Classic Empire Strikes Again With $300,000 Filly

Classic Empire joined Practical Joke and Uncle Mo as Coolmore stallions with juveniles in the top five during Wednesday’s OBS June 2-Year-Old Sale session when his filly out of Decoder sold for $300,000.

Purchased by West Point, the filly was one of the fastest for her sire at last week’s Under Tack show with a :10.1 breeze.

“The female side of this family is pretty close to legendary,” West Point's Jeff Lifson told Thoroughbred Daily News. “It's all Phipps and Claiborne and Stuart Janney – all those folks who have been such an important part of our game. And they know how to breed.”

The filly is the second generation bred by Steven and Brandi Nicholson, who also bred her sire. Offered by Gabriel Dixon, the filly’s dam Decoder is a full sister to Grade I winner Data Link out of a stakes winning half-sister to the dam of Grade I winner Hymn Book. Decoder’s first to race has already proven to be useful on the track with six wins in her career and a placing in her only start this year.

The filly also comes from the family of champion Caledonia Road, whose first foal was a Justify filly last year.

Classic Empire has had a strong juvenile sales season with his 32 sold averaging $154,812, led by a $550,000 filly and $450,000 colt. His first crop also includes two winners already, with both coming at Churchill Downs.