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Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Fall Yearlings Sale Catalog Now Online

Fasig-Tipton has cataloged 553 yearlings for its 2020 Midlantic Fall Yearlings Sale, to be held on Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 5-6. The auction, which will be held immediately following the rescheduled Preakness Stakes, will be conducted at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium, Md.

Hips 1-200 will be offered in the Monday session, which will begin at 1 p.m. The sale will begin with a large group of New York-breds, which are cataloged together as hips 1-154 this year.

Hips 201-553 will be offered in the Tuesday session, which will begin at 10 a.m.

“This is a strong catalog, with our entries up 27 percent over last year,” commented Midlantic director of sales Paget Bennett. “Consignors have a lot of confidence in the Midlantic marketplace and have supported the sale with increased sire power and quality. We are also pleased to welcome major Kentucky and New York-based consignors to Midlantic this year.”

Bennett continued: “Conducting the sale on the Monday and Tuesday after the Preakness adds another exciting element to this year's auction, as it provides those participating in Preakness weekend racing a nearby venue to shop for quality yearlings. With 10 different state-bred programs represented in the catalog, the sale provides great opportunities for both national and regional racing stables.”

The Midlantic Fall Yearlings Sale ranks among the top of all major North American yearling sales in numerous performance categories, according to statistics recently released by The BloodHorse MarketWatch. These include percentage of Grade 1 winners, graded stakes winners, and 2-year-old winners produced from horses sold.

The catalog may now be viewed online, and will also be available via the equineline sales catalogue app. Print catalogues will be available beginning Sept. 8.

Phone bidding and online bidding services will also be available.

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Scorcese Wraps On First Winner For Sire Producer At Belterra Park

Producer, an international multiple group stakes winner, was represented by his first winner at stud on Aug. 26 when Scorsese prevailed in a maiden special weight race at Belterra Park, BloodHorse reports.

Scorsese was hampered by an awkward start, but worked to get on the pace by the half-mile point of the six-furlong race. Under jockey John McKee, the gelding pulled ahead by 2 1/2 lengths in the stretch, and kept on to win by 1 1/2 lengths, completing the race in 1:13.54. James Chapman trains and co-owns the horse with Sean Feld.

Scorsese was bred in Kentucky by Calumet Farm, out of the unraced War Front mare Pomaria. He hails from the family of Belmont Stakes winner Danzig Connection, Breeders' Cup Classic winner Raven's Pass, and Grade 1 winner Pine Circle.

Producer, an 11-year-old son of Dutch Art, stands privately at Calumet Farm in Lexington, Ky.

The British-bred spent the majority of his racing career in Europe, highlighted by victories in the Group 3 Greene King Supreme Stakes and Criterion Stakes in England. He also ventured to Turkey in 2013, where he won the G2 International Topkapi Trophy – a race that was won by Triple Crown competitor Master of Hounds a year earlier. Producer was purchased by Calumet Farm prior to the 2016 racing season, and he raced twice in the U.S. before retiring.

Producer is out of Irish River mare River Saint, who was placed in England. River Saint is a half-sister to champion Serena's Song, Grade 3 winner Vivid Imagination, and the unplaced Serena's Sister, all three of which are multiple graded stakes producers, or responsible for multiple graded stakes runners as a second dam.

His extended family includes champion Honor Code, Grade/Group 1 winners Sophisticat and Rizeena, and Grade/Group 2 winners Grand Reward, Harlington, Noble Tune, Made You Look, and Doubles Partner.

Heavenly Cause, What A Summer Named To Maryland Thoroughbred Hall Of Fame

The Maryland-bred Thoroughbred Hall of Fame's newest inductees are Heavenly Cause and What a Summer, two gray distaffers who excelled in their divisions at the national level.

The selections were made by a committee of Maryland racing industry members coordinated by the Maryland Horse Breeders Association (MHBA) and Maryland Racing Media Association (MRMA).

“These two great mares deserve their place of honor among our Hall of Fame horses. They were the product of dedicated Maryland breeders who were rewarded with great champions,” said Cricket Goodall, executive director of Maryland Horse Breeders Association.

What a Summer was the Eclipse Award-winning champion sprinter of 1977, winning six of eight sprint starts that season at four while also defeating males. Twice in her career she won the Grade 2 Fall Highweight Handicap under 134 pounds, at the time one of the biggest tests on the calendar for the nation's top sprinters.

Trained by Bud Delp for her breeder Milton Polinger, then by LeRoy Jolley for Diana Firestone, who purchased her at auction after Polinger's death in 1976, What a Summer won nine stakes during her career including the G2 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes and back-to-back runnings of Hollywood Park's Silver Spoon Handicap. Her ventures against males included the aforementioned Fall Highweight victories, as well as a second in the Vosburgh. She was named Maryland-bred Horse of the Year, as well as earned titles as champion 3-year-old filly, and champion older mare twice in a career in which she retired with a record of 31-18-6-3 and $479,161 in earnings.

Heavenly Cause was the top 2-year-old filly in the nation in 1980, winning the G1 Selima and Frizette Stakes. Her seven career stakes wins included five Grade 1s as she added the Fantasy, Kentucky Oaks and Acorn Stakes at three. Those races were part of a four-race win streak over six weeks that spring. She was named Maryland-bred champion filly at two and three.

“Our latest class of Hall of Famers, both Eclipse champions, speaks to the depth and quality of the Maryland breeding program over many years,” said Maryland Racing Media Association president Frank Vespe. “It's remarkable how many deserving horses we've named to the Hall of Fame – and how many we still have to name.”

Both horses will be celebrated during a ceremony with a date and location to be determined.

Under the collaboration of the Maryland Horse Breeders Association and Maryland Racing Media Association, the Hall of Fame was initiated in 2013 as a means of celebrating the excellence of state-bred Thoroughbred horses and debuted with an inaugural class of 12. There are now 26 members. Heavenly Cause and What a Summer join MTHOF members Awad, Broad Brush, Caesar's Wish, Challedon, Cigar, Concern, Dave's Friend, Deputed Testamony, El Gran Senor, Find, Gallorette, Jameela, Kauai King, Little Bold John, Politely, Safely Kept, Social Outcast, Twixt, Vertex and Youth and steeplechasers Elkridge, Good Night Shirt, Jay Trump and Tuscalee.

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Walkinthesand Tops Inaugural Tattersalls August Sale

The inaugural Tattersalls August Sale finished with a flourish with a top price of 220,000 guineas (US$304,980) and five lots selling for 100,000 guineas (US$138,627) or more. Once again, the clearance rate was in the high nineties, with the final session's turnover exceeding 3 million guineas (US$4,158,051), taking the three-day total to more than 8 million guineas (US$11,088,138).

The leading buyer for the sale was Voute Sales who purchased four lots for 650,000 guineas (US$900,888) on behalf of Saudi Arabian operation Najd Stud.

Leading the way was the four-year-old Walkinthesand who was knocked down to Voute for 220,000 guineas (US$304,980) after a spirited online bidding duel. Onsite bidders included Stuart Boman who made a strong play to secure the Richard Hannon trained son of Footstepsinthesand but it was Voute who was successful for the East Everleigh consigned colt.

Walkinthesand was offered with a 'Timeform' rating of 113. Following the purchase, Voute commented;

“They fit the profile and have all been bought for a new stud company called Najd Stud Ltd, which is based in Riyadh. They will ship immediately, as soon as the next flight is available.”

Expanding on the purchase plans, Voute said: “They have been bought for King's Cup races and series. The Saudi Cup day needs very good international horses, not that these aren't good horses, and they might develop into that if they act on the surface.”

Voute, who did all his bidding online, also secured the 3-year-old colt To Nathaniel for 185,000 guineas (US$256,424) on behalf of the same owners. The son of Nathaniel was consigned by The Castlebridge Consignment on behalf of John Gosden's Clarehaven Stables and offered with a 'Timeform' rating of 95.

Explaining the process ahead of the live internet bidding, Voute said: “We vetted a whole slew of them and then I came up to Tattersalls yesterday, looked at all the horses who made the short, short list.

“And we said we'd do it on the internet. It was very easy to do, I registered at the beginning of the week, it has been great. There was no need to be up there today.”

When asked if he felt he missed out anything by not being in the sales ring, he added: “For form horses it is perhaps slightly different, it is there for everyone to see – other than taking a lame step in the ring prior, but we had a vet there to cover that eventuality, the same vet who has vetted them all.”

At the conclusion of the inaugural Tattersalls August Sale, Tattersalls chairman Edmond Mahony commented;

“Another post-COVID Tattersalls sale with a clearance rate around the 90 percent mark has to be regarded as a success. We made the observation after the recent Tattersalls July Sale that this sort of clearance rate would be noteworthy under normal circumstances, but in the face of the multiple challenges that everyone currently faces these sort of returns are little short of miraculous.

“From the Tattersalls perspective, we salute all those who have supported this new fixture and made it such a success. Vendors, purchasers, vets, farriers, stable staff, the list is endless and everyone, whatever their role, has worked incredibly hard to ensure the smooth running not only of this week's August Sale, but of all our recent sales.

“In addition to the extraordinary clearance rate, the other notable feature of the August Sale has been the huge impact of our recently introduced live internet bidding facility, which is particularly well-suited to sales of this nature. From start to finish there has been sustained internet bidding from throughout the world at all levels of the market and it has been fantastic to see this technology being so quickly and widely embraced. It certainly bodes well for the forthcoming sales at Park Paddocks and we will continue to ensure that the platform is as simple and easy to use as possible.

“Naturally there has been plenty of discussion about whether this new August Sale will become a more permanent Tattersalls fixture and the success of this week has certainly demonstrated enthusiasm from vendors and purchasers alike. In a normal year there would be a major yearling sale taking place this week, but we will see how the rest of the Tattersalls sales season unfolds, have a look at the calendar and assess how best to proceed once we have a clearer picture.”

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