Airdrie’s first-crop sire, Upstart, enjoyed a stellar opening breeze-up sale with his initial 2yo offerings selling for up to $600,000. Six of his eight juveniles offered were sold for an average of $260,833 and a median of $195,000, with all six selling for at least $125,000.
The Upstart colt out of Blue Beryl, by Bernstein, sold as a yearling by breeder, Suzi Shoemaker’s Lantern Hill Farm, was purchased for a session-topping $600,000 Wednesday by leading agent, Mike Ryan. Highly touted going into the sale, the Woodford Thoroughbreds consignee breezed a smooth quarter in 21 flat on Saturday, the third preview day. He is the second foal out of Blue Beryl, herself a half-sister to Brigand, a SW and MGSP son of Upstart’s sire, Flatter.
Earlier on Wednesday, Mike Ryan had purchased another son of Upstart, paying $280,000 for a striking bay colt out of the Candy Ride mare, Ridingwiththedevil. The colt, bred by War Horse Place, was purchased as a yearling and consigned by deMeric Sales. He breezed a quarter mile in a sparkling 20:4 on Friday.
Clark Shepherd paid $190,000 for the Upstart colt out of Bear It on behalf of long-time client, Larry Hirsch. Bred by Airdrie Stud, the colt, consigned by G.W. Parrish, breezed in 10:1 on Saturday.
Whitehorse Stables paid $125,000 for Craig Wheeler’s homebred Upstart colt out of Ukraine, a half-sister to G2W Higher World, herself the dam of GSP runners Conquest Curlinate and Tapit’s World. A big, robust colt, he had breezed an eighth of a mile in 10:1.
Those four sales on Wednesday added to Upstart’s early success on Tuesday, when both of his offerings had sold very well. Emmanuel deSeroux’s Narvick International paid $200,000 for the colt out of the SW mare, Out Of Goodbyes. Bred by Golden Pedigree LLC, he glided through a 21:2 quarter mile for consignor, JR Boyd’s Brick City Thoroughbreds, and caught the eye of deSeroux, a regular purchaser of high-end bloodstock for Japanese clientele.
The first Upstart through the ring had set a high bar, being purchased by domestic juggernaut, Team Casse, for $170,000 from Pick View LLC, off a 21 flat breeze. Bred by Machmer Hall, he had been purchased by Pick View as a yearling.
An 8yo son of Flatter, Upstart served immediate notice of his speed and precocity when winning by 5 ¼ lengths on debut at Saratoga in August of his two-year-old year, for Ralph Evans and the late Rick Violette. He won the Funny Cide S. next time out and subsequently earned a 102 Beyer Speed Figure when runner-up in the G1 Champagne S. He closed out his juvenile season when placed in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. At 3 and 4 years of age he scored several other major wins/placings, including the G2 Holy Bull S., G2 Fountain of Youth S., G1 Florida Derby, G1 Haskell Invitational, G1 Met Mile and G1 Whitney H. He retired with over $1.7 million in earnings and has 101 juveniles representing him on the track in his first crop.
Airdrie Stud would like to thank all of the breeders who have supported Upstart to this point, and offer our good luck to all of the purchasers.
