by Debbie Little

Cameo Hills Farm is serving up a smorgasbord at the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale, starting on Day 1 and running all the way through Day 5 that features some first foals as well as first crop sires.

Farm owner Steve Jones, expects them to get out of the gate well on Day 1 with a momentum that will carry them through the entire sale.

“I’m selling three Walner fillies opening night,” Jones said. “They’re all very well bred and very nice looking. You can pick the one you like if you’re the buyer. I don’t think that any of the three are going to be embarrassed when they walk out of the stall.

“Specifically, the first foal out of Mazzarati [Hip #2 Extra Gears] and the first foal out of You Ato Dream [Hip #58 Kickan] are both well-bred, nice-looking fillies and I’d be surprised if they don’t sell well.

“I mean, Mazzarati was second in the Breeders Crown and made $300,000. You Ato Dream made $600,000 and wasn’t a great filly, but was a very nice filly. Plus, she’s a sister to Ari Ferrari J who was a good Walner.”

Jones said others that kind of stand out to him include the first foal out of Thebeachiscalling by first Crop sire Perfect Sting, Hip #44 Perfect Weather, as well as a full sister to Instagram Model, Hip #83 Going Viral.

“I can’t really say I’m selling anything Day 1 that there’s much to complain about. We kind of plan it that way. I took the best ones to Kentucky and they’ve got looks and they’ve got pedigree.

Also on Day 1, Jones has Hip #74 The Unit a full brother to Max Contract who won the Breeders Crown last year.

“I had two people last week that said to me that [The Unit] reminds them of Legendary Hanover,” Jones said. “So, I hope that’s the case and hope he races just like him.”

Jones also really likes Hip #52 The Wow Factor a son of Chapter Seven out of the Trixton mare Violet Stride.

“It’s the second foal, first colt of the mare and he couldn’t be nicer looking,” Jones said. “I don’t think there’ll be a nicer looking Chapter Seven colt at the sale in Lexington, to be honest with you. So, I think I should be looking forward to a strong first night.”

Jones spoke briefly about how even though some sellers want to be on the first day, if you have a good enough horse, people will find it wherever it is.

“We sold Bowlin For Dollars in Lexington many years ago and he was like eight or 10 hip numbers from the end of the sale on the last day of the sale,” Jones said. “I think at that time, the last day of the sale was Sunday afternoon. And, he was kind of a jerk to be around and I was following the horse to the ring, because I didn’t want something stupid to happen here. And like I said, the sale is basically over.

“Well, I’m following him to the ring and I’m passing every significant horse trainer that you could possibly think of that’s a trotting trainer at that time, Ronnie Gurfein and Chuck Sylvester and Trond Smedshammer and this guy, and that guy. I’m thinking, ‘Wait a minute, these guys are all still here and really the only trotting colt of note left is this horse?’ I said this horse could sell pretty good. Well, he brought $93,000 and he was at the tail end of the last day, and it was a lot of money.”

Another first crop sire represented in Cameo Hills’ consignment is Captain Corey.

“I’ve got a Captain Corey colt [Hip #242 Captain Vodka] a first foal out of a sister to Bella Bellini [Agro Dolce],” Jones said. “He’s beautiful. He’s a very nice colt and he sells on Day 2 and his pedigree couldn’t be much better.

“And I’ve also got a Captain Corey colt [Hip #427 Jimmy Buckets] out of a mare, Sianna Hanover. She’s only had three colts and they’ve all made over 100,000. They’ve all been nice colts; a couple of Chapter Sevens and the other one’s a Walner.”

Also of note on Day 2 is Hip #358 Bucked Up, a Perfect Sting out of a sister to Huntsville.

“It’s the first foal of that mare called Let ‘er Buck,” Jones said. “The mare herself, she’s a Betting Line filly that made over $100,000 as a 2-year-old, which tells you that she wasn’t bad either. And, like I said, she’s a sister of Huntsville.”

Jones also pointed out a Greenshoe colt out of the Kadabra mare Casaubon Hip #500 Money Mayfield.

“He’s a full brother to, Shes A Shoe In and she just won the Pennsylvania [sire stakes] final in 1:55 and she’s made [$191,350] this year as a 2-year-old,” Jones said. “So, that makes her the richest Green Shoe filly ever, 2 or 3. And we’re selling a full brother to her.

“If I’m taking a bad one down there, I don’t know which one it is. I’ll put it that way.”

Just like many of his fellow consignors, Jones is expecting positive sale results.

“If we don’t have a good sale in Lexington, I don’t think anybody else will either,” Jones said with a laugh. “The thing about yearlings selling this year, that is absolutely true, is these horses have the ability to race for more money than they’ve ever been able to race for. I mean, not only has New York greatly enhanced their sire stakes program for 2025 but the Kentucky program didn’t exist a few years ago. So, it’s not like money got shifted, it’s just additional money that this relatively small body of horses can race for.”