WinStar Farm’s first-crop yearling sire Life Is Good further built on his Keeneland September Sale success on Thursday when a son of his sold for $1.25 million in Book 2.
Listed as Hip 1142, the colt out of the Indian Charlie mare Indian Bay was sold to Flying Dutchmen, who purchased nine other yearlings at the sale through the first two books. This colt is so far one of three progeny by Life Is Good to be acquired by Flying Dutchmen.
Bred and consigned by Hinkle Farms, the colt is a half-brother to three Grade 1-placed horses: Tarabi-a First Samurai filly, Westwood-a son of Authentic who ran third in this year’s Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby, and Japanese Group 1-placed Shivaji.
The pedigree attracted the attention of Hunter Rankin, who signed the ticket on behalf of Flying Dutchmen owner Travis Boersma. Rankin and Flying Dutchmen also acquired a Life Is Good weanling colt for $400,000 last fall.
“We bought one last year as a weanling that we love,” Rankin said to the TDN. “We have a homebred that we really like, too, and here at this sale, we’ve liked a bunch of them, but this guy just came from a really good pedigree and really great breeders. It’s really hard to overestimate how much that means to us in terms of where they were raised.”
Other major results at the Keeneland sale for Life Is Good include a three-quarters sister to Grade 1-winner Newgate that sold to Epic Horses/Shannon Potter for $725,000, and a filly out of the Justify mare Just Angelic that brought $700,000 and went to Shadai Farm.
