Hip No. 426, Storm Cat -- Welcome Surprise colt, consigned by Lane's End, agent. He's a flashy, powerful-looking chestnut, and he has a stallion's pedigree, being from the family of A.P. Indy and Summer Squall. One buyer, after looking at nearly all the yearlings in book one, said this was the one that still stood out in her mind. Lane's End sent all its top horses to Keeneland September this year instead of selling some at Saratoga, so the consignment is full of quality. "It's a very, very strong consignment," said Lane's End owner Will Farish. In the Lane's End group, also keep an eye on:
Hip No. 136, A.P. Indy -- Sahara Gold colt.
Hip No. 170, Giant's Causeway -- Takesmybreathaway colt.
Hip No. 187, Storm Cat -- Warm Mood filly.
Hip No. 280, Fusaichi Pegasus -- Heeremandi filly.
Hip No. 328, Pulpit -- Mountain Girl colt.
Hip No. 367, Fusaichi Pegasus -- Royal Affair colt.
Hip No. 380, Danzig -- Serengeti Day filly.
Hip No. 384, Danzig -- Shouldn't Say Never colt.
Hip No. 425, Hennessy -- Weekend in Seattle filly.
Hip No. 162, Storm Cat -- Strategic Maneuver filly, consigned by Eaton Sales, agent. Her dam was a grade I winner, and this yearling is a full sister to grade II winner Cat Fighter and a half-sister to Irish group III winner Ishiguru. "This is the best yearling filly I've seen this year," said Eaton's Reiley McDonald. "She's a May foal, but she still has size and substance. She has incredible balance and a great mind. Her (2-year-old) half-brother by Danzig will be ready to start in the next couple of weeks, and he looks like he could be any kind. She is the real deal."
In the Eaton consignment, also keep an eye on the following, which are described by McDonald:
Hip No. 110, Tale of the Cat -- Passing My Way filly. "She's a beautiful Tale of the Cat with more size and scope than the average (horse) and a half-sister to a champion (Phone Chatter)."
Hip No. 121, A.P. Indy -- Princess Atoosa filly. "A good-sized A.P. Indy with just a lot of quality. Quite a bit of her grandmother, champion Kooyonga, comes out in her."
Hip No. 164, Kingmambo -- String Quartet colt. "Great, big, strong colt like Kingmambo, who has competitive runners all over the world -- Japan, Europe, and America. This colt could suit any continent."
No. 181, Fusaichi Pegasus -- T. V. Countess filly. "She is a half-sister to champion Countess Diana. She looks an awful lot like a very correct version of Countess Diana -- the same body type: great neck, shoulder, length, and long hip."
Hip No. 257, Storm Cat -- Fabulist colt. "Not a typical Storm Cat in type, but a very athletic, fluid colt, with as nice a walk as any horse in our barn."
Hip No. 264, Danehill -- Fiji colt. "If attitude wins grade Is, this colt will win plenty. He's very athletic, typical of Danehill's lovely, athletic way of moving."
Hip No. 276, Silver Hawk -- Guerre Et Paix colt. "This is one of the nicest Silver Hawks I've seen in 15 years of selling horses. He's big, he's strong, and he has a great way of going. He suits European racing to a "T" and will be a top-class horse."
Hip No. 354, Storm Cat -- Program Pick colt. "This (sire) line has worked with Program Pick over and over, but finally this mare to the big horse himself. The result is a medium-sized colt, with a huge rear end, a great attitude, and a lovely, fluid way of moving. We like him a lot."
Hip No. 422, A.P. Indy -- Warrior Queen colt. "This colt is a typical example of the best of the A.P. Indys. He's out of a mare that was group class in Europe, by Quiet American. One would have thought she would be much more ideally suited to American racing with that pedigree, but she ran in Europe quite well anyway. This could be our best colt."
Hip No. 455, Storm Cat -- Bless colt, consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent. He's the first foal of Bless, a full sister to Kentucky Derby (gr. I) winner Fusaichi Pegasus. "If he runs on the track the way he looks like he does here on the sales grounds, he's going to be worth a lot," said Mark Taylor of Taylor Made. "He's a typical Storm Cat. He's got a great body, and he's very correct for a Storm Cat."
Following are some other standouts in the Taylor Made consignment with more of Mark Taylor's comments:
Hip No. 320, A.P. Indy -- Million Gift colt. "He's just a really good A.P. Indy. He has great balance. He's a May foal, but he's very forward for a May foal and has a ton of class about him. Mentally, he's unbelievable horse, and he's out of a young Sunday Silence mare who's a daughter of Maplejinksy. He's really got international appeal."
Hip. No. 405, Storm Cat -- Tacha colt. "He's a full brother to (European champion) One Cool Cat. This colt is maybe a little more mature than I remember One Cool Cat being."
Hip No. 294, A.P. Indy -- Kelli Cat filly. "She's a really, really nice filly. She's out of a great family, with (champion) Countess Diana, and she's got just unbelievable body. But she's also feminine at the same time. She's not like a bull; she's really pretty. She's a very smart filly."
Hip No. 477, Forestry -- Clever Bertie colt. "Here's a sleeper. He's a hell of a horse, and he's got a great pedigree. (He's a half-brother to graded winners Hurricane Bertie and Allamerican Bertie.) His profile is close to the perfect profile for a runner as I could possibly want. He's just got a beautiful, thin neck on him, and then he's got this hip that's just like a mile long. He's got great muscle down his hind leg, great form, and he's just a tremendous horse."
Hip No. 183, Rahy -- Unbridled Elaine filly named Rogers Girl. She's a very neat filly that looks like a runner."