$2.2 million Hard Not to Like paces strong Keeneland opener

Hard Not to Like, a six-year-old out of the stakes-winning Tactical Cat mare

Like a Gem, has eight wins in 21 starts, including victories in the Gamely (G1)

and Diana (G1), in which she set a course record, for earnings of $1,261,671.

She was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent, as a racing or broodmare

prospect. A year ago at the November Sale, Hard Not to Like sold for $1.5

million to Speedway Stables, Peter Fluor and K.C. Weiner.

"She's a beautiful mare with a lot of class," Taylor Made President and CEO

Duncan Taylor said. "You rarely find a mare that is genuinely sound from (ages)

two to six. She's beautiful, she can run and she's got pedigree. She comes from

a great E.P. Taylor family."

"Nice filly," said Gary Bush, farm manager of Denali Stud, which manages

DATTT's broodmares, about Hard Not to Like. "We're looking for a nice filly to

add to our broodmare band. She may race one more time; we'll just see how it

goes."

SHOOK UP, runner-up in this year's Kentucky Oaks (G1) and Fair Grounds Oaks

(G2), sold for $1.65 million to Three Chimneys Farm. The three-year-old daughter

of leading sire Tapit out of Grade 1 winner Sugar Shake (Awesome Again), was

consigned as a broodmare prospect by Three Chimneys Farm, agent for the Complete

Dispersal of Regis Farms, agent.

Shook Up was injured when jostled around in the Acorn (G1) in June. Three

Chimneys Chairman Goncalo Torrealba said the filly's successful recovery at

Three Chimneys while being prepared for the sale inspired him to bid on her.

"Since we got her at (Three Chimneys) for prep (for the November Sale), she's

only gotten better," he said. "She's a lovely mare. We didn't think we could

afford her so we're happy (to get her)."

Also bringing $1.65 million was Canadian champion SPRING IN THE AIR, carrying

her first foal by War Front and purchased by Prince Faisal's Nawara Stud. Taylor

Made Sales Agency, agent, consigned the five-year-old daughter of Spring At Last

out of the Unbridled mare Unbridled Run.

"She's a lovely, scopey mare," said bloodstock agent Hugo Merry, who signed

the ticket. "She walked like (Horse of the Year) Zenyatta out back, dancing

around, just a lovely-shaped mare. (Prince Faisal) was very keen to buy a good

race mare to add to his broodmare band. It's a good Runnymede Farm family. It's

very much the Prince's pick and he's a brilliant horseman."

COLONIAL FLAG (Pleasant Tap), a six-year-old half-sister to 2010 Breeders'

Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1) winner Shared Account, who is in foal to Tapit, sold

for $1.6 million to Reynolds Bell for John Clay's Alpha Delta Stable. Lane's

End, agent, consigned Colonial Flag, a Grade 3 winner out of Silk n' Sapphire

(Smart Strike).

"She will go back to Lane's End," Bell said. "(Clay is) a commercial breeder

and he races some, too. She fit what he was looking for. She obviously had

ability on the race track and she's a half-sister to a Breeders' Cup winner."

Following Colonial Flag in the ring was COMEDY, an 11-year-old graded

stakes-producing daughter of Theatrical also in foal to Tapit. Stonestreet

Thoroughbred Holdings paid $1.5 million for Comedy, dam of Grade 2 winner Taris

and stakes winners Theatre Star and Stoweshoe.

"She's beautiful. We like her foals," Stonestreet owner Barbara Banke said.

"We like the fact that she's had stakes winners. She's obviously a good addition

to our broodmare band. She seems to work on the A.P. Indy line."

Select Sales, agent, consigned Comedy, a daughter of Grade 3 winner Don't Be

Silly (Lord At War).

Grade 1 winner SUNSET GLOW (Exchange Rate) brought a final bid of $1.375

million from Bryant Prentice's Pursuit of Success. A three-year-old filly out of

the stakes-placed Dynaformer mare Perfectforthepart, Sunset Glow won the 2014

Del Mar Debutante (G1) and Sorrento (G2) at Del Mar. She was consigned as a

racing or broodmare prospect by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent

"She will go to the breeding shed," Prentice said. "She faced very

competitive horses. She certainly proved (herself). I like Dynaformer on the

bottom side."

Selling for $1.2 million to Katsumi Yoshida of Japan was Grade 1 winner DON'T

TELL SOPHIA (Congaree), in foal to leading sire Medaglia d'Oro. Trainer and

co-owner Phil Sims' Spring Trace Farm, agent, sold the seven-year-old out of

Lost Expectations (Valid Expectations).

"She's a really good mare," said Yoshida's son, Shunsuke Yoshida. "She was

second in the Breeders' Cup (Distaff [G1]) last year in a good race. I think the

price was really fair. I think (she'll be bred to leading Japanese sire Deep

Impact), who is a very busy stallion."

At $475,000, the session's top-priced weanling is the colt by Medaglia d'Oro

out of Grade 1 winner Emma's Encore (Congrats). Darley Stud Management purchased

the colt, consigned by Lane's End, agent.

"Obviously, Medaglia d'Oro is a special horse to us," said Dan Pride, COO of

Darley's Jonabell Farm, where Medaglia d'Oro stands. "(The weanling is) the

first foal out of a very good race mare, a Grade 1 winner. (He) fits our

program. He'll go to our farm and hopefully he'll show up in big races in a few

years.

"(The price) was about where we appraised him. He was a special horse in this

group. He sold about where we thought he would, and we're happy to have him."

The session's leading consigner was Taylor Made Sales Agency, who sold 35

horses for $12,810,000, including three of the day's seven-figure horses. With

the purchase of Hard Not to Like, DATTT Farm was the session's leading buyer.

The November Sale continues through Friday, November 13. Tuesday's session

begins at 11 a.m. (EST). Remaining sessions start at 10 a.m. The entire sale is

streamed live at keeneland.com.