The first Vinery bred crop of Congrats two-year-old’s hit the headlines this week when a colt sold for $400,000 at the OBS March Sale in Florida.
This crop of exceptional 2yo’s represents Congrats’ largest crop of 2yo’s to date and the only crop from Vinery in Florida as the stallion graduated very quickly to the Kentucky base where he has been in demand covering book of 200+ ever since.
The $400,000 colt breezed up for mandatory furlong work-out in a time of :10 1/5s and while it wasn’t the fastest of the gallop recorded among the sale entries, it certainly left an impression on buyers including winning bidder Everett Dobson.
“This colt had presence to him, and though he didn’t have the best of works–he switched leads a couple of times – he’s got a big, rangy kind of stride, and I think he’ll go two turns,” Dobson said.
“And that’s what I was looking for. I don’t buy very many colts, but this one had an incredible family, and I like Congrats. He’s an exceptional sire.
The colt was consigned to sale by Eisaman Equine on behalf of an undisclosed client who had previously purchased the Florida-bred from breeder, James F. Webb.
“We’ve had him since about September,” Shari Eisaman said.
“He is big, very elegant, and he looks like he could be a stallion. He was very correct–you couldn’t pick him apart. He had a real presence about him.”
Congrats was crowned USA Champion First Season Sire in 2010 with four Grade 1 performers emerging from his opening crop including the four-times Grade 1 winner Turbulent Descent.
Congrats has sired 128 winners from 166 starters, 10 stakes winners and 11 stakes placed and boasts a phenomenal winners-to-runners strike rate of 77.1 percent.
The Graded stakeswinning son of A.P Indy covered a full book of 150 mares in his introductory season at Vinery.
His oldest progeny will be eligible for yearling sales in Australia in 2014.
