Mares selling with foals by their side happen every once in a while during the Keeneland January horses of all ages sale. The latest example came Jan. 11 when She’s a Fleet, with a filly from the first crop of Commissioner , went through the ring midway during Day 3 of the auction.
Consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, the mare and foal brought a final bid of $25,000 from Deborah Holmes. Holmes, from British Columbia, made the buy for her Phoenix Rising Farm.
“The baby is a total plus,” Holmes said soon after signing the ticket. “There's no guess work. It was definitely a plus knowing the foal is correct.
“There is a lot to like about She’s a Fleet,” she continued. “She’s a half sister to grade 1 winner Mona de Momma who sold for $1.55 million. There’s a lot going on in her pedigree. Her pedigree fits my program. She’s an A++ nick with Commissioner, and an A nick with Flat Out , in whom I own a share in.”
The foal arrived at Taylor Made Farm near Nicholasville, Ky., on Jan. 5.
BLOOD-HORSE STAFF: First Foal a Filly for WinStar’s Commissioner
Holmes, who is perhaps best known as the breeder of 2016 grade 1 winner Celestine, said the mare and foal will soon be shipped to John Penn’s Pennland Farm near Paris, Ky.
Commissioner, second in the Belmont Stakes (G1) behind Tonalist in 2014, won the Hawthorne Gold Cup (G2), Pimlico Special (G3), and Skip Away Stakes (G3) the following year. His fee at WinStar Farm for 2017 is $7,500.
