Mill Ridge Farm Highlights: Fasig-Tipton November Sale

Since 2000 breeding, raising and/or selling 39 elite-level winners, Kentucky's Mill Ridge Farm boasts a proud history of competing with the best and they head to one of the world's most famous sales of breeding stock with a number of horses of great interest to Australians.

All eyes are on Fasig-Tipton in November, the popular annual sale held after the Breeders' Cup meeting and Mill Ridge are keen to draw attention to four particular members of their outstanding draft.

Hip 182 - Red Carpet Ready (USA) (Oscar Performance {USA} x Wild Silk {USA})

American-bred stakes-winning mares have been doing great things for Australian breeders and Red Carpet Ready (USA) certainly had plenty of talent, winning five of her 12 starts and finishing in the placings on a further three occasions.

Winning her first three at two (on debut by a stunning 10l) and three, she rapidly made her way through the classes, following a second start Listed victory over 1300 metres with success in the G3 Forward Gal S. over 1400 metres.

Sprinting clear to win that race in impressive fashion by 2.25l, leading her trainer Rusty Arnold to declare that “she is pretty special.”

She won another two Group races over sprinting trips, digging deep to defeat the favourite in the prestigious G2 Eight Belles S. (a race with a history of being won by high-class fillies) on Kentucky Oaks Day and two starts later adding to her excellent record the G3 Hurricane Bertie S.

She has recent turf form to add to her resume when finishing second by a neck over 1100 metres in the Listed Kentucky Downs Preview Mint Ladies Turf Sprint S. with a race time of 1:02.33.

She returns to Fasig-Tipton where she fetched US$180,000 (AU$273,400) as a yearling. She is a daughter of Mill Ridge's resident high achiever Oscar Performance (USA) whose eight wins saw him succeed in Group 1 company on four occasions.

Watch: Red Carpet Ready (USA) in the 2023 edition of the G2 Eight Belles S.

And the son of Kitten's Joy (USA) is really doing the job at stud with 12 stakes winners amongst his first 90 winners including this year's G1 Belmont Derby hero Trikari (USA). It is too early in his career re being a broodmare sire, but his sire is a terrific influence in that department; Kitten's Joy's daughters producing six Group 1 winners amongst 57 stakes winners.

Red Carpet Ready (who is being sold as a racing and breeding prospect) hails from a family well known Down Under with her relation Tale Of The Cat (USA) succeeding at stud in Australia. This is the prolific Feola (GB) (Friar Marcus {GB}) family that excels around the world and this mare's pedigree is such that she is easily matched.

Such as by Danehill (USA)-line mares, noting that they fare so well when combined with Street Cry (Ire), sire of Red Carpet Ready's G1 Kentucky Derby-winning damsire Street Sense (USA) whilst the Encosta De Lago-line looks good too; providing for crosses of the wonderful mares Fairy Bridge (USA) (Bold Reason {USA}), Special (USA) (Forli {Arg}) and Fanfreluche (Can) (Northern Dancer {Can}). She is the sort of mare who is going to be suited by strains of the mighty Sir Tristram (Ire).

The well-named Red Carpet Ready's grandam is the stakes winner Spun Silk (USA) (AP Indy {USA}), dam of the Group 1 winner Joking (USA) (Distorted Humor {USA}) and there is black-type aplenty on this page.

Hip 183 - Rosie’s Alibi (USA) (Justify {USA} x Essential Rose {USA})

A Listed winner who was in the winner's circle on four occasions, including her second start as a 2-year-old, from 10 starts, Rosie's Alibi (USA) (being sold as a racing and breeding prospect) ticks a lot of boxes.

She is one of the three stakes winners produced by Essential Rose (USA) (Bernardini {USA}), also dam of the triple Group winner Roses For Debra (USA) (Liam's Map {USA}) and the Listed winner Rose's Vision (USA) (Artie Schiller {USA}).

A granddaughter of the Group 2 mare Essential Edge (USA) (Storm Cat {USA}), she boasts a fascinating pedigree with her grandsire Johannesburg (USA), her sire's second damsire Pulpit (USA) and her dam all descendants of the influential matriarch Aloe (GB) (Son In Law {GB}).

This family thrives in Australia as has Rosie's Alibi's sire Justify (USA) who has six stakes winners amongst his first 53 Australian winners. And, of course, he is also flying in the Northern Hemisphere with his flag being well-flown by City Of Troy (USA).

This is a family that has been producing quality performers for generations; the likes of Salsabil (Ire) (Sadler's Wells {USA}) and Marju (Ire) amongst this mare's Group 1 relations. And she is another mare likely to be suited by the Danehill (USA) sireline and by strains of Sir Tristram (Ire).

She is another well-credentialled mare revisiting Fasig-Tipton where at the Saratoga Select Yearling Sale three years ago, she fetched $625,000.

Hip 216 - Ag Bullet (USA) (Twirling Candy {USA} x Noble Grey {USA})

A third racing and breeding prospect of great interest, Ag Bullet (USA) has done a superb job winning six of her 10 starts; at her most recent outing just a few weeks ago proving herself competitive with the big guns finishing fourth in the G1 First Lady S. at Keeneland.

Before that she won the G2 Ladies Turf Sprint S. by 5l in track record time, which gave her a 106 Beyer Speedfigure, meaning she is the fastest filly currently on offer this sales season.

A US$220,000 (AU$334,100) graduate of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale, Ag Bullet is being sold as a racing and breeding prospect with her racing style likely to suit Australia.

She is one of the 55 stakes winners sired by Lane's End's Group 1 galloper Twirling Candy (USA) who has nine Group 1-winning progeny and who is a member of the Fappiano (USA) sireline; a stallion who fares well in Australia being the broodmare sire of Northern Meteor. She is a half-sister to the stakes-placed Give Em Heck Beck (USA) (Bodemeister {USA}) out of a two-time winning mare whose first two dams are stakes performers.

She boasts a strong black-type page and, of particular interest to Australian breeders, she is a descendant of the famed matriarch Chelandry (GB) (Goldfinch {GB}) as is the Champion Sire I Am Invincible who picks up exceptionally well on her influence.

She also has some nice things in common with Danehill and her own line-breeding gives her strength; three strains of Mr Prospector's (USA) stakes-winning grandam Sequence (Ire); also ancestress of Ag Bullet's Group 1-winning damsire Forestry (USA).

Twirling Candy is already performing nicely as a broodmare sire with nine stakes winners amongst his first 56 winners.

Watch: Ag Bullet (USA) sets a new course record in the G2 Ladies Sprint S. at Kentucky Downs in August

Hip 276 - Kathmandu (Ire) (Showcasing {GB} x Alegra {GB})

Another exciting racing and breeding prospect, Kathmandu (Ire) has had just the six starts; at just her second start leading throughout to win by 0.75l over 1400 metres at Southwell.

Quickly up in class for the Brian Meehan stable, she was green but game finishing third in the G3 Nell Gwyn S. over 1400 metres at Newmarket before going so close in the G1 French 1000 Guineas; nabbed only late by the Aga Khan's Rouhiya (Fr) (Lope De Vega {Ire}).

A somewhat unlucky fifth (pestered in the lead) at her most recent outing in the G3 Oak Tree S. at Goodwood in late July, Kathmandu certainly has plenty of upside as well as considerable broodmare potential.

Her G2 Gimcrack S.-winning sire Showcasing (GB) has been very well-represented by 72 stakes winners including four in Australia and 19 in New Zealand.

Bred on a 3 X 3 cross of Green Desert (USA) who works so well in this part of the world, Kathmandu is a daughter of the classy broodmare Alegra (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) who has also produced the Listed winners Pythagoras (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) and Blue Gardenia (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}).

Alegra's Group 1-placed, Listed-winning grandam Alouette (GB) (Darshaan {GB}) is one of the UK's great matriarchs; dam of the Group 1 mares Albanova (GB) (Alzao {USA}) and Alborada (GB) (Alzao {USA}) and ancestress of another 24 stakes winners.

Including one of the best mares of recent times, the six-time Group 1 mare Alpinista (GB) (Frankel {GB}) who was seen at her best recording a special win in 2022 G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. Her full sister was in the headlines just recently, fetching 2,500,000gns (AU$5.1 million) at the recent Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.

This truly outstanding family has enjoyed recent success in Australia with the exciting Kingswood (GB) (Roaring Lion {USA}) so impressive winning the G3 Coongy Cup with bigger things to come whilst Alalcance (GB) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) made a very nice winning debut for the Waterhouse and Bott stable at Warwick Farm in late September.

This is the wonderful Mumtaz Mahal (GB) (The Tetrarch {GB}) family which has fared as well in Australasia as anywhere, doing very nicely thanks to the deeds of the mighty mare Eight Carat (GB) (Pieces Of Eight {Ire}).