On January 11, 2-year-old Princess Lele fetched what proved to be a sale-topping US$750,000 at the Keeneland January mixed sale. The price is somewhat deceptive, as the filly was purchased by Three Chimneys Farm after being sold to dissolve a partnership between Three Chimneys and Hill 'n' Dale Farms. Nonetheless, it is still a substantial amount of money for a filly that has yet to turn in a timed work, much less a race. So, what makes her worth risking a solid six figures?
With high-end colts, the American sales ring essentially rewards speculation on a young horse's potential value as a stallion; the hope is that if a youngster with desirable conformation and bloodlines pans out on the track---itself a considerable gamble---he will be one of the handful of colts out of each crop that goes to stud and rakes in millions in stud fees before it is even seen whether his offspring can outrun the proverbial fat man. For fillies, the game is different. While it is certainly desirable that a pricy filly will show significant racing ability, much of her price will be based on the perception of her residual value as a broodmare even if she never makes it to the track. Given that a stallion must secure at least fifty or sixty mates a year to have viability in the commercial market while a mare can conceive by but one mate per year, fillies need much less in the way of a resume to get access to good-quality mates, and few stallion owners will turn away a well-bred young mare regardless of her track performance. Accordingly, a "deep" pedigree---one stacked with major winners and producers, particularly along the tail-female line---is a major selling point for a filly, even more so than for a colt.
On that basis, Princess Lele certainly qualified as a potential sales topper. Sired by the fine stallion Quality Road (who himself boasts as regal a pedigree as any in the American Stud Book), she comes from a family that has produced excellent results for generations both in the United States and in Argentina, where it was initially developed at the famous Haras Chapadmalal.
The line traces back to Juventas, whose sire Botafogo is still regarded by some as the best racehorse ever bred in South America. The best of the small number of foals sired by Botafogo (who, regrettably, died young), she won the Gran Premio 25 de Mayo and the Premio Eliseo Ramírez, both races that have held Group 1 status in Argentina, as well as a number of other stakes now accorded Group status. She, in turn, produced Bimba (by seven-time Argentine champion sire Congreve), a stakes winner who placed in both the Gran Premio 25 de Mayo and the Polla de Potrancas/Argentine One Thousand Guineas.
Bimba, in turn, produced Argentine champion Bambuca (by 1930 Eclipse Stakes and Champion Stakes winner Rustom Pasha), who won 13 of her 19 starts and placed in the other six. A beautifully made full sister to A G Lucho, a stakes winner who was sent to Peru for stallion duty, Bambuca produced Gamin (by Tatán), a multiple stakes winner in the United States, and Good Star (by Masked Light), who won the Gran Premio Maipú (one of Argentina's top sprint stakes). Bambuca also produced Miss Venecia (by stakes-placed Luxembourgo), who did not add to the family laurels on the race course but atoned for this failing by producing four stakes winners.
Aside from 1985 Gran Premio General San Martin (ARG-G1) winner Mister Marco (by Go Forth), the best of Miss Venecia's foals was Miss Bimba, whose three Group stakes wins included the 1985 Premio Abril (ARG-G2). Sired by 1974 Saratoga Special (USA-G2) winner Our Talisman (a son of the good Bold Ruler horse Cornish Prince), Miss Bimba in turn produced Miss Peggy (by the Argentine Group 2 winner and important sire Fitzcarraldo), winner of the 1994 Premio Canada (ARG-G3) and the 2000 Argentine Broodmare of the Year after producing 2000 Argentine Mare of the Year Miss Linda and 2000 Premio Arturo R. Bullrich (ARG-G2) winner Miss Mary, both by the great Argentine-based sire Southern Halo.
Not done after producing Miss Mary and Miss Linda, Miss Peggy also produced 2004 Argentine champion miler Mr. Nancho and Miss Simpatia to further covers by Southern Halo. The last-named mare never raced, but after her daughter Miss Match (by the A.P. Indy horse Indygo Shiner) won the 2011 Santa Margarita Invitational Stakes (USA-G1) (having already won the 2008 Gran Premio Selección/Argentine Oaks, ARG-G1), she was imported to the United States. There, she produced 2016 Acorn Stakes (USA-G1) winner Carina Mia to the cover of Malibu Moon. Princesse Lele is Carina Mia's second foal, following the as yet unraced Curlin 3-year-old Pius Maximus, and Carina Mia (who sold for $2.6 million at the 2021 Keeneland November sale) produced a 2021 Curlin colt and was last reported as in foal to Uncle Mo for 2022.
Princesse Lele, thus, comes from a female line which for seven generations has traced through either graded/Group-class race mares or stakes producers with Grade/Group 1-level winners on their produce records. That is depth of pedigree to an extent rarely seen, and would probably be enough to justify her price tag by itself. Should she live up to that royal heritage on the track, the sky may be the limit as to her value if she ever sees an auction ring again.
With high-end colts, the American sales ring essentially rewards speculation on a young horse's potential value as a stallion; the hope is that if a youngster with desirable conformation and bloodlines pans out on the track---itself a considerable gamble---he will be one of the handful of colts out of each crop that goes to stud and rakes in millions in stud fees before it is even seen whether his offspring can outrun the proverbial fat man. For fillies, the game is different. While it is certainly desirable that a pricy filly will show significant racing ability, much of her price will be based on the perception of her residual value as a broodmare even if she never makes it to the track. Given that a stallion must secure at least fifty or sixty mates a year to have viability in the commercial market while a mare can conceive by but one mate per year, fillies need much less in the way of a resume to get access to good-quality mates, and few stallion owners will turn away a well-bred young mare regardless of her track performance. Accordingly, a "deep" pedigree---one stacked with major winners and producers, particularly along the tail-female line---is a major selling point for a filly, even more so than for a colt.
On that basis, Princess Lele certainly qualified as a potential sales topper. Sired by the fine stallion Quality Road (who himself boasts as regal a pedigree as any in the American Stud Book), she comes from a family that has produced excellent results for generations both in the United States and in Argentina, where it was initially developed at the famous Haras Chapadmalal.
The line traces back to Juventas, whose sire Botafogo is still regarded by some as the best racehorse ever bred in South America. The best of the small number of foals sired by Botafogo (who, regrettably, died young), she won the Gran Premio 25 de Mayo and the Premio Eliseo Ramírez, both races that have held Group 1 status in Argentina, as well as a number of other stakes now accorded Group status. She, in turn, produced Bimba (by seven-time Argentine champion sire Congreve), a stakes winner who placed in both the Gran Premio 25 de Mayo and the Polla de Potrancas/Argentine One Thousand Guineas.
Bimba, in turn, produced Argentine champion Bambuca (by 1930 Eclipse Stakes and Champion Stakes winner Rustom Pasha), who won 13 of her 19 starts and placed in the other six. A beautifully made full sister to A G Lucho, a stakes winner who was sent to Peru for stallion duty, Bambuca produced Gamin (by Tatán), a multiple stakes winner in the United States, and Good Star (by Masked Light), who won the Gran Premio Maipú (one of Argentina's top sprint stakes). Bambuca also produced Miss Venecia (by stakes-placed Luxembourgo), who did not add to the family laurels on the race course but atoned for this failing by producing four stakes winners.
Aside from 1985 Gran Premio General San Martin (ARG-G1) winner Mister Marco (by Go Forth), the best of Miss Venecia's foals was Miss Bimba, whose three Group stakes wins included the 1985 Premio Abril (ARG-G2). Sired by 1974 Saratoga Special (USA-G2) winner Our Talisman (a son of the good Bold Ruler horse Cornish Prince), Miss Bimba in turn produced Miss Peggy (by the Argentine Group 2 winner and important sire Fitzcarraldo), winner of the 1994 Premio Canada (ARG-G3) and the 2000 Argentine Broodmare of the Year after producing 2000 Argentine Mare of the Year Miss Linda and 2000 Premio Arturo R. Bullrich (ARG-G2) winner Miss Mary, both by the great Argentine-based sire Southern Halo.
Not done after producing Miss Mary and Miss Linda, Miss Peggy also produced 2004 Argentine champion miler Mr. Nancho and Miss Simpatia to further covers by Southern Halo. The last-named mare never raced, but after her daughter Miss Match (by the A.P. Indy horse Indygo Shiner) won the 2011 Santa Margarita Invitational Stakes (USA-G1) (having already won the 2008 Gran Premio Selección/Argentine Oaks, ARG-G1), she was imported to the United States. There, she produced 2016 Acorn Stakes (USA-G1) winner Carina Mia to the cover of Malibu Moon. Princesse Lele is Carina Mia's second foal, following the as yet unraced Curlin 3-year-old Pius Maximus, and Carina Mia (who sold for $2.6 million at the 2021 Keeneland November sale) produced a 2021 Curlin colt and was last reported as in foal to Uncle Mo for 2022.
Princesse Lele, thus, comes from a female line which for seven generations has traced through either graded/Group-class race mares or stakes producers with Grade/Group 1-level winners on their produce records. That is depth of pedigree to an extent rarely seen, and would probably be enough to justify her price tag by itself. Should she live up to that royal heritage on the track, the sky may be the limit as to her value if she ever sees an auction ring again.
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