Fasig-Tipton's The July Sale—the first yearling sale on the calendar in North America—takes place July 8 in Lexington, with a special emphasis on showcasing the progeny of sires whose first crops are yearlings.
Spendthrift Farm's Jackie's Warrior leads the first-crop yearling sires entered in the July Sale by weanling average for the 2024 sales season. He ranked No. 3 overall, with a $167,409 average—highlighted by a top price of $385,000 for a colt out of Taking Aim who is a half brother to graded stakes winner Taking Candy and graded-placed Rascality.
The son of Maclean's Music was a grade 1 winner from 2 to 4, breaking a 28-year-old stakes record in the 2020 Hopeful Stakes (G1), and winning the 2021 Eclipse award for champion male sprinter at 3.
He will be represented by six yearlings at the upcoming July sale, including Hip 46, a filly out of the stakes-placed mare Double Blessed, who will be consigned by Gainesway, agent. Double Blessed is a half sister to grade 1 winner Victory to Victory and 2024 Whitney Stakes (G1) winner Arthur's Ride.
"I like the Jackie's Warriors," said Brian Graves of Gainesway Farm. "I first noticed it in the November sale last year when we were shopping for weanlings to bring back as yearlings. I didn't get my hands on a lot of them, because they were really well received and brought a lot of money.
"He's stamping his progeny. A lot of them look similar—good shoulders, kind of long necks, and plenty of hip. He's really kind of stamping the same mold of a horse."
Epicenter , who stands at Ashford Stud, ranked fourth overall for first-crop sires by weanling average in 2024, with 21 head selling for $2,575,000, with an average of $122,619. The son of Not This Time won the 2022 Travers Stakes (G1), Louisiana Derby (G2), Risen Star Stakes (G2), and Jim Dandy Stakes (G2), and finished runner-up in both the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness Stakes (G1), propelling him to 2022 champion 3-year-old male.
He has two entries in the sale, hips 21 and 61. Hip 21 is a colt out Sweet Love, who is a full sister to graded stakes winner Adventist, consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent.
Hip 61 is the first foal of the Medaglia d'Oro mare Ha' Penny. The filly was a $43,000 purchase at the 2024 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale by III Beautys Thoroughbreds. The bay filly will be consigned by Four Star Sales, agent.
"She's athletic, quick-looking; I think she would fit into a lot of folks' programs," Four Star Sales' Kerry Cauthen said of Hip 61. "The Epicenters I've seen have been very nice. I think she's a great representation.
"They were able to purchase her fairly well (as a weanling), and I think they'll be well rewarded."
Ashford Stud's Golden Pal , who is by the late elite sire Uncle Mo and out of the graded stakes-winning mare Lady Shipman, proved to be in great demand in 2024, averaging $107,582 from 33 weanlings sold. He was well represented by top prices of $325,000, $290,000, and $250,000.
A Breeders' Cup winner at 2 and 3, the Wesley Ward trainee earned $1,825,131 in his three-year career.
Seven yearlings by Golden Pal are slated to go through the ring at the July sale including Hip 42, a colt bred in Kentucky by Don Alberto, the same entity who bred this year's Preakness winner and Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes (G1) runner-up Journalism.
He is out of the graded stakes-placed and multiple stakes-winning Curlin mare Bonita Bianca. He will be consigned by Denali Stud.
"This colt (Hip 42) was bred by Don Alberto Corporation, who's obviously had some tremendous success recently with some progeny that are out of mares by Uncle Mo with the likes of Journalism and Muth," said Conrad Bandoroff of Denali Stud. "They breed a really good horse and this is a colt that is a little bit more in the Uncle Mo type. He has a little bit of scope and some size, but very smooth, very correct, good-moving horse.
"He has a lot of athleticism, and we think people are going to like him when we see him on the sales grounds."
Tommy Eastham of Legacy Bloodstock brings a draft of eight yearlings to the sale, five of them by first-crop sires.
Hip 2, a colt by Gun Runner son Cyberknife and out of the Tapit mare Part of the Charm, will be consigned by Legacy Bloodstock, agent for Spendthrift Farm. Part of the Charm is a full sister to graded stakes winner Dancinginherdreams and graded stakes-placed Good Pick Nick. She is the dam of five foals to race, all winners, including stakes-placed Schilflied and Bankruptonthebeach.
"Gun Runner looks like he's going to be a sire of sires," Eastham said. "Cyberknife was a very mentally strong horse, really fast. I think they're going to be the same, they're really fast-looking, and sound.
"This horse (Hip 2) has only been showing a couple hours now, but as you can see, he is willing to work, he'll show up. Classy horse. He's got a good length of neck. He's got a strong body, but he's also got a little length of forearm under him."
Cyberknife, who stands at Spendthrift, is represented by 11 entries in the sale.
Eastham also brings Hip 39, a colt by Gainesway's Drain the Clock , a stallion he said he has been very impressed with. The son of Maclean's Music defeated Jackie's Warrior in the 2021 Woody Stephens Stakes (G1).
"I'm a big fan of Drain the Clock," Eastham said. "This horse (Hip 39) is a really strong-made horse, a beautiful body, a lot of bone.
"Drain the Clock, for me so far, has been a very successful first-crop sire."
Eastham sold a Drain the Clock weanling colt at the 2024 Keeneland November sale for $110,000.
"There's been a strong, strong return for the breeders," he said.
Graves, who will consign two yearlings by the stallion, echoed that statement.
"He's another stallion that's stamping his crop. We have some in this consignment, and I've seen a few walking around at Paramount. It's always a good sign when you see a horse putting a good enough stamp on them to have a lot of progeny in a select yearling sale."
