Air Force Blue Well Represented at Fasig-Tipton October Sale
The final sale of the yearling sales season in Kentucky gives buyers a chance to buy horses from the first crop of European Champion 2YO Air Force Blue with eight yearlings scheduled to go through the ring at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearlings Sale October 21 - 24.
A sire in demand around the world, Air Force Blue’s first yearlings have averaged $103,291 and sold for up to $400,000 in 2019. The stallion is represented by a strong group at the October sale with seven of the eight yearlings having blacktype in their first two generations with four out of stakes winning or stakes placed mares.
Starting the Air Force Blue march through the ring is Hip 38, a filly consigned by Bluewater Sales out of stakes winning Almonsoon, who has already produced stakes winning Senor Friday from her first three foals to race. The filly comes from a top stakes family with her dam a half-sister to Grade I winner Geri and Grade 2 winner A. P. Arrow.
She is only the start of the strong pedigrees on offer behind Air Force Blue’s outstanding first yearlings with Hip 262 from Hidden Brook out of a half-sister to Grade III placed Skinner Box. The colt is the first foal from the winning Colonel Jen, whose stakes-placed granddam Bendita is also the dam of five-time Grade I winner Better Talk Now.
Air Force Blue’s final offering of Day 1 is Hip 269 from South Point Sales Agency. The first foal out of the stakes winning Conquest Strate Up, whose half-sister produced stakes winning Cactus Joe, the filly comes from the family of Champion Curlin.
Air Force Blue’s only offering on the second day of the sale, Hip 457 from St George Sales, comes from an active family. The filly is a half-sister to two winners and out of a half-sister to 2019 Preakness Stakes winner War Of Will and Irish champion Pathfork.
Hip 457 is followed the next day by Hip 1014 from Hunter Valley Farm out of stakes placed Pearl In The Sand. A young mare, Pearl In the Sand is already the dam of two winners from three to race with her current 2-year-old Most Sandisfactory placed in all three of his starts.
The final day of the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearlings Sale sees three yearlings by the exciting sire go through the ring starting with Hip 1197.
Bred on a proven cross with Air Force Blue’s sire War Front, the Eaton Sales-consigned filly is out of Grade 2 winning Sayedah, making her a half-sister to stakes winning A Little Bit of Me by The Factor, War Front’s Grade II-placed son Battle of Marathon and The Factor’s Grade III-placed Cuestion de Tiempo.
Consigned by Sierra Farm, Hip 1307 is the first foal out of Montjeu mare Special Allure, a granddaughter of stakes placed Stellaria. In addition to finding success on the track, Stellaria is also the dam of Grade I winner Observatory and Grade II winner High Praise in addition to stakes placed Ninette.
The final offering through the ring by Air Force Blue is Hip 1517 from the Hunter Valley Farm consignment. The first foal out of the winning mare View From the Top, the colt hails from the family of Grade I winner Ms. Eloise and has stakes horses throughout his first four generations.
Bred by Stone Farm, Air Force Blue was himself a $490,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase and lived up to his potential in the sales ring as a three-time Group I winner during a stellar juvenile campaign that saw him the highest rated 2YO ever trained by Aidan O’Brien.