Cover image courtesy of Fasig-Tipton

Courtesy of TDN America

At A Glance

>> An American Pharoah (USA) colt topped the second day of the Sale when he changed hands for US$1.25 million (AU$1.72 million) .

>> The 348 lots sold for US$61,765,000 (AU$85 million) at an average of US$177,486 (AU$244,226) and median of US$120,000 (AU$165,000).

>> Fasig-Tipton President and Chief Executive Officer Boyd Browning Jnr paid tribute to his team and to all breeders and vendors for entrusting them with their yearlings.

Business brisk

The two-day Fasig-Tipton sale drew to a close with solid enough trade, especially on flashier offerings, given the global uncertainty leading up to the first major yearling sale in the year of COVID-19.

The auction, necessitated by the cancellation of the July, Saratoga and New York-bred sales, featured 348 transactions for gross receipts of US$61,765,000 (AU$85 million) at an average of US$177,486 (AU$244,226) and median of US$120,000 (AU$165,000). The buy-back rate was 33.7 per cent.

The sale topper came on Wednesday when Robbie Medina, bidding on behalf of Joe Allen, went to US$1.5 million (AU$2,063,000) to acquire a regally-bred Quality Road (USA) filly from the Hill ‘N’ Dale Sales Agency consignment.

“I would like to thank the 662 people who own horses and entrusted them with us in a sale that had never been done before. That is one of the greatest compliments you could ever expect, when they entrust something of value to you,” said Fasig-Tipton President and Chief Executive Officer Boyd Browning Jnr.

“We demonstrated viability in the marketplace. It is not easy. We all know nothing is easy right now. It’s selective. You’ve heard me say a thousand times over the last 30 years it is selective, but there is viability and there is hope. I have to take my hat off to my team.”

Watch: Boyd Browning Jnr speak about the Sale

Spirited bidding

A son of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah (USA), consigned by Denali Stud on behalf of Bayne and Christina Welker, was the first to set off fireworks on the closing day.

He ignited a spirited round of bidding between a trio of powerhouse connections in Donato Lanni, Coolmore and Marette Farrell, acting on behalf of Speedway Stables. Lanni was the first to throw in the towel, leaving Coolmore and Farrell to duke it out and it was the latter left to sign the winning ticket on behalf of Speedway Stables’ KC Weiner and Peter Fluor.

“KC Weiner and Peter Fluor are two of the best owners a person could possibly have,” said Farrell, who was shocked to find out she had outbid the Coolmore team. “They are game. They are very successful in their own business world and they apply all of those principles to our little horse world.

“They have done very well so far. They love being part of the game. They love working with Bob Baffert.”

The colt was bred by the Welkers, who purchased the dam Swingit (USA) (Victory Gallop {USA}) for US$50,000 (AU$69,000) in foal to Bodemeister (USA) at the 2016 Keeneland November Sale. Already the dam of millionaire Neolithic (USA) (Harlan’s Holiday {USA}) at that time, her second foal for the Welkers was new ‘TDN Rising Star’ Travel Column (USA) (Frosted {USA}), who was purchased by Larry Best for US$850,000 (AU$1.17 million) at last term’s Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale.

“We just thought he was an absolutely stunning horse,” Farrell said. “We were the underbidder on his half-sister last year, who was the ‘TDN Rising Star.’ We had seen this horse on the farm and knew how much his connections thought of him and Bob Baffert, who is going to train him, loved him.

“I was on the phone with KC Weiner, who coached me through this. We are thrilled to get him. We think he is a really special horse and it looks like the mare has already produced a couple of very good horses. He fits what Speedway wants and what Bob Baffert is looking for.”

The American Pharoah colt had originally been targeted to sell at the cancelled Saratoga sale, but the extra time may have helped the yearling.

“It was pretty stressful. He was originally going to go to Saratoga, but the extra time was actually good for him,” Christina Welker said. “He is a May foal and he was really immature for a long time. We had to let him mature himself.

“There is nothing you can do to make him look good against January foals except time. So really COVID-19 might have been a help to give him that extra month.”

Watch: Marette Farrell speaks about her purchase

More Mischief

Into Mischief (USA) has been very good to SF, Starlight Racing and Madaket Stables (the original ownership group), providing them with last weekend’s GI Kentucky Derby hero Authentic (USA). The team’s bloodstock agent Donato Lanni was back in action for another son of that red hot Spendthrift stallion, going to US$800,000 (AU$1.1 million) for the colt.

“There are some new partners in this deal this year,” said Lanni. “SF, Sol Kumin and Starlight are all great guys. This year we spent a month looking at horses at the farms, myself, Tom Ryan and Caroline [Walsh].

“He was a horse we saw at Indian Creek and we quite liked him. He is a very athletic horse. He looked like Practical Joke, an early, fast horse. Those are the kinds of horses we try to buy.”

The youngster is out of Blind Copy (USA) (Distorted Humor {USA}), a sister to the stakes winner Lucky Foilie (USA).

On Wednesday, it was Spendthrift Farm and MyRacehorse, later additions to the ownership group of Saturday’s GI Kentucky Derby winner Authentic, who took home a pricey Into Mischief colt, and on Thursday it was Authentic’s original owners’ turn to grab two sons of the Spendthrift Farm stalwart.

Acting on behalf of the powerful partnership of SF, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Lanni went to US$560,000 (AU$770,000) to secure the son of stakes winner Twice The Lady (USA) (Quiet American {USA}).

“He’s an Into Mischief, we got lucky with him last weekend,” Lanni said. “He’s got everything we’re looking for. We’re happy with the price and happy that we’re here shopping.”

When asked to describe him physically, Baffert’s go-to agent said, “This horse is going to change so much from now to next year when we go to the races with him. Hopefully, he stays the way we want him to stay. He’s just got to put the tack on now.”

WinStar General Manager David Hanley offered: “He’s a really nice horse, bred to go two turns. He’s got plenty size, and plenty of Into Mischief kind of muscle tone–strength. He’s a very nice horse. We’re happy with the price.”

WinStar paid US$350,000 (AU$481,062) for Twice The Lady at the 2013 Fasig-Tipton November sale.

While SF, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables were quiet during the first session, they sprung into action on Thursday, acquiring seven colts for a combined US$2,820,000 (AU$3.88 million).

They also purchased youngsters by Union Rags (USA), Twirling Candy (USA), Uncle Mo (USA), Maclean’s Magic (USA), More Than Ready (USA) and Empire Maker (USA).

Violence colt to Allen

Medina continued adding yearlings to Joe Allen’s racing stable when he signed the ticket at US$550,000 (AU$756,000) to acquire a colt by Violence (USA) from the Gainesway consignment. The chestnut colt is out of Antics (USA) (Unbridled {USA}) and is a half-brother to sprint champion Covfefe (USA) (Into Mischief {USA}).

“He’s a beautiful colt and half-brother to a champion,” Medina said of the yearling’s appeal. “Helen Alexander bred him and she breeds a great horse. He’s everything you would want in a new horse.”

Medina, long-time assistant to trainer Shug McGaughey and now general manager at Guinness McFadden’s Blackwood Stables, made the Showcase’s highest bid when going to US$1.5 million (AU$2,062,000) to acquire a colt by Quality Road (USA) for Allen during Wednesday’s first session of the two-day auction.

“Reeve McGaughey and I are helping look for Joe here,” Medina said. “Reeve is Shug’s daughter and I worked for Shug for 25 years, so it’s pretty easy to deal with. I love looking at horses and bidding on them. The colt will go to Blackwood until the first of December and then to Florida.”

Alexander said she was happy with Thursday’s sale, especially in light of the uncertain market conditions.

“It’s hard to have outsized expectations right now in this kind of marketplace,” Alexander said. “Without having a lot of the principals here who can sometimes egg on their agents, there is less momentum. The nice horses are selling well, though. That’s always the case.”

Gun filly secured

Trainer Jeremiah Englehart, bidding on behalf of a partnership headed by Richard Nicolai’s Fortune Farm and It’s All About the Girls Stable, went to US$500,000 (AU$687,770) to acquire a filly from the first crop of champion Gun Runner (USA).

Consigned by Gainesway, the filly is out of stakes placegetter Divine Dawn (USA) (Divine Park {USA}), a full-sister to graded winner Divine Miss Grey (USA).

“The first time that Travis [Durr] and I saw her, she just gave us the impression that she was a nice filly,” Englehart said. “She was later in the sale, so we had some other horses that we were looking at, but it worked out that we were able to buy her.

“I was a little nervous that she might go a little higher. We’re really excited to get a group of people together, Fortune Farm, It’s all About the Girls, Bob Hahn and Eric Johnson and other partners that were involved in a really special filly before and it’s kind of cool to be able to keep them together and have something to look forward to next year.

“I’ve liked what I’ve seen so far from Gun Runner. He was one of my favourite racehorses, just watching him. I liked how he developed from early on his career to later on, he ended up being much better as a 4 and 5-year-old then he was as a 3-year-old.

“I’d like to see my horses develop like that, too. They don’t have to all be first-time out winners. It’s nice to see them develop over a whole career.”

Ruis buys out partner

Mick Ruis partnered up with Christian Black on a mare named Amber Romance (Ire) (Bahamian Bounty {GB}), who Black picked out at Tattersalls March for 200,000 gns (AU$382,000) with a Kingman (GB) filly in utero.

Ruis liked the resulting filly so much, he decided he had to have her and bought out his partner for US$500,000 (AU$687,770).

“I was in partnership with Christian Black,” Ruis said. “He bought the mare when he went to Europe. I just bought out the partnership and will race her.

“She is beautiful. We have a Hard Spun weanling also. It is pretty rare that we are able to get this family in the first place.”