Coolmores MV Magnier and Peter Brant’s White Birch Farm gave Arms smugglers his second yearling in the seven-figure range on August 6 during the second session of Fasig-Tipton’s Saratoga Sale. Lane’s End consigned the colt (hip 146) named Paladin on behalf of breeder Summer Wind Equine.

Summer Wind Equine bred the colt out of Secret Sigh, a daughter of Grade 2 winner and Grade 1 producer India, the dam of the 2018 Yasuda Kinen (G1) winner Mozu Ascot and stakes winners Karen .

Magnier and Brant hope that lightning will strike twice with Hip 146. They bought Sierra Leone Winner of the Blue Grass Stakes (G1) and runner-up in the Kentucky Derby (G1) at this sale two years ago.

Gun Runner, an 11-year-old son of Candy ride is a two-time Eclipse Champion and Hall of Fame inductee. He has sired 11 Grade 1 winners and 13 millionaires. His other top progeny this year include the winner of the Derby City Distaff Stakes (G1) Vahva And Weapons Pilot Winner of the Churchill Downs Stakes (G1).

“It’s about classic horse racing, it’s about a mile, a mile and a quarter. That’s how we see it in Europe too,” said Magnier. “It’s about the Kentucky Derby, that’s what all these guys want to win. Derrick Smith hasn’t wanted anything else since Sierra Leone was beaten in the Derby.”

Magnier said the plan currently is to send the chestnut stallion to Chad Brown, but for now he will send him to Ashford Stud near Versailles, Kentucky.

“Honestly, he (Hip 146) exceeded our expectations,” said Allaire Ryan of Lane’s End. “We knew we had a top quality horse here, but it’s impossible to predict what they’ll actually bring in a sale like this.”

“In a situation like this, you just can’t help but be happy for both the seller and the buyer. It’s an exciting opportunity. Jane Lyon (by Summer Wind), who has put so much into her broodmare herd and breeding operation, is now landing in the hands of Coolmore and Peter Brant. It’s just a dream, isn’t it?”

Ryan said the market was strong throughout the two-day sale.

“I think we’ve never been busier in Saratoga, and that has to be a reflection of the efforts of the seller and the consignors,” she said. “If you have physical quality to offer, you’ll be rewarded for it. That’s just how it feels out there.”