A Malibu Moon colt brought $375,000 during the early afternoon portion of the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July select sale in Lexington July 10. The strapping dark bay was the highest price at the sale thus far, topping the $300,000 that was paid for Hip No. 104, a War Front –Golden Wings colt.
Consigned by CandyLand, agent, as Hip No. 86, the Malibu Moon colt was bought by trainer Kenny McPeek, agent, on behalf of Montana-based Magic City Thoroughbreds.
Relatively new to the industry, Magic City Thoroughbreds is the racing stable of Carter Stewart and Ken Schlenker, who made their first venture into business with Golden Ticket , who finished second in this year's Tampa Bay Derby (gr. II). The duo now has six horses in training with McPeek.
"They're obviously going to play hard and they will probably get more aggressive (with their purchases) this year," said McPeek, who trained the Malibu Moon colt's winning dam, Uncontrollable (by Wild Again).
"I thought this colt was a better version of his dam," McPeek said of the mare, who won first time out but suffered a career ending injury early in her career. "She was very unlucky. We thought she was going to be a good horse....hopefully he's luckier than she was. She stamps her foals—she's already had some quality foals and obviously this is another one."
All three of Uncontrollable's foals of racing age are six-figure earners. Her first two offspring, Southern Truth and Meistersinger (both by Yes It's True), are stakes-placed.
Uncontrollable's first and second dams, Graceful Minister (by Deputy Minister) and Cagey Exuberance (by Exuberant), were also both stakes winners. The latter mare won multiple graded events, including the grade II Astarita Stakes.
McPeek said the price he paid for the Malibu Moon colt was a little more than what he was expecting.
"It was typical," he said. "A good one is hard to buy and average horses are easy to buy. He really looked the part. He's very typical of the type I like...he ought to be a nice, two-turn horse."
