By Jessica Martini
A filly from the first crop of multiple Grade I winner Cyberknife (Gun Runner) (hip 301) topped the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Fall Mixed Sale when selling for a record-tying $230,000 in upstate New York Tuesday. The weanling, out of D'Fashion (D'wildcat), is a half-sister to stakes winner and graded-placed Strategic Dreams (Archarcharch). She was consigned by Gracie Bloodstock on behalf of her breeder, Dr. Jerry Bilinski's Waldorf Farm and was purchased by Diamond I.
“We always liked the filly,” said consignor Chris Gracie. “I saw her over the summer and worked with Stuart Morris and Dr. Bilinksi and we all thought she was a really nice filly from the beginning. She was prepped over there at Dr. Bilinski's farm and they did a really great job. She looked great when she got here and I think people responded to her as soon as they saw her.”
Waldorf Farm purchased D'Fashion, in foal to Game Winner, for $75,000 at the 2022 Keeneland November sale. The mare's Game Winner colt sold for $180,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton November sale and resold for $450,000 at last month's Keeneland September sale. D'Fashion was bred back to Taiba, another son of Gun Runner, this year.
The sale topper was one of eight to bring six figures during the one-session auction. Nine reached that mark a year ago. Six of the six-figure weanlings were by first-crop sires, with Early Voting, Jack Christopher, and Corniche joining Cyberknife with a weanling each to sell for over $100,000. Drain the Clock had a pair pass that threshold.
“I think the first-year sires are always appealing to people,” Gracie said. “But Cyberknife himself is making nice babies. They are very well-balanced with beautiful top lines. And she was a really good representation of the stallion.”
During the one-session auction, 148 horses sold for $3,939,500. The average was $26,618 and the median was $15,000–both down slightly from 2023 figures which saw 157 head gross $4,597,200 for an average of $29,282 and a median of $20,000.
From a catalogue of 315, 250 horses went through the ring with 102 failing to meet their reserves for a buy-back rate of 40.8%. It was 35.6% a year ago.
“I think the top end of the weanling market here was strong,” Gracie said. “I think people were having a hard time buying some of these horses. So, as a whole, I thought it was pretty good. It's the way this market is up here. It is a great place to buy babies. Everyone comes here to shop New York-breds and you saw all of the people you'd expect to be here.”
The unraced Fast and Hard (Hard Spun) (hip 9) was the sale's top-priced broodmare. In foal to Arabian Lion, the 5-year-old was consigned by Sequel New York, as agent for Lakland Estate Dispersal and sold for $55,000 to SLB Stables BBC, LLC.
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