Fasig-Tipton Saratoga

When you sell for a sale-topping $2.3m as a yearling at Fasig-Tipton's New York Saratoga Sale to connections like White Birch Farm and M. V. Magnier, the expectations are going to be sky high. And while Sierra Leone (c, 2, Gun Runner--Heavenly Love, by Malibu Moon) proved he still has a lot to learn but still showed enough ability in the end to graduate at first asking and become the latest 'TDN Rising Star' for Three Chimney's super-stallion Gun Runner. Facing a field of mostly more experienced runners, the 3-1...

7th-AQU, $85K, Msw, 2yo, 1m, post time: 3:20 p.m. While the focus of the Thoroughbred world Saturday afternoon will rightly be on Santa Anita, SIERRA LEONE (Gun Runner), the $2.3-million topper out of the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale, provides ample reason to click over to the Aqueduct feed between the running of the Filly and Mare Turf and Filly and Mare Sprint. The Mar. 31 foal was bred by Debby Oxley and is a son of her homebred 2017 GI Darley Alcibiades S. romper Heavenly Love (Malibu Moon). There was...

A colt by Good Magic (hip 251) brought a sales record $230,000 to top a solid--if polarized--renewal of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Fall Mixed Sale in upstate New York Tuesday. During the one-session auction, 156 horses grossed $4,522,200 for an average of $28,988 and a median of $18,000. Both average and median dipped from last year's vibrant market. The sale average--which had jumped 48.5% from 2021 to 2022--declined 13% from a year ago, while the median was down 5%. From a catalogue of 337 head, 243 went through the ring with...

by Jessica Martini & Alan Carasso Just under two weeks after her yearling by Curlin lit up the ring at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale, champion Beholder (Henny Hughes) enjoyed another banner result when her 2-year-old daughter Tamara (Bolt d'Oro) was tabbed a 'TDN Rising Star' following her professional debut victory at Del Mar Saturday. Sent off as the 3-1 second choice, Tamara bobbled slightly at the break from the inside gate, but rushed up along the rail beneath Mike Smith to sit just off pacesetting favorite Hope Road (Quality Road)...

by Jessica Martini & Christina Bossinakis SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY - The Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale of Selected Yearlings, which looked to have a tough task to live up to its record-smashing 2022 renewal, proved more than equal to that task and, when a fast and frenetic session concluded Tuesday night, the auction had once again set high-water marks for gross and average and tied its record median. "We have experienced some magical nights in Saratoga in the past and you've heard me talk about the Saratoga magic, but we ain't seen...

The parade of seven-figure yearlings continued Tuesday night at the second session of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale when a colt by Into Mischief out of GSP Virginia Key (Distorted Humor) fetched $1 million from the partnership of WinStar Farm, Siena Farm, and China Horse Club. Consigned by St George Sales, the colt is out of a half-sister to 2021 GI TVG Del Mar Debutante S. winner Grace Adler (Curlin), who brought $2 million at last year's Fasig-Tipton November sale, and from the same family as GI Whitney H. winner Bullsbay...

The explosive start to Tuesday night's second session of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale continued when a colt by two Hall of Famers--Curlin and Beholder (Henny Hughes)--led all yearlings thus far when he sold for $4 million to Amr Zedan. Donato Lanni, agent for Zedan Racing, signed the ticket. The much-anticipated offering, recently featured in TDN, was bred in Kentucky by Spendthrift Farm and consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency. The Apr. 6-foaled chestnut is the first-ever sales offering out of his champion dam, who was represented by her first stakes...

Chuck Sonson and West Point, L.E.B., agent went to $1 million for Hip 140, a Twirling Candy colt out of Rehearsed (Tapit), the fourth seven-figure yearling to sell in the early stages of Tuesday's second session of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling Sale. Lane's End, who stands Twirling Candy, consigned the Feb. 12-foaled colt, a full-brother to SP Chasing Fireflies. The mare is a half-sister to GI Spinaway S. Mani Bhavan (Storm Boot) from the extended family of champion Silken Cat (Storm Cat), dam of WinStar sire Speightstown. Lane's End's W.S....

The early action at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga continued hot and heavy, as hip 135 became the third million-dollar seller within the first 15 horses offered when hammering to Aron Wellman's Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners for $1.5 million, the most expensive of the three early headliners. The colt's breeder, Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, will also stay in for a piece. The dark bay is a son of the all-conquering Into Mischief and was produced by 'TDN Rising Star' and GI Spinaway S. heroine Rachel's Valentina (Bernardini). The latter is, of course, a daughter of...

Just nine offerings into Tuesday night's second session of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale, Gainesway's leading sire Tapit got his second yearling of the evening to breech the $1-million mark when a colt out of Plenty O'Toole (Tiznow) hammered for $1.2 million by Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm, LLC. The colt, foaled Feb. 24 last year, was bred by Spruce Lane Farm and the Tapit Syndicate. Consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, the chestnut colt is a half-brother to five-time GSW & GISP Mr. Money (Goldencents) from the family of G1...

Before bidding commenced for the second and final session of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale, a share in leading Taylor Made stallion Not This Time (Giant's Causeway--Miss Macy Sue, by Trippi) was hammered down for an even $2 million. The share was purchased by D. J. Stable, BlackRidge Stables, Barry Fowler and John Cummins, according to Taylor Made's Mark Taylor. The sale of the share was coordinated by Taylor Made Sales and is subject to a 10-day match from the syndicate. Not This Time stands at Taylor Made Stallions in Nicholasville,...

A colt by Tapit out of GI Test S. winner Paola Queen (Flatter) got Tuesday's session of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale Tuesday night off with a bang when he hammered for $1.1 million as the third horse through the ring when purchased by agent Mike Ryan. Consigned by Gainesway and bred by Don Alberto Corporation in Kentucky, the Apr. 10-foaled dark bay the third foal out of his dam, who also has Mugen (Into Mischief), a 2-year-old filly who brought $1.2 million at this sale last year and placed on...