SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.--Elizabeth M. (Lizzie) Merryman bred the Justify colt out of her mare Zeezee Zoomzoom, and on Monday, Aug. 4 she sold the colt for $1.4 million to Sheikh Fahad Al Thani’s Qatar Racing at the Saratoga Selected Yearling Sale..
Lizziie Merryman Merryman got Zee Zee Zoomzoom for free, and the mare has turned out to be a gold mine.
Zeezee Zoomzoom has had eight foals, including this colt, and a foal at foot by Nyquist, five of which are winners and two pf then major stakes winners.
"She was recommended by a friend of mine, Kim Brette," said Merryman. "She was out of a really nice mare, and she broke her maiden at Saratoga on Travers Day. I was looking for a brood mare at the time, so I took her."
Zeezee Zoomzoom's first foal was Caravel, whose 15 wins included the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint.
Another was Witty, who, trained by Merryman, has won won 10 races so far with his most recent win being the Jim McKay Turf Sprint at Pimlico on May 17.
Merryman almost sent Zeezee Zoomzoom, in foal to Justify, to a sale in late 2024 but finally decided against it. and the foal was born in 2024.
The foal grew up on Buffalo Run farm in Coatesille, Pa., owned by Merryman and her husband Bill Rubin.
Rubin raises buffalo on the farm while Merryman raises thoroughbreds.
The yearling was sent to Hunter Valley Farm to prep for the sale and was sold at Saratoga by Hunter Farm as agent for Merryman.
MERRYMAN comes from a racing oriented family as her parents John and Kitty Merryman bred and owned thoroughbred in Maryland, and her sister Ann bred and owns the Great Notion colt who was Grand Champion at the Maryland Horse Breeders Association Yearling Show in June while Louis and Grace Merryman's filly by Bourbon Courage was Reserve Champion.
Saraoga sale topper, hip 37 by Gun Runner
Merryman was at the sale with her husband and children Liza and McLane Hendriks.
Liza, who was engaged to Sheik Fayad for a time before breaking it off, started and has a successful on-line thoroughbred auction company and McLane trains race horses.
"The price wasn't a huge surprise," said Marryman of the $1.4 million sale. "Obviously he has a beautiful pedigree, he's a very classy colt and moves great. We'd had a lot of people looking at him."
"Zeezee Zoomzoom isn't in fol now," she said. "She's 13, and she's had eight foals, but if I take care pf her she should be able to have a few more, She always throws beautiful foals. She'll have a good life on our buffalo farm."
It was an exciting first session Monday night at Fasig-Tpton Yearling sale at the Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion.
Among the highlights were nine horses sold for seven figures, a record for the sale’s first session, and an RNA rate of just 12.5%.
"It was a strong sale," said Russell Jones of Unionville, Pa., who was a top sales agent for his Walnut Green before selling it and still buys and sells thoroughbreds in Ireland.
A colt by Gun Runner (hip 37) topped the session when sold to Winchell Thoroughbreds from the consignment of Stone Farm, agent.
The bay colt is out of the graded stakes winning A.P. Indy mare America, already dam of a pair of winners, including G1 placed multiple graded stakes winner First Captain.
“It was a tremendous start to the Saratoga Sale tonight,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “There was competitive bidding from start to finish and tremendous activity across the board. It’s a tribute to our selection team, to our consignors, to the owners of these horses who trust us with some of their very best yearlings, year in and year out.”
Legion Bloodstock, agent for Hoolie Racing, went to $1,600,000 to secure the session’s next highest priced offering, a colt by Good Magic (hip 36) consigned by Warrendale Sales, agent.
The dark bay or brown colt is the first foal out of the winning Shanghai Bobby mare Alpha Zulu, who is a half-sister to G2 winner Recapturetheglory and to the dam of Canadian champion Are You Kidding Me and G1 placed G2 winner Kehoe Beach.
Making his first foray into thoroughbred racing after watching the Netflix show “Race for the Crown,” Kjell Andersen went to $1,400,000 to secure a colt by Not This Time (hip 66) consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent.
Out of the multiple graded stakes producing Smart Strike mare Classic Strike, the dark bay or brown colt has nine winning half-siblings, including G1 winner Union Strike and G2 winner Handsome Mike.
The session’s top filly was a daughter of Curlin (hip 13) who sold for $1,300,000 to Windancer Farm from the consignment of Warrendale Sales, agent for Stonestreet Bred for Brilliance.
The chestnut filly is out of the graded stakes placed stakes winning Uncaptured mare Two Sixty from the family of G2 winner Havnameltdown.
A filly by Flightline (hip 34), the first of her Saratoga Sale graduate sire’s yearlings offered at public auction, sold for $1,100,000 to West Point Thoroughbreds, L.E.B., agent.
The bay filly is out of the American Pharoah mare American Dream, whose first foal is current G2 winner Barnes.
A trio of late session offerings sold for $1,000,000 each, including:
A Constitution colt (hip 97), sold to Pedro Lanz, agent for KAS Stables, from the consignment of Warrendale Sales, agent for Stonestreet Bred for Brilliance; an Uncle Mo colt (hip 101), sold to M.V. Magnier and White Birch Farm; and A Constitution colt (hip 109), sold to Repole Stable from the consignment of Lane’s End, agent, as the last horse through the ring.
“We’re delighted with the first session,” saidd Browning. “I am confident and hopeful that we can continue the positive momentum tomorrow.”
Over the course of the first season, 77 yearlings sold for $39,975,000, up slightly from when 77 sold during last year’s first session for $38,910,000.
The average rose to $519,156 from $505,325 in 2024.
The median held steady at $400,000, and the RNA rate during the session was just 12.5%.
