Colts usually get most of the attention at juvenile auctions because they have a higher earning potential at the racetrack and they bring higher prices. But a number of fillies were generating a buzz prior to Tuesday's Keeneland April sale in Lexington. Following are some of the horses buyers and consignors were talking about, both colts and fillies:Hip No. 144, an A.P. Indy -- Dream Supreme filly named A. P. Dream, consigned by Niall Brennan Stables, agent.Bred and owned by New York Yankees boss George Steinbrenner, this filly is a full sister to Crystal Current, winner of the Suncoast Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs this year and third in the Florida Oaks. Their first two dams are grade I winners. A. P. Dream worked a quarter mile on April 10 in :10 2/5."I don't know if there has ever been a filly like her presented for auction at a 2-year-old sale," Niall Brennan said. "Her pedigree is outstanding. She's a collector's item. She is a Mona Lisa of the horse business. But Mr. Steinbrenner is willing to give people a shot; he's got the whole family. It's the opportunity to pick up a rare jewel for breeders who race."Her breeze was spectacular. She shouldn't have been able to do what she did. If you watch her video, she looks like A.P. Indy going down the stretch. She has big stride with her head down and a long reach. She's unbelievable. I've been fortunate in this business to have some great fillies, namely Meadow Star and Jersey Girl, and I rank this filly every bit as good as them."A colt and a filly by Distorted Humor in Brennan's consignment also have been attracting attention. The colt, hip no. 202 is out of Lightly Go Lightly, and the filly, hip no. 187, is out of It's Personal. "I like both of them a lot," Brennan said. "Both of them are runners, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to tell you that. Distorted Humor is one of the best sires in the country. The colt is only a May foal, but he's big and strong, with a tremendous way of going and a great mind. The filly is a beautiful mover and is a May foal as well."Hip No. 54, a Buddha -- Sister Stones colt, consigned by Wavertree Stables, agent.
One major buyer called this muscular colt the best Buddha that he had ever seen. A member of his sire's first crop, the sturdy bay worked a quarter mile in :21 1/5 on April 10. Out of a stakes-placed mare, the colt was a $160,000 buy-back at last year's Keeneland September yearling sale. Wavertree has been on a roll this year, selling the sale toppers at both the Ocala Breeders' Sales Co.'s February auction at Calder and the OBS March sale.Hip No. 193, an Unbridled's Song -- Katy Kat filly, consigned by Leprechaun Racing, agent.
This powerful-looking filly worked a quarter mile in :21 2/5 and could have gone faster, according to Leprechaun's Mike Mulligan. A $100,000 Saratoga yearling, she is out of a stakes winner and the other members of her family include Breeders' Cup Classic (gr. I) winner Wild Again.
"I thought I had three superior fillies this year; I've already sold two of them (for seven-figure prices), and she's the other one," said Leprechaun's Mike Mulligan. "It was hard to separate the three of them. I thought they were all superior movers with superior physicals. This filly got in a little bit during her work, our rider had to steady her, but I think people are finding her anyway. She's by the right horse, and she's the first foal out of the right kind of mare. She is gorgeous on the end of the shank. She's got the walk; she's balanced; and she's doing nothing but getting better."Also looking good is Hip No. 222, an Orientate -- Ms. Strike Zone filly that is a half-sister to European champion Magistretti. "She's a beautiful filly with a ton of residual value," Mulligan said. "She's got to be a horse to watch."Hip No. 101, a Forestry -- Barefoot Dyana filly, consigned by Eddie Woods, agent.
A $70,000 buy-back at last year's Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July select yearling auction, this filly sizzled in her quarter-mile work on April 10, covering the distance in :21 1/5."She's a superstar, a beautiful, beautiful filly," Woods said. "I think she is potentially as good a horse as I have ever had. She was very, very immature as a yearling and she didn't start to come around until the New Year. She's smart, a good mover, and sound. You can go right on with her. She's very much in proportion and well-balanced. She has a lot of quality and a lot of elegance."Hip No. 191, an Unbridled's Song -- Karait colt, consigned by Maurice W. Miller III, agent.
Produced from an unraced half-sister to Funistrada, a grade II winner and grade II producer, this colt breezed an eighth of a mile in :10 2/5 on April 10.
"He's a big, rugged horse that carries himself well and drew a lot of attention at Payson Park (in Florida)," Miller said. "Rarely am I ever disappointed with a :10 2/5 work, but it sort of shocked me that he wouldn't have been a :10 flat horse. I didn't do a good job training him. He was a little bit too sharp to the pole and wasn't paying attention. I had him a little too sharp. But everybody's liking him."
Faring better in the April 10 under tack show was Hip No. 221, a Tale of the Cat --- Mrs. Filio colt that worked an eighth in :10 1/5, sharing the honors for the fastest time at that distance. He is a $575,000 graduate of the 2005 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga select yearling auction."He's a gorgeous horse," Miller said. "He was my favorite individual at Saratoga last year, and we had to stretch to buy him. I can't take much credit for how he looks now because when we bought him, he was the package. If there is a better-looking colt in this sale, I would like to go see him. We love him. I don't think since I've been selling 2-year-olds that I've had one nicer than him."
Miller had planned to offer thecolt at the Fasig-Tipton Calder sale before a setback caused by scary illness when the 2-year-old had a fever of 105 degrees.Hip No. 99, a Five Star Day -- Authorized Staff colt, consigned by Kirkwood Stables, agent.
This colt turned in the fastest quarter-mile work of the sale, stopping the clock in :20 3/5. That alone was impressive enough, but the colt did it with his rider balancing precariously on his back after the right side iron fell off his saddle. He's a $50,000 graduate of the 2005 Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. winter mixed sale, and he was a $140,000 buy-back at last year's Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July select yearling auction.Hip No. 107, a Silver Deputy -- Blind Trust colt named Visible Truth, consigned by Sequel Bloodstock, agent.
This colt sizzled in his quarter-mile work on April 10, stopping the clock in :20 4/5. A $155,000 Saratoga sale yearling in 2005, he is out of a stakes-placed mare and has European group winners Hortensia and Glacial Storm in his family.
"He's very nice," said Sequel's Becky Thomas. "He is the only horse all year to shade :10 flat on my track. He is brilliantly fast. He's kind of a fat guy; he doesn't have to put a lot of effort into what he does."A different type of horse in her consignment that Thomas also is enthusiastic about is Hip No. 184, a strapping Fusaichi Pegasus -- Indy Glory colt.
"I just love him," she said. "He's absolutely a two-turn horse. He's a man among boys."
Also showing promise, according to Thomas, is Hip No. 88, Forest Camp -- Yesterdays Gone filly named Moment in Time.
"She's a fast, real pretty filly, my kind of horse," she said.Hip No. 116, a Storm Cat -- Carols Folly colt named Cat's Folly, consigned by Niall Brennan Stables, agent.
An $850,000 buy-back at last year's Keeneland September yearling auction, this colt didn't have the fastest work -- an eighth of a mile in :10 3/5 on April 10 -- but he has a powerful pedigree. He is a half-brother to Breeders' Cup Distaff (gr. I) winner Unbridled Elaine and to another grade I winner, Glitter Woman."He's a two-turn horse; he's a 3-year-old," Niall Brennan said. "He's a big horse that we have not trained hard. He's got a great mind, and he's sound, and he travels very well. The future is all for him."
Another colt with an attractive pedigree in Brennan's consignment is Hip No. 178, a Mr. Greeley -- Hometown Queen colt that is a half-brother to grade II winner Bowman's Band and to Etats Unis, the dam of grade II winner Pollard's Vision. "He's a smoother, better-looking horse than Bowman's Band," Brennan said. "He's 16.1 hands already, and he's only a June foal."Hip No. 152, a Grand Slam -- Fashion Editor filly named Simply Divine, consigned by Jerry Bailey Sales Agency, agent.
This filly is from the family of Vodafone Epsom Oaks (Eng-I) winner Casual Look. Florida horseman Jerry Bailey thinks highly of her, but he also believes Hip No. 38, a Yes It's True -- Royalty On Ice filly named Yes It's Royalty, and Hip No. 63, an Elusive Quality -- Swearingen filly, are in the same class. All breezed an eighth of a mile in :10 2/5 on April 10."They're hard to separate; they all worked well, and they did it nicely," Bailey said. "And they're all very good-looking and by fashionable sires. Maybe the Yes It's True is a little more 'sprinty' than the other two, but they're all fillies that should be 2-year-olds."
Bailey's consignment also includes Hip No. 132, a Gone West -- Critical Crew colt named Entrapment, who worked an eighth in :10 2/5 on grass. "He's a beautiful horse, with a nice pedigree" Bailey said. "He's probably going to need the grass, and we worked him on the grass."Hip No. 137, a Forestry -- Desert Angel colt, consigned by Maurice W. Miller III, agent.
A $475,000 graduate of last year's Keeneland September yearling sale, this colt worked an eighth of a mile in :10 2/5 on April 10. He is a half-brother to grade III winner Desert Air and two other added-money winners.
"Excluding the Storm Cats, A.P. Indys, and the things I knew I just couldn't afford, he was my favorite individual in September," Miller said. "He's really hard to pick on conformationally. You could put him in a book. He was intended to go to the Fasig-Tipton Calder sale, and of all things, he stepped on a bandage pin and was three-legged lame. The foot got infected, so we had to scratch. He has only been back in training a little bit over a month and we had to press on him, but the way he responded is really remarkable."
A remarkable-looking colt in Miller's barn is Hip No. 6, a son of Giant's Causeway -- North East Dancer that has a white question mark-shaped blaze on his forehead. He is a half-brother to grade II winner North East Bound. The flashy chestnut worked a quarter mile on turf in :21 2/5 on April 10. He sold for $325,000 as a yearling last September at Keeneland.Hip No. 216, a Giant's Causeway -- Million Stories filly named Sunshine for Life, consigned by Kirkwood Stables, agent.
This filly is a half-sister to grade III winner Tubrok and to multiple stakes producer Nara. She sold for $385,000 as a weanling at the 2004 Fasig-Tipton November mixed sale, but was bought back for $340,000 at last year's Keeneland September yearling auction. On April 10, she worked a quarter mile on grass in :21 4/5.
"She's a very serious filly," said Kirkwood's Kip Elser. "She's got a good pedigree, and she absolutely does everything right."
Hip No. 77, a Storm Cat -- Turbo Launch colt, "is also a good one," Elser said.Hip No. 167, a Point Given -- Golden Thatch filly, consigned by Randy Miles, agent.
A half-sister to grade II winner Raw Gold, this filly worked an eighth of a mile in :10 1/5 on April 10 and ranked among the fastest at that distance. She is a $140,000 graduate of the 2005 Keeneland January horses of all ages sale, but was bought back for $115,000 when she was offered at last year's Keeneland September yearling auction."She has been classy from day one," Randy Miles said. "She's never done one thing wrong, never missed one oat. And she has just had fun here. I think that's sign of a good horse, having fun, doing their job, staying sound, and being fast."Hip No. 14, a Not For Love -- Petrouchka filly, is "very nice also," Miles said. "She had a very fast gallop out time of :34 flat (after working an eighth of a mile in :10 1/5). She's probably the prettiest horse in the sale. She's got the body of a racehorse and the look of a racehorse."Hip No. 217, a Forest Camp -- Mirror Me filly, consigned by Scanlon Training Center, agent.
This filly breezed an eighth of a mile in :10 1/5 on April 10, sharing the honors for the fastest work at that distance. Her dam is a half-sister to grade I winner Victory Speech (by Forest Camp's sire Deputy Minister) and to stakes winner Euro Code.
"She's a real nice, tight, little package," said David Scanlon of Scanlon Training Center. "She has a beautiful body, with a great hip on her and a good chest. She's a filly that could probably run in the next 30 days. She's very forward."The filly's barn mate, Hip No. 36, a Johannesburg -- River Melody colt, was just as fast at an eighth. "He's an awesome colt with just beautiful balance," Scanlon said. "He looks a lot like his father. I think he's got one of the best videos of the sale. He's also put on a super show all week on the training track."