Mandy Pope, who operates the Citra, Fla.-based Whisper Hill Farm, paid $475,000 for a Giant's Causeway filly during the morning of the Sept. 15 session of the Keeneland September yearling sale. The filly, who was consigned by Woodford Thoroughbreds, agent for Cloverleaf Farms, was the highest priced horse that went through the ring during the first hour of the sale.
“She’s out of the family of the Bernardini colt that sold yesterday, so it’s a family that I’m well connected with and really like,” said Pope, referring to a colt bred by Whisper Hill that brought $550,000 during the Sept. 14 session.
The Giant’s Causeway filly is out of the Thunder Gulch mare Crowning Touch, who is also the dam of grade II winner Crown of Thorns . The 5-year-old son of Repent finished second in last year’s Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Sprint (gr. I) and is slated to run again in this year’s event in November at Churchill Downs.
“I thought (the Giant's Causeway filly) was a very nice filly with a lot of balance,” said Pope. “She’s a little higher in the back end than the front end, but I think she’s going to grow and end up being a lovely filly, and hopefully Crown of Thorns does something great in the Breeders’ Cup.”
The Giant’s Causeway filly additionally hails from the family of grade I winner Smoke Glacken, graded stakes winner Smokey Glacken, and stakes winner Capote's Crown. The last mentioned horse is the dam of the $500,000 Bernardini colt that sold Sept. 14. The Giant's Causeway filly was bred in Kentucky by Cloverleaf Farms II.