It was an emotional moment for Richard and Connie Snyder as they watched their filly, Hip 53, sell for $1 million to Resolute Bloodstock at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale Sept. 9.
The Snyders' Cove Springs Farm purchased the dam, French Passport, out of the 2018 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale for $200,000. An unraced daughter of Elusive Quality, she has produced three winners from five foals to race. The most successful of those foals is Randomized, the two-time grade 1 winner who defeated champion Idiomatic in the June 8 Ogden Phipps Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course.
Unfortunately, French Passport died in a paddock accident. The dark bay or brown filly sold Monday is her last foal.
"She was a wonderful mare for us," said Richard Snyder. "It's bittersweet."
Consigned by Four Star Sales, the filly who brought seven figures from Resolute is a daughter of Darley's freshman stallion Maxfield , a six-time graded stakes winner who won the Breeders' Futurity (G1) at age 2 and Clark Stakes (G1) at 4.
"We like Maxfield, we think he's coming on well," said Resolute's John Stewart. "He nicks really good in our system, we think he's going to be a good stallion."
Stewart said the filly's pedigree ranked as an "A+" in their system and that he ended up paying the price he was expecting.
"I think there's a lot of excitement around the sale this year," Stewart said. "I think Keeneland's done a good job bringing in a good quality of horses."
It was just one year ago that Stewart made a splash at the Keeneland sale as a relatively unknown name, purchasing 13 yearlings for more than $8.4 million.
This year will be a bit different as Stewart plans to stay more selective.
"We already have 38 yearlings this year, we didn't have any when I came in last year, so we're trying to keep our numbers down," Stewart said. "We're going to be picking up the occasional filly, I got two of them already today, but really hunting for some colts."
The physical and pedigree of the Maxfield filly made her impossible to resist.
"She just has good balance all throughout her, she's got nice withers and gives them explosiveness out of the gate," Stewart said. "I think she's going to be a really fast horse, I think she lines up nicely where 80% of our whole program is turf."
Earlier in the sale, Stewart picked up Hip 16, a colt by Uncle Mo consigned by St George Sales, and Hip 43, a Dubawi filly consigned by Four Star, both for $500,000.
