Golden Missile Colt Tops Adena Springs Auction

A son of Golden Missile   established a new record price for the Adena Springs 2-year-olds in training sale when bloodstock agent Mike Ryan went to $500,000 to purchase the colt during the March 21 auction.

The Ocala Breeders' Sales Co., which conducted the sale, reported 46 horses grossed $3,916,000, an average of $85,130. The median was $60,000. Sixty-five horses that passed through the ring failed to find new homes.

Last year 57 horses grossed $2,228,000 and averaged $39,088. The median was $27,000. The sale's previous record price was established last year when trainer John Kimmel went to $310,000 to acquire a daughter of Silver Charm.

"I'm very pleased, there was a very good turn out," said Adena Springs owner Frank Stronach. "We put almost all of our horses in the sale with reasonable reserves, the good ones sold for a good amount of money."

The sale, which was held for the first time inside the newly constructed sale pavilion located on the grounds of the new Adena Springs South near Williston, Fla., brought out both the serious and curious buyers hoping to get a look at the new farm and enjoy the festive country barbeque.

Ryan, who was attending his first Adena Springs auction, said the colt was in the top three of all horses he inspected. "He's a helluva horse," he said. "The price was a little high, but pretty close to what I expected to pay. He could be any type of horse. We're looking for that classic horse that can go two turns."

The gray or roan colt, bred by Adena Springs North, was produced from the Canadian stakes winning Irish River mare Blazing Hot, winner of the Summer Stakes at Woodbine, and is from the family of stakes winners Hot Milk and grade III winner Hot Brush.

Ryan, who purchased the colt on behalf of an undisclosed client, said the colt would be freshened before shipping to the barn of an East Coast trainer.

Kimmel bought the second highest offering of the night when he went to $420,000 to acquire a son of Awesome Again   on behalf of first time horse owner Lee Einsidler, a beer distributor from New York. Kimmel was the underbidder on the sale topper.

"He just had solid, all-around good grades for us," Kimmel said. "Being by Awesome Again, he's got a good pedigree and I believe he will mature and develop into a good horse. I was just so depressed after not getting the Golden Missile colt that I wasn't going to back down on this one. He is a nice horse."

Kimmel said he liked the fact the Adena Springs horses didn't breeze before the sale; they only galloped.

"If this horse went into any 2-year-old in training sale where the horses breeze, I believe he could easily be the sales topper," Kimmel said. "For me, I can get enough out of a gallop. He showed speed and showed that he has talent. He can come to my barn fresh instead of having to come down from the stress of two breeze shows."

The bay colt, bred in Kentucky by Adena Springs, was produced from the stakes-placed Turkoman mare Powerful Nation and is a half-brother to stakes-placed Star Celebrity (by Louis Quatorze).

"The sale was very well attended, and this is a beautiful facility," said Tom Ventura, general manager and director of sales at OBS. "The Adena staff did a great job getting this place ready for this sale in such a short amount of time."