Some of the greatest performers to ever carry Stonestreet Farm’s silks have been offspring of Lane’s End sire Smart Strike. With that favorable history spurring them on, Stonestreet owner Barbara Banke and her agent, John Moynihan, won a protracted battle Thursday to secure a handsome looking specimen of the stallion for $900,000 at the Keeneland September yearling sale.
Stonestreet’s two-time Horse of the Year Curlin is by Smart Strike as is their champion filly My Miss Aurelia and multiple graded stakes winner Dominus. After jumping in around the $650,000 mark, Banke urged Moynihan to keep going up in order to get the colt out of the Maria’s Mon mare Mon Belle.
“We’ve had luck with the stallion,” Moynihan said. “He was a really pretty horse but man, that’s a lot (of money). I really expected him to bring around $500,000-$600,000, maybe $750,000.”
Consigned by Dromoland Farm, the colt is a half brother to stakes winner Supreme. The dam Mon Belle is a full sister to 2001 Kentucky Derby winner Monarchos.
Alicia Wincze Hughes is the turf writer for the Lexington Herald-Leader. She started riding at age 8 and was a four-year member of the Pace University equestrian team.
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