For Mill Ridge Farm’s Price Bell Jr., Fasig-Tipton’s November Sale is “the best international marketplace to buy in-form mares”, whether producers or race fillies. It’s for that reason that he proudly presents Grade I-winning Ag Bullet (USA) (Twirling Candy {USA}) as part of Mill Ridge Sales’ draft on November 3.
One of 12 Grade I winners for her Lane’s End-based sire, Ag Bullet is a stakes winner at three, four, and five with a pedigree that blends high performance with some of America’s most desirable stallions.
“People come to America for speed, and I think that she (Ag Bullet) exemplifies that,” said Bell.
“She's a track record holder, and she’s a Group 1 winner. Lady Shipman was another turf sprinter here in America who went on to produce (dual Breeders’ Cup winner) Golden Pal with one of her first foals. So, I feel that the American turf sprint female is a very globally influential product."
“I feel that the American turf sprint female is a very globally influential product.” - Price Bell Jr.
Bred for success
“Twirling Candy hails from the Fappiano sireline, which is a very good outcross to Australian mares, and Fappiano has been a very good broodmare sireline as well, especially through his grandson Unbridled’s Song," said Bell.
Influential seventies sire Fappiano’s (USA) male line descendants also include American Pharoah (USA) and emerging super sire Gun Runner (USA), who is becoming more and more sought after in both hemispheres.
Price Bell Jnr | Image courtesy of Mill Ridge Farm
“Twirling Candy also is out of a daughter of Chester House, and Chester House may be one of the most well-bred horses in the studbook, being by Mr Prospector out of the Juddmonte foundation mare Toussaud. So Twirling Candy is himself an exceptionally bred horse.”
Twirling Candy’s (USA) daughters have already produced 10 stakes winners and a further eight stakes performers, at a rate of 6.5% stakes winners to runners. His grandchildren include multiple Group 2 winner Sixpence (Jpn) (Kizuna {Jpn}) and dual Grade III winner Pounce (USA) (Lookin At Lucky {USA}), who was a US$370,000 (AU$562,000) Fasig-Tipton Digital purchase for Resolute Racing last year and has subsequently been placed with Chris Waller.
Twirling Candy (USA) | Standing at Lane's End
His own sire Candy Ride (Arg) is the broodmare sire of 57 stakes winners to date, with nine Group 1 winners featuring Coolmore America’s Eclipse Award-winning Champion 3YO Epicenter (USA).
“And then on the dam side, you have the Forestry–Storm Cat line out of a Holy Bull mare,” Bell said. "Holy Bull is also the broodmare sire of Caravaggio and Munnings. He’s a stallion that we certainly seek in pedigrees, because we think that it gives a lot of fortitude, speed, and a will to win.
“(Holy Bull) is a stallion that we certainly seek in pedigrees, because we think that it gives a lot of kind of fortitude, speed, and a will to win.” - Price Bell Jnr
“So I feel that she has a really great pedigree, and a lot of different lines that are interwoven in it that I believe will produce something that could be really exciting. I think she's a great outcross with lines that Australia doesn’t have a lot of access to.”
Sizzling turn of foot
Ag Bullet got her career truly underway as a 3-year-old, picking up two wins in three starts. There was consideration given to sending her for a tilt at the G1 Kentucky Oaks, such was her ability, before she cemented herself as a superior sprinting filly.
“She broke her maiden on January 22 as a 3-year-old, so it’s not like she was slow to develop,” Price said. “She was brilliant in that, and then she came back three weeks later and won a stakes race at a mile - the Lady Of Shamrock.
“She (Ag Bullet) broke her maiden on January 22 as a 3-year-old, so it’s not like she was slow to develop.” - Price Bell Jnr
“Last year, she set a course record for six and a half furlongs at Kentucky Downs in the G2 Ladies Turf Sprint Stakes, then they tried her in the G1 First Lady Stakes at Keeneland around two turns, and she ran a very good race to finish fourth.”
“The two turns didn’t really suit her, so to wheel back around and run like she did in the Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint was remarkable.”
Just unbelievable
Price describes Ag Bullet’s run in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint as unbeliveable. She was aleady the winner of three stakes races that season, the then 4-year-old mare was caught by a neck, beaten by Riverstone Lodge resident Starlust (GB) and Motorious (GB) (Muhaarar {Ire}).
Staying in training as a 5-year-old, Ag Bullet went back-to-back in the Ladies Turf Sprint Stakes and took home her much-deserved top flight victory in the G1 Jaipur Stakes over five and a half furlongs, a race won the year before by the lightning fast Cogburn (USA).
“She was a $220,000 Keeneland September yearling, which, at that time in Twirling Candy’s cycle, means she would have been one of his more expensive yearlings,” said Bell.
“Just like Group 1 producers Lady Shipman and Gypsy Robin, our sprint fillies in America provide a lot of flexibility to future breeders.” - Price Bell Jnr
“She’s a beautiful filly. Just like Group 1 producers Lady Shipman and Gypsy Robin, our sprint fillies in America provide a lot of flexibility to future breeders. There’s Classic bloodlines in her pedigree, but then she has this turn of foot and speed - I think that is a really attractive thing to breed off of.”
An active pedigree
Mill Ridge will also offer Signal From Noise (USA) (Arrogate {USA}) in foal to Gun Runner on a late February cover, and Bell believes she is another unmissable opportunity to tap into the Fappiano sireline genetics.
“There are few broodmare sires in America who are as influential as Unbridled’s Song, and we consider Arrogate to be one of his best sons,” said Bell.
“He’s also out of a Distorted Humor mare, and as far as influential broodmare sires go, Distorted Humor would be a nose behind Unbridled’s Song. To me, Arrogate has the opportunity to be an exceptional broodmare sire in the future.
“To me, Arrogate has the opportunity to be an exceptional broodmare sire in the future.” - Price Bell Jnr
“This mare was also a very good race mare. Trainer Chad Brown thought that she was one of his best horses of that crop - she had a setback that meant she wasn’t able to get started in her career until midway through her 3-year-old season, and then she came out and won by over nine lengths.”
Placed up to Grade II level, Signal From Noise is a half-sister to Grade I Derby City Distaff Stakes winner Vahva (USA) (Gun Runner {USA}) out of multiple Listed winner Holiday Soiree (USA) (Harlan’s Holiday {USA}), and is poised for numerous pedigree updates in the near future.
“Her dam Holiday Soiree is still in production and is in foal to Gun Runner as well,” said Bell. “She has six young fillies to go to stud, she had a Nyquist filly sell for $725,000 last year and City Of Light filly sell for $850,000 at Keeneland this year.
"I think this page could really blossom in the coming years, because not only are all these fillies and mares running and winning, but they're also being bred to really top sires and will continue to be bred to really top sires.”
“Signal From Noise is another great outcross to Australian lines, and, to me, this is a really exciting kind of pedigree for a very international audience.”
“Signal From Noise is another great outcross to Australian lines, and, to me, this is a really exciting kind of pedigree for a very international audience.” - Price Bell Jnr
And Fasig-Tipton’s Night of the Stars is the best place to buy a horse like Ag Bullet or Signal From Noise, as Price added, “it really is where the global market comes after the Breeders’ Cup to shop for the best bloodstock in the world.”
