Fasig-Tipton Saratoga

Alex Elliott and Ben McElroy, acting as agents for Kia Joorabchian's Amo Racing, accounted for the first seven-figure offering Monday at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga, going to $1.1 million to acquire hip 77 from the consignment of Gainesway, agent for Barbara Banke's Stonestreet Bred & Raised. The March-foaled bay is a son of I'm a Looker (Henny Hughes), winner during her racing days of the GIII Winning Colors S. en route to bankrolling better than $316,000. Stonestreet acquired the March foal's dam for $475,000 at the 2017 Keeneland November Sale and sold...

A colt from the first crop of Horse of the Year Authentic was hammered down to Donato Lanni, agent for SF Bloodstock, Starlight Racing and Madaket Stables for $875,000 as the first night of trade at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga reached its midpoint. Hip 56, consigned by Four Star Sales as agent, was bred by Spendthrift Farm--who raced Authentic with Starlight and Madaket and stands him as well--and is the second foal out of the Grade III-placed Golden Domer (Quality Road), who was knocked down to Spendthrift for $340,000 in foal to...

Not many people have heard of Thirty Year Farm--yet. Kristen Esler hopes that someday soon, it will be a different story. Six years ago, Esler decided that after years of corporate life, she was ready to try something different. She and her husband Matt began looking for a piece of property in Saratoga. They found a farm located just off Fish Creek, less than five miles from the racetrack, and it was love at first sight. On the couple's thirtieth wedding anniversary, they signed the paperwork on their new property...

A share in leading sire Not This Time figures to provide some fireworks when it kicks off the action Tuesday night at Saratoga. The sale of the share is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Not This Time is the sire of five Grade I winners from three crops to race, and is the leading fourth-crop sire of 2023. The share includes all projected income from the 2023 breeding season. Shareholders receive one nomination annually, plus their proportional share of the excess book. (See complete details here.) Not This Time is governed...

The last few years of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling Sale have been very profitable ones for Bobby Flay's boutique breeding operation. In 2019, he topped the sale with First Captain (Curlin) out of his homebred mare America (A.P. Indy). In 2021, his Uncle Mo--Dame Dorothy colt brought $1.6 million, the second-highest price of the week. In 2022, First Captain's full-sister was the top filly at $2,000,000, and the second-highest price overall. And it's no wonder: Flay admitted that he targets the sale, and calls the experience "one of my favorite...

The one thing trainer Tom Amoss knew about his starter in Sunday's sixth race at Saratoga was that if she got into a fight in the stretch she would be able to handle it. That proved to be the case in the 6 1/2-furlong race for 2-year-old fillies. Ridden by Tyler Gaffalione, Alys Beach (Omaha Beach) scored a game win, out-battling the Todd Pletcher-trained Life Talk (Gun Runner) to win by a head. "On the track, she showed her competitiveness in practice," Amoss said. "She needed that today." Amoss has...

1st-SAR, $136k, Msw, 2yo, 1 1/16mT, post time: 1:10 p.m. ET His full-brother Mage is about three hours south at Monmouth Park to contest Saturday's GI TVG.com Haskell S., but DORNOCH (Good Magic) could still represent the family should the Saratoga opener be transferred to the main track. Whereas Mage cost $235,000 at Keeneland September in 2021 (before fetching $290,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Sale last year), Dornoch was a $325,000 acquisition in Lexington. The pair's dam SW & GSP Puca (Big Brown), a 'TDN Rising Star' and also responsible...

11th-CD, $120K, Msw, 3yo/up, 6 1/2f, 5:58 p.m. Consigned by Denali Stud at the '21 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling sale, CUSP (City of Light) went to OXO Equine for $725,000. Trained by Paulo Lobo, the bay colt's dam Swingit (Victory Gallop) also produced MGSW Travel Column (Frosted) and MGISP Neolithic (Harlan's Holiday). He lines up opposite the widely-drawn WinStar homebred and Brad Cox trainee Paddington (Curlin), whose GISP dam Sea Island (Pulpit)--out of GISP Resort (Pleasant Colony)--counts GII Peter Pan S. hero Sightseeing as a full-brother. TJCIS PPS 5th-BEL, $90K, Msw,...

In this continuing series, TDN's Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack catches up with the connections of promising maidens to keep on your radar. A little racing experience may be, ahem, just what Ocasek (c, 3, Candy Ride {Arg}--Shananies Song, by Eltish) needed. Carrying the name of Ric Ocasek, the late frontman for The Cars, the Spendthrift Farm colorbearer wasn't off to the sharpest of beginnings from his rail draw and was forced to steady in the early stages traveling 6 1/2 furlongs on debut for Chad Brown in the opener...

Sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 11th-GP, $84K, Msw, 3yo, f, 5fT, post time: 5:51 p.m. ET The post-Derby program at Gulfstream concludes with this turf dash for sophomore fillies headed by 7-2 morning-line chance SHOOTOUTTHELIGHTS (City of Light) from the barn of Wesley Ward. A $525,000 purchase by the Breeze Easy braintrust at Keeneland September in 2021, the April foal looks to become the second winner for her stakes-placed dam, a half-sister to turf MGSW Clearly a Queen (Lucky North), who is also responsible for Bison City S. victress Mizzen...

Insights, sponsored by Alex Nichols Agency 4th-GP, $84K, Msw, 3yo, 7f, post time: 12:27 p.m. ET Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Westerberg and Gandharvi LLC's ILLUSTRATED (Justify) was led out unsold when bidding stalled out at $290,000 at the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale. The blaze-faced bay made the decision to retain him look that much better when selling for $1.1 million at last year's Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Sale after breezing an eighth of a mile in :10 flat despite jumping the shadows of the sixteenth pole and of floodlights...

In a field including six first-time starters, Squire Creek (Uncle Mo) proved much the best, scampering home a six-length winner over the well-related 4-5 choice Wicked Again (Gun Runner) in the six-furlong contest at Fair Grounds Thursday. Off the blocks alertly, the 5-2 second choice vied for the early lead with the well-related Wicked Again through opening fractions of :21.65 and :44.92. Head-to-head with that rival turning for home, the $525,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga graduate edged ahead in early stretch and blasted clear late en route to an easy victory. A...