Fasig-Tipton NY-Bred Sale Sees Gains in Average, Median

Fasig-Tipton's Saratoga sale of New York-bred yearlings came to a close Aug. 12 with increases in both average and median over 2023, with a record-setting median of $86,500. The average of $104,920 is a 10% increase over last year. "The sale reflects the overall quality of the New York breeding program for both breeders and racers," said Boyd Browning Jr., the sales company's president and chief executive officer. "Our gross is down because we had too many horses in the sale last year; we had more horses than stalls. We cataloged 66 fewer horses this year, which is appropriate." Over the two sessions, 182 yearlings sold for a total of $19,095,500. Sixty-nine horses were not sold for an RNA of 28%. Trainer Chad Brown and owner Seth Klarman had to wait until nearly every horse had gone through the ring, but when the hammer fell on Hip 595, the son of Quality Road was theirs, for a sale-topping $370,000. Consigned by Winter Quarter Farm, agent, and bred by Waterville Lake Stable, the bay colt is out of the Hard Spun stakes winner Portmagee and the only colt among the three yearlings purchased by Klarman's Klaravich Stables at the sale. Klaravich also purchased Hips 503 and 583, both fillies by first-crop yearling sire Yaupon. "(Bloodstock agents) Mike and Mary (Ryan) did all the work for us here," said Brown. "Without them, we'd not have been able to get these horses. Mike thought that the (Quality Road) colt was the best in the sale, and we waited around all day for him. "Seth likes to support the New York-bred program, and the horses we bought were by proven stallions or exciting first-crop sires that could take us to open-company races but still have New York-bred options." After co-topping the Aug. 11 first session of the Fasig-Tipton sale of New York-bred yearlings with a $300,000 Constitution colt, West Bloodstock was back in action Tuesday, going again to $300,000 for Hip 486, a Connect filly from the consignment of Eaton Sales for Longford Farm. Like the two horses West purchased Sunday night, the filly will be owned by Repole Stable. The dark bay/brown filly is out of the 2011 Schuylerville Stakes (G3) winner Georgie's Angel and is a half brother to the late Cave Rock (Arrogate), a multiple grade 1 winner who earned $748,000 in a four-race career. Hip 486 was bred by Kathleen Burke Schweizer and Daniel J. Burke. "This filly was a no-brainer for us," said Ed Rosen, who is part of Mike Repole's bloodstock team. "She has a strong pedigree and residual value as a broodmare, and she's a nice individual. The whole team loved her." Owner Peter Proscia, his partners, and trainer Mike Maker have teamed up for multiple wins at Saratoga Race Course this summer, and they struck at the sale for a Yaupon colt (Hip 485) out of the multiple stakes-winning mare Frostie Anne (Frost Giant), who retired with earnings of more than $500,000. Maker admitted that the $275,000 the colt from the Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent, brought was higher than he'd anticipated. "But I guess everybody says that, don't they?" he said. The price was the highest for a yearling at the sale by Yaupon, whose 10 offspring sold brought an average of $169,000. "He looks like he stamped his foals," said Maker, "and we're glad to bring one home." Bred by Rockridge Stud, Saratoga Glen Farm, and Beal's Racing Stable, the Hip 485 sold as a weanling for $120,000 to Good Luck Farm out of Vinery Sales' consignment at the Fasig-Tipton New York Fall Mixed Sale. Other first-crop yearling sires Tacitus and Maxfield made an impression on the market, with three by Maxfield selling for an average of $193,333 and eight by Tacitus for an average of $97,375. Hip 420, a Maxfield filly, brought $260,000 from Filly Special, with Marette Farrell signing the ticket. "She's an absolutely phenomenal physical, really light on her feet," said Farrell. "She had the same energy every time I saw her, which I always like. Her pedigree is something everybody would want, and we think Maxfield is going to be a very good stallion." Consigned by Thorndale Farm, agent, the filly was bred by Eaton and Thorne. Out of Cabales (Pulpit), she's a half sibling to graded stakes winner Run Away ($373,333). Joe Migliore signed two tickets on behalf of partnerships, one for a proven stallion, one from the first crop of Tacitus. Adelphi Racing Club, Steven Rocco, and RT Racing paid $230,000 for Hip 459, a Tacitus colt out of stakes-placed Dreamed to Dream (Deputy Wild Cat) that is a half brother to four six-figure earners, including the multiple stakes winner Dream Central (Central Banker) and multiple graded-placed stakes winner Dreamalildreamofu (Commissioner). Adelphi Racing Club partnered with Chief Horse Futures on Hip 570, paying $270,000 for the son of Not This Time (Giant's Causeway) out of the Medaglia d'Oro stakes-placed winner My Galino, whose second dam is the multiple grade 1 winner and millionaire Stellar Jayne. "We got outrun on some other colts," said Migliore, "and to land such a nice horse at the end of the sale—we're all happy. There's a lot of competition for the right horses; even ones we thought we could get for a value price, we struggled. To get the one you want, you do have to step (up) that little extra bit."