By Ben Massam
TIMONIUM, MD. – Fasig Tipton's Midlantic Fall Yearlings Sale wrapped up its two-day run Tuesday with a total of 338 yearlings selling for a total of $7,318,700 over two sessions. An Into Mischief filly (Hip 399) from the Candyland consignment topped the session and the sale, hammering for $210,000 to Three Diamonds Farm.
“It was a good sale, no different than what we've seen throughout the other yearling sales,” said Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sales Director Paget Bennett. “The quality was well. The RNA rate improved, so that was huge–we got horses sold. So that was great to see. Overall, I'm pleased with it.”
In total, the sale's average dipped 14% from $25,177 in 2017 to $21,653 in 2018, while the median rose from $14,000 to $15,000. The auction posted a vastly improved RNA rate of 21.76%, compared to 29.10% in 2017.
Tuesday's second session saw a total of 235 lots sell for a total of $4,934,000 with an average of $20,996 and a median of $15,000. A total of 68 horses failed to meet their reserves for an RNA rate of 22.4%.
“We had a man who bought 31 horses,” Bennett said. “We have people who have had success as both buyers and sellers. It's nice to see that support from the usual buyers, as well as new buyers to the sale.”
Three Diamonds Goes Back to Into Mischief
Three Diamonds Farm went to $150,000 to secure three-time stakes winner and twice graded stakes-placed Maryland-bred I'm Betty G (Into Mischief) at Fasig-Tipton's 2016 Midlantic 2-Year-Olds In Training Sale, and owner Kirk Wycoff landed another daughter of Into Mischief when he placed the winning bid on Hip 399 in Timonium Tuesday. The bay filly is the first foal out of the unraced Hard Spun mare Spin the Bottle, herself a half-sister to GSP Nathan's HQ (Yonaguska).
“She's a big filly with a big shoulder by one of the best sires in the world,” said Wycoff, who was in transit back to Philadelphia after bidding over the phone. “It looks like she'll have a lot of improve in her once she starts training. She's got a beautiful walk, a beautiful body. I've seen her three or four times before.”
Wycoff added that he is optimistic that the Into Mischief–Hard Spun cross will yield stamina, allowing her to excel at route distances. Having secured three six-figure fillies at Keeneland September, Wycoff said Three Diamonds is aiming to race fillies with an eye towards developing their broodmare band in the future.
“She'll definitely race,” Wycoff continued. “She'll go to Ocala and get ready for that.”
Hip 399 is also from the deep family of sire Concord Point and GISW Off the Tracks (Curlin).
Three Diamonds also added a Bustin Stones filly (Hip 25) for $30,000 and a Weigelia filly (Hip 126) for $23,000 during Monday night's opening session.
Pair Jumps In
Barry Berkelhammer and Cary Frommer waited patiently until the second session of the Midlantic Sale's two-day run to make their mark, but the pair wasted no time getting involved Tuesday morning, placing the $160,000 winning bid on Hip 183, a daughter of Cairo Prince out of the Henny Hughes mare Graceontour. The pair, who have operated a massively successful pinhooking partnership in recent years, said they had their eyes on the filly since she was ultimately secured for $110,000 by Andrew Motion's Old Chapel Farm at the Keeneland January Sale.
“She was just a lovely filly and Andrew Motion takes great care of a horse–he always presents them very well,” Berkelhammer said. “We liked her before, but we just weren't smart enough to buy her. We decided to buy her now.”
Berkelhammer said the filly, whose dam is a half-sister to MGSW & GISP Feline Story (Tale of the Cat), will go to Florida to be prepared for the spring 2-year-old sales.
“We were buying the physical,” Berkelhammer said. “Cairo Prince is getting on a roll, and hopefully he'll have some horses on the Derby trail.”
Frommer signed the ticket on five acquisitions in total Tuesday, including Hip 161, a Malibu Moon colt out of the stakes-winning mare Five Star Dream (Two Punch), for $65,000.
Ghostzapper Filly Sells Well Close to Home
Sagamore Farm is situated some 15 minutes to the Northwest from the Timonium sales grounds by car, and Hip 294 made the short journey down the road Tuesday to sell for $150,000 to Florida horseman Thomas Fackler, owner of Best A Luck Farm. Speaking shortly after the hammer dropped, Sagamore Farm president Hunter Rankin said the final price was in the range he projected.
“We really liked her, and she was right in that $100,000 to $200,000 range we expected,” Rankin said. “She's by the right sire, and she's a quality-looking individual.”
With the breeding and racing industries in Maryland continuing to thrive, Rankin said buying and selling Maryland-breds is a significant part of Sagamore's vision. As such, he hopes to see the scope of the Midlantic Sale continue to grow in coming years.
“It's a big part of what we do, obviously,” Rankin said. “It has been for a number of years, and we want to keep that going. We actually bought a couple of Maryland-breds last year, and we're looking to keep that going. The incentive program and the breeders programs help.”
Hip 294 is the second foal out of Naive Enough (Street Sense), a full-sister to SW & GISP Light the City.
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