US$6.2 million Streak Of Luck tops Fasig-Tipton November Sale

Cover image courtesy of Fasig-Tipton

The Fasig-Tipton November Sale, led by the US$6.2 million (AU$9.5 million) Streak of Luck (Old Fashioned), produced strong results with increases in average and median over its 2024 renewal during its single session Monday in Lexington.

A rational market

“The market was very, very good, but it's still rational,” Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning said. “I think that's one of the things that we've seen in recent years during the November sale that there is still a sense of rationality to it. The buyers are demanding. You have to have the proper combination of pedigree and conformation, being by the right horse and the right physical, whether it's a mare or if it's a baby. But it's a very fair market overall.”

A total of 138 horses sold Monday for US$102,027,000 (AU$156 million). The average rose 35.4% to US$739,326 (AU$1.13 million) and the median was up 20.0% to US$300,000 (AU$460,000). In 2024, 172 horses sold for US$93,948,500 (AU$144 million) for an average of US$546,212 (AU$838,000) and median of US$250,000 (AU$383,000).

A total of 27 horses sold for seven figures Monday, up from 25 a year ago.

“There was tremendous support from international buyers,” Browning said. “I think it was probably very surprising to see the extent and the depth of the support from international buyers.”

With 40 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate was 22.5%.

“There is no euphoria,” Browning continued. “It's not like everything that walked in there brought three times what anybody was expecting. Sellers were pretty aggressive with setting reserves in some spots because, with the nature of this sale, there are alternatives for some of these horses. It's not like the men and women who owned them had to sell them tonight. They have some opportunities to go back to the racetrack or to breed them.”

Harron adds to broodmare portfolio

James Harron’s broodmare partnership struck on Monday night at the Fasig-Tipton November Sale, where they secured Youalmosthadme (Oxbow) for US$300,000 (AU$460,000) from the ELiTE consignment. The partnership has enjoyed plenty of success, including recently selling a Snitzel colt out of Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale-sourced Fashion Faux Pas (USA) (Flatter {USA}) for $1.7 million at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, then selling the mare in foal to Snitzel for $1.15 million to Coolmore Stud.

Youalmosthadme is the winner of six races to date, including three at Listed level as a juvenile before adding another stakes race at three. The Northern Hemisphere 4-year-old was the winner of the Listed Kentucky Juvenile Stakes, the first juvenile stakes race of the season at Churchill Downs, at her second start and has placed several times at Graded level.

As a yearling, Youalmosthadme was a U$12,000 (AU$18,400) purchase for John A Hancock from Pope McLean (Crestwood Farm) at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

AMO Racing fires late with US$6.2 million final bid for dam of Ted Noffey

With just a handful of offerings left to go through the ring at Monday's Fasig-Tipton November Sale, the crowd had thinned out noticeably. However, those that remained solidly planted in their seats in the main pavilion were clearly several of the game's biggest hitters.

All of them were waiting for the star attraction, Streak Of Luck, the dam of recent G1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner and 2026 Kentucky Derby favourite Ted Noffey (Into Mischief). She was supplemented to the November sale in mid-October, and was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency on behalf of Aaron and Marie Jones LLC. The Joneses had purchased her in foal to Authentic for US$620,000 (AU$951,000) at the 2021 Keeneland November Sale.

Offered as Hip 220 in the supplemental catalogue in foal to Not This Time, the 10-year-old mare realised the highest price of the day with a US$6.2 million final bid from Ben McElroy, bidding on behalf of AMO Racing.

Throughout the robust bidding that bounded past the US$3 million mark (AU$4.6 million) in a blink of the eye, McElroy, seated in the main pavilion with a phone planted squarely to his cheek, gave the signal that suggested his team would not be letting up any time soon.

“Kia Joorabchian and the AMO team really wanted this one,” McElroy confirmed.

Also staying on until the end of the session for the grey mare, Spendthrift Farm's Ned Toffey, the namesake of Ted Noffey, engaged McElroy on the mare as did the Ace Stud team, who were extremely active at the top end of Monday's buying activity.

“We had to wait around and I knew by who was waiting around that it was going to be extremely strong,” said McElroy. “She was probably the one that came in with all the momentum. She has the (presumptive) champion 2-year-old colt and the Kentucky Derby future favourite. (Ted Noffey) is a great looking horse.”

Out of Graded stakes winner Lindsay Jean (Saint Ballado), the grey mare produced a filly by Munnings in 2024, which was sold to Repole Stable for US$425,000 (AU$652,000) at Keeneland September, and a colt by Into Mischief earlier this season.

“She'll go to Archie St George's Brookstone Farm and foal her out,” said McElroy. “(Taylor Made's) Frank Taylor just asked me if she'd go back to (Not This Time). I thought the hardest part was just trying to get her.”

Spendthrift Farm, who stands Into Mischief, purchased Ted Noffey for US$650,000 (AU$997,000) at last year's Keeneland September Sale.

“She was a good-looking mare and he made our list as a yearling,” recalled McElroy of Ted Noffey. “Unfortunately, we weren't smart enough to buy him. She is a young mare in foal to a great stallion. Frank told me that the (Into Mischief) foal is a super star, so when you get a mare like that and a horse like that, and add in a great cover, people will line up for them. I wouldn't say she is cheap but she is a good long-term investment.”

Puca the first to US$5 Million at Night Of The Stars

A hush fell over the Fasig-Tipton sales pavilion with the entry into the ring of Hip 135, the reigning Broodmare of the Year Puca (Big Brown), who was being consigned by Elite Sales on behalf of Resolute Racing’s John Stewart.

Announcer Jesse Ullery ticked off an impressive list of stats prior to the start of bidding: the better than 400 Classics that had taken place since a broodmare had produced multiple winners of Triple Crown races; the 17 years that had transpired since a champion broodmare had been offered at public auction.

After a protracted bidding duel that took place inside the pavilion–one bidding entity downstairs to the auctioneer's left and one in the balcony looking straight at Puca–the tote read US$5 million (AU$7.7 million).

The ticket was signed by Paul Curran representing Ace Stud, an affiliate of Yulong Investments who stand dual Group 1 winner Shaquille (Ire) near Newmarket. Curran signed the ticket in the name of the Raging Torrent Syndicate, named for the dual Grade 1 winner who retired earlier this year to Lane's End.

Curran announced that the group will stand multiple Group 1 winner Carl Spackler (Ire) (Lope de Vega {Ire}) at Lane's End beginning in 2026. The nursery's David Ingordo confirmed the news and said that further details would be forthcoming.

“Just traveled over here trying to support our two stallions we just retired to Lane's End, Raging Torrent and Carl Spackler,” Curran said. “We are thrilled to pick up one of the best broodmares at the moment. We're thrilled, really excited.”

Of Puca herself, he said, “you just look at her page and what she's produced. Dam of a Kentucky Derby winner and a three-time Group 1-producing mare. Anywhere you go in the world, she's a phenomenal, phenomenal mare. It's really, really special now that she's ours.”

Curran was a bit surprised–ostensibly happily so–with the final price.

“To be fair, I thought it would be a little bit more,” he said. “We were kind of watching and waiting to see what we'd do and she fell at the right point. Just really excited we could get our hands on a mare of such quality, she's something else.”

Curran indicated that Puca would remain stateside.

“We'll definitely look at all the options, maybe breed her to one of our own stallions in the future, but she'll definitely stay in the United States.”

Ace Stud also signed the ticket on Hip 124, the unraced broodmare prospect Mylinda's Grey (More Than Ready), a half-sister to Puca who was knocked down for US$575,000 (AU$778,00), and Hip 145, the G3 Honeymoon Stakes winner Selenaia (Ire) (Sea The Moon {Ger}), for US$1.2 million (AU$1.84 million). That 5-year-old mare was offered in foal to Not This Time.

'What a trip': Shisospicy stays with Morplay

Shisospicy (Mitole) (Hip 147) has taken the Morplay Racing team on the ride of lifetime, culminating with her win in the G1 Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint Saturday and the operation's founder Rich Mendez decided he's not ready to let the ride end just yet, buying out partner Qatar Racing on the 3-year-old filly for US$5.2 million (AU$7.98 million) Monday at Fasig-Tipton.

“I kind of told the guys I probably would have bought her back no matter what,” Mendez said. “It's just sentimental value. When we went to the Breeders' Cup, I kept telling the guys she doesn't owe us anything. What a trip she's taken us on. She will stay with us, probably for the rest of her life.”

Mendez said the filly will remain with trainer Jose D'Angelo and be prepared for a 2026 campaign.

“The plan is to give her some time off,” Mendez. “It will be the same kind of campaign that we did this year. Find the right spots that Jose and the team think that she can compete at–which may be Australia or Japan, but I'm not exactly sure I want to do that. But it's just finding the right spots for her.”

Reflecting on Saturday's Breeders' Cup victory, Mendez said, “I am in the music business. I've been nominated for nine Grammys, Billboard awards, but to win that on Saturday was bigger than that. It was an amazing feeling.”

Just F Y I gets Northern Farm on the sheets

Eclipse Award-winning fillies have obvious appeal to a wide swath of buyers, but Japanese clients of Fasig-Tipton have made it something of a habit to come out on top when those sorts of prospects come to market.

The latest to catch the fancy was George Krikorian's 2023 champion 2-year-old filly Just F Y I (Justify), who was hammered down for US$4.5 million (AU$6.9 million) to Shingo Hashimoto on behalf of Katsumi Yoshida's Northern Farm as the Fasig-Tipton Night of the Stars reached the halfway stage. For good measure, the daughter of the stakes-placed Star Act (Street Cry {Ire}) was sold on a May cover to the all-conquering Into Mischief.

“George (Krikorian) decided to sell her,” bloodstock advisor Donato Lanni commented on behalf of the mare's breeder. “She's a homebred that he's had two generations of the family (which he bred). With the market being as hot as it was, he decided to sell her.

“I thought something like that was going to happen. You never know where it's going to land, but with the September market being so strong for the high-end stock, nothing surprises me. The good stock always rises to the top. She's a collector's item.”

“She was a 2-year-old champion and 2-year-old champion mares do very well in Japan,” said Hashimoto. “She looked gorgeous, she has a very nice pedigree, she's in foal to Into Mischief, so she clicked all the boxes that we wanted.”

Hashimoto said Just F Y I made a striking impression physically and is the right sort of mare for Japan.

“She's a very big mare with a very good frame,” he said. “I think she would match any type of stallion in Japan, so we have to decide who to send to her.”

Naturally, Hashimoto slightly lamented the hammer price, but was ultimately willing to take his medicine.

“Of course it would have been better if we could have bought her a little cheaper, but she's one of those horses that was going to be very expensive,” he said. “It's a tough market. I am kind of relieved we got one mare at the beginning. I assume it will be a tough market, so we'll see how it goes.”

Japanese buyers were an active force throughout the November sale, with Katsumi Yoshida signing the docket for six mares for a total of US$14.9 million (AU$22.9 million), including Tenma (Nyquist) for US$3.2 million (AU$4.9 million). Shadai Farm, Hidetoshi Yamamoto, and Haruya Yoshida also took home seven-figure purchases.