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Conceit Runs Downs Explora, Movie Night to Claim Dogwood

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It was a thriller under the lights in the GIII Dogwood Stakes, but Juddmonte’s Conceit (Not This Time) came out as the ultimate beneficiary of the throwdown on the lead when she ran down the dueling leaders to win the photo.

The Brad Cox pupil broke her maiden on the swap from the lawn to the main track in her second career start as a juvenile, defeating the Horseshoe Indianapolis maiden field by 9 1/2 lengths, but did not find the winner’s enclosure in her two following jumps before going on a layoff after her Jan. 9 effort at Turfway. She resurfaced June 26 at Churchill Downs with a nearly seven-month layoff to overcome, but didn’t show rust in the slightest. Seemingly a new filly, she dominated that first-level allowance by 10 1/4 lengths and garnered a 94 Beyer figure for the effort. She was last seen winning the Audubon Oaks at Ellis Aug. 9 over returning rival A Fine Chardonnay (Maclean’s Music).

The betting public had to make a choice for this jump, and they gave her a 5-1 chance to beat a 1-5 favorite from the Bob Baffert barn who was building a winstreak. The field broke well with ‘TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard’ Explora (Blame) stepping out to set the tempo through an opening quarter in :23.13 with fellow ‘Rising Star’ Movie Night (Speightstown) glued to her flank. The pair rolled through a half-mile in :45.12 while Conceit watched the action unfold from well off that pace in fourth.

Swinging four-wide turning for home, the top two were still locked in battle, but the Juddmonte colorbearer was building up a full head of steam and had become the looming danger deep in the stretch. Closing the gap with every stride, Conceit overhauled Explora and Movie Night in the shadow of the wire. The former bravely held on to second while the latter had to settle for third.

With her Dogwood success, in addition to collecting her career first graded black type, Conceit became Not This Time‘s second graded winner on the day behind GI Cotillion heroine Bodacious Bay, and his 42nd overall.

“She’s a lightly raced filly and starting to really figure things out on the dirt,” said Cox after the race. “We know she tries hard and was going to come with a big run. We’re very thankful for Juddmonte for sending us another talented homebred of theirs and the future is very bright.”

Flavien Prat, aboard runner-up Explora, said his filly might not have seen Conceit until it was too late. “She took a lot of pressure but was fighting back the whole way. I think being on the inside she might not have seen the filly coming three wide at us late.”

Photo finish in the Dogwood S. (GIII)! CONCEIT wins a thriller with @_MGutierrez_ aboard, trained by @bradcoxracing.#TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/E0TRaWZpj3

— TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) September 20, 2026

Pedigree Notes:

The victress is a full-sister to GSW Final Gambit and a half to SP-KSA Havildar (Arrogate). Their dam, Pachinko (Tapit), has a juvenile named Buscada (Justify) in the wings as well as a yearling filly by Mage and a 2026 Elite Power filly. She went back to that stallion for 2027.

Pachinko claims a fleet of accomplished racemares turned broodmares as half-sisters, namely French Group 1 victress Announce (GB) (Selkirk), the mother of SP Maquette (Tapit); French group winner Mexican Gold (Medaglia d’Oro), dam of ‘Rising Star’ SW & GSP Touch of Fire (Constitution); and MGSP-Fr Straight Thinking (Mizzen Mast), who claims Group-placed Straight Answer (GB) (Kodiac {GB}) to her broodmare tally.

This is the immediate female family of European champion juvenile colt Zafonic (Gone West) and his full-brother GSW & MG1SP-Fr Zamindar.

Saturday, Churchill Downs
DOGWOOD S. PRESENTED BY RESOLUTE RACING-GIII, $299,000, Churchill Downs, 9-19, 3yo, f, 7f, 1:22.60, ft.
1–CONCEIT, 120, f, 3, by Not This Time
                1st Dam: Pachinko, by Tapit
                2nd Dam: Hachita, by Gone West
                3rd Dam: Choice Spirit, by Danzig
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O/B-Juddmonte (KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Mario Gutierrez. $185,000. Lifetime Record: 7-4-1-1, $434,883. *Full to Final Gambit, GSW, $972,064. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Explora, 122, f, 3, Blame–Collections Choice, by Bernardini.
($22,000 Ylg ’24 KEESEP; $350,000 2yo ’25 EASMAY). ‘TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard’. O-Pegram, Michael E., Watson, Karl and Weitman, Paul; B-Mesingw Farm, LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $60,000.
3–Movie Night, 118, f, 3, Speightstown–Savvy Star, by Medaglia d’Oro. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ‘TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard’. O-WinStar Farm LLC; B-WinStar Farm, LLC (KY); T-William Walden. $30,000.
Margins: HD, HD, 6HF. Odds: 5.73, 0.36, 3.74.
Also Ran: A Fine Chardonnay, My Steel Magnolia. Scratched: Where Luck Lives.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel Racing.

The post Conceit Runs Downs Explora, Movie Night to Claim Dogwood appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Not This Time on Top Again as Keeneland Marches into Book 3

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LEXINGTON, KY – The Keeneland September Yearling Sale resumed after a dark day Friday and picked up right where it left off as its Book 3 section opened with an additional four seven-figure yearlings and competitive bidding from start to finish Saturday in Lexington.

During Saturday’s first Book 3 session, 255 yearlings grossed $61,072,000. The session average of $239,498 was up 7.74% from last year’s comparable session, and the median of $200,000 was up 11.11% from a year ago.

The 2025 Book 3 cumulative average was  $201,804 and the median was $160,000.

A colt by Not This Time topped Saturday’s session when selling for $1.5 million to RTM Racing from the Gainesway consignment. A daughter of the Taylor Made Sale stallion from the Eaton Sales consignment was the second-highest priced lot of the session, selling for $1.4 million to bloodstock agent Lauren Carlisle.

The four million-dollar yearlings sold Saturday bettered the three to hit that mark during last year’s entire Book 3 section. Twenty horses sold for $500,000 or more on the day. That figure was 19 on the first day of last year’s Book 3.

Gainesway sold two of the day’s seven-figure yearlings and was the session’s leading consignor with 39 sold for $12,685,000.

“I think it’s a trickle down,” Gainesway’s Brian Graves said of the competitive session. “People look for quality horses regardless of the book, and when they find them, they are willing to go hard for them. There is a line and if you get across it, you’re good.”

Graves continued, “I thought if there was any soft spot it was in Book 2, when a pretty solid horse seemed a little sticky. And now in Book 3, it’s very obvious when you come across a good horse that there is plenty of money for him. And I hope that will just trickle into books four and five. People who are buying horses to trade and pinhook, they can get a lot of work done there.”

Fergus Galvin made a seven-figure bid to acquire a colt by Into Mischief on behalf Sheikh Fahad’s Qatar Racing, while his Hunter Valley Farm consignment sold 11 yearlings Saturday for $1,915,000.

“It’s a deep bench of buyers,” Galvin said. “It’s the same story. If you have the goods, there are plenty of people for them. That doesn’t mean, necessarily, if you bring any horse up, you’re going to get paid. You’ve got to have the goods. But there are plenty of buyers and plenty of money for the right horse.”

Carlisle was the session’s leading buyer with five purchased for $2,825,000.

The Keeneland September Yearling sale continues through Saturday with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m.

Tagermeen Buying Spree Continues with $1.5-Million Not This Time Colt

Tagermeen Racing continued to be busy buying during Saturday’s fifth session of the Keeneland September sale, going to $1.5 million to acquire a colt by Not This Time (hip 1275) from the Gainesway consignment. The yearling, bred Three Chimneys Farm, is out of Ana’s Gun (Gun Runner). The mare is a half-sister to graded-placed Always Carina (Malibu Moon), who produced GI Kentucky Oaks winner Always a Runner (Gun Runner), and to GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Structor (Palace Malice). Under the third dam is GII Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner More Than Real.

“We loved this colt,” Tagermeen’s Mahmud Mouni said after signing the ticket on the colt. “He has an amazing pedigree. We did not expect to have to pay that much, but when you look at the horses for the next few days–even the next few hours–it will be very tough to find horses like him. He is amazing, a gorgeous colt.”

Mouni continued, “Everybody wants the good horse, it doesn’t matter what book they are in. I think the horse deserved that price. He could have been in Book 1 or 2.”

Mouni said a trainer had yet to be chosen for the colt, who will head to Ocala to be broke by Randy Miles.

Mouni has been signing for the Tagermeen partnership as RTM Racing. RTM Racing has purchased 19 horses for $14 million, with an 20th yearling purchased in partnership with Whisper Hill Farm for an additional $1.6 million. Leading the group is a $2.8-million son of Gun Runner who topped Monday’s first session of the auction.

Hip 1275 was the 12th seven-figure yearling of the auction for Not This Time. The Taylor Made stallion was represented by a $2.1-million colt Monday and a pair of colts who sold for $2 million Thursday.

Hip1523 before selling to Lauren Carlisle | Keeneland

‘Waiting All Day for Her’: $1.4-Million Not This Time Filly to Carlisle

Just over an hour after Not This Time registered his latest Grade I winner when the filly Bodacious Bay captured the GI Cotillion Stakes at Parx, bloodstock agent Lauren Carlisle fended off Donato Lanni to acquire a yearling daughter of the stallion (hip 1523) for $1.4 million at Keeneland Saturday. It was the fourth seven-figure yearling of the session and the second of the day by Not This Time, who now as 12 over the auction’s first five days.

“We were waiting for her all day,” Carlisle said. “We knew it wasn’t going to be easy. I didn’t know it was going to be that hard, but that’s the sale right now. Mark Casse is going to train her and he told me before he left today to buy this filly.”

Hip 1523, consigned by Eaton Sales and bred by Jumping Jack Racing, is out of stakes-placed O’Maggie (Paddy O’Prado), a half-sister to Grade I winner Dream Tree (Uncle Mo).

Carlisle signed for five yearlings Saturday for a gross of $2,835,000. In addition to the Not This Time filly, the agent also acquired a daughter of Life is Good (hip 1328) for $625,000.

Carlisle did admit the team had missed out on a colt earlier in the session.

“We tried to buy the [$1.25-million] Life is Good colt, we were the underbidders on him,” she said. “So that hurt. People are so in the bridle to buy. And that’s a good thing for our industry. But it is frustrating when you are bidding. I have had every emotion you could think of here: blood, sweat and tears. But it’s good for the health of our industry. It’s encouraging for that, but it can be frustrating when you get outbid constantly.”

Through five sessions, Carlisle has signed for 11 horses for a total of $7,860,000.

Another Graves Success Story, $1.25-Million Life is Good Colt to St. Elias & Partners

The partnership of St. Elias Stables, West Point Thoroughbreds, Lane’s End Racing, and Belladonna Racing added another seven-figure yearling to its roster–and added more pinhooking success to Brian Graves’s resume–when paying $1.25 million for a colt (hip 1412) from the Gainesway consignment Saturday at Keeneland. It was the group’s seventh million-dollar purchase. Through five sessions,the partners have purchased 17 yearlings for $15,175,000.

Hip 1412 is out of Graceful Fancy (Liam’s Map), a daughter of Icon Project (Empire Maker) and a half-sister to graded winner Fashion Business (GB) (Frankel {GB}).

The result was the second seven-figure pinhook result of the week for Graves, who acquired the colt for $285,000 at last year’s Keeneland November sale.

“He was a perfectly balanced individual,” Graves said of the colt’s appeal last fall. “He wasn’t the biggest horse I’ve ever bought, but he had everything in the right spot. He had a lot of definition to his shoulder and withers, something I am really fond of in a horse. I thought he would grow a little more than he did and there was a time that I was maybe a little apprehensive about that, but there was a lot of quality about him.”

Graves said the colt’s biggest attribute heading back through the ring Saturday was likely his young sire, who has gotten off to a flyer with his first crop of 2-year-olds on the track this year. In addition to recent GI Hopeful Stakes winner The Good Life, Life is Good has been represented by stakes winner Waggley and multiple graded-placed Scarlett Begonia.

“Life is Good really took off and is clearly doing a great job as a stallion,” Graves said. “I think that probably helped more than anything. When he got a Grade I winner last week, I think it cemented in everyone’s mind that he is a serious stallion prospect. And I think what you see now is that these horses are in high demand.”

Hip 1412 was just the biggest of three scores with sons of Life is Good that Graves enjoyed Saturday. Gainesway’s general manager also sold hip 1344–acquired for $275,000 at Keeneland last November–for $675,000 to Colt Pike, as agent for Highlander; and hip 1215–acquired in utero in partnership with Gainesway and Sheerwater Stables for $150,000 at the 2025 Keeneland January sale–for $450,000 to Hartley/DeRenzo, as agent for Tom Durant.

During Monday’s first session of the auction, Graves sold a colt by Nyquist (hip 39) for $1.2 million to St. Elias and partners. That colt had been purchased by Graves’s En Fuego pinhooking partnership for $525,000 at this year’s Keeneland January sale.

Fergus Galvin | Keeneland

‘Love at First Sight’: Galvin Gets his Into Mischief Colt

“We had been trying all week on these high-end Into Mischiefs,” Fergus Galvin admitted after signing the $1-million ticket on a colt by Spendthrift’s super sire (hip 1250) Saturday at Keeneland on behalf of Qatar Racing’s Sheikh Fahad. “I had only seen him for the first time this morning and I called Sheikh Fahad right away and said this is the one. Taking my memory back to earlier in the week about the good Into Mischiefs and certainly he stacked up very well to them.”

The colt was Into Mischief’s 11th million-dollar yearling of the auction. The stallion is the sire of the auction’s $3.7-million top-priced lot.

Hip 1250, consigned by Claiborne Farm, is out of Weather Delay (Curlin), a daughter of multiple Grade I winner American Gal (Concord Point). He was bred by Repole Stable and his dam was purchased by Mike Repole for $500,000 at the 2022 Keeneland September sale.

“He’s a beautiful horse,” said Claiborne’s Jacob West, who signed the ticket on Weather Delay on behalf of Repole in 2022. “He’s bred the right way. He comes from a deep family. We are just happy to sell a horse like that.”

It was the second seven-figure yearling of the week for Repole’s breeding operation, which sold a colt by Not This Time (hip 115) for $1 million during the first session of the auction.

Of the colt’s final price tag, Galvin said, “We were pretty sure we would have to stretch to the seven-figure mark for him, as you have to with all of these good Into Mischiefs. We are happy to get him at that price.”

The post Not This Time on Top Again as Keeneland Marches into Book 3 appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Conceit Runs Downs Explora, Movie Night to Claim Dogwood

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It was a thriller under the lights in the GIII Dogwood Stakes, but Juddmonte’s Conceit (Not This Time) came out as the ultimate beneficiary of the throwdown on the lead when she ran down the dueling leaders to win the photo.

The Brad Cox pupil broke her maiden on the swap from the lawn to the main track in her second career start as a juvenile, defeating the Horseshoe Indianapolis maiden field by 9 1/2 lengths, but did not find the winner’s enclosure in her two following jumps before going on a layoff after her Jan. 9 effort at Turfway. She resurfaced June 26 at Churchill Downs with a nearly seven-month layoff to overcome, but didn’t show rust in the slightest. Seemingly a new filly, she dominated that first-level allowance by 10 1/4 lengths and garnered a 94 Beyer figure for the effort. She was last seen winning the Audubon Oaks at Ellis Aug. 9 over returning rival A Fine Chardonnay (Maclean’s Music).

The betting public had to make a choice for this jump, and they gave her a 5-1 chance to beat a 1-5 favorite from the Bob Baffert barn who was building a winstreak. The field broke well with ‘TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard’ Explora (Blame) stepping out to set the tempo through an opening quarter in :23.13 with fellow ‘Rising Star’ Movie Night (Speightstown) glued to her flank. The pair rolled through a half-mile in :45.12 while Conceit watched the action unfold from well off that pace in fourth.

Swinging four-wide turning for home, the top two were still locked in battle, but the Juddmonte colorbearer was building up a full head of steam and had become the looming danger deep in the stretch. Closing the gap with every stride, Conceit overhauled Explora and Movie Night in the shadow of the wire. The former bravely held on to second while the latter had to settle for third.

With her Dogwood success, in addition to collecting her career first graded black type, Conceit became Not This Time‘s second graded winner on the day behind GI Cotillion heroine Bodacious Bay, and his 42nd overall.

“She’s a lightly raced filly and starting to really figure things out on the dirt,” said Cox after the race. “We know she tries hard and was going to come with a big run. We’re very thankful for Juddmonte for sending us another talented homebred of theirs and the future is very bright.”

Flavien Prat, aboard runner-up Explora, said his filly might not have seen Conceit until it was too late. “She took a lot of pressure but was fighting back the whole way. I think being on the inside she might not have seen the filly coming three wide at us late.”

Photo finish in the Dogwood S. (GIII)! CONCEIT wins a thriller with @_MGutierrez_ aboard, trained by @bradcoxracing.#TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/E0TRaWZpj3

— TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) September 20, 2026

Pedigree Notes:

The victress is a full-sister to GSW Final Gambit and a half to SP-KSA Havildar (Arrogate). Their dam, Pachinko (Tapit), has a juvenile named Buscada (Justify) in the wings as well as a yearling filly by Mage and a 2026 Elite Power filly. She went back to that stallion for 2027.

Pachinko claims a fleet of accomplished racemares turned broodmares as half-sisters, namely French Group 1 victress Announce (GB) (Selkirk), the mother of SP Maquette (Tapit); French group winner Mexican Gold (Medaglia d’Oro), dam of ‘Rising Star’ SW & GSP Touch of Fire (Constitution); and MGSP-Fr Straight Thinking (Mizzen Mast), who claims Group-placed Straight Answer (GB) (Kodiac {GB}) to her broodmare tally.

This is the immediate female family of European champion juvenile colt Zafonic (Gone West) and his full-brother GSW & MG1SP-Fr Zamindar.

Saturday, Churchill Downs
DOGWOOD S. PRESENTED BY RESOLUTE RACING-GIII, $299,000, Churchill Downs, 9-19, 3yo, f, 7f, 1:22.60, ft.
1–CONCEIT, 120, f, 3, by Not This Time
                1st Dam: Pachinko, by Tapit
                2nd Dam: Hachita, by Gone West
                3rd Dam: Choice Spirit, by Danzig
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O/B-Juddmonte (KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Mario Gutierrez. $185,000. Lifetime Record: 7-4-1-1, $434,883. *Full to Final Gambit, GSW, $972,064. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Explora, 122, f, 3, Blame–Collections Choice, by Bernardini.
($22,000 Ylg ’24 KEESEP; $350,000 2yo ’25 EASMAY). ‘TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard’. O-Pegram, Michael E., Watson, Karl and Weitman, Paul; B-Mesingw Farm, LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert. $60,000.
3–Movie Night, 118, f, 3, Speightstown–Savvy Star, by Medaglia d’Oro. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. ‘TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard’. O-WinStar Farm LLC; B-WinStar Farm, LLC (KY); T-William Walden. $30,000.
Margins: HD, HD, 6HF. Odds: 5.73, 0.36, 3.74.
Also Ran: A Fine Chardonnay, My Steel Magnolia. Scratched: Where Luck Lives.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel Racing.

The post Conceit Runs Downs Explora, Movie Night to Claim Dogwood appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

Not This Time on Top Again as Keeneland Marches into Book 3

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LEXINGTON, KY – The Keeneland September Yearling Sale resumed after a dark day Friday and picked up right where it left off as its Book 3 section opened with an additional four seven-figure yearlings and competitive bidding from start to finish Saturday in Lexington.

During Saturday’s first Book 3 session, 255 yearlings grossed $61,072,000. The session average of $239,498 was up 7.74% from last year’s comparable session, and the median of $200,000 was up 11.11% from a year ago.

The 2025 Book 3 cumulative average was  $201,804 and the median was $160,000.

A colt by Not This Time topped Saturday’s session when selling for $1.5 million to RTM Racing from the Gainesway consignment. A daughter of the Taylor Made Sale stallion from the Eaton Sales consignment was the second-highest priced lot of the session, selling for $1.4 million to bloodstock agent Lauren Carlisle.

The four million-dollar yearlings sold Saturday bettered the three to hit that mark during last year’s entire Book 3 section. Twenty horses sold for $500,000 or more on the day. That figure was 19 on the first day of last year’s Book 3.

Gainesway sold two of the day’s seven-figure yearlings and was the session’s leading consignor with 39 sold for $12,685,000.

“I think it’s a trickle down,” Gainesway’s Brian Graves said of the competitive session. “People look for quality horses regardless of the book, and when they find them, they are willing to go hard for them. There is a line and if you get across it, you’re good.”

Graves continued, “I thought if there was any soft spot it was in Book 2, when a pretty solid horse seemed a little sticky. And now in Book 3, it’s very obvious when you come across a good horse that there is plenty of money for him. And I hope that will just trickle into books four and five. People who are buying horses to trade and pinhook, they can get a lot of work done there.”

Fergus Galvin made a seven-figure bid to acquire a colt by Into Mischief on behalf Sheikh Fahad’s Qatar Racing, while his Hunter Valley Farm consignment sold 11 yearlings Saturday for $1,915,000.

“It’s a deep bench of buyers,” Galvin said. “It’s the same story. If you have the goods, there are plenty of people for them. That doesn’t mean, necessarily, if you bring any horse up, you’re going to get paid. You’ve got to have the goods. But there are plenty of buyers and plenty of money for the right horse.”

Carlisle was the session’s leading buyer with five purchased for $2,825,000.

The Keeneland September Yearling sale continues through Saturday with sessions beginning daily at 10 a.m.

Tagermeen Buying Spree Continues with $1.5-Million Not This Time Colt

Tagermeen Racing continued to be busy buying during Saturday’s fifth session of the Keeneland September sale, going to $1.5 million to acquire a colt by Not This Time (hip 1275) from the Gainesway consignment. The yearling, bred Three Chimneys Farm, is out of Ana’s Gun (Gun Runner). The mare is a half-sister to graded-placed Always Carina (Malibu Moon), who produced GI Kentucky Oaks winner Always a Runner (Gun Runner), and to GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Structor (Palace Malice). Under the third dam is GII Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf winner More Than Real.

“We loved this colt,” Tagermeen’s Mahmud Mouni said after signing the ticket on the colt. “He has an amazing pedigree. We did not expect to have to pay that much, but when you look at the horses for the next few days–even the next few hours–it will be very tough to find horses like him. He is amazing, a gorgeous colt.”

Mouni continued, “Everybody wants the good horse, it doesn’t matter what book they are in. I think the horse deserved that price. He could have been in Book 1 or 2.”

Mouni said a trainer had yet to be chosen for the colt, who will head to Ocala to be broke by Randy Miles.

Mouni has been signing for the Tagermeen partnership as RTM Racing. RTM Racing has purchased 19 horses for $14 million, with an 20th yearling purchased in partnership with Whisper Hill Farm for an additional $1.6 million. Leading the group is a $2.8-million son of Gun Runner who topped Monday’s first session of the auction.

Hip 1275 was the 12th seven-figure yearling of the auction for Not This Time. The Taylor Made stallion was represented by a $2.1-million colt Monday and a pair of colts who sold for $2 million Thursday.

Hip1523 before selling to Lauren Carlisle | Keeneland

‘Waiting All Day for Her’: $1.4-Million Not This Time Filly to Carlisle

Just over an hour after Not This Time registered his latest Grade I winner when the filly Bodacious Bay captured the GI Cotillion Stakes at Parx, bloodstock agent Lauren Carlisle fended off Donato Lanni to acquire a yearling daughter of the stallion (hip 1523) for $1.4 million at Keeneland Saturday. It was the fourth seven-figure yearling of the session and the second of the day by Not This Time, who now as 12 over the auction’s first five days.

“We were waiting for her all day,” Carlisle said. “We knew it wasn’t going to be easy. I didn’t know it was going to be that hard, but that’s the sale right now. Mark Casse is going to train her and he told me before he left today to buy this filly.”

Hip 1523, consigned by Eaton Sales and bred by Jumping Jack Racing, is out of stakes-placed O’Maggie (Paddy O’Prado), a half-sister to Grade I winner Dream Tree (Uncle Mo).

Carlisle signed for five yearlings Saturday for a gross of $2,835,000. In addition to the Not This Time filly, the agent also acquired a daughter of Life is Good (hip 1328) for $625,000.

Carlisle did admit the team had missed out on a colt earlier in the session.

“We tried to buy the [$1.25-million] Life is Good colt, we were the underbidders on him,” she said. “So that hurt. People are so in the bridle to buy. And that’s a good thing for our industry. But it is frustrating when you are bidding. I have had every emotion you could think of here: blood, sweat and tears. But it’s good for the health of our industry. It’s encouraging for that, but it can be frustrating when you get outbid constantly.”

Through five sessions, Carlisle has signed for 11 horses for a total of $7,860,000.

Another Graves Success Story, $1.25-Million Life is Good Colt to St. Elias & Partners

The partnership of St. Elias Stables, West Point Thoroughbreds, Lane’s End Racing, and Belladonna Racing added another seven-figure yearling to its roster–and added more pinhooking success to Brian Graves’s resume–when paying $1.25 million for a colt (hip 1412) from the Gainesway consignment Saturday at Keeneland. It was the group’s seventh million-dollar purchase. Through five sessions,the partners have purchased 17 yearlings for $15,175,000.

Hip 1412 is out of Graceful Fancy (Liam’s Map), a daughter of Icon Project (Empire Maker) and a half-sister to graded winner Fashion Business (GB) (Frankel {GB}).

The result was the second seven-figure pinhook result of the week for Graves, who acquired the colt for $285,000 at last year’s Keeneland November sale.

“He was a perfectly balanced individual,” Graves said of the colt’s appeal last fall. “He wasn’t the biggest horse I’ve ever bought, but he had everything in the right spot. He had a lot of definition to his shoulder and withers, something I am really fond of in a horse. I thought he would grow a little more than he did and there was a time that I was maybe a little apprehensive about that, but there was a lot of quality about him.”

Graves said the colt’s biggest attribute heading back through the ring Saturday was likely his young sire, who has gotten off to a flyer with his first crop of 2-year-olds on the track this year. In addition to recent GI Hopeful Stakes winner The Good Life, Life is Good has been represented by stakes winner Waggley and multiple graded-placed Scarlett Begonia.

“Life is Good really took off and is clearly doing a great job as a stallion,” Graves said. “I think that probably helped more than anything. When he got a Grade I winner last week, I think it cemented in everyone’s mind that he is a serious stallion prospect. And I think what you see now is that these horses are in high demand.”

Hip 1412 was just the biggest of three scores with sons of Life is Good that Graves enjoyed Saturday. Gainesway’s general manager also sold hip 1344–acquired for $275,000 at Keeneland last November–for $675,000 to Colt Pike, as agent for Highlander; and hip 1215–acquired in utero in partnership with Gainesway and Sheerwater Stables for $150,000 at the 2025 Keeneland January sale–for $450,000 to Hartley/DeRenzo, as agent for Tom Durant.

During Monday’s first session of the auction, Graves sold a colt by Nyquist (hip 39) for $1.2 million to St. Elias and partners. That colt had been purchased by Graves’s En Fuego pinhooking partnership for $525,000 at this year’s Keeneland January sale.

Fergus Galvin | Keeneland

‘Love at First Sight’: Galvin Gets his Into Mischief Colt

“We had been trying all week on these high-end Into Mischiefs,” Fergus Galvin admitted after signing the $1-million ticket on a colt by Spendthrift’s super sire (hip 1250) Saturday at Keeneland on behalf of Qatar Racing’s Sheikh Fahad. “I had only seen him for the first time this morning and I called Sheikh Fahad right away and said this is the one. Taking my memory back to earlier in the week about the good Into Mischiefs and certainly he stacked up very well to them.”

The colt was Into Mischief’s 11th million-dollar yearling of the auction. The stallion is the sire of the auction’s $3.7-million top-priced lot.

Hip 1250, consigned by Claiborne Farm, is out of Weather Delay (Curlin), a daughter of multiple Grade I winner American Gal (Concord Point). He was bred by Repole Stable and his dam was purchased by Mike Repole for $500,000 at the 2022 Keeneland September sale.

“He’s a beautiful horse,” said Claiborne’s Jacob West, who signed the ticket on Weather Delay on behalf of Repole in 2022. “He’s bred the right way. He comes from a deep family. We are just happy to sell a horse like that.”

It was the second seven-figure yearling of the week for Repole’s breeding operation, which sold a colt by Not This Time (hip 115) for $1 million during the first session of the auction.

Of the colt’s final price tag, Galvin said, “We were pretty sure we would have to stretch to the seven-figure mark for him, as you have to with all of these good Into Mischiefs. We are happy to get him at that price.”

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