Big Brown tops Day 10 at Keeneland

Adena Springs owner Frank Stronach is a big fan of Vinery shuttler Big Brown.  

Stronach weighed in with $140,000 for a Big Brown colt that topped Day 10 of the Keeneland September yearling sale on Wednesday.  The chestnut is a half-brother to 2008 Illinois Derby winner Recapturetheglory (Cherokee Run).

A day earlier at Keeneland, Stronach paid $175,000 for a Big Brown filly from Victory Gallop mare Galway Lass.

Stronach is the founder of Magna Entertainment which operates some of the most prominent racetracks in the United States.  He also owns stud farms in Kentucky, Florida and Canada.

Stronach has won the Canadian Sovereign Award for Outstanding Owner nine times and earned the USA Eclipse Award for Outstanding Owner on three occasions.

Big Brown’s first northern hemisphere bred yearlings have been particularly well received this year.  

IEAH Stables bought his colt from Cool Ghoul (Silver Ghost) for $220,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Selected yearling sale in August.

Big Brown was the leading first season sire by average at the Fasig Tipton Kentucky yearling sale in July headed by his filly from Irish Smoke (Smoke Glacken) that also made $220,000.

Big Brown (Boundary) was a G1 winner of the Kentucky Derby and he covered 131 mares in his first southern season at Vinery in 2010.

Business continued to be very brisk on Day 10 at Keeneland.   The session average jumped 54% to $22,127.  The 13-day sale runs through to Saturday.