Juddmonte Goes to $1 Million for Constitution Colt

Garrett O'Rourke of Juddmonte Farms went to $1 million for Airdrie Stud's homebred colt by Constitution Sept. 9, the first day of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Raised and offered by Airdrie Stud, Hip 85 is out of Airdrie's graded stakes-placed mare Indian Pride. "What a home to land at Juddmonte," said consignor and breeder Bret Jones of Airdrie Stud. "There's no greater compliment than Juddmonte buying your horse. Garrett knew how special his dam was. He was one of the first people who called me when she broke her maiden at Saratoga. She was a very special filly, and I think she's going to be a very special broodmare." Indian Pride's dam is Ms. Cornstalk, a blue hen for Airdrie. She produced multiple graded stakes winner Biofuel at age 5, then went on to produce graded stakes winner Tu Endie Wei and stakes-placed Homer Matt. "That family has given us a lot of great days, and now I hope it gives Juddmonte a lot of great days," said Jones. Commenting on the legacy of his father, the late Brereton C. Jones, he said, "The memories get you right in the face. We think about all the fun that we had with Biofuel and Tu Endie Wei, and I really do think that Indian Pride, at the end of the day, is going to be one of the great mares that Dad ever had his hands on." O'Rourke said: "We were on fumes at the end. It's very, very strong, more than I wanted to pay for him, but that's the market, so you have to go, otherwise you go home empty-handed." O'Rourke said his first exposure to the horse was to his dam. "I was very impressed when she won her first start. I spoke to Bret Jones then, and asked if he'd sell her, and he wasn't interested. So I followed her career, and always thought that she was a filly that had the talent to win a grade 1, even though she didn't," said O'Rourke. "I was interested to go and see the colt (Hip 85), just a huge, big powerful colt. Hopefully, he'll grow into something as fast as his mother, and Constitution I had a very high opinion of as well." "A classic horse," said O'Rourke when asked what he's shopping for. "They say they come in threes, so we'll keep shopping."