$450,000 Mo Town Colt Tops Keeneland Monday Session
In another red-hot Keeneland September Yearling Sale session, Mo Town’s name was on top Monday with a $450,000 colt.
Offered by Gainesway, Tom Amoss placed the winning bid on the March-born yearling from the successful Yarn family on behalf of Ensemble Stables.
Bred by Mike Pietrangelo and sold as a weanling, the colt is out of the Bernardini mare Closing Move. The cross repeats the one his Grade I winning sire is bred on – Uncle Mo over a Bernardini mare. Closing Move herself is out of the Storm Cat mare Show Me The Roses – the granddam of Grade II winner Stanford and stakes winner Hedge Fund.
Out of Myth, Show Me the Roses is a three-quarter sister to champion Johannesburg and Group II-placed Grand Admiral. Just one generation off the page is Myth’s half-brother and Ashford sire Tale of the Cat and others.
“I have tremendous respect for the Uncle Mo line,” Amoss told Thoroughbred Daily News. “I bought Mo Tom from his first crop. When I saw this horse today, I really liked what I saw. This is a really special athlete, in my opinion. I am fully aware that this was an awful lot–and maybe the highest Mo Town that will sell this year–but I am confident he is an athlete.”
Earlier on Monday, Mo Town also saw a colt sell for $200,000 to Off The Hook as agent for P & G Stable. A Wood’s Edge Farm offering, the colt is a grandson of stakes winner and Grade III-placed Decapate. Decapate is also the dam of stakes-placed Christine Daae and granddam of Grade III winner Thatlookonyerface and stakes winner Ready To Repeat.
The Forty Oaks-bred colt’s third dam is the matriarch of a strong stakes family with 16 stakes horses named under her name on the page.
A half-brother to Grade II-placed Hidden Stash rounded out Mo Town’s six-figure trio when bringing $130,000 from BBN Racing.
Offered by Summerfield, his dam Making Mark Money is the dam of two winners from three to race. Bred by Rhineshire Farm, the March-born colt’s third dam is the great La Affirmed.
That broodmare produced his granddam’s Grade II winning full brother Della Francesca and Grade II winner Bernstein among others. Her top producing daughter with the Grade III winner Caress, who went on to produce Grade I winner Sky Mesa and the dam of Grade I winner Maxfield among others.
All six of Mo Town’s Monday offerings were sold for an average of $145,667. The stallion has yet to have a yearling not sell at the Keeneland September Sale with the 14 through the ring averaging $136,857 with a median of $92,500.