LEXINGTON, Ky. – The as-of-now unnamed principals behind a venture that will run as Epic Racing wanted to wade, not leap, into the top end of the Thoroughbred marketplace, according to Town & Country Farms CEO Shannon Potter, who is acting as a consultant for this venture. But Epic Racing made a big splash in its first appearance at the Keeneland September yearling sale, with purchases led by a $1.35 million full brother to a Hall of Famer who put together an epic championship season in Rachel Alexandra.
Potter signed the ticket on four horses for the group – signing as Epic Horses, but he said they will run under the name Epic Racing – for a total of $2.92 million during the two sessions of Book 1. Chief among those was the $1.35 million Medaglia d’Oro colt out of the Roar mare Lotta Kim. That makes the colt a full brother to 2009 Horse of the Year Rachel Alexandra.
“Epic Racing is a new venture, and we are excited to have him,” said Potter, who explained he met the principals behind the stable at a summer youth baseball league, where he was coaching his children and the owners were watching their grandchildren. “It’s a couple from [Las] Vegas. They’re new and are excited about the game and the business and the industry."
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Rachel Alexandra’s unbeaten championship season included Grade 1 victories against males in the Preakness Stakes, Haskell Invitational, and Woodward Stakes – as well as tour de force victories against her own sex in the Kentucky Oaks, Mother Goose, and three other stakes. Lotta Kim, herself, a Grade 2-placed stakes winner, is also the dam of Grade 2-placed Gladys, Grade 3-placed Dolphus, and stakes-placed Wooderson. Lotta Kim, now 23, resides at Dede McGehee’s Heaven Trees Farm in Lexington. The late Dolphus Morrison, who bred the mare and who bred and originally owned Rachel Alexandra, boarded his stock at Heaven Trees for many years, and when he dispersed his holdings in 2023, McGehee acquired Lotta Kim.
“It is probably the last foal out of her we will ever sell,” McGehee said. “It’s extra special because she was owned by my favorite client of all time.”
After being raised at Heaven Trees, Rachel Alexandra’s full brother was sent to Hill ‘n’ Dale Farm in Paris, Ky., to be prepared for sale and consigned by that operation. Potter and the Epic Racing principals first encountered him there on a visit less than a month prior to the sale, and their initial positive impressions were confirmed on the Keeneland sale grounds.
“With that family and that pedigree, he checked all the boxes for us,” said Potter, who added the purchase is likely to be trained by Todd Pletcher. “Really good mover, has a good walk, loved the way he looked. He has a lot of hip, big shoulder. … He has a very good temperament every time we have seen him. We probably looked at him four or five times.”
Rachel Alexandra, now 18, resides at Stonestreet Farm in Lexington, which bred and raised two other members of her family on offer during Book 1 of Keeneland September. The champion produced two foals before she was pensioned from the broodmare band due to physical difficulties after foaling, and both were winners. Those are led by Grade 1 Spinaway Stakes winner Rachel’s Valentina, now a member of the Stonestreet broodmare band, and the dam of one winner from three starters. A Quality Road filly out of Rachel’s Valentina was a $1.05 million purchase on Monday by North Hills of Japan, with Summerfield handling consigning duties as agent for Stonestreet.
“She was a pretty filly,” buyer Hiroshi Fukada said. “She’s got size and she’s strong for Japanese races.”
Samantha Nicole, a winning full sister to Rachel Alexandra, is the dam of three winners from four starters, including stakes winner Fairchild, by Speightstown. Her yearling filly from the first crop of Speightstown’s Grade 1-winning son Charlatan was a $475,000 purchase on Tuesday by noted bloodstock agent Mike Ryan. Indian Creek consigned as agent for Stonestreet.
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