2021 Year In Review

December

The wins kept right on piling up for Legacy Bloodstock sales grads in the final days of 2021 – 14 winners during the month of December, half of them winning for the first time in 2021. Among those was Keeneland September grad Hail to Thee, who was left well behind the field after an atrocious break in a Gulfstream Park Maiden Special on December 19 (watch race). However, the juvenile son of Air Force Blue, bred by Frank Hutchinson, showed his talent and class by rallying by his seven rivals to win his debut going away. Look for him in a blacktype event in early 2022.

Another 2-year-old, Underhill´s Tab picked up a blacktype check in just his second start with a strong runner-up effort in the Sugar Bowl S. at Fair Grounds on December 26. The Fasig-Tipton October grad is one of 24 winning juveniles in 2021 who graduated from a Legacy Bloodstock consignment.

Overall 161 individual #LegacyBuilders found the winner´s circle in 2021 and they got their pictures taken a total of 241 times. Eight of those were blacktype stakes victories and Legacy grads placed in 27 more blacktype events. 

At the close of another sensational year, over 200 Legacy Bloodstock sales grads have now earned blacktype – 209 to be exact – and 104 of those are blacktype winners. Total earnings for all Legacy grads now exceeds $135 million. Stay tuned for 2022!

November

Legacy Bloodstock has a long history of success at the Keeneland November sale and that trend continued in 2021.

Legacy sold 88% of hips offered, evenly split between mares and weanlings. The 88% weanling clearance rate was nearly 7 percentage points higher than the sale and 2021 was the fourth straight year, and the sixth in the past seven, that Legacy has exceeded the November sale weanling clearance rate.

Among the weanlings sold was a $200,000 colt by Catalina Cruiser, the co-highest seller in the first crop by that fast multiple graded stakes winner. Legacy also sold a $135,000 weanling session topper from the first crop by Florida Derby hero Audible as well as the highest-priced Free Drop Billy foal of 2021.

On the mare side, the 88.46% Legacy clearance rate exceeded the November sale RNA rate for the fifth time in seven years. 

The November sale completed a stellar 2021 sales season for Legacy Bloodstock with an 86% total clearance rate and over $8.3 million worth of horses changing hands. Legacy Bloodstock offerings have now generated over $98 million in gross receipts in just 15 years of representing top horsemen at public auction.

On the track, Legacy Bloodstock sales grads won 20 more races, including two more juvenile Maiden wins. Among those winners was future blacktype horse Underhill´s Tab. Another juvenile, Caironi, became the 208th Legacy grad to earn blacktype with her runner up finish in the $100,000 Chelsey Flower Stakes at Belmont Park on November 6.

October

A total of seven Legacy Bloodstock sales grads (aka #LegacyBuilders) earned blacktype in October making it the most prolific blacktype month of the year.

On October 1, 2-year-old filly star Ain´t Easy who parlayed her ´TDN Rising Star´ debut into a, well, easy victory in the Chandelier Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita, a ´Win & You´re In!´ race for the Breeders´ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1). Bred by Spendthrift Farm, the daughter of their historic sire Into Mischief was the $400,000 Session 5 filly topper at last year´s Keeneland September sale. 

Five days later, Fasg-Tipton October grad Holy Justice scored a brave victory in the $100,000 Miss Indiana Stakes. That made it two straight six-figure stakes wins for the 2-year-old filly bred by Justice Farm & Greg Justice. 

Ain´t Easy & Holy Justice were among the juvenile winners offered/sold by Legacy Bloodstock in in October and two future blackype runners were among those – Shad Nation (Fasg-Tipton October) and Caironi (Keeneland September). Both scored Maiden Special victories at Belmont Park.

At the Fasg-Tipton October yearling sale, Legacy Bloodstock sold $1.2 million worth of yearlings including six-figure yearlings by the young stallions Mendelssohn, Good Magic and Cloud Computing. The yearling by the latter sold to West Bloodstock for $120,000 making him the 3rd highest-priced yearling in the first crop by the 2017 Preakness winner.

September

Legacy Bloodstock had another fantastic Keeneland September sale by selling 90% of hips offered, highlighted by a $710,000 colt. Purchased by Mayberry Farm, the classy colt was one of the top-selling yearlings from the first crop by City of Light. Winchell Thoroughbreds was the winning bidder on a $360,000 Bernardini colt from the Legacy shedrow, the highest-priced 2021 yearling by the late, great Darley stallion. Legacy also sold a Lemon Drop Kid yearling for $120,000, the highest-priced colt of the year by the pensioned Lane´s End Farm stallion.

After selling $3.6 million worth of yearlings, Legacy Bloodstock has now grossed nearly $40 million at the Keeneland September sale since 2005. And the 90% clearance rate makes it two straight years that Legacy Bloodstock has exceeded the Keeneland September clearance rate and the 7th time since 2005.

Legacy Bloodstock sales grads continued to flourish on the racetrack as well, winning 21 races in September. Chief among them was Holy Justice who scored in the $100,000 Back Home Again Stakes at Indiana Grand on September 8. The 2-year-old filly is a graduate of the Fasig-Tipton October sale and was making her stakes debut. 

On September 16, 5-year-old Stakes winner/multiple Graded-placed Temple earned his 6th career victory by taking a salty Allowance heat at Belmont Park. The Keeneland November grad added nearly $150,000 to his account in 2021 and how has $444,803 in the bank.

July & August

Just a little over three years after Naval Laughter was sold by Legacy Bloodstock at Fasig-Tipton July, she earned a milestone victory for Tommy and Wyndee Eastham´s family-owned agency. The daughter of Midshipman scored in the Grade 3 Modesty Stakes at Arlington Park on July 17, becoming the 100th blacktype winner to graduate from a Legacy Bloodstock consignment.

Bred by Anthony Braddock´s Two Hearts Farm, Naval Laughter broke her maiden by nearly 20 lengths and was making her Stakes debut in the Modesty. She was sold by Legacy Bloodstock for $90,000 making her the second highest-priced yearling filly by Midshipman in 2018.

It didn´t take long for blacktype winner 101 to emerge as just 15 day later on August 1, Keeneland November grad Miss Alacrity remained unbeaten by taking the $100,000 Colleen Stakes at Monmouth Park. The daughter of Munnings was bred in New York by Milfer Farm and she drew off by nearly 3 lengths in the top race for juvenile fillies at the Jersey Shore oval.

Among the other July/August blacktype Legacy grads was Moon Swag (Keeneland September) who just missed in the Grade 3 Indiana Oaks, falling just a neck short to Grade 2 Santa Anita Oaks heroine Soothsay.

A total of 26 Legacy Bloodstock grads posted summer victories, including several more exciting juvenile winners. Chief among those was Ain´t Easy who coasted to a debut victory at Del Mar on August 21. The win impressed the folks at the Thoroughbred Daily News who promptly awarded the Into Mischief filly ´Rising Star´ status.

The Spendthrift Farm-bred commanded a $400,000 bid from Joey Platts at last year´s Keeneland September sale making her the highest-priced filly of Session 5. She would go on to capture the Grade 2 Chandelier Stakes in October, a ´Win And You´re In!´ contest for the Breeders´ Cup Juvenile Fillies.

MAY & JUNE

Early summer saw a slew of Legacy Bloodstock sales grads score impressive Maiden victories, including the first Legacy grad 2-year-old winners of 2021. And many of these winners would go on to earn significant blacktype.

Case in point is 4-year-old Naval Laughter who broke her maiden on June 3 by a laughable 19 ¾ lengths at Arlington Park, earning a gaudy 111 Equibase Speed Figure. Two starts later, the Fasig-Tipton July grad got her picture taken after rolling home to take Modesty Stakes (G3).

Miss Alacrity, became the first Legacy grad juvenile winner of the year on May 20. Sold by Legacy Bloodstock for $150,000 at the Keeneland November, she was made the odds-on choice in her debut at Monmouth Park and promptly delivered a 10-length tour de force. She was made the even money fave in her next start, the $100,000 Colleen Stakes in early August, and she kept her record perfect with another easy victory. 

On May 29 another juvenile, Glacial, rolled to a wire-to-wire score in his debut under the Twin Spires at Churchill Downs. That victory earned him a spot in the starting gate for the Bashford Manor Stakes (G3) a month later where he ran a sharp third. Bred by longtime Legacy Bloodstock client Mike Rutherford, Glacial was sold at the inaugural Fasig-Tipton Yearling Showcase.

Future multiple Stakes winner Holy Justice (Fasig-Tipton October), earned her diploma second out with a 2 ¼ length tally in a June 16 Maiden Special at Indiana Grand. The 2-year-old daughter of Harry´s Holiday subsequently racked up a pair of six-figure blacktype wins.

Fellow juveniles She Hit A Homer (Keeneland September), Land Remembered (Fasig-Tipton February) also won Maiden Specials en route to blacktype starts. 

All told, 37 Legacy Bloodstock grads won a total of 43 races in May and June and set the stage for a big blacktype summer.

FEBRUARY, MARCH & APRIL

Legacy Bloodstock sales grads were particularly prolific as winter marched towards spring. In February, March and April alone, 52 grads got their pictures taken a total of 57 times. Among them was Keeneland September grad Big Lake who parlayed an impressive Maiden Special score in January into an equally acclaimed score over a Stakes-quality Allowance field at Fair Grounds on February 13. That victory propelled him into the starting gate for an important Kentucky Derby prep, the $1 million Rebel Stakes (G2), where he ran a sharp third to Concert Tour and Hozier while finishing ahead of future Arkansas Derby (G1) hero Super Stock. 

Big Lake wasn´t the only Legacy Sales grad 3-year-old earning important blacktpe in this three-month span. Jerome Stakes winner Capo Kane picked up a graded stakes check and more Kentucky Derby points in the Withers Stakes (G3) on February 6 and a week later, Moon Swag (Keeneland September) also added a graded placing (and more Kentucky Oaks points) to her resume in the Rachel Alexandra Stakes (G2).

Fellow sophomores Resurrector (Keeneland September) and Excellent Timing (Keeneland November/In Utero) broke through with blacktype victories as well. The former took the Classico George Washington on President´s Day and the former rolled to a ridiculously easy tally in the Damon Runyon Stakes on March 14 at Aqueduct (watch below).

Among the older Legacy Bloodstock grads making an impact was Keeneland November grad Frosted Grace. The 5-year-old picked up two blacktype checks with second-place runs in a pair of Gulfstream Park sprint stakes – the Gulfstream Park Sprint (G3) on February 13 and the Sir Shackleton Stakes on the March 27 Florida Derby day card.

JANUARY

It didn’t take long for Legacy Bloodstock sales grads (aka #LegacyBuilders) to make an impact in 2021. On New Year’s Day, Keeneland January grad Capo Kane dominated the Jerome Stakes by 6 ¼ lengths picking up 10 points towards the Kentucky Derby (watch below). The winning and blacktype success didn’t end there. The following afternoon at Gulfstream Park, Fasig-Tipton October grad Gone To Cabo placed in the Glitter Woman Stakes followed by a sharp Maiden Special victory at Aqueduct by Halo City on January 3. Sold by Legacy Bloodstock at Keeneland November, Halo City went on to win three more races in 2021 and has earned nearly $300,000.

Like Capo Kane, Gone To Cabo was earning blacktype for the first time and three more Legacy Bloodstock grads added blacktype to their resumes in January. Moon Swag (Keeneland September) placed in the Silverbulletday Stakes on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks, Temple (Keeneland November) ran a strong 2nd in the W. L. McKnight Stakes (G2). On January 31, $800,000 September grad Prime Factor followed his ´TDN Rising Star´ debut in December 2020 with a good 3rd in the Holy Bull Stakes (G3), making it two Legacy grads who picked up Kentucky Derby points during the month of January.

A total of 10 Legacy Bloodstock sales grads found the winner´s circle during the first 31 days of 2021, including Maiden Special wins by future Stakes competitors Inajiffy, Blameworthy and Big Lake. All three are Keeneland September graduates. 

Legacy Bloodstock also had another fantastic Keeneland January sale, selling 100% of yearling offered.