Brilliant Cut Tops Fasig-Tipton Action at $750K

Brilliant Cut Tops Fasig-Tipton Action at $750K

Brilliant Cut, second in the Dec. 26 La Brea (G1), is from the family of Life Is Good

By Lauren Gash | February 9, 2022

Fledgling consignor Highgate Sales knocked it out of the park Feb. 9 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Winter Mixed Sale, selling the sale-topping Brilliant Cut  for $750,000 to Japan’s Katsumi Yoshida over the internet. The 4-year-old daughter of Speightstown   was the runner-up in the La Brea Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park Dec. 26.

“To come to your first sale and roll out our banner and have the sales topper at the Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale … it’s hard to put into words,” elated consignor Jill Gordon remarked. “The utmost of gratitude to this ownership group; they have been very good to me, and I can’t possibly say enough to thank them.”

The filly is a winner of $164,360 in 10 starts with a second in the aforementioned test at seven furlongs on the dirt among grade 1 company and a third-place finish in the 2021 Santa Ynez Stakes (G2) on the same track. She most recently was campaigned by Boom Racing, ERJ Racing, Dave Kenney, and William Strauss with conditioner Doug O’Neill.

“This filly, from the day she got to the sales grounds has been a class act,” Gordon said. “She was out over 150 times and gave the exact same show every time she has walked out of her stall. We are so proud to have represented and follow her up to the ring.”

The market is ripe for fast fillies in current form, as seen at the November and January sales, and key players from Japan have been a driving force snapping up quality stock.

“Given the interest we had in her both pre-sale, and on the sales grounds we were hoping she might get to $500,000, but to walk up and have a result like this, especially off of a $50,000 claim, is hard to describe,” commented Gordon.

Brilliant Cut hails from the female family of Jan. 29 Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes Presented by 1/ST BET (G1) and 2021 Big Ass Fans Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) victor Life Is Good . She was bred in Kentucky by McCauley Farm and Speightstown Syndicate out of Polish a Diamond, by The Factor  , and is a half sister to stakes winner Lemieux .

Her second dam, stakes winner Tap Your Feet (Dixieland Band), produced multiple grade 1 winner Diamondrella , the dam of Australian group stakes winner Spectroscope ; stakes winner, multiple grade 1-placed Bonnie Blue Flag , the granddam of Life Is Good; stakes winner Highest Honors ; and the dam of grade 3 winner Nikkis Smartypants .

Brilliant Cut previously sold twice for $160,000, first to agent Glencrest Farm when consigned by Paramount Sales to the 2018 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, then to Boomer Bloodstock/Mathiesen Racing when offered by Four Star Sales at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. O’Neill claimed her for $50,000 in November 2020.

Partner Jacob West was all smiles after selling all 10 head offered by Highgate at Fasig-Tipton. The consignment had gross sales of $1,232,000.

“The Highgate Sales consignment only came together a couple of months ago, but Jill has really taken the bull by the horns here,” West said. “We wanted to come in with some quality product and make our presence felt, and she spearheaded that. We couldn’t be happier. There was a lot of blood, sweat, and tears that went into this and I’m happy for Jill and the whole team. We wouldn’t be anything without the clients who gave us the horses to sell; we are appreciative of our clients.”

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