Corniche Yearlings Red-Hot at Keeneland September
Buyers couldn’t get enough of Corniche during the first two books of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale with his six yearlings selling for no less than $300,000.
Speedway Stable won the bidding war on Hip 777, the Frank Ables-bred colt sold for $700,000.
Offered by Havens Bloodstock, the colt has close ties to Ashford’s breeding shed as a son of Uncle Mo daughter Kiss Mo. He is the second foal out of that mare, who is out of six-time stakes winner Kiss Mine. Kiss Mine is one of three stakes winners out of Grade III winner Kiss the Devil, who was a six-time winner herself.
Kiss The Devil is the dam of stakes winner Kiss Moon and stakes winner Mischievous Kiss and to the dams of Grade II winner Besharah and three other stakes winners with two of them also placing in Grade IIs. Kiss The Devil produced seven winners overall with her 4-year-old winning again recently.
The Four Star Sales offered colt out of Zarmant was purchased by Pin Oak Stud for $650,000.
The colt is a grandson of dual Grade I winner Tout Charmant, whose daughters have been successful broodmares as the dams of Grade II winner New and Improved, stakes winner I’m Mom’s Favorite, and Grade III placed All Star Bumb and Toutsie Rules.
Sold for $185,000 as a short yearling by breeder Willow Oaks Stable, the colt saw his 2-year-old half-sister sister Z Z’s win on debut as the second winner from three to race out of Zarmant. Zarmant is a three-quarter sister to Grade II winner and Grade I-placed Dancing House and a half-sister to stakes winner Too Charming and Grade III-placed Journeyman.
There is plenty of potential behind this colt with Tout Charmant having 11 stakes horses under her name on the page.
The third most expensive Corniche was a $600,000 purchase by BC Stables from Taylor Made.
A $200,000 weanling bred by Susan Naylor, the colt’s dam is the stakes winning Doo Lang. Doo Lang produced the dam of Grade II placed Grantham among her foals. Doo Lang is one of four stakes performers out of Wonder Woman alongside the dual stakes winner War Officer, Grade II placed Danceland, and stakes placed Verdura.
A winning Storm Cat mare, Wonder Woman is a half half-sister to Group I winner War Command and Group III winner Naval Officer as one of nine winners out of Grade II winner Wandering Star. Wonder Woman’s half-sister is also the dam of Grade I winner Hit The Road and Grade II-placed Macanga.
Corniche’s other yearlings sold for $525,000 to Cary Bloodstock as agent for Selective, $360,000 to Yoshikawa Holdings, and $300,000 to Eclipse, Bridlewood, and LaPenta. They averaged $526,667 with a $562,500 median. He has 44 left to sell during the second week of the sale.