Some horses are destined to be compared forever.

It is almost impossible to mention Affirmed without summoning Alydar; for the same reason, you cannot discuss Sunday Silence without Easy Goer, or Zenyatta without Rachel Alexandra. A story cannot be told without another parallel, even if they have never actually touched.

For the past two years, the story of Swiss Skydiver has always been the story of Shedaresthedevil, and vice versa.

The best "who do you get" scenario offers two options that are very similar enough to make the decision painful, but fundamentally different, so that the answer reveals the real situation of the person who made the decision. In this regard, in recent memory, no two horses are more suitable for comparison.

Both are daughters bred from the WinStar farm of the 1st champion Daredevil. Their joint success in the sport's biggest competition directly led to their father's return from the exodus after a season in Turkey. Both are known for their tenacious perseverance on the track, and both broke or threatened record time in the biggest victory.

Although it feels like they have been in direct competition as long as they stay in the national spotlight, Kenny McPeak intern Swiss skydiver and Brad Cox Barn’s Shedard Redwell only had two head-to-head encounters. And the series stand for one person to win one piece.

Swiss Skydiver won their first meeting in the Grade 3 Fantasy Stakes in Oaklawn Park, gazing at the Port of Venice during a long stretch battle, and Shedaresthedevil was the best among others, with 13 1/4 The length is behind third place.

"She is a huge mare," Cox said when evaluating the game. "They are definitely the two best mares of their generation, and they can be taken home by some world-class stallions."

Four months later, another Shedaresthedevil entered the gates of Churchill Downs and played for the Kentucky Oaks. The competitors were all sitting next to the pacesetter Gamine, but when it came time to make a statement, Shedaresthedevil's unhindered travel allowed Swiss Skydiver to chase the 1 1/8 mile bet record time.

"We didn't do anything different," McPeak said of the game against Shedaresthedevil. "We always run our races. They are two amazing little mares. In some ways, they have been consistent for a long time."

This seems to be a dream setting for two evenly matched athletes to reach the top of their department together, but after the Kentucky Oaks, life, time and travel plans took them in different directions.

Swiss Skydiver continues to be the third pony to win the Preakness Stakes in the past century, and runs faster than anyone outside the powerful Secretariat, bringing home the Eclipse prize of the champion 3-year-old pony and dabbling in Four points in the game with the boys. Shedaresthedevil positioned herself as a potential champion mare in 2021 and won Tier 1 victories in Kentucky and California.

Now, at the end of their respective 4 years of activities, both mares have been positioned as two big tents for auction on Tuesday at Fasig-Tipton in November. This may be the last time these two inextricably linked ponies occupy the same space in any similar game, and the kind of money they anticipate will make their racetrack wallet look like peanuts.

Shedaresthedevil became the headline news for Clement L. Hirsch, the first year of Del Mar.

In one corner, the cargo from Hunter Valley Farm is Hip 232, Shedaresthedevil.

Shedaresthedevil is a pony whose range deceives the eyes, until someone standing by her suddenly finds herself looking up, Shedaresthedevil in her muscular or slick coat does not imply that she is keeping up with the fiery score in Breeders' Then just delivered the off-road Cup Distaff and won the sixth place a few days ago.

At the Fasig-Tipton sales floor, she behaves calmly and professionally. She is a Gulf sports car.

Swiss skydiver and jockey Robby Albarado won Beholder in the 2020 3-year-old female mare champion's seasonal debut.

In the other corner, the cargo from Runnymede farm is Hip 264, Swiss Skydiver.

Shedaresthedevil is sleek and slender, while Swiss Skydiver is a strong chestnut. She has the compact hips and shoulders typical of a Johannesburg stallion, which makes it easy to understand why her network explores and competes with males.

After spending 60 days at Runnymede Farm and arriving at the sales floor, Swiss Skydiver's suppressed curiosity was lost in the time at the end of the calf. She calmly followed the click of the camera and the pace of nearby weaning, using her eyes and ears.

For these two mares, the road to the Fasig-Tipton auction has been brewing for many years.

Shedaresthedevil entered the Hunter Valley Farm track when this little mare was 2 years old, and crossed the ring as a race-aged horse at the 2019 Keeneland November Stallion Auction. She was proposed to dissolve the partnership between the Qatar Racing Team and Glencrest Farm. After selling it to Flurry Racing Stables for $280,000, the Qatar Racing Team continued as a partner and Big Aut Farms joined them.

Fergus Galvin of Hunter Valley said that Shedaresthedevil spent a few weeks at the farm in Versailles, Kentucky before the November auction, mainly competing on the West Coast. When the little horse needed a break at the end of the 2020 election campaign, she returned to the familiar land.

"She is so easy to be around," Calvin said. "She was like an old mare when she was on the farm. We put her in a nearby paddock so we can see her every day. She never worries and has an easygoing personality. You will never know that she is on the farm. These are worth keeping because she is too easy for herself. She knows this is relaxation time, and she makes the most of it."

With the extensive experience of Hunter Valley employees, there are not many surprises in the products offered on Tuesday. It's just a matter of getting her there in the first place. The usual Tex Sutton air freight was replaced by a FedEx charter flight, which meant that there were no direct flights from Southern California to Kentucky.

"It's definitely more inconvenient to return because they have to fly from Del Mar to Los Angeles International Airport, and that flight takes them to Memphis, and then they take a car from there," Calvin said. "It's been a long journey, but she handled it calmly, and her situation didn't get worse."

Shedaresthedevil arrived in Fasig Tipton from the 2021 Breeders' Cup.

Shedaresthedevil arrived at Newtown Paddocks in Fasig-Tipton at around 9pm on Sunday, 24 hours after she finished running in Distaff. She was greeted by three posters of herself larger than real people. These posters were scattered on the walls of Barn 7, along with a one-story LED display and a party tent to force potential buyers to stay for a while.

Marketing a big product in a November promotion is to grab the attention and shout their selling points on the roof. In their careers, everyone except the upper echelons of the sport has seen this spotlight.

When Cox saw the Shedaresthedevil exhibition on Tuesday night, it was nothing new to see his handicrafts scattered on the side of the building. A year ago, he went through a similar process with the champion Monomoy Girl, so this is not a novel experience, but Cox knows what the giant horse on the wall means to his career.

"It's nice to see that you have worked with horses and helped them develop and become part of the team, allowing them to get to this point," he said. "It kind of tells you that you have a good stock, you manage it in the right way and do this, which is really comforting. This is really cool."

On the other side of the property, Swiss Skydiver has a simpler display, but effective in its own way.

The Runnymede consignment has a wall-sized poster detailing the criss-cross of ponies' dominance on the map, but the real appeal is the other side of the consignment table: the cooler for the 2020 Preakness Stakes winner. There are as many posters as this kind of clothes.

Hip 246, Swiss skydiver, participating in the 2021 Fasig-Tipton November auction

Runnymede Farm has a decades-long relationship with owner Peter Callahan. Runnymede President Romain Malhouitre made a brief decision process when selling Callahan's best ponies.

"When I knew he was going to sell her, I asked him politely, and he replied that he had never thought of anyone other than Runnymede selling ponies for him," he said. "After the personal second lieutenant (in Saratoga on August 28), Kenny let her stay for a while, just to disappoint her and make sure everything is normal. She was very talkative when she retired. After that, she was three or four. Came here a week ago. We just put her in the paddock and let her enjoy the grass. She has been away from the racecourse for 60 days."

It is rare to pass the single-horse Runnymede cargo in Barn No. 1 without seeing a chestnut mare coming out to perform. Sometimes it is a serious seven-figure buyer, and others are just there taking pictures of the Eclipse winner, but Malhouitre says both are part of the plan.

"She has been very busy," he said. "That kind of mare, some people are embarrassed to pull her out, but Mr. Callahan and Mr. Kenny have always understood that we want to share her. We welcome everyone to come and see her.

"A special mare has a special demeanor," Malholt continued. "They know how to deal with pressure, they have a sense of presence. They just came out of the booth, they knew how important they are. If you see her in her racing time, it is the same in the paddock of the race. She is always calm. response."

Like Cox, McPeak gave his ponies the "Malaysian" treatment at the November auction. However, for some reasons, this is more difficult than most.

"I'm really proud of her," he said. "She is a great pony. When you set the standards like we set for her, it's hard to get such a pony away, but I also know it's a business matter. I finished my job. , I am very proud of the work we have done."

"The hardest part tonight will be my 6-year-old daughter," McPeak continued. "She is not happy that they might sell her. No matter who buys her, we must ask permission to see her."

On Tuesday night, the two little mares set foot on the auction floor nearly half an hour apart from each other.

Shedaresthedevil was the first person to enter the back lap, flanked by Cox and jockey Florent Geroux, each of them drove over from Louisville to watch the pony for sale.

The good show begins. Who can better prepare her than @bradcoxracing and @flothejock? @HunterValleyKY @FasigTiptonCo @Qatar_Racing @FahadAlthaniQR pic.twitter.com/oP1MmcCaaD

This is a walk that is different from the habit of any rider, but Cox said that for him, the assembly is not particularly stressful. Even the bet means that he may lose one of the best runners in his barn. one.

"To be honest, it's late, I have to drive back to Louisville to train tomorrow," he said with a smile. "I'm ready because I'm getting sleepy. I've been up since 4:30 this morning. This is definitely a moment of anxiety to see who ends up with her and what the plan is."

Shedaresthedevil dealt with the barking and chatter of the back ring as professionally as dealing with inspections, insisting on business and showing herself with her long body. For a horse that has not experienced sales for two years, she obviously has not lost the lessons she learned during sales preparation.

Shedaresthedevil entered the Fasig-Tipton sales circle at 8:17 pm Eastern time. The announcer Jesse Ullery gave a minute of contemplation on the pony as the fastest Kentucky Oaks winner in history. The bid price was US$1 million, and suddenly it exceeded US$3 million from the bidders around the pavilion. When the bidding price was as high as $5 million with almost no delay, this little mare stood upright like a statue.

When it reached 5 million U.S. dollars, and asked to stop answering, the hammer fell into the hands of the bidders behind. For the November auction, Fasig-Tipton sent a remote bidder on the outskirts of the outdoor pedestrian loop, and this ticket met Mandy Pope of Whisper Hill Farm and Alex Solis of Gainesway.

In the later stages of the sale, Solis formed a partnership to connect the Pope with Flurry Racing and the Qatar Racing Team, purchase the mare in a new partnership, and let her train with Cox.

"She is such an excellent horse racing, and she is beautiful," Pope said. "Her physique and mannerism remind me of Havre de Grace, so maybe we will have another horse of the year."

Before the pony stage, Cox expressed the hope that Shedaresthedevil will continue to receive training, thinking that she might leave something in the 2022 campaign.

"I think we left marks on the tires, you can tell," he said. "She is a very strong little mare. I won't say that we have surpassed her. We separated her races from the Breeders' Cup and Kentucky Oaks, and she always performed well."

The two little mares never formally crossed the trail on the Fasig-Tipton field, but soon after Shedaresthedevil was sold, Swiss Skydiver quickly set foot on the same field.

The Swiss skydiver was more excited than his opponent on the walking ring behind, staring into the pavilion every time he walked around the pavilion, and stood up when it was behind her.

However, when the lights came on, she became more focused. Standing in front of the auctioneer’s booth at 8:46 pm, the announcer Danny Green reminded people of the Swiss skydiver’s Preakness victory. And the excellent mare records of a few females. Feat.

Compared with the rapid ascent of Shedaresthedevil, Swiss Skydiver's time in the ring is more like a slow burning. Her opening price was $500,000, and she entered seven figures at a more moderate pace. She held $2.2 million at one time and then another $2.5 million. She gradually increased by $100,000 until she reached $3.5 million, when a new bidder appeared to the left of the pony.

Swiss Skydiver continues to climb steadily but controversially above US$4 million, and it seems she is ready to challenge Shedaresthedevil's US$5 million mark. When she approached 4.5 million dollars, the action began, and the pony's ears twitched as each bidder yelled. The drive was eventually discontinued at a price of US$4.7 million.

Hip 246, Swiss Skydiver, 2021 Fasig-Tipton November promotion

The bid reappeared in the back ring, giving people time to wonder whether the Pope had provided two Daredevil mares for her star-studded collection. The ticket eventually went to Katsumi Yoshida’s Northern Farm, a Japanese company famous for buying some of the top American mares at auction.

"We will definitely bring her back to Japan, but we have not yet decided who should report," said Shingo Hashimoto, who signed the ticket. "We will see what happens. We are very excited."

Runnymede Farm Chairman and CEO Brutus Clay III clapped his shoulders to celebrate Malhouitre after the hammer fell. This auction was an amazing success for Callahan, which acquired Swiss Skydiver through McPeek at the 2018 Keeneland September yearling auction for $35,000.

As prices steadily climbed, Malhoyt said that he was most concerned about the humble beginnings.

"I feel relieved," he said. "I am happy that the Callahan family trusted us to sell such beautiful horses, and I am happy for Kenny McPeak. We know how good he is as a judge to buy one-year-old horses, and let him do it again. , And bringing these horses to auction is incredible.

"You just don't want it to stop," he continued. "It went to the reserve and stopped a little bit, you want to know. Then it starts to find a rhythm, and you find that someone doesn't want to stop. This is a good feeling. Mr. Callahan has been in this business all his life. He has Such a beautiful horse, I only think of Mr. Callahan and his family."

After the last contact, Shedaresthedevil and Swiss Skydiver will once again embark on a completely different path. For Shedaresthedevil, it returned to life in the barn she knew. For Swiss Skydiver, this is a new life on the other side of the world.

If the bidding is the final score of this meeting, Shedaresthedevil is at the top of the list with $300,000-in Fasig-Tipton's seven-figure bonanza in November, the profit margin is relatively low. However, since the two original partners remain in Shedaresthedevil, the actual amount used for the transaction will depend on the shares in the new partnership between Pope, Flurry Racing and the Qatar Racing Team.

If someone wants to think that this person is too close based on this fact, it's hard to blame them.

These two Daredevil ponies acted as a deep-level spokesperson and created history in their own unique ways. It can be said that they ended their life series with a record of 1-1-1. For two rivals so evenly matched, it cannot end in any other way.

New to the Paulick report? Click here to sign up for our daily email newsletter to learn about this incident and other stories in the thoroughbred industry. Copyright © 2021 Polyk Report.