The cancellation of the Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearlings Sale due to COVID-19 made the state's commercial breeders more nomadic than usual for the 2020 yearling sale season, with Fasig-Tipton offering sections focused on New York-breds in several of its upcoming sales to make up for the lost venue.
The first stop on that tour was Wednesday's opening session of the Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase Sale, which had yearlings bred in the Empire State lead off the proceedings. Looking down the list of offerings, though, the sire ranks represented in the New York portion were almost entirely Kentucky-based.
The biggest exception to that trend came from the stallion roster of Sequel New York, which accounted for every spot among the top five most expensive New York-sired offerings during the New York-bred portion of the Yearling Showcase.
Becky Thomas of Sequel New York described it as a tough marketplace for the handful of horses that were both bred and sired in New York, owing to a variety of factors that were largely out of anyone's control, but became a daunting condition under which to sell horses when stacked on top of each other.
Thomas said the change in venue, well away from New York, affected the types of buyers that were available for horses with full-blooded New York backgrounds, with most instead leaning on the names they recognized more readily. The positioning of the state-bred session on the front end of a marathon few weeks of yearling sales – especially surrounded by national-level offerings on the sales grounds – might have made it harder to stand out, versus how the same offerings might have fared selling in Saratoga Springs with their own kind.
“We're in COVID territory, and unfortunately there's a lot of uncertainty, so the New York-bred, New York-sired horses suffered dramatically,” Thomas said. “New York is under a strong quarantine situation, so we have a fraction of the trainers that are here from New York that would be going to Saratoga to buy these. It was pretty brutal for those sires…It's no one's fault, we were just a victim of circumstances.”
There was a two-way tie amongst the New York-sired offerings for the highest sale price, each bringing $75,000.
Consistent with his position as a perennial leader on the New York sire list, Freud was responsible for one-half of the top duo when Calumet Farm bought Hip 141, a colt named Elusive Freud, for $75,000.
The dark bay or brown colt is out of the winning Elusive Quality mare Follow My Luck, whose first foal to race is a winner by Cross Traffic. Follow My Luck was purchased by breeder Allen Hallett for $24,000 at the 2015 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Fall Mixed Sale, with Grade 1-winning third dam Strategic Maneuver being the pivot point for runners including Grade/Group 3 winners Ishiguru, Jennifer Lynnette, and Shumoos.
Elusive Freud also has a healthy bit of local flavor on his page in Good Luck Gus, a four-time stakes winner against New York-bred stakes competition.
Vinery Sales consigned Elusive Freud as agent for Hallett.
Freud, a 22-year-old son of Storm Cat, stood the 2020 breeding season for an advertised fee of $6,500.
Completing the exacta was Hip 12, a colt from the second crop of Laoban who sold to Northshore Bloodstock, agent.
The second foal out of the winning Street Cry mare Lapinski is notable for his third dam, the 2006 Broodmare of the Year Cara Rafaela – the dam of champion Bernardini and Grade 1-placed Ile de France. The colt was bred by Milfer Farm Inc., and consigned by Bluewater Sales, agent.
Laoban, New York's leading freshman sire, also sent through Hip 98, a colt out of the unraced Bodemeister mare Anna's Angel, who sold to Steven Young, agent, for $35,000. The dam is a half-sister to Grade 1 winners Spun Sugar and Daaher. Bluewater Sales also handled this colt at the sale.
A 7-year-old son of Uncle Mo, Laoban stood the past season for $5,000.
The Yearling Showcase also marked a coming out party for Union Jackson, who sends his first yearlings through the ring this season.
Leading the way for the 8-year-old son of Curlin was Hip 25, a dark bay or brown filly out of the winning Wildcat Heir mare Mochima who sold to Autrey Bloodstock for $37,000. Bred by Larry Botting, the colt hails from the family of Grade 3 winners Feline Story and Notacatbutallama. Gainesway consigned him, as agent.
Union Jackson was also represented by Hip 152, a colt out of the unraced War Pass mare Hey Wheresmydinner who hammered to Meah/Lloyd Bloodstock, agent for David McCarty, for $30,000.
The colt was bred in partnership by Sequel Stallions NY and Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, the two entities that stand Union Jackson. Sequel New York also consigned the colt on Wednesday.
“People really liked them, and got to appreciate them,” Thomas said about the Union Jackson yearlings. “I think people will go away with a good feeling with what they look like.”
The next opportunity for buyers to shop for New York-breds en masse will come a bit closer to home at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Fall Yearlings Sale on Oct. 5-6 in Timonium, Md. About three-quarters of the auction's opening session will be dedicated to New York-breds.
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