By Jessica Martini
LEXINGTON, KY-The Fasig-Tipton October Yearlings Sale produced its strongest session of the week Wednesday at Newtown Paddocks, bringing its cumulative figures within striking distance of its 2022 record levels. Through three sessions, 790 yearlings have grossed $38,981,000 for an average of $49,343 and a median of $23,500. The average is down just 4.5% from the same point of last year's sale and the median is down 6%.
“It was another solid day,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning, Jr. “Today the numbers were up over the similar session last year and we are trending very closely to last year's overall numbers, which is pretty remarkable considering how the sale took another huge leap last year. It is very encouraging to be in the same neighborhood. It's a healthy marketplace in terms of people wanting to own horses, but they demand quality.”
Jessie Longoria made the session's highest bid when going to $725,000 to acquire a colt by Justify on behalf of Zane Kiehne and Grier Brunson, the same clients for whom he purchased a $500,000 son of Bernardini during Tuesday's session.
The session-topping yearling was consigned by Hunter Valley Farm, which also consigned the day's second highest priced offering, a $500,000 son of Practical Joke, and the co-third highest priced lot, a $460,000 son of Curlin.
Jesse Longoria | Fasig-Tipton
“We had some more fire power today,” Browning said. “The top end is very strong, reflecting the strong demand for the top offerings. There were some very nice physicals that matched up with the pedigrees. There was lots of competition to the very end. The back walking ring had tons of people in it when the last horse went through the ring. We are encouraged through three-quarters of the sale and we look forward to tomorrow.”
The Fasig-Tipton October sale concludes with a final session Thursday with bidding beginning at 10 a.m.
Justify Colt to Kiehne and Brunson
Jessie Longoria, who purchased the first Thoroughbred for Zane Kiehne and Grier Brunson Tuesday, doubled the new stable's roster when going to $725,000 to acquire a colt by Justify (hip 1023) from the Hunter Valley Farm consignment Wednesday at Fasig-Tipton. A day earlier, Longoria had signed the ticket at $500,000 for a colt by Bernardini.
“We had our eye on this horse from the time we got here,” Longoria said. “We were debating about this one or the other one. So they said, 'Get them both.' So they are happy. They are going to have a good time with them.”
Hip 1023, the Justify topper | Fasig-Tipton
The chestnut colt is out of Palace Princess (Hard Spun), who is a daughter of graded-placed Arienza (Giant's Causeway) and a granddaughter of champion Azeri (Jade Hunter).
“For one thing, he's by Justify,” Longoria said of the colt's appeal. “That was the main thing. And then he's just an athletic-looking horse that I think they are going to enjoy. It looks like he will have a lot of speed, plus the pedigree. He's just a nice individual.”
After making his two session-topping bids, Longoria was back to shopping for his pinhooking partnerships Wednesday.
“There is not much difference,” he said when comparing between shopping for his new deep-pocketed clients and for the pinhook ventures. “We want the same horses. They just want the higher-end horses. I am just trying to give them the best odds. If they are willing to spend the money and get a nice colt with pedigree, better for them. Unfortunately, for the pinhooking, that's way out of my league. And it's awfully risky to buy that kind of horse to try to flip over. Any little thing can happen.”
Of the market for the pinhooking prospects, Longoria said, “It's a little tough. But it's like every sale. Everything is tough. The good ones rise to the top and the other ones we fight over. And try to make do with what we've got.”
Lynch, Durtschi Score with Justify Colt
Andre Lynch and Pat Durtschi purchased Palace Princess (Hard Spun) for $80,000 at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton February sale and put the granddaughter of champion Azeri (Jade Hunter) in foal to Justify. The resulting colt sold for $180,000 at the 2022 Keeneland January sale and then resold for $220,000 at that year's Keeneland September sale. The mare's second foal, another colt by the Triple Crown winner (hip 1023), proved even more popular in the sales ring, selling for $725,000 to Jessie Longoria Wednesday at Fasig-Tipton.
Andre Lynch and Pat Durtschi | Fasig-Tipton
“She looked terrible,” Lynch said with a laugh of the mare's appearance at the 20202 auction. “She had mange all over her, but she was beautiful underneath. She was a great walker, correct. We bid against John Sikura from $20,000 to $80,000, but we still wanted her.”
Of the sale-topping colt, Lynch said, “The plan was always to bring him here because he was a late foal. He was an early May foal and we didn't enter him in September. He was just entered for October.”
Lynch, who previously served as stallion nominations manager at Coolmore, said he was a big fan of the farm's Triple Crown-winning stallion, Justify.
“This is the best stallion in America at the moment,” Lynch, celebrating the result with Pat and Brittany Durtschi back at the Hunter Valley sale barn, said. “It's fantastic. And I thank Coolmore for letting us breed the mare to him.”
The 7-year-old Palace Princess, one of just two mares Lynch and Durtschi own together, is back in foal to Munnings.
“Hopefully, we can breed her back to Justify again,” Lynch said.
Practical Joke to Eurton
A colt by Practical Joke (hip 1194) will be joining the barn of trainer Peter Eurton after bloodstock agent Phil Hager signed the ticket at $500,000 to secure the yearling on behalf of an undisclosed West Coast client. Hager signed the ticket in the name of Mayberry Farm.
“I thought he was a standout of the sale,” Hager said. “He was just a really nice physical by a good, proven stallion.”
Hip 1194 | Fasig-Tipton
The yearling was consigned by Hunter Valley Farm on behalf of breeder Robert Hibbert, II. He is out of Runninwiththewind (Medaglia d'Oro), who is out of the A.P. Indy mare Brilliant Disguise. Jayne Johnson, who raised the yearling on her farm in Shelbyville, purchased Runninwiththewind on behalf of Hibbert for $115,000 at the 2019 Keeneland January sale.
“That will never happen again,” Hibbert said after watching the colt sell late in Wednesday's session. “You just have to get lucky every now and again.”
Hibbert, who has been in the breeding industry for three decades and currently has just three broodmares, was celebrating his highest sale result.
“I've been in the business long enough to only have three mares,” Hibbert said with a laugh.
Asked about the mare's appeal in 2019, Hibbert said, “The Medaglia d'Oro with A.P. Indy on the bottom. And she was affordable.”
The mare's first foal, a filly by Speightstown, sold for $160,000 at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton October sale. She also produced a colt by Munnings who sold for $130,000 as a weanling at the 2021 Keeneland November sale.
“I was thinking $150,000 to $200,000, perhaps,” Hibbert said of expectations for the yearling Wednesday.
Johnson, asked if she expected the yearling to bring that kind of price, admitted, “No. But I am always hopeful. But I did not expect it. Because I've been in the business long enough.”
Runninwiththewind has a weanling colt by Justify and she may return to that stallion next spring.
Curlin Colt Kick Starts Wednesday Session
A colt by Curlin, who is a half-brother to GI Kentucky Derby winner California Chrome (Lucky Pulpit) (hip 809), got Wednesday's third session of the Fasig-Tipton October sale off to a quick start when selling for $460,000. Bloodstock agent Donato Lanni signed the ticket on behalf of Frank Fletcher. Ramiro Restrepo was underbidder on the chestnut.
Hip 809 | Fasig-Tipton
The yearling, who was bred by SF Bloodstock and the Curlin Syndicate, was consigned by Hunter Valley Farm. A partnership led by Hunter Valley's Adrian Regan purchased the colt for $225,000 at last year's Keeneland November sale.
“The likes of Donato and Ramiro appreciated the age of the horse and how much improvement there is to come,” said Regan. “He has a very late foaling date [May 23]. I signed the ticket last year as Long Run Stable because I was thinking at the time it might take until October. And this sale is a very good sale for horses that need a bit of time.”
Regan continued, “I think it's the most I ever had in a pinhook anyway. It's a syndicate that bought him last year–Mark Dwyer and Willie Browne, John Wade, Barry Clohessy, and myself. Mark and Willie were calling me for updates and I kept saying, 'He's coming, he's coming, he's definitely coming.' In mid-August when I came back from Saratoga, we decided to give him another six weeks. And since mid-September, he really started to thrive. The staff on the farm has really done an amazing job with this colt. Fergus [Galvin] and I loved him. We lunged him and he was so light on his feet and he has a super temperament. I am hope he goes on to do what his brother did.”
Lanni Doubles Up on Curlins
Bloodstock agent Donato Lanni, who began the session buying a colt by Curlin (hip 809) for $460,000 on behalf of Frank Fletcher, came back to acquire a filly by the sire (hip 943) for that same price on behalf of Michael Lund Petersen midway through the day Wednesday at Fasig-Tipton.
Donato Lanni | Fasig-Tipton
“I bought them for two amazing clients,” Lanni said. “And what can you say about Curlin? The career he has had as a stallion is unbelievable. It makes the decision easier when you find one that's by him and looks like a runner. It gives you the confidence that you want to buy the horse.”
Hip 943 is out of graded-placed Munchkin Money (Freud), a half-sister to stakes winner Here Comes Rita (Raffie's Majesty) and from the family of Letgomyecho, the dam of champion Echo Zulu and GISW Echo Town.
The yearling, consigned by Denali Stud, was bred by T & G Farm of Kentucky, which purchased the mare in foal to American Pharoah for $220,000 at the 2020 Keeneland November sale.
“There are a lot of horses here and you've got to get through them all,” Lanni said of the October sale. “This filly, the first time I saw her was this morning. We were so busy doing the other barns. And this was the last barn we saw this morning.”
Medaglia d'Oro Filly Heads West
A filly by Medaglia d'Oro (hip 822) will be joining Lee and Susan Searing's C R K Stable after April Mayberry signed the ticket at $380,000 to secure the yearling Wednesday in Lexington. Bred by Peter E. Blum Thoroughbreds and Godolphin and consigned by Paramount Sales, the dark bay is out of stakes winner Magical (Tapit). The mare is a daughter of graded winner Magical Feeling (Empire Maker) and is a full-sister to multiple stakes winner Exulting and a half to stakes winner Occult (Into Mischief), who was third in this summer's GI Acorn S. and GI Cotillion S.
April Mayberry | Fasig-Tipton
“She's lovely,” Mayberry said. “I really liked her. She looks like she has a little speed, which I like for a Medaglia d'Oro and she's just put together really well. She's a late foal, so I think she has a lot of good things to do moving forward. She will go to the races on the West Coast. She will probably go to John Shirreffs.”
Of the four-day auction with a catalogue of some 1,600 yearlings, Mayberry said, “I love this sale. It's a sale that you just have to work at it. They are there. And I like that. It's a lot of ground to cover, but you can find them.”
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