Tough Critic could be Royal Ascot bound while exciting Normandy Coast tops Keeneland April Sale at €355,000

Three-year-old colt Normandy Coast began Keeneland's Spring Meet by winning the Palisades Stakes at the track and he ended it by topping the April Horses-In-Training Sale at the pavilion, which brought the curtain down on the spring meeting.

The second crop son of Omaha Beach made $355,000 on Friday night and will have an immediate start for his new connections who are keen for him to take up his engagement in the William Walker Stakes at Churchill Downs next Wednesday, April 30.

Donald Wells, who signed for Normandy Coast on behalf of Judy's Four Sons Stables, confirmed that the colt will remain with trainer Eddie Kenneally.

“Eddie is going to stay in," Wells said. "I bought him for a friend of mine that’s newer to the business and we are going to run on Wednesday at Churchill Downs [in the $300,000 William Walker Stakes].He has already been entered.”

 Wells added that the price was "fair", adding: "Normandy Coast is a very good individual, strong and got a lot of future. He is just a three-year-old. So we are going to take him ]to Churchill] and run him, see how he does on the turf and we will go from there.”

Kenneally's business model is a trading one and the trainer explained how the timing of Normandy Coast's first stakes success and a confluence of events led to the sale-topping price.

“We sell a lot of horses,” Kenneally said, “and I own a good portion of this horse, so we’re always selling horses. Horses that I own myself, we sell. They’re all for sale. The fact that he won the stakes here earlier in the meet, it just cemented the idea to go ahead and put him in the catalogue.” 

I think the timing of the sale is ideal, too, with Churchill coming up, a lot of people in town for Derby Week. It’s just a good fit for me because we run a lot of horses at Keeneland, we’re stabled here, and it all worked out good."

Blair Golen, assistant to George Weaver, was on hand at KeenelandCredit: Keeneland Photo

Tough Critic enjoyed an even more condensed racing and sales experience as the two-year-old Caravaggio colt won his maiden at Keeneland just 24 hours prior to selling for $350,000 and he could be destined for Royal Ascot.

He too will remain with his trainer as George Weaver, who prepared the colt for his successful debut, signed for the grandson of Invincible Spirit on behalf of different owners in the yard.

Weaver's assistant Blair Golen was on duty at the sale.

“I have always liked this horse since we have had him,” Golen said. “He’s matured and grown up so much and he showed that on the track. There is Ascot and that is a lovely place to go and we have a string in New York. He’d be very competitive at Saratoga. He’s a cool horse.”

Paramount Sales consigned Tough Critic on behalf of Dew Sweeps, and Lesley Campion said that trading was also Sweeps' business model.

“We were thrilled to consign this colt," Campion said. "The move he made yesterday [Thursday] was phenomenal. I feel we are selling a lot of ‘blue skies,’ and he is loaded with potential. Going forward, they can have all the fun in the world at Royal Ascot and Saratoga, and you have the New York-bred [bonus] programme for him.”

The sale produced five horses to make at least $200,000 with 44 of the 50 horses offered selling in the ring for a total of $3,884,000 which represented a slight drop on last year's aggregate of $3,940,000 for 54 horses sold.

However the year-on-year growth in the average was 21 per cent from $72,963 to $88,271 while the median improved by an enormous 69 per cent in that time; leaping from $38,500 to $65,000.

“This sale was a lovely complement to the race meet,” Keeneland vice president of sales Tony Lacy said. “Everyone here tonight was having fun, and there was a buzz around the grounds. The energy from the race day rolled down the hill from the race track to the sales pavilion, and we look forward to even more excitement when we open our new venues.”   

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