Spirited bidding started quickly after Free Look , a grade 2-placed winner by Tapit , entered the ring July 10 during the Fasig-Tipton July Selected Horses of Racing Age Sale.
With every rapid-fire “hup” and “yep” from bid spotters, the filly sold as Hip 596 and consigned by ELiTE had her price jump by $50,000 increments until her final price settled at $550,000 from Imad Al Sagar’s Blue Diamond Stud UK. She became the co-highest-priced horse for the session.
Bloodstock agent Chad Schumer signed the ticket for Free Look, who is out of the Medaglia d’Oro mare Wild Mint, a full sister to grade 1 winner Violence , who is the sire of 2022 champion 2-year-old colt and this year’s Florida Derby (G1) winner Forte . She hails, too, from the family of champion older mare Sky Beauty.
“She’s a beautiful mare, I mean—beautiful conformation, by a leading broodmares sire, graded form at 2, and it’s a fantastic family. What more can you ask for? She has everything you look for in a broodmare for the future,” said Schumer.
Agent Nancy Sexton, who works for Blue Diamond Stud in the United Kingdom, actually picked out the mare, according to Schumer, and she asked him to go inspect the filly.
“I’m just really doing the easy stuff here,” he said. “They are the ones that picked her. I went and looked at her and anyone would pass her because she is an absolute cracker.”
As to whether Free Look would continue racing, Schumer said that is yet to be decided.
“Possibly, again the plans are a little fluid because she is a 3-year-old filly. She’s okay to race; we vetted her and she’s sound but we also think she’s very valuable as a broodmare,” he said.
KatieRich Farm bred Free Look in Kentucky and sold the filly to agent Mike Ryan for $300,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Klaravich Stables and trainer Chad Brown would race Free Look and watch her become a winner in her second career start. She would next finish second in the Miss Grillo Stakes (G2T) at Aqueduct Racetrack by three-quarters of a length to Pleasant Passage , who would later be runner-up in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T).
Prior to the Fasig-Tipton sale, Free Look had compiled 2-1-1 record from five starts and earned $361,150.
Free Look was the top-priced horse for the ELiTE consignment that sold 34 horses for $5.06 million.
Schumer, acting as agent for Howson and Houldsworth, also picked up the stakes-winning 3-year-old filly Klassy Bridgette (Hip 429) for $200,000. Consigned by Gainesway, the daughter of Army Mule scored in the Dixie Belle Stakes this year at Oaklawn Park.
Read More: Blue Diamond Lands Free Look for $550,000