Keeneland is offering a flash sale in August with the “Black Forza Collection” which includes: Harlee Honey (Harlan’s Holiday), the dam of G2 Richmond Stakes winner Black Forza (Complexity) and Ocean Honey (West Coast), his 4-year-old half-sister.

Online bidding begins at 12:00 p.m. ET on Monday, August 26th and ends at 3:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, August 29th. More details on each horse, including pedigree pages, running videos, conformation photos and stock information, can be found here. It is the first Keeneland Flash Sale since 2021.

The now 11-year-old winner Harlee Honey is offered in foal by Zandon and consigned by agent Legacy Bloodstock for the flash sale. Harlee Honey, a daughter of multiple stakes-placed Absolute Nectar (Carson City), is a half-sister to GII Santa Ynez Stakes winner California Nectar (Stormy Atlantic) and SW Redstart (Blame). Ocean Honey is offered only by Paramount Sales as a broodmare candidate.

Both Harlee Honey and Ocean Honey can be viewed in person in the Lexington area before or during the sale. To view Harlee Honey at Rosemont Farm in Lexington, contact Tommy Eastham. To view Ocean Honey at Dundrum Farm in Versailles, contact Lesley Campion.

“Keeneland is pleased to offer these two exciting specimens from the family of Black Forza, one of the most promising young horses currently racing in the world,” said Tony Lacy, Keeneland’s Vice President of Sales. “This unique collection and flash sale, along with the newly announced Keeneland Championship Sale in Del Mar prior to the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, demonstrate Keeneland’s commitment to providing our customers with customized and innovative sales offerings while working with customers to create sales experiences that meet the new trends in our industry.”

Bred in Kentucky by Dash Goff’s hot newcomer Complexity (Maclean’s Music), Black Forza won his first race when finishing second at Fairyhouse in Ireland before winning by half a length in the Richmond at Goodwood on August 1. Black Forza was sold as a Keeneland weanling for $27,000 and as a yearling for $65,000 in November and was auctioned to Michael O’Callaghan for £220,000. ($273,903) at this year’s Goffs UK 2YO Breeze-Up Sale.

Lacy said Keeneland has deliberately taken an admittedly cautious approach to digital sales.

“My background in digital is that I helped Arqana set up Arqana Online and I’m a big believer in digital, but there’s also no action without consequence,” said Lacy, who served as Arqana’s American representative before joining Keeneland. “What we do and how we go about it is we support the people who support us in every way. We do this in partnership with Paramount and Legacy Bloodstock.”

Keeneland held its first flash sale in 2020, in the midst of the Covid pandemic, but hasn’t held one in three years. “We wanted to take a break,” Lacy explained. “Everyone is in this space. There’s a new startup every day. We want to make sure that every digital sale has the same feel, the same standards, and the same transparency as a regular in-person auction. We want to do it in a select way. You shouldn’t see any difference between the two activities – digital and in-person. It’s all one. It’s all one business model. We’ve been very cautious. Every live sale we do has a digital aspect. We’re trying to refine how people interact with us remotely to make it as seamless as possible.”

Lacy said live inspection of inventory by skilled professionals is an essential part of the sales process.

“You can’t do anything that undermines the people who support you in a brick-and-mortar sale, the ecosystem that makes that possible,” said Lacy, a former partner at Four Star Sales. “I’ve been on both sides, both as a consignor, as an agent and as a sales consultant. What I fear is that digital selling takes away the most critical area of ​​the process and one of the most valuable skills, which is horsemanship. (Digital) may be a cheaper way to (sell horses), but the terms of the sale have to be rock solid in every way, and that’s not uniform in this space. We’ve had the opportunity to do that for the last two years, but we’ve been unhappy with many aspects of how it’s developed. We’ve focused on our core business. We have to maintain the relationship between the horse people and the principals, the excitement, the theater. Otherwise it just becomes a transaction.”