Sept 1, 2023 – More than two hundred thoroughbreds were up for grabs at the 2023 Canadian Premier Yearling Sale. At the auction held on Wednesday August 30th, 168 horses were sold for total sales of $4,017,790. The average sales price was just under $24,000 and the hammer dropped on the sales topper at $150,000.
Canuck Racing Club was on hand with top agent and managing partner Donato Lanni arriving from Kentucky two days before the main event to scout potential. He eventually streamlined his shopping list to five horses worthy of acquisition at the right price. One of them was bought back by its breeder who apparently had no real interest in selling it. The Canuck Racing Club bought the remaining four.
The first was Hip 61, an ON-bred gray filly by Big Screen out of Dreaming of Candy. This filly’s sire was a KY-bred Multiple Graded Stakes Placed black type winner who finished in the money in 12 of his 21 starts between 2011 and 2024 before going on to sire 6 crops of racing age, 87 foals, 63 starters, and 27 winners of 76 races with progeny earnings $2,547,73. Her mare, Dreaming of Candy was sired by Candy Ride, a multiple graded stakes winner who finished his career with $749,150 in earnings from 6 first place finishes (including 3 G1 wins) in his only 6 starts.
The club’s next acquisition was Hip 113, an ON-bred bay filly by Souper Speedy out of Kin’s Ghost. Hailing from one of the richest, deepest families in the stud book, the filly’s sire, Souper Speedy, is the #1 cumulative North American fourth crop sire by percentage of stakes winners and stakes horses and was the #1 sire in Canada in 2021 by average earnings per starter. He has sired 6 crops of racing age, 255 foals, 129 starters, 9 black-type winners, and 81 winners of 229 races that have earned more than $8.7 million. The mare, Kin’s Ghost, was sired by Breeder’s Cup Classic winner Ghostzapper ($3.4 million in earnings from 11 starts, 9-0-1). When the hammer dropped on the fourth highest priced thoroughbred at the sale, the club had bought this filly in partnership with Terra Racing Stable headed by Frank Romeo. The Romeo family has been breeding and racing thoroughbreds in Canada for 45+ years.
Shorlty afterwards, Canuck Racing Club was back in action acquiriing Hip 121, an ON-bred bay colt by Oscar Performance out of La Malaguena. This colt’s sire is a KY-bred G1 black-type winner who earned of $2,345,696 on the track in 15 starts (8-0-1). He participated in three Breeder’s Cups and won the $650K Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes. Since retiring at the end of 2018, Oscar Performance has sired 172 foals, 58 starters, and 26 winners of 45 races with progeny earnings of more than $2.7 million. The mare is a KY-bred multiple black-type stakes winner sired by English Channel.
Rounding out the club’s productive day was the purchase of Hip 193: a powerful looking bay filly by Frac Daddy out of RockyroadtoDublin. A black-type winner of $701,236, Frac Daddy has sired 5 crops of racing age, 137 foals, 62 starters, and 38 winners of 76 races with progeny earnings of more than $2.8 million. The sire’s sire Scat Daddy was a KY-bred millionaire with a record of 5-1-1 in nine starts. The filly’s mare was sired by Giant Gizmo, a multiple graded stakes winner (6-0-1 in 11 races). Other buyers also wanted this horse and the bidding accelerated quickly but Canuck Racing Club came out on top once again.
All four of the club’s new acquisitions left the day after the auction for Margaux Farm in Kentucky where they will enjoy the best months for blue grass as they progress through Margaux’s foundational development program.