Oct 26, 2022 – The Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearlings sale is one of the leading Thoroughbred auctions in North America and the 2022 edition ran from October 24th to the 27th at the Newtown Paddocks in Lexington, Kentucky. When it wrapped up last Thursday, Canuck Racing Club had added two more promising equine athletes to its racing stable. Over the course of four days, 1,100 yearlings changed hands for a record $55,426,500 and a filly by leading second-crop sire Gun Runner topped the sale when the hammer dropped at $700,000.
At 11:45 AM on Tuesday October 26th, Donato Lanni and Canuck Racing Club won the bid for Hip 458, an Ontario-bred colt by Old Forester out of American Armada. Old Forester was a Kentucky-bred Graded Stakes Winner who ran 22 races from 2004 to 2005 and retired with a record of 6 wins (including firsts at Belmont Park and Churchill D), 11 seconds, and 2 thirds. In-bred to legendary champs Northern Dancer (4×5) and Bold Ruler (5×5), Old Forester climbed quickly to the top of Canada’s stallion ranks and is the #1 lifetime active sire in Canada and a Top 2 Canadian Sire for the last 5 years. With progeny earnings over $29 million, he has sired 22 stakes winners including 2017 Canadian Horse of the Year and 6x Sovereign Award Winner Pink Lloyd (29 first place finishes in 38 races, $1.9 million in purses) as well as 43 dams of 97 named foals of racing age. Old Forester is half-brother to 2015 Canadian Horse of the Year Catch a Glimpse.
Like many of Old Forester’s offspring, our colt has his sire’s signature chestnut coat with lots of chrome. His dam, American Armada is an Ontario-bred filly sired by Multiple Graded Stakes Winner Quiet American ($755,000 in purses won on the track) out of Bold Ruritana ($1.1 million earned on the track).
At 1PM on the last day of the sale, Donato completed the Club’s eighth acquisition with the winning bid for Hip 1311, a bay filly by Danish Dynaformer out of Morning Tale. “This filly’s foundations are really solid. I’ve always liked Dynaformers and really like the fact that she has Morning Tale in her,” said Donato, adding that he feels she’s a two-turn horse.
A black type winner of the Canadian Classic Breeders’ S. and five races that earned him $764,645 on the track, Danish Dynaformer met and defeated 16 Grade 1 (G1) winners and 40 Graded Set Weights over the course of his racing career. He entered stud in 2019 and his first foals are 2-year-olds of 2022. Danish Dynaformer was sired by Multiple Graded Stakes Winner Dynaformer who sired 131 black type winners, including champions Americain (G1, won $5.6 million in purses) and Rainbow View (G1, earned $1.12 million on the track).
The filly’s dam Morning Tale was sired by Ireland’s Perfect Soul ($1.5+ million in purses from 22 starts with a record of 7 firsts, 5 seconds, and a third) and comes from a bloodline that includes Northern Dancer and Secretariat.
Both thoroughbreds remained in Kentucky to train at Margaux Farm.