Saudi owner stocks up at Keeneland November sale

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-yearold Math Wizard prior to the Breeders’ Cup Classic. He also purchased an interest in last year’s Belmont Stakes runnerup 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.”

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 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.

Annals of Time sells for $190K

The most accomplished horse on offer in the selection of racing and stallion prospects at the Keeneland November breeding stock sale was multiple Grade 1 winner Annals of Time, who sold to bloodstock agent Mike Ryan for $190,000. Ryan purchased Annals of Time on behalf of a former co-owner, Seth Klarman’s Klaravich Stables, and he will be sent back to trainer Chad Brown for 2020.

Annals of Time was consigned to Keeneland November by Elite Sales, as agent, in order to dissolve a racing partnership between Klaravich and longtime partner William Lawrence. The two have divergent interests, as Klarman is expanding his stable while Lawrence is downsizing his Thoroughbred holdings. Sending horses through the auction ring in such situations is common in order to establish a fair current market value on the horse, and it is not uncommon for one of the partners to go home with the horse.

Annals of Time, by Temple City, has not missed the board in eight career starts, including Grade 1 victories in last December’s Hollywood Derby and in this year’s Sword Dancer Stakes in his most recent outing.

Combatant gets second chance

Sons of the late Scat Daddy are at a premium for stallion farms, and Scat Daddy’s multiple graded stakes-placed son Combatant will get a chance to further bolster his credentials as he was sold at Keeneland November to continue his racing career in California.

Bloodstock agent David Ingordo signed the ticket for Combatant, a 4-year-old Scat Daddy ridgling. Ingordo, who serves as a consultant to Hronis Racing, said Combatant would head to that operation’s trainer, John Sadler.

“This horse has done enough early in his career,” Ingordo said, “but if he gets a little lucky out west and John can maintain him and do a few things then why can’t he be a stallion?”

Combatant, who was trained by Steve Asmussen for Winchell Thoroughbreds and Willis Horton, finished second in the Springboard Mile as a juvenile, and early in his 3-year-old campaign was second in the Smarty Jones Stakes, second in the Grade 3 Southwest Stakes, and third in the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes. Later in the season, he was third in the Zia Park Derby and third in the Grade 2 Mathis Brothers Mile at Santa Anita.

Combatant has won twice from eight starts this year, including an optional-claiming race on Nov. 8 at Churchill Downs.