Thirteen lots by Offlee Wild and Consolidator are among the shortlist of preferred yearlings sired by G1-winning first-crop sires represented in the New Sire Showcase at Fasig-Tipton’s Kentucky July Sale. Conducted at Newtown Paddocks in Lexington, America’s oldest Thoroughbred auction company raised the bar of its conformational standards this year, accepting the very best and most mature for July.
The first lot of the sale is a chestnut filly, half-sister to stakes-placed Dixie Slew. Sired by Consolidator and out of Madam Moyra, by Seattle Slew, she’s a splendid start to the summer sales. Hip one’s prized second dam Gils Magic belonged to the late Clement Hirsch, vice president and director of the Del Mar Thoroughbred Club. She produced three stakes winners for Hirsch including Grade Two winner Magical Mile, who set a five-furlong track record at Hollywood Park in his first start and Magical Maiden, a multiple Grade One winner of $900,000. Magical Maiden won or placed in ten stakes including the BC Distaff and once at stud foaled G1 Del Mar Debutante S. winner Miss Houdini. Gils Magic produced five Black-type producers in all.
Another Consolidator filly offered from a prolific family is Hip 29. Half-sister to the filly is G2-placed Didycheatamandhowe. Their dam is a half to Canadian Broodmare of the Year Sharpening Up, the dam of champion Woodcarver and two other stakes winners.
Hip 180 is a filly, first foal from the full-sister to G1 Super Derby winner Outofthebox and a three-parts sibling to Beacon Shine (G3). Although foaled in Kentucky, the filly has strong Florida ties as her first two dams are sired by leading stallions Montbrook and Notebook.
A one hundred percent producer, Exciting Avenue is the dam of Hip 245. The filly’s two race-age siblings are Stakes Winner Exciting Justice and two-year-old winner Glittering Rose; both are fillies. Exciting Avenue is a sister to Stakes Winner Avenue Shopper, a decent stakes producer in her own right.
Hip 65 hails from the illustrious line of Too Bald, dam of champion Capote (G1) and Exceller (G1). The immediate branch of the pedigree includes General Royal (G3) and Listed winner Fortunate Facts. In 2006, the venerable family revisited the media limelight when Bob and John won the G1Wood Memorial.
A January colt offered as Hip 258 is the second foal of the half-sister to Grade Two Stakes Winner Thirst For Gold, a relation to Argentinean champion Painter and Graded winner Vinemaster.
Hip 79 is out of Stakes winner Saratoga Flower from the family of Papal Power (G1) and top turf sire Silver Hawk. Consolidator’s versatile pedigree has strong turf influences. He is a combination of Storm Cat and Blushing Groom, a veritable nick that also produced grass capitalists Giant’s Causeway - named European Horse of the Year, German Sprint Champion Munaaji amd Group One milers Sophisticat and Aljabr. Stateside, sons of Storm Cat are ranked well-up amongst America’s leading dirt and synthetic surface sires.
Consolidator’s stellar performance in the G2 San Felipe truly set him apart from his sophomore peers, Giacomo, two-year-old champion Wilko and Roman Ruler in the early spring. He shattered the 26-year-old Stakes record by an amazing one and one-fifths seconds (1:40 for eight-and a-half furlongs). At two, he defeated five future Graded winners in the G1Lane’s End Breeders’ Futurity.
An impeccable yearling, Consolidator sold for $1.25 million. At stud he attracted an exemplary book of mares; 52 stakes winners or stakes producers visited in his first season. As a result, several handsome weanlings fetched prices upward of $190,000 at Keeneland last fall.
A winner at two and a Graded Stakes winner at three, four and five, Offlee Wild was considered a leading candidate for top handicap horse off his win in the G1 Suburban Handicap. The ruggedly handsome dark bay, atypical of his sire BC Classic winner Wild Again, earned nearly $1m while meeting and defeating Evening Attire and Pollard’s Vision, plus Derby winner Funny Cide three times in three seasons.
Sired by Offlee Wild, a filly, Hip 23, and a colt, Hip 229, are line-bred yearlings of the great Darby Dan fields. Their fourth dam Regal Road and Offlee Wild’s second dam are both out of On the Trail and sired by full brothers His Majesty and Graustark. G1 Kentucky Derby winner Monarchos and top sire Dynaformer show on both sides of the family tree. Another is Grade Two winner Darby Creek Road, who outran the legendary John Henry in all three of their meetings.
Three from proven mares are Hips 103, 233, and 247. They have twelve winning siblings between them. Hip 103, a colt from a Storm Bird mare is from the family of champion Grass Wonder - a $5.9 million earner in Japan, and Grade One winners Tribulation and Wonder Again. Hip 233 has a terrific turf family; the filly is out of a Red Ransom mare, her granddam Bev Bev is by English Triple Crown winner Nijinsky II, and her grassroots include English champion Ajdal. Catalogued beneath the filly selling as Hip 247 is champion handicap mare Cascapedia, $1.7m earner Big Jag – highweight in the United Arab Emirates, Exotic Wood (G1) and the best of the best in broodmare sires, Gone West, Dixieland Band, Secretariat, and Ribot.
The sale runs on July 14-15.
