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Don Gato highlights Keeneland April DON GATO (Storm Cat), a half-brother to Grade 1 heroine Summerly (Summer Squall), brought a winning bid of $800,000 to top Keeneland's two-day April Two-Year-Olds in Training Sale in Lexington, Kentucky. Consigned by Hartley/De Renzo Thoroughbreds, the bay colt entered the sales ring Wednesday evening as Hip No. 123. Guy Khoury signed the ticket for Don Gato on behalf of Mammed Mirza Gusseynov, who owns a racetrack in Baku, the capitol of Azerbaijan. Gusseynov is purchasing his first Thoroughbreds at Keeneland. "He was very beautiful; a very good cross," said Khoury, who announced that the colt will remain in the United States. The April 23 Kentucky-bred is out of multiple Grade 3-placed Here I Go (Mr. Prospector). The 12-year-old mare's second registered foal is Summerly, who captured the 2005 Kentucky Oaks (G1), Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) and Silverbulletday S. (G3). Summerly would go on later that summer to place in the Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) and Mother Goose S. (G1). This is the same family as Grade 3 victress Darby Shuffle (Darby Creek Road), who ran second in the 1988 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1). Don Gato worked an eighth in :10 1/5 in Monday's under tack show. Bringing the second highest bid of the evening, and the highest for a filly, Hip 155 sold for $625,000 to John Ferguson. The More Than Ready filly is out of the unraced Riverboat Miss (Storm Cat) and was foaled on April 22 in Kentucky. The juvenile miss comes from the same female line of 1966 Kentucky Oaks queen Native Street; 1973 Florida Derby (G1) hero Royal and Regal; multiple Grade 1 winner River Special (Riverman), 2003 Japan Cup Dirt (Jpn-G1) victor Fleetstreet Dancer (Smart Strike); and Canadian champions Apelia (Cool Victor) and Saoirse (Cure the Blues). Consigned by Eddie Woods, agent, the chestnut lass brought $180,000 as a Keeneland November weanling and $250,000 as a September yearling. She posted one furlong in :9 4/5 at the under tack show. A total of 43 juveniles sold for $9,172,000, an average of $213,302 and a median of $130,000 during Wednesday's session. There was no corresponding session last year. For the sale, 77 two-year-olds were purchased for a gross $16,299,000, down 2 percent on last year when 82 juveniles brought $16,637,000. The average rose 4.3 percent, from $202,890 to $211,675, while the 2007 median of $155,000 experienced a slight 3.2 percent decline to $150,000 this year.
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