STREAK Of Luck has proven well-named for Aaron and Marie Jones, having provided the breeders with a Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner and $6.2 million sale in the space of 48 hours.
The couple parted with $620,000 for the graded performer in 2021 and spent $250,000 covering the grey with superstar sire Into Mischief the following spring. The resulting colt recouped $650,000 as a yearling, but more importantly, he has remained unbeaten in four starts since, three of them Grade 1s.
The colt is, of course, Ted Noffey, and is expected to be crowned Eclipse Champion Two-year-Old Male. Adding to Streak Of Luck’s appeal at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale was a cover to Not This Time, for whom a share in commanded $3 million at last week’s Keeneland Championship Sale.
Paul Curran, of Zhang Yuesheng’s Ace Stud, went close to securing Taylor Made Sales’ prized offering, but it was Kia Joorabchian’s Amo Racing who provided the final bid through Ben McElroy.
“She’s a young mare in foal to a great stallion,” McElroy commented. “Frank [Taylor] told me that the foal is a superstar. She was the one that probably came here with all the momentum; she’s got the champion two-year-old colt. She’ll go to Archie St George’s Brookstone Farm.”
Spending with intent
Curran did not leave Fasig-Tipton empty-handed, though, having earlier landed Puca - the dam of Mage, Dornoch and Baeza - for $5 million. Raging Torrent Syndicate was the name on the buyers’ sheet in reference to Yuesheng’s dual Grade 1 winner Raging Torrent, who begins his stallion career at a fee of $15,000 at Lane’s End Farm in 2026.
As well as purchasing elite broodmares to support their new sire, Yuesheng’s operation bought the colt’s dam, Violent Wave, for $1.5 million. After netting Puca for $5 million, Curran commented: “We’re thrilled. We picked up probably the best broodmare in the US at the moment. It’s phenomenal, really exciting.
“Look at her page and what she’s produced; dam of a Kentucky Derby winner, and the rest. It’s really special that she’s ours.”
Interestingly, Puca was sold by Elite Sales on behalf of Resolute Racing’s John Stewart, who gave $2.9 million for the Grade 2-placed mare in November 2023, when Mage was her only Grade 1 winner. Stewart has retained Puca’s yearling colt and filly foals, both by Good Magic, the sire of Dornoch and Mage. The 13-year-old mare is not currently in foal.
Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint heroine Shisospicy will race on as a four-year-old after Morplay Racing bought out Qatar Racing at $5.2 million. Trained by Jose d’Angelo, the Mitole filly raced solely for Morplay Racing early in her career, with Sheikh Fahad buying in after her impressive Grade 3 success at Churchill Downs in May.
Unsuccessful on her trip to Royal Ascot, Shisospicy returned to win a Grade 3 in September before progressing to the top level at Del Mar. Qatar Racing reportedly wished to retire the grey to stud, but Morplay had other ideas, and her fate was decided in a private deal following a fruitless trip through the ring.
Leading buyer
The breeding shed beckons for the six mares bought by Katsumi Yoshida for $14,900,000, earning the Northern Farm owner the top spot in the buyers’ table. At $4.5 million, Breeders’ Cup winner Just F Y I was the most expensive recruit, sold by Hill ‘n’ Dale carrying a maiden cover to Into Mischief.
Yoshida returned to the same draft for Grade 1 winner Tenma, for whom he gave $3.2 million. The daughter of Nyquist boasts a top-class pedigree familiar to Irish readers, as Misty For Me, Roly Poly and U S Navy Flag appear under the third dam.
Cotai Glory’s Grade 1-scorer Excellent Truth also makes the journey to Hokkaido, after the Sandra Russell-bred five-year-old brought $2.5 million. Joining her is the Kilnamoragh Stud-bred Special Wan, who was multiple stakes-placed for Pat Foley before landing three Grade 3 contests for Brendan Walsh. Yoshida gave $1.3 million for the daughter of Belardo.
Hugo Lascelles was among the European buyers on site, stretching to $3 million for Summer Sweet and $800,000 for her Justify filly foal - the highest priced weanling on the day. Summer Sweet is the dam of dual Grade 1 winner She Feels Pretty, who got within half a length of Gezora in last week’s Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf.
David and Diane Nagle’s Barronstown Stud paid $1.1 million for two broodmares on the day, with Blandford Bloodstock another European name on the buyers’ sheet.