By B. Jason Brooks
With Saratoga Sale grad Flightline fresh in the minds of potential buyers for this year’s Fasig-Tipton sale, yearlings from Phipps female families will again be in high demand.
This year’s Saratoga Sale features 15 yearlings from Phipps families, including 6 colts and 9 fillies. In addition to their winning Phipps families, they are sired by elite stallions, including Curlin, Into Mischief, Justify, Uncle Mo, and Quality Road, among others.
At the sale last year, yearlings from Phipps families did well, with 14 selling for a total of $6.6 million or an average of $472,500, including two $1 million colts, both by Into Mischief.
Phipps families represented this year include those of Phipps foundation mares Baby League (2), Big Hurry (2), Businesslike (2), and Belle Histoire (1), all tail-female lines descending from imported French mare La Troienne. These families have produced an impressive 7 classic winners, including: Kentucky Derby winners Sea Hero (family of Big Hurry), Smarty Jones (family of Baby League), and Super Saver (family of Baby League), Preakness Stakes winners Personality (family of Big Hurry), Prairie Bayou (family of Businesslike), and Smarty Jones, and Belmont Stakes winners Easy Goer (family of Big Hurry) and Essential Quality (family of Baby League).
Other elite Phipps families represented in the Saratoga Sale also include: Lady Be Good branch of Helvetia (2); Hopefully branch of White Favor (2); Personal Ensign branch of Dorine (ARG) (1); High Voltage branch of Erin (1); Smuggler branch of Grey Flight (1); and, the Educated Risk branch of Grey Flight (1).
The boutique Saratoga Sale has seen multiple recent graduates from Phipps families go on win grade 1 races, including undefeated 2022 Horse of the Year Flightline, 2019 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) winner Sharing, 2021 Churchill Downs Stakes (G1) winner Flagstaff, and 2021 American Oaks (G1) winner Queen Goddess. (See the full list below.)
Horses from Phipps families have had a stellar year thus far in the U.S., represented by 25 graded stakes wins (listed here), including 6 grade 1 wins accomplished by Pretty Mischievous in the Kentucky Oaks (G1) and Acorn Stakes (G1), Forte in the Florida Derby (G1), Arabian Lion in the Woody Stephens (G1), Matareya in the Derby City Distaff (G1), and Exaulted in the Shoemaker Mile (G1). (Globally, horses representing Phipps families have won 14 grade 1 or group 1 races in top-tier IFHA Part I countries.)
This success comes on top of a very strong year in 2022, with horses from Phipps families winning 11 grade 1 races and a total of 40 graded stakes in the U.S. and Canada (listed here). With 109 Grade 1 races ran in these countries last year, that’s more than 10 percent of them won by horses from Phipps families.
Below is the recent graded stakes-winning Saratoga Sale grads from Phipps families as well as the 15 yearlings in the sale this year.
RECENT GRADED STAKES-WINNING SARATOGA SALE GRADS FROM PHIPPS FEMALE FAMILIES
Flightline (KY) c, MG1W (Tapit – Feathered, by Indian Charlie): G1 Metropolitan H. (2022); G1 Malibu S. (2021), 2nd-6th dams are Phipps: Receipt / Finder’s Fee / Fantastic Find / Blitey / Lady Pitt, Consignor Lane’s End
Sharing (MD) m, G1W/MGSW (Speightstown – Shared Account, by Pleasantly Perfect): G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (2019); G2 Edgewood S. (2020), 5th-7th dams are Phipps: Leix / Bold Irish / Erin, Consignor Upson Downs Farm
Flagstaff (KY) g, G1W/MGSW (Speightstown – Indian Giving, by A.P. Indy): G1 Churchill Downs S. (2021); G2 San Carlos S. (2020); G3 Commonwealth S. (2021), 5th-8th dams are Phipps: Bravissimo / Batter Up / Striking / Baby League, Consignor Lane’s End
Queen Goddess (KY) f, G1W/MGSW (Empire Maker – Royal Story, by Lemon Drop Kid): G1 American Oaks (2021); G3 Santa Anita S. (2022); G3 Pegasus Filly & Mare Turf Inv. (2023), 2nd-7th dams are Phipps: Bauble / Just Reward / Heavenly Prize / Oh What A Dance / Blitey / Lady Pitt, Consignor Ballysax Bloodstock
Major Dude (KY) c, MGSW (Bolt d’Oro – Mary Rita, by Distorted Humor): G2 Penn Mile S. (2023); G3 Kitten’s Joy S. (2023); G2 Pilgrim S. (2022), 2nd – 5th dams: Possibility / Personal Ensign / Grecian Banner / Dorine (ARG), Consignor Taylor Made
Pink Sands (KY) m, MGSW (Tapit – Her Smile, by Include): G2 Inside Information S. (2020); G3 Rampart S. (2019), 6th-8th dams are Phipps: Diary / Narrative / Belle Histoire, Consignor KatieRich Farms
Tizamagician (KY) h, MGSW (Tiznow – Magic Union, by Dixie Union): G3 Tokyo City Cup S. (2021); G3 Cougar II S. (2021), 5th-10th dams are Phipps: Royal Dilemma / Queen Empress / Irish Jay / Irish Witch / Witchlike / Romanesque, Consignor Woodford Tb.
Thoughtfully (KY) f, GSW (Tapit – Pension, by Seeking the Gold): G2 Adirondack S. (2020), 1st-4th dams are Phipps: Pension / Furlough / Blitey / Lady Pitt, Consignor Gainesway
Jouster (KY) f, GSW (Noble Mission {GB} – Playtime, by Street Cry {IRE}): G2 Appalacian S. (2021), 1st-6th dams are Phipps: Playtime / Storm Flag Flying / My Flag / Personal Ensign / Grecian Banner / Dorine (ARG), Consignor Lane’s End
2023 FASIT-TIPTON SARATOGA SALE YEARLINGS FROM PHIPPS FEMALE FAMILIES
HIP #2 — b. f. (KY) 3/31/22 (Maclean’s Music – Baby Rags, by Union Rags), 8th – 9th dams: Hopefully / White Favor (Warrendale Sales, Barn 1)
HIP #13 — b. c. (KY) 5/2/22 (Uncle Mo – Canteen, by Candy Ride {Arg}), 4th – 7th dams: A Pretty Smile / Marking time / Allemande / Big Hurry (Taylor Made Sales, Barn 10)
HIP #24 — dkb. f. (KY) 3/1/22 (Omaha Beach – Complicated, by Blame), 1st – 6th dams: Complicated / Consequence / Educated Risk / Pure Profit / Clear Ceiling / Grey Flight (Indian Creek, Barn 6)
HIP #45 — gr/r. f. (KY) 4/11/22 (Blame – Fastbridled, by Unbridled’s Song), 2nd – 6th dams: Pennant Champion / Personal Ensign / Grecian Banner / Dorine (ARG) (Mill Ridge Sales, Barn 5)
HIP #60 — dkb. c. (KY) 2/20/22 (Munnings – Guilty Verdict, by Medaglia d’Oro), 1st – 6th dams: Guilty Verdict / Smuggler / Inside Information / Pure Profit / Clear Ceiling / Grey Flight (Taylor Made Sales, Barn 7B)
HIP #74 — b. c. (KY) 4/4/22 (Constitution – Icon Project, by Empire Maker), 5th – 6th dams: Searching / Big Hurry (Lane’s End, Barn 7C)
HIP #118 — dkb. f. (KY) 5/3/22 (Constitution – Nina Fever, by Borrego), 6th – 9th dams: Comic Relief / His Duchess / Businesslike (Hunter Valley Farm, Barn 2)
HIP #127 — b. f. (KY) 2/14/22 (Not This Time – Philanthropic, by Malibu Moon), 8th – 9th dams: Hopefully / White Favor (Taylor Made Sales, Barn 7B)
HIP #153 — b. f. (KY) 3/27/22 (Omaha Beach – Sconset, by Tapit), 4th – 10th dams: Get Lucky / Dance Number / Numbered Account / Intriguing / Glamour / Striking / Baby League (Four Star Sales, Barn 7C)
HIP #154 — b. c. (KY) 2/6/22 (Into Mischief – Seek and Destroy, by Verrazano), 2nd – 9th dams: Search and Seizure / Search Party / Deputation / Wedding Party / Betrothed / Vowed / Narrative / Belle Histoire (Indian Creek, Barn 6)
HIP #160 — dkb. f. (KY) 3/8/22 (Quality Road – Shoppers Return, by Put It Back), 4th – 7th dams: Impish / Lady Be Good / Past Eight / Helvetia (Taylor Made Sales, Barn 7B)
HIP #161 — b. f. (KY) 2/20/22 (Authentic – Sine Wave, by Big Brown), 4th – 9th dams: Private Seductress / In Full Cry / In Hot Pursuit / Lady Be Good / Past Eight / Helvetia (Mulholland Springs, Barn 4)
HIP #198 — ch. f. (KY) 2/18/22 (Curlin – Tooken, by Giant’s Causeway), 3rd – 9th dams: Oscillate / Dance Number / Numbered Account / Intriguing / Glamour / Striking / Baby League (Hill ‘n’ Dale, Barn 2)
HIP #214 — ch. c. (PA) 3/17/22 (Justify – Wembley, by Bernardini), 6th – 10th dams: Overpowering / High Voltage / Dynamo / Bransome / Erin (Warrendale Sales, Barn 1)
HIP #231 — dkb. c. (KY) 2/26/22 (Nyquist – Aspen Hilltop, by Bernardini), 6th – 10th dams: Rules of the Game / Open Hearing / Oak Cluster / Busanda / Businesslike (Taylor Made Sales, Barn 7B)
Photo: Flightline at the 2019 Saratoga Sale.
Phipps Stable Fan 