By Jessica Martini, TDN
Tuesday's Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale set records for gross, average and median. The 2025 Midlantic May sale was upended by a series of rainy days, which more than once forced the postponement of the under-tack show which ultimately concluded Sunday with a session of untimed gallops.
Originally scheduled to be held over two sessions, the auction was condensed into Tuesday's marathon single session.
“Extraordinary circumstances and at the end of the day, an extraordinary sale,” Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning said at the conclusion of a 12-hour renewal of the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale which, seemingly against all odds, set records for gross, average and median.
“Extraordinary circumstances and at the end of the day, an extraordinary sale.” - Boyd Browning
“Saturday afternoon after we had a meeting with our consignors, no one would have predicted the average would be up over 40 per cent, and we would have grossed over $40 million,” Browning said.
“The RNA rate was slightly higher than last year, but the percentage of horses sold out of those catalogued was higher. So basically, from every statistical performance, it was a remarkable horse sale. I think it shows the resilience of the consignors and the buyers.”
Boyd Browning | Image courtesy of Fasig-Tipton
In all, 326 horses sold Tuesday for a gross of US$44,192,500 (AU$68 million), eclipsing the previous record of US$37,297,500 (AU$57 million) set in 2022. The average of US$135,560 (AU$210,000) represented a 42.1 per cent increase from the highwater mark of US$95,425 (AU$147,000) set last year, while the median of US$60,000 (AU$93,000) rose 20 per cent from last year's record-tying US$50,000 (AU$77,500).
Four horses sold for seven figures during the sale, led by a US$1.1 million (AU$1.7 million) daughter of Girvin (USA) who was purchased by the partnership of AMO Racing and Memo Racing. Just one horse hit the million-dollar mark a year ago and the 21 horses who sold for US$500,000 (AU$775,000) or more on Tuesday dwarfed the seven who reached that milestone a year ago.
“This is going to be a sale that you say to yourself, I remember I was there,” bloodstock agent Donato Lanni said after signing for the final million-dollar horse of the sale just after 9 p.m.Tuesday night.
“A top 10, I remember, I was there. The Fasig team has done a great job with what was handed to them. And I applaud their perseverance. It's not easy to call the shots with this weather. The sale was really strong. Every time I looked up, there was a horse selling for a lot of money. It's been a great sale.”
AMO, Memo team for $1.1-million Girvin
Kia Joorabchian's AMO Racing and the newly-formed partnership Memo Racing teamed up to purchase the US$1.1-million (AU$1.7 million) sale-topping filly by Girvin (USA) (Hip 368) Tuesday in Timonium. The filly was the third seven-figure juvenile of the one-session auction and the second from Ciaran Dunne's Wavertree Stables consignment.
Bloodstock agent Kerri Radcliffe, who purchased a pair of million-dollar colts on behalf of Memo at last month's OBS Spring sale, stood alongside Joorabchian's team during bidding on the filly.
Hip 368 - Girvin (USA) x Scarlet Dixie (USA) | Image courtesy of Fasig-Tipton
“(AMO agent) Alex Elliott and myself bought her for Memo and AMO racing, so get the Memo with AMO,” Radcliffe said with a grin. “She's going to go to Chad Brown.”
It was a first-time partnership for the two owners. “Hopefully the first of many,” Radcliffe said. “Obviously, I know Kia from home and I've done a bit of work for him and we said this was the best filly in the sale. Memo has only been buying colts, so we needed to get a filly and this was the filly.”
The dark bay filly, who worked a furlong in a co-fastest :10 1/5 during last week's preview, is out of Scarlet Dixie (USA) (Broken Vow {USA}).
“I don't think Kia was stopping to be honest,” Radcliffe said of the bidding. “And I am delighted to buy off Wavertree. I've bought two Grade I winners off of them. Hopefully this is the third time lucky.”
Kerri Radcliffe | Image courtesy of Keeneland
Bred by Twin Oaks Bloodstock, the filly sold for US$180,000 (AU$279,000) as a weanling at the 2023 Keeneland November sale before being purchased by Dunne on behalf of a pinhooking partnership for US$240,000 (AU$372,000) at last year's Keeneland September sale.
“We loved that filly from the day we saw her,” Dunne said. “She's never done anything but get better and reinforce the opinion we had of her. Thankfully, we weren't the only ones who felt that way. (The result) was beyond our expectations. Hopefully she can reward them.”
“She's (Hip 368) never done anything but get better and reinforce the opinion we had of her. Thankfully, we weren't the only ones who felt that way.” - Ciaran Dunne
The filly was the first seven-figure sales result for Airdrie Stud's Girvin. Asked if he would have expected the same result if, instead of a bullet work, the juvenile had been part of the day of gallops Sunday, Dunne admitted, “I don't know. We probably wouldn't have gotten as much, but I think we would have gotten close. I think we have to give the buyers a little bit of credit. She was stunning physically on the end of the shank. Yes, she put the time up, but she had to back it up when they went to the barn. I don't think we could have hid her under a stone.”
Violence colt makes four million-dollar juveniles
“I called Vito's to make sure the kitchen would still be open,” bloodstock agent Donato Lanni quipped shortly after making the fourth seven-figure purchase of the day just as the Midlantic sale hit its 11-hour mark Tuesday in Timonium.
Lanni acquired a colt by Violence (USA) (Hip 544) for US$1.05 million (AU$1.6 million) on behalf of Amr Zedan. He was consigned by Top Line Sales and was the highest-priced horse from Sunday's gallop-only session of the sale's under-tack preview.
“We loved this horse,” Lanni said. “He sold himself. And he is just a specimen of a horse–an amazing-looking horse. It's hard to find a horse who looks like that.”
The chestnut colt is out of A Taste of Red (USA) (Street Boss {USA}) and is a half-brother to stakes-placed Microcap (USA) (Wicked Strong {USA}). While several horses who took to the track Sunday did put in un-timed breezes, hip 544 had a pure gallop, according to Top Line's Torie Gladwell.
“We loved this horse, He (Hip 544) sold himself. And he is just a specimen of a horse–an amazing-looking horse. It's hard to find a horse who looks like that.” - Donato Lanni
“He galloped in :14,” Gladwell said, before comparing the colt to the consignment's $2 million (AU$3.1 million) graduate Muth (USA) (Good Magic {USA}) and $2.3 million (AU$3.6 million) Arabian Knight (USA) (Uncle Mo {USA}), both purchased by Zedan.
“I put this horse in the Muth and Arabian Knight category,” Gladwell said. “We only sell a couple of those horses every year. Last year, we didn't have one. This year, we were blessed and we had maybe two of them. This is one of them. And the Uncle Mo that we sold for $975,000 today was the other one. I think if they were both able to breeze at OBS on a good track and really demonstrate how special they are, they would be in that $2-million range.
“I loved the safety for the horses, but that's why I felt like those top buyers who are looking for those three best horses of the year, like Zedan, need the breeze show. And they are not going to be able to find those top, top colts and spend the $2 million, $3 million, $4 million if we don't have a breeze show.”
Hip 544 - Violence (USA) x A Taste Of Red | Image courtesy of Fasig-Tipton
The colt was purchased for US$280,000 (AU$434,000) at last year's Keeneland September sale.
“He was in a pinhooking package with a couple of our guys and they are ecstatic,” Gladwell said. “They are ecstatic, but I am disappointed at heart because I know that's the kind of horse that should bring more money.”
