–the following article courtesy of the The Blood-Horse website on Sept. 17, 2020

Almost 10 hours after the Sept. 17 session of the Keeneland September Yearling Sale began, sparks flew inside the pavilion when a colt by Lane’s End’s Quality Road drew the attention of several high-profile buyers.

Consigned as Hip 1197 by Candy Meadows Sales, agent, the colt was purchased for $775,000 by Donato Lanni, agent for SF Racing, Starlight Racing, and Madaket Stables. With the colt’s future secured, Matt Lyons of Candy Meadows said the long wait to see him go through the ring had been worth every minute.

“We’re delighted,” Lyons said. “The price was comfortably above the reserve. We liked him, but we set a reasonable reserve and let the market take care of it. There were a lot of good judges that vetted the horse, and when we walked up here and saw the people bidding on the horse, it was very comforting.

“He’s a lovely horse and a homebred for the farm. We raised him all along, and he grew up well. We didn’t have any horses in Book 1, so this is our first group here and we’ve waited all day for him. The group that bought him obviously know how to win the big races, so that’s great for us having the mare at home and having siblings coming. Of course, he’ll be trained by Mr. (Bob) Baffert, and he knows how to win the big races, too, so it’s great.”

Bred in Kentucky by his consignor, Hip 1197 is out of the stakes-placed Forestry mare Sustainable. The extended female family includes Del Mar Oaks (G1) winner Famous Digger as well as stakes winner Culotte.

“He’s a Quality Road—a great stallion,” SF Racing’s Tom Ryan said. “We’re just starting to see the cream rising to the top now with him. Just think of what he’s accomplished already; the future’s so bright for him.

“A good horse comes in there, and there’s plenty of competition. We really felt like we were going to have to reach for this horse, but Bob, Donato … everybody loved him.”

“For the special horses like him, I don’t think there is any trouble (in the market) at all,” Lyons said. “You have groups looking to buy two-turn (Kentucky) Derby-type horses, and there are a lot of people looking for that type of horse. When they all land on the same one, they can bring an exceptional price.