Tell It, a winning stakes-placed daughter of Storm Cat, brought the highest price thus far during the third session of the Keeneland November breeding stock sale when she fetched $540,000 from international bloodstock agent Tom Goff's Blandford Bloodstock.
Consigned by Claiborne Farm, agent, as Hip No. 649, she is in foal to Candy Ride .
Bred in Kentucky, Tell It is out of the Mr. Prospector mare Preach, who captured the 1991 Frizette Stakes (gr. I). The current session topper is also a half sister to prominent sire Pulpit, who during his race career recorded victories in the Toyota Blue Grass (gr. II) and Fountain of Youth (gr. II).
While racing as a Claiborne Farm homebred, Tell It compiled a record of 4-2-2 from 18 starts, including a third in the 2001 Nicole Stakes at Hawthorne Racecourse. She retired from racing with earnings of $162,283.
All of Tell It's five foals to race are winners, including stakes winner Dream Nettie, a 5-year-old stakes-winning daughter of Dixie Union. Her youngest offspring is a yearling Arch colt.
Spring Party, a stakes-winning daughter of Smart Strike, brought the second-highest price of the day when John Moynihan, bloodstock advisor for Barbara Banke's Stonestreet Stables, signed the ticket for $525,000.
Consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent, she is carrying her first foal, by Unbridled's Song.
It's safe to say Stonestreet has found good fortune with Smart Strike in the past as Curlin, its two-time Horse of the Year, is also by that stallion.
"(Spring Party) is a young, beautiful mare and she's got a current pedigree," said Moynihan of the 6-year-old bay, winner of the 2011 Wintergreen Stakes at Turfway Park. "Smart Strike has turned out to be one of the really nice broodmare sires and it looks like she will have some nice, pretty foals for us. She's the one we zeroed in on today."
Spring Party retired from racing with a record of 6-3-3 from 21 starts and earnings of $202,077. She raced first for Augustin Stable and later for Jerry Jamgotchian, who claimed the mare for $25,000 with trainer Eric Reed during her 4-year-old season. She originally brought $150,000 at the 2007 Keeneland September yearling sale.
Spring Party is a half sister to Emcee (by Unbridled's Song), winner of the Sept. 1 Forego (gr. I), plus group III-placed runner Baffled (by Distorted Humor ) and English stakes winner Surfer (by Distorted Humor ).
The dam of Spring Party, the winning Ocean Crest mare Surf Club, is a half sister to grade I victor Awesome Humor (by Distorted Humor).
"We're just trying to buy good mares for a good value," said Moynihan of Stonestreet's purchasing strategy. "That's been pretty hard to do...we've been outbid a lot, but we're just picking our spots and we're happy with what we've got."