Kentucky farm's employees receive windfall from colt’s Keeneland sale
Two employees at Kentucky's Marula Park Stud came out on top when Hip 969, a weanling colt by Verrazano, recently sold for $100,000 at the 2017 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale.
According to the Blood-Horse, Tony Holmes, owner of Marula Park Stud, purchased the mare Hope Chant for $18,000 at last year’s November sale for the two employees, who have been with him for 16 years. If the mare made money, the employees would repay Holmes. If not, she would be a gift.
“They were just lucky he was a beautiful colt and when we saw the colt they bred her back to Verrazano,” Holmes told the Blood Horse.
Holmes and the two employees were present when the Verrazano-Hope Chant colt, consigned by Warrendale Sales, entered the auction ring. Tally Ho Stud paid the $100,000 purchase price.
“They were both in the pavilion and one of them had tears in his eyes,” Holmes said. “They deserve it. They really do. So, it was a great, great result for them. It’s life changing for them.”
Hope Chant was the second mare bought in which Holmes involved his employees. In 2010, he spent $23,000 on Crystal Shard and gave his employees a fourth of the mare. The mare foaled Gemologist, by Tiznow, who won the Resorts World Casino New York City Wood Memorial Stakes in 2012. The mare was sold privately before Gemologist’s 16th-place run in the Kentucky Derby.
By Christine Oser