On the heels of Better Than Honour selling for $14 million, a bay filly out of her daughter, Teeming, sold to Reiley McDonald of Eaton Sales for $1.475 million late in the opening session of the 2008 Keeneland November breeding stock sale Nov. 3.
McDonald signed the sales ticket Chesapeake Partners.
The filly, bred in Kentucky by John Sikura’s Hill ‘n’ Dale Equine Holdings and Edward McGhee, was produced from the first foal out of 2007 Kentucky Broodmare of the Year Better Than Honour and is from the family of back-to-back Belmont Stakes (gr. I) winners Jazil (2006) and champion Rags to Riches (2007). She was sired by champion Bernardini, whose first foals are weanlings of 2008.
The $1.475-million price for the filly falls as the sixth-highest price for a weanling filly at the Keeneland November auction. Sold in 2001, Teeming (by Storm Cat) was purchased for $1.5 million by Josham Farms Limited from the Hill ‘n’ Dale consignment and ranks as the fifth-highest-priced weanling filly to sell at the Central Kentucky auction house.
McDonald said he purchased the filly on behalf of a group of Eaton partners that are interested in purchasing top-quality fillies as foals and yearlings. He added the filly could be resold or she could be retained for racing.
“Physically, she was as good as any foal in the sale, and of course, we know the pedigree and have been watching it all week,” said McDonald. “You don’t get a chance to buy into that family too often. She is bred just like some good horses. Every part of her was exactly what we were looking for.”
Hill ‘n’ Dale consigned her to the auction.