 18, 2019 An International Marketplace The November sale saw wide participation from a deep bench of international buyers. Japan=s Shadai Farm ranked second among all buyers by gross, acquiring four broodmares and broodmare prospects for $3.6 million, while the fourth-leading buyer at the sale was newcomer Leopoldo Fernandez Pujals from Spain, who bought 16 broodmares and broodmare prospects for $3.3 million in the name of Yeguada Centurion. Arif Kurtel of Turkey was the sale=s leading buyer by number purchased, acquiring 59 horses for a total of $1,717,000. Saudi owner Khalid Mishref purchased two of the top-priced horses of racing age: Liam=s Legend (Liam=s Map) for $325,000 and New York Central (Tapit) for $240,000. AWe=re seeing a change in the international marketplace,@ Keeneland Director of Sales Operations Geoffrey Russell said. AFor instance, for purely economic reasons there are fewer South American buyers here. We are seeing more support, particularly in Week 2, from Turkey, Saudi Arabia and South Korea. Keeneland representatives visit these and other countries on a regular basis to establish relationships and reap benefits. People enjoy when you make an effort to meet them on their home turf. They appreciate that fact, and they reward us by coming to buy at Keeneland.@ Khalid Mishref | Keeneland photo KEENELAND NOVEMBER LEADING BUYERS BY GROSS Buyer Purchased Gross ($) Average ($) Hill >n= Dale at Xalapa 10 5,351,000 535,100 Shadai Farm 4 3,600,000 900,000 Summer Wind Equine 2 3,350,000 1,675,000 Yeguada Centurian 16 3,300,000 206,250 China Horse Club 6 3,115,000 519,167 TDN HEADLINE NEWS • PAGE 5 OF 11 • THETDN.COM MONDAY • NOVEMBER 18, 2019 The Best Weanlings Including the top two weanlings, the Hill >n= Dale stallion had four foals sell for an average of $493,750. The weanling market remained competitive, but selective, In all, 924 weanlings sold during the 12-session auction for a during the November sale, with a filly by Curlin becoming the total of $57,587,800, an average of $62,324 and a median of highest-priced foal sold at public auction in North America this $25,000. Last year, 937 foals grossed $63,139,100 for an year when purchased by Larry Best=s OXO Equine for $775,000 average of $67,384 and a median of $30,000. A Tapit filly made out of Book 2. The filly was consigned by Indian Creek. top price of $800,000. AThe buyer base is what keeps things going here,@ said Indian Taylor Made Sales Agency was the leading November Creek=s Sarah Sutherland. AFor us, the traffic has been good in consignor for the third consecutive year and the 23rd time since the barns, and you hope when you come up here you have 1987. The consignment sold 292 horses for a total of $27,511,100. something that more than a couple of people want.@ The sales-topping Take Charge Brandi was one of 15 mares sold in foal to 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify, who was the leading covering sire at the November Sale with a gross of $11,195,000 and an average of $746,333. Curlin was the leading covering sire by average with six sold for a total of $6,010,000 an an average of $1,001,667. The results of the November sale are an optimistic sign for the overall industry, according to Keeneland officials.