Boyd Browning | Horse Racing Free Tips

Robust Trade To Wrap Up Successful Return of Fasig NY-Bred Sale

by Joe Bianca & Katie Ritz

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY–The Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearlings Sale completed a successful return Monday at the Humphrey S. Finney Sales Pavilion in Saratoga, as a lively day of trading built on a strong Sunday opener to conclude the auction with average, gross and median numbers up and the RNA rate down compared to 2019 numbers.

“We got the sales superfecta: average was up, median was up, gross was up and the RNA rate's down. So we hit the super today and we're obviously very pleased,” said Fasig-Tipton President & CEO Boyd Browning. “We had significant bidding from a diverse buying group. We're fortunate enough that the consignors once again gave us outstanding horses and presented them in a very, very positive manner. The buyers continue to have more and more confidence coming to the sale.”

Fasig-Tipton was forced to cancel its 2020 renewal of the New York-bred sale as well as its Saratoga sale due to the COVID-19 pandemic, an interruption that Browning said affected New York-bred interests particularly harshly.

“I've said before, there was no segment of the marketplace more adversely affected by the COVID situation last year than the New York-bred yearling marketplace,” he said. “So it's nice to restore the marketplace for them; they can have confidence going forward. We've always been committed to this sale and marketplace, but any time you have a disruption, it's difficult. And there was a significant disruption for the breeders and folks who sell New York-breds last year. It's reassuring to be able to look at them and say, 'You can continue what you're doing with confidence.' I think the sale's going to continue to grow and grow, and people are going to be encouraged to both buy and breed New York-breds.”

A total of 141 horses changed hands Monday, grossing $12,069,000, compared to 120 horses selling in 2019 for a sum of $10,227,550. The average for the session was $85,596, roughly on par with the $85,229 from two years ago, while the median edged up from $55,000 in 2019's second session to $60,000. Only 35 horses went unsold Monday, a rate of 19.9%, compared to 49 in 2019, which accounted for 29% of horses offered.

Overall for the two-day sale, 203 horses sold for a gross of $18,566,500. In 2019, 186 sold for $16,200,000. The average for this year's sale was $91,461, an increase of 5% from 2019, while the median was $70,000 compared to $60,000 in 2019. In total, 55 horses were bought back from 258 offered, a 21.3% rate this year, compared to 80 out of 266 in2 019, a 30.1% rate.

The Fasig-Tipton sales calendar resumes with the one-day Pin Oak Stud Sale, in which Josephine Abercrombie's Pin Oak Stud, one of the country's most successful Thoroughbred breeding and racing operations over the past six decades, will be offering its remaining broodmares, weanlings, and some racing fillies, Sept. 12 in Lexington.

Brand-New Partnership Strikes for Munnings Filly

Forming a partnership of GMP Stables, Vekoma Racing and West Paces Racing the morning of Monday's second Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearlings session, Oracle Bloodstock's Conor Foley came out on top for the group when the hammer dropped for a session-topping $350,000 for Hip 419, a filly by Munnings out of MSW Freudie Anne (Freud).

“She was one of the top fillies of the sale,” Foley said. “We were tickled to get her. A few partners got put together a few hours ago to get her and we're really excited. I thought she was one of the best athletes of the sale.”

Bought for $130,000 by Cherry Knoll Farm at Fasig-Tipton February earlier this year, the chestnut sold under the Hunter Valley Farm banner. She is the second foal out of Freudie Anne, a two-time stakes winner in her racing career and half-sister to MSW Frostie Anne (Frost Giant), following a thus-far unraced juvenile full-brother who sold to Pick View for $100,000 at last year's umbrella Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings auction.

Foley and the partners already were looking forward to bringing hip 419 back upstate next year, saying, “She's going to go to the races. She'll come back up here and be trained by Danny Gargan. Hopefully in about a year we'll be walking out of the winner's circle at Saratoga.”

D J Stable Pounces for Constitution Colt

Len and Jon Green's D J Stable was in the market for a potential Classic colt at Monday's Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearlings Sale and came home with a popular prospect Monday in Hip 528, with Jon Green signing the winning ticket for $300,000 for a son of star third-crop sire Constitution.

“He reminded us of a lot the great colts that we've seen running on Saturdays,” Green said. “He's a big, scopey, two-turn type of horse. We came here looking to get a real top colt and he fit the bill and checked all the boxes for us. The plan is to ultimately have him at Mark Casse's barn. He'll head back to Kentucky and get a little R and R because [the sale] takes so much out of these horses. Let him eat a little green grass, give him six to eight weeks and then he'll head down for to Ocala and start getting into the program.”

Consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, the dark bay is the third foal out of five-time winner Rare Medal (Medaglia d'Oro), whose 2-year-old Unified colt named Combat Medal sold for $150,000 earlier this year at Fasig-Tipton Midlantic. His fourth dam is two-time champion Northernette (Northern Dancer), a full-sister to champion Storm Bird.

On the final number for the colt, Green said, “It surprised me a little that we had to go to the upper level of what we wanted to for a horse like this, but the sale has been so strong that if you want to come away with a good horse, you have to spend a little bit of money. The nice thing about it is that even though he's a New York-bred, that wasn't even part of the calculus. He's such a grand-looking colt that hopefully if he's running here in New York, it'll be in races like the Travers and the Belmont and not in a New York-bred other than. We felt that [regardless of] if he was a New York-bred, Kentucky-bred, Florida-bred, Peruvian-bred, he's just that kind of a horse. We came here specifically to buy a horse like this. We do have a couple more on the list, but he was our number one choice.”

Accelerate Speeds Ahead With $300K Colt

Lane's End's champion Accelerate, who made a splash Sunday night at the Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred sale, kept the forward momentum going when his Hip 591, a colt consigned by Paramount Sales, sold for $300,000 in the waning moments of the auction Monday afternoon. Barclay Tagg signed the winning ticket along with longtime assistant Robin Smullen and owners Chris and Dave Stack.

“We liked everything about him,” Smullen said of the colt, who was led out unsold on a bid of $100,000 at Keeneland November last fall. “He was intelligent. We weren't happy with how he was acting in the back ring, but when he got in the ring he was fine. He's a nice colt. [The price] was a little higher than we wanted to go, but we bid on a filly earlier that we couldn't get.”

Bred by SF Bloodstock, hip 591 is out of the thrice stakes-placed Marquetry mare Ten Halos, who also produced GSW juvenile Cinco Charlie (Indian Charlie). Bought for $150,000 in foal to Candy Ride (Arg) at Keeneland November in 2016, Ten Halos is a half-sister to MGSW Bwana Charlie (Indian Charlie) and GSWs My Pal Charlie (Indian Charlie) and Bwana Bull (Holy Bull).

“We are very good friends with Barclay and Robin and admire and respect them and their opinions,” said Chris Stack. “When we saw him, we just thought he was the one. He looked me right in the eye though, I will tell you.”

Tagg and Smullen stayed in for a small piece of the horse, their first owning partnership with the Stacks.

“We trained for Chris and Dave a long time ago, but now we have one together,” Smullen said. “We just own one ear, Chris and Dave own the rest of her.”

Tagg and Smullen also bought another Accelerate progeny earlier in the day for Sackatoga Stable, going to $130,000 to secure Hip 460, a chestnut colt out of MSP Late 'n Left (Lucky Pulpit).

Asked to compare Hip 591 to that colt, Smullen offered, “The other Accelerate that we bought tonight for Sackatoga Stable looked a little more refined, a little smaller. But I don't know what to expect them to look like yet. We liked his dam side. When you're a half to a multiple stakes winner, you've got to be alright.”

Brown, Klaravich Pick Up Practical Joke Filly

The connections of hot-starting freshman sire Practical Joke showed their faith in his success continuing at Monday's Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearlings Sale, as Chad Brown signed the ticket for Klaravich Stables for a bay filly by the Coolmore resident for $250,000. Consigned by Indian Creek, Hip 508 is the second foal out of Orient Moon (Malibu Moon) to sell for that figure this year after her 2-year-old Street Boss colt commanded the same number at OBS April.

“I trained the sire for Seth [Klarman] and she was definitely the best-looking dirt filly I saw here,” Brown said. “It was definitely our last bid. She will go down to Ocala and we'll see how she takes to training. She just happened to be a New York-bred, but she was as good-looking as any Practical Joke filly I've seen.”

Victor of the GI Hopeful S. GI Champagne S. as a juvenile in 2016, Practical Joke followed up with a score in the GI H. Allen Jerkens S. at Saratoga the next summer and won or placed in six other graded stakes before retiring with nearly $1.8 million in earnings. He ranks third among North American-based freshman sires with 10 winners and was represented by blowout GIII Sanford S. hero and 'TDN Rising Star' Wit earlier in the Saratoga meet.

“You can see the Into Mischief in [Practical Joke's progeny], so it's exciting.” Brown said. “We are very big supporters of the stallion. We have some 2-year-olds that we like and it's exciting that he's off to such a promising start.”

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Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Sale Returns With Strong Opener

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY–The Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearlings Sale, which had a string of record-setting renewals interrupted only by its cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic last summer, got back on track with a strong opening session at the Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion Sunday evening.

A total of 62 yearlings sold Sunday night for a gross of $6,497,500. The average was $104,798 and the median was $80,000.

“It was an outstanding opening night to the 2021 New York-bred sale,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “I was thrilled to have the average over $100,000 tonight. It's one of those milestones that we are trying to achieve. Hopefully the strength will continue tomorrow.”

During the first session of the 2019 New York-bred sale, 66 horses sold for $5,972,500. The average was $90,492 and the median was $75,000.

With 20 horses reported not sold Sunday, the buy-back rate was 24.4%. The corresponding figure in 2019 was 32%.

“As encouraging, or more encouraging, it was a very reasonable RNA rate tonight for the New York-bred sale,” Browning said. “In the past we've talked many times about the higher-than-average RNA rate because there are so many opportunities for the owners and breeders of these horses to race given the purse structure in the state. The RNA rate tonight was certainly at an acceptable level. The momentum and enthusiasm from the selected sale continued tonight with a really strong marketplace with a diverse group of buyers.”

Sunday's session was topped by a filly by Uncle Mo who was consigned by Tom Gallo on behalf of her co-breeders and was purchased by Gallo for his Dream Maker Racing partnership. The yearling was one of nine to bring over $200,000.

“The market is fabulous,” Gallo said. “I think this market is strong with people coming out of the pandemic with all of this pent-up enthusiasm and people who didn't get to spend their money last year. And this is a neat market because it's a middle market. It's a meat-and-potatoes market. People can come here and buy a decent horse for $50,000, $70,000 or $100,000 or $150,000 and, with the purses the way they are, if you get just a consistent horse that places a couple of times, wins, places again, you're already up to $120,000 or $150,000 in earnings. You may not break even for everything, but at least you have cash flow coming back.”

The New York-bred Yearlings Sale continues Monday with a final session beginning at noon.

Uncle Mo Filly a Dream for Gallo

Tom Gallo was so impressed by a filly by Uncle Mo (hip 341) he was consigning for her co-breeders that he purchased her for his Dream Maker Racing partnership for a session-topping $495,000 Sunday at Fasig-Tipton.

“Dream Maker Racing is a racing partnership that I manage,” Gallo explained. “It's a group of people who bred her. All of the offspring are bred by Mia Gallo, Mary Kopley, Michael Newton and Elizabeth Weese–they are the ones who own the mare. We just set a price and if she didn't bring the price, we were just going to race her ourselves. But we have to sell it from the breeding partnership to the racing partnership.”

Of the yearling, Gallo said, “We loved the filly. We absolutely loved her. I've loved her since the day she was born. She is a monster. From when she was young, she just had a mind of her own. We raise them as weanlings and then we ship them down to raise them in Kentucky. After she was weaned, if you went up to her and she didn't want to be nice, she would come at you with ears pinned as a baby. And that's rare. So I always liked that because you have to be like that. Sometimes you have to be like that to be competitive and win races.”

Dream Maker Racing also campaigned the yearling's half-sister Satisfy (Candy Ride {Arg}), who was second in the 2018 Iroquois S. Like that filly, hip 341 will be trained by Bill Mott.

“Bill Mott has trained the whole family and he will be training her–he just doesn't know it yet,” Gallo said. “But he's done well with the family. We had the granddam, and we bred and raced the mother and now we are racing her babies. And we even have one of her daughters who just had a foal. So now we are on the fourth generation. And Bill is a breeder's trainer. He trains for people that race daughters of daughters. He is such an intelligent guy and he remembers the traits of the family. So it gives you a little bit of a jump start on the horse.”

Ingordo Stays Bullish on Accelerate

Lane's End's David Ingordo has made no secret of how much he has been impressed by offspring of the farm's first-crop sire Accelerate, and the bloodstock agent acquired another yearling by the GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner when going to $335,000 late in Sunday's first session of the Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearlings Sale.

“I was staying true to my TDN article where I said we would be trying to buy Accelerates,” Ingordo said with a smile after signing the ticket on hip 385. “We bought a beautiful colt in July and I saw this filly and she has got everything you'd want to have. I love her female family. She has the New York-bred to fall back on if we need it, but she looks like an open company horse. She is an excellent representation of what Accelerate is producing.”

The filly, who will be trained in California with John Sadler, is out of Delay of Game (Bernardini). The mare's half-sister is the dam of graded stakes winner Stanford (Malibu Moon) and multiple grade-placed Hedge Fund (Super Saver).

“They are like himself, really balanced individuals with a ton of class,” Ingordo said of what he is seeing in Accelerate's first crop of yearlings. “This filly oozed class. She's been by the ring all night and didn't turn a hair and came up here really well. Accelerate himself is a beautifully-balanced horse and this filly is just like him. She is out of a Bernardini mare. I couldn't get much more.”

Of the yearling's final price, Ingordo said, “She is a good horse and she costs what a good horse costs. She was expensive, but we loved her.”

The bay filly, consigned by St George Sales, was another success out of Delay of Game for Dan Hayden's EKQ Stables. Hayden purchased Delay of Game in foal to Street Sense for $90,000 at the 2017 Keeneland November sale. Her Street Sense filly sold for $260,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September sale and her Classic Empire colt sold for $310,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton October sale.

Army Mule Filly an Emotional Score for O'Neill

After watching his filly by Army Mule (hip 314) sell for $300,000 to Maverick Racing/Siena Farm Sunday night at Fasig-Tipton, Windylea Farm's Kip O'Neill dedicated the result to his late father and Windylea founder Philip O'Neill, who passed earlier this year. The yearling is out of Whispering Angel (Hard Spun), a mare the father-son team purchased for just $3,000 at the 2019 Keeneland January sale.

“This is for my dad,” O'Neill said. “He died in March. He and I bought that mare together. And when we bought her for $3,000, we looked at each other and said, 'What are we missing?' Obviously, we got lucky.”

The yearling was consigned by Francis and Barbara Vanlangendonck's Summerfield and while the team celebrated the successful sale in the back of the pavilion, Barbara Vanlangendonck explained with a broad smile, “He told me he had three horses and asked which one we wanted and we picked this one.”

Just four months after the O'Neills purchased Whispering Angel, her son Wells Bayou (Lookin At Lucky) won the GII Louisiana Derby.

“The mare is kind of our franchise mare,” O'Neill said of Whispering Angel. “She is a big, strapping Hard Spun mare and she was successful on the track. She only raced three times and she had some bone spurring, nothing major. So they decided to retire her and sell her. She had slipped a Kitten's Joy filly and that's probably how she slipped to us.”

Of the yearling, O'Neill said, “She's been very forward since she was born. She's been a beautiful filly. It took her a while for it to come together. It's a testament to our staff, they did a fabulous job getting her ready. We are thrilled with the connections that bought her. We wish them the best and we'll see where we go from there.”

Whispering Angel is currently in foal to Speightstown and has a full-brother to Wells Bayou by her side.

Windylea Farm has a broodmare band of 23 head.

“Our plan is to sell,” O'Neill said. “You've got to sell from the top and the middle. It's hard to sell from the bottom. So those we end up racing or finding a different career for.”

Hip 314 was the first Windylea horse to go through the ring at the New York-bred sale.

“Two more tonight and two tomorrow,” O'Neill said of the rest of the yearlings scheduled to sell in Saratoga. “If we better this, I'd be some shocked. She was the queen.”

Sunday night's result continued a strong week in Saratoga for yearlings from the first crop of GI Carter H. winner Army Mule. The Hill 'n' Dale stallion had a colt (hip 140) and filly (hip 148) sell for $400,000 during last week's Selected Yearling Sale.

Into Mischief Colt to Breeze Easy

While he had been in town earlier in the week, Breeze Easy's Mike Hall did his bidding Sunday night on the phone, going to $300,000 to acquire a colt by Into Mischief (hip 330) from the Winter Quarter Farm consignment.

“[Breeze Easy advisor] Tom McGreevey picked this horse out,” Hall said shortly after Fasig-Tipton's Anna Seitz signed the ticket on his behalf. “He's a nice, big, stout colt and well balanced. We just thought he was a good buy. He's a big colt who looks like he can go two turns.”

The bay colt is out of multiple stakes winner and graded-placed Akilina (Langfuhr) and is a half-brother to Japanese Group 1-placed Rieno Tesoro (Speightstown) and graded winner Governor Malibu (Malibu Moon). He was bred by Richard Leahy's Oak Bluff Stables.

“He was a really nice colt,” Winter Quarter's Don Robinson said. “I actually thought he would do better. But I am perfectly happy with what he brought. The mare has been really good. The family has been fantastic for us. I am perfectly happy and a really smart guy bought him, Tom McGreevey. He never wavered.”

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Lively Bidding As Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Returns

By Jessica Martini & Christie DeBernardis

The 100th anniversary of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Selected Yearlings Sale, delayed a year due to the global pandemic, kicked off with a lively session of trade at the Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion Monday evening.

“It was a very solid opening session of the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “It was certainly a very healthy market. It was very similar and reminiscent of the 2019 marketplace. Overall, we are off to a very good start.”

A colt by Uncle Mo brought the session's top price when selling for $1.6 million to Jacob West, bidding on behalf of Robert and Lawana Low. The yearling was consigned by Stone Farm for breeder Bobby Flay. The seven-figure colt was one of 13 yearlings to sell for $500,000 or more during the session and was at the head of a deep buying bench. The session's top 10 lots were purchased by 10 different buyers, sold by seven different consignors and were by seven different stallions.

“There was a very diverse buying group,” Browning said. “What is probably the most encouraging sign tonight is the wide bench of buyers and bidders throughout the evening. Solid would be the best description. It provides a lot of confidence for tomorrow night and moving forward throughout the yearling sales season.”

The first crop of Triple Crown winner Justify accounted for two of the top 10 lots, while freshman sire Gun Runner, off to a fast start on the racetrack with two graded stakes winners over the weekend, also had two yearlings in the top 10.

The boutique Saratoga sale annually offers the creme of the American yearling crop and Monday's results show that top market remains competitive.

“Quality sells and this is a quality sale,” said bloodstock agent Jacob West. “Fasig-Tipton did an incredible job getting these horses here and you can see they are getting good prices.”

During Monday's opening session, 70 horses were reported as sold for gross receipts of $25,280,000. The average was $361,143, while the median price was $300,000. During the first day of trade at the 2019 sale, 61 horses sold for $22,775,000, for an average of $373,361 and a median of $315,000.

The Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale concludes Tuesday with a session beginning at 6:30 p.m.

“There are lots of good horses to sell tomorrow,” Browning said. “I am confident and pleased, but we still have another night's work to do.”

Dame Dorothy Continues to Reward Flay

Dame Dorothy (Bernardini) has been the horse of a lifetime for celebrity chef Bobby Flay in more ways than one. Named after his late mother, the bay won five stakes, including the GI Humana Distaff, and has been just as successful in the breeding shed. Her latest achievement for Flay came at Fasig Monday when her yearling colt by Uncle Mo (Hip 73) summoned $1.6 million from bloodstock agent Jacob West, who was acting on behalf of Robert and Lawana Low.

“She is named after my mom who passed away three years ago,” Flay said. “Dame Dorothy was my best racehorse ever and it seems she is passing on her talent to her progeny. Jacob has been an amazing supporter. I am thrilled. I know he is going to be in great hands.”

Flay has enjoyed plenty of success at Saratoga. At the most recent renewal two years ago, a Curlin colt out of his GSW America (A.P. Indy) was the co-topper at this sale, bringing

$1.5-million. That colt is now known as First Captain and captured his first three starts, including the GIII Dwyer S.

“This is my Super Bowl,” Flay said. “I want to sell a horse here every year. Two years ago, we sold First Captain here out of America and he has done really well. It is one of those things where if you have patience and you breed at the highest level, in terms of the best families and sires, it can really pay off. I always say the blood shows up at some point and these mares have proven to do that.”

The Lows also campaign Dame Dorothy's first foal, GSW Spice is Nice (Curlin), who was a $1.05-million Keeneland September purchase. The mare's second foal, the unraced 2-year-old colt Principe d'Oro (Medaglia d'Oro) was purchased by Juddmonte, Bridlewood and Winchell Thoroughbreds for $650,000 at KEESEP and is currently in training with Todd Pletcher. Flay offered Dame Dorothy with the Uncle Mo colt in utero at Keeneland November in 2019, but elected to take her home after bidding reached $3.15 million. Hip 73 will eventually join his siblings in the barn of the new Hall of Famer, who trained both the sire and the dam.

“I thought he was obviously a standout,” said West. “We own Spice is Nice. We love her. We love the family. I had seen this horse about six months ago out at Stone [Farm], so the second we saw he was in the catalogue we turned down the page on him. He is a May foal so he has a lot more growing to do, but we hope he fills out into his frame. We love his sister and think she has a bright future. We are hopeful that we just bought a good one.”

As for the price, West said, “We knew we would have to go to war for him. He is by Uncle Mo, who is an incredible stallion, and out of a Grade I-winning mare on the dirt, who was quite fast and is a proven producer with Spice is Nice. Todd has the 2-year-old Medaglia out of the mare and he likes him. The mare is throwing runners, so we are happy to get him. Hopefully we will see him up here winning a big Grade I race. I am going to tell Bobby he needs to name a restaurant after the Lows now.” —@CDeBernardisTDN

West Point Wins Out on Well-Related Tapit Filly

West Point was quite active throughout Monday's opening session, but really made their presence felt when acquiring a Tapit filly out of SP Checkupfroomzneckup (Dixie Union) (Hip 61) for $990,000. West Point partnered on the filly with Scarlet Oak Racing and John Ballantyne's NBS Stable.

“She is a beautiful filly who vetted really well and has a deep pedigree,” said West Point's Terry Finley. “We are really excited to get her. Those are the kind of horses you need to get out of these sales if you have the resources and the partners. We are finding that people are really interested to get into the business. I think that if a benefit to us all.”

West Point bought a total of three horses Monday for a gross of $1.75 million.

WinStar purchased Checkupfromzneckup for $825,000 in foal to one of their flagship stallions, Speightstown, at the 2017 Keeneland November Sale. The resulting foal was 'TDN Rising Star' filly Carribean Caper, who is a perfect three-for-three in her young career. The mare's 2019 Into Mischief filly, now named Bombdiggity, brought $600,000 from Stonestreet Stables at Keeneland September last year. She produced a colt by Quality Road this season. WinStar bred Hip 61 in partnership with Winchell Thoroughbreds, which campaigned her sire Tapit.

“We thought she was one of our nicest yearlings,” said WinStar's David Hanley. “Last year was our highest-priced filly out of that mare. Carribean Caper is a really good filly. She's three-for-three. This was one of our star fillies. She's really classy.”

The Bandoroffs' Denali Stud consigned the filly.

“She was an incredibly popular filly and very well raised by WinStar,” said Denali's Conrad Bandoroff. “She came into the sale great and showed like a queen from day one to day four. These horses are put through the ringer and they have to perform and she did that. She is a really good-minded filly. She was bought by a great team and a great judge. We are delighted for West Point and the team and wish them the best of luck.” —@CDeBernardisTDN

Wilsons Take Home Into Mischief Filly

A filly by super sire Into Mischief (hip 71) will be joining the racing stable of California-based owners Holly and David Wilson after selling for $940,000 Monday in Saratoga. Bloodstock agent Christina Jelm, alongside Hall of Fame jockey Gary Stevens, signed the ticket on the bay yearling.

“I have been hired to buy a few horses for Mr. David Wilson a long-time riding client that I had for years,” explained Stevens. “He has hired me to pick some horses out. This Into Mischief filly reminded me exactly of Beholder. I fell in love with her. And I said we need this filly and we got her.”

Stevens was on the phone with David Wilson during the bidding.

“I had David on the phone. I said, 'Let's go.' And he started saying, 'Go, go, go.' We were going a little higher than what we wanted. We were pretty excited.”

The yearling, who is out of graded stakes placed Curlina (Cuvee), will head to Randy Bradshaw's Ocala base and options for the filly are open.

“I talked to Randy Bradshaw prior to the sale. I said, 'I am looking at hip 71, this Into Mischief filly, would you go look at her? It might be a pinhook, might be anything, but I'm sending her to you.' I have known Randy forever. She is going to Randy and we will see what happens.”

The filly was consigned by Mulholland Springs and Jay and Beth Young. John Mulholland purchased the mare, in foal to Big Brown, for $100,000 at the 2013 Keeneland November sale. That Big Brown colt was multiple graded stakes placed Sine Wave. The mare had an Uncle Mo colt sell for $500,000 at the 2018 Keeneland September sale and an Into Mischief colt sell for $550,000 at the 2019 Keeneland November sale before selling for $1 million to Larry Best at last year's Keeneland September sale.

“She is a very powerful made horse, more like a colt than a filly, like all of the very good fillies often do,” said Martha Jane Mulholland. “She is very correct and balanced with good bone. She looks like she has a lot of speed.”

Mulholland is sticking with a formula that has worked with the mare.

“We still have the mare,” Mulholland said. “We have a full-brother on the ground and she is in foal to Into Mischief and she is booked to Into Mischief next year. It works.”

Of Monday's result, Mulholland said, “I never try to evaluate them too high. It's fun to get excited when they exceed your expectations. And she did. We are very thrilled.” @JessMartiniTDN

Gun Runner Colt to WinStar

Gun Runner's quick start on the racetrack continued to pay dividends in the sales ring when WinStar Farm purchased a colt by the freshman sire (hip 76) for $850,000 during Monday's first session of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale.

“Gun Runner has obviously had a big weekend,” WinStar's Elliott Walden said of the yearling's appeal. “We actually raised Gun Runner a little while for Besilu and we had him at the farm for a little bit. And this colt is out of a Tiznow mare and I saw a lot of similarities to both. So we really liked him.”

The bay colt is the first foal out of Dayfa (Tiznow) who is from the Ned Evans family which also produced Gun Runner. Dayfa is a daughter of Dance Quietly (A.P. Indy), who is a half-sister to Horse of the Year Saint Liam and to Quiet Giant, dam of Gun Runner.

The yearling was bred by Don Alberto Corporation, which purchased Dayfa for $250,000 at the 2016 Keeneland September sale.

Kenny Troutt's WinStar Farm was active on both sides of the leger Monday, selling a filly by Tapit (hip 61) for $990,000 and a colt by Uncle Mo (hip 70) for $525,000.

“I think the market is very strong,” Walden said. “We sold a Tapit filly very well and an Uncle Mo colt nicely. So I think it's a good, solid market.”

Walden continued, “We brought some really nice horses up here to sell and it's rewarding when they sell well. David [Hanley] and Donnie Preston do a great job getting these horses ready and they presented themselves well. And we have a couple more to sell as well.” @JessMartiniTDN

Hudsons Aim High with Justify Colt

The Hudson family's Hoolie Racing Stable, which had almost immediate success when winning the 2017 GIII Schuylerville S. with Dream It Is (Shackleford) with its first crop of yearling purchases, made a splash Monday at Saratoga when purchasing a colt by Triple Crown winner Justify for $825,000. The yearling (hip 45) was consigned by Sequel New York, as agent for breeders Chester and Mary Broman.

David Hudson, bidding out back alongside bloodstock agent Travis Durr, signed the ticket on behalf of his father Greg and brother Andrew.

“I'm not sure yet,” Hudson said when asked the plans for the yearling. “My brother Andrew runs all of our racing operations. Travis helped us pick him out. He's a really nice-looking New York-bred colt. We are going to give it a shot and see what happens.”

Of the yearling's final price, Hudson admitted, “He's just a good-looking horse that we really liked, so we definitely spent more than we usually would. We will try it and see. We may learn a valuable lesson. An expensive lesson.”

Hip 45 is the second foal out of the Bromans' GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint winner Bar of Gold (Medaglia d'Oro). The mare's first foal, Coinage (Tapit), was a $450,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase by DJ Stable last year. The colt broke his maiden at Belmont in June and was third in the recent Rick Violette S.

“I trained Bar of Gold, I trained his grandmother. I have been blessed to have Mr. Broman's horses for a long time,” said Sequel's Becky Thomas. “Mr. Broman is a New Yorker through and through. We have several horses in the Keeneland sale. This horse I thought was special and I knew that Mr. Broman would have the opportunity to see him here.”

The $825,000 yearling was the highlight of a strong set of results for the first crop of Justify. The Triple Crown winner was also represented by a $625,000 filly (hip 90); a $470,000 colt (hip 81); and a $350,000 filly (hip 83). @JessMartiniTDN

Blue Devil Racing Strikes for Uncle Mo Filly

Marc Holliday's Blue Devil Racing made quite a splash at Saratoga Monday, going to $700,000 to acquire a filly by Uncle Mo (Hip 82). Trainer Carlos Martin signed the ticket on his client's behalf.

“Uncle Mo has been a fantastic sire,” Martin said. “We saw a couple of fillies that we liked, but we got outrun early in the sale. We went back and reloaded, had a couple of Macallans and we came back a little stronger this time. We thought we would have her around the $500,000 range, but someone made a real run at us. I am so happy.”

Hip 82 is out of the unraced Dreaming of You (Pioneerof the Nile), who was purchased by breeder Phoenix Thoroughbreds for $500,000 at Keeneland November in 2019 with this filly in utero. The bay, currently named Dreaming of Mo, is the mare's first foal and she has since produced a Justify colt. Dreaming of You is a half-sister to MGSW Justwhistledixie (Dixie Union), who has produced the likes of GISW New Year's Day (Street Cry {Ire}), MGSW Mohaymen (Tapit), GSW & GISP Enforceable (Tapit) and GSW Kingly (Tapit).

“She ticked all the boxes,” said Martin. “Justwhistledixie is under the second dam and it doesn't get better than her. Hopefully she can make her ticket as a racehorse. She is a collector's piece. You always want to try to get those horses, but they are hard to get.”

Blue Devil Racing also purchased Hip 29, an Into Mischief filly, for $325,000 post-sale Monday through agent David Hayden.

“We wanted to buy some quality fillies tonight,” Martin said. “We bought another one, Hip 29, and we are going to send that one to Joseph O'Brien because we want to start having horses in Europe. I said, 'Mark, I've been your trainer for the last 10 years. You need to by me a nice filly.' He said he would, so I am really pleased.”

Saratoga has a special place in the hearts of Martin and Holliday as Blue Devil homebred and Martin trainee Come Dancing (Malibu Moon) won both the GI Ballerina S. and GII Honorable Miss H. at this oval. Come Dancing has since retired to the Blue Devil broodmare band.

“We had some luck with Come Dancing and Mark started getting more and more into the commercial breeding,” Martin said. “Saratoga has always been a special place.”

He continued, “We want 10-15 mares. We are going to add and subtract every year. We will probably keep the fillies, sell the colts. We have a couple fillies on the list tomorrow too. As long as Mark has a couple whiskeys upstairs, we will be good.”

Hip 82 was offered by Denali Stud, who was one of the leading consignors Monday with seven yearlings grossing $4 million with an average of $571,429.

“That filly is a big, strong filly,” Denali's Conrad Bandoroff said. “She looks like the kind who could take you to the First Friday in May. I knew Carlos was in love with the filly. He had some strong competition and I am thrilled for him that they got her.”

He continued, “We've been very fortunate. We had some nice horses tonight and had a pretty memorable night. You bring something in that is perceived quality and there is a lot of competition for it.” —@CDeBernardisTDN

South Point Comes Out Running at Saratoga

The South Point Sales team did their absent leader Mike Recio, who is battling sepsis in Kentucky's Central Baptist Hospital, proud early in Monday's opening session, selling a colt from the second-crop of Gun Runner (Hip 24) to Roy and Gretchen Jackson's Lael Stable for $550,000. He was the highest-priced yearling ever sold by South Point Sales.

“It is really special being up here in Saratoga,” said South Point's Sale Coordinator Justina Severni. “I hope we did Mike proud up here. I think we did, especially with that one. He was owned and bred by a longtime client, Blackstone Farm, so we just want to thank them for believing in us and trusting us to sell him well.”

Blackstone Farm acquired the Pennsylvania-bred colt's dam Wembley (Bernardini) for $65,000 at the 2017 Keeneland November Sale carrying her first foal by Hard Spun. She is a daughter of GISW Game Face (Menifee) and a half-sister to GSP Coliseum (Tapit). Blackstone Farm was also represented by a $625,000 Justify filly (Hip 90), who was purchased by MyRacehorse.

“It is difficult to expect $550,000 for a yearling, but he has been straightforward since he was a foal,” said Blackstone Farm's Christian Black. “He has always been lovely and never gave us any problems. When you go out in the field he catches your eye.”

Bloodstock agent Michael Hernon signed the ticket on the Jacksons' behalf. It was his first time acting as agent for the longtime owners.

“Several weeks ago I was asked to do an appraisal by Roy and Gretchen Jackson and then they said, 'Hey, if you see something you like up at Saratoga, let us know.' So, that is how it came about,” Hernon said. “They liked the horse a lot and he passed the vet very well. He has a strong pedigree and looks the part so now all he has to do is run fast.”

Hernon continued, “He has a lot of bone and substance. He is a very correct, well-made and good moving horse. He was very consistent in his showing. The stallion speaks for himself. He is the leading freshman sire and looks like he could be a very serious stallion. This horse strongly resembles him. He is very positive mentally. He is a very good prospect.”

Gun Runner got a major boost over the weekend when Pappacap captured the GII Best Pal S. at Del Mar Saturday and Wicked Halo scored a decisive victory in the GII Adirondack S. across the street from the sales pavilion Sunday.

Click here to donate to a GoFundMe to benefit the Recio family. —@CDeBernardisTDN

The Schvagen Continues to Reward Arnold

Buck Pond Farm's Doug Arnold purchased a yearling by Matty G for a bargain $2,900 at the 2004 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October sale and, while he had very modest success with the filly on the racetrack, The Schvagen has more than rewarded the breeder as a broodmare. The dam of Fancy Dress Party (Munnings) was represented in the Fasig Saratoga sales ring Monday by a full-sister (hip 8) to that graded stakes winner who sold for $450,000 to Frank Brothers and Jason Litt and Alex Solis. “I loved the pedigree,” Arnold said of the mare's appeal in 2004. “It's the family of Mia Farrow and Blushing Groom deep down. I bought her from Darby Dan and the horse had an OCD in an ankle and they didn't think she'd be able to run. So I didn't pay much money for her. I called Wayne Sweezey the next day and I said, 'Wayne, we have a problem.' And he said, 'What's that?' I said, 'That filly doesn't vet, she's got an OCD and I want to turn her back. But I was just kidding. I loved her.”

The Schvagen won twice in four starts and earned $26,730. Her second foal was Panamanian stakes placed Neyra's Dancer (State City).

“I knew if she could produce a stakes horse by State City, we'd be in good shape,” Arnold said.

The Schvagen also produced stakes winner Will Munnings (Munnings).

“I love the people at Ashford and I love Munnings. I always loved that La Troienne family which he is from,” Arnold said.

Hip 8 reminded Arnold of her full-sister, Fancy Dress Party.

“She was very similiar,” he said. “She was a little bit smaller, but she hit the ground nicely. She looks like an athlete, like she will be ready a little earlier than Fancy Dress Party.”

Solis and Litt purchased Fancy Dress Party for $280,000 at the 2017 Keeneland September sale and, racing for the Roth family's LNJ Foxwoods, the flashy dark bay won the 2019 GIII Beaumont S.

As for The Schvagen, Arnold said, “I still have the mare. We bred her back to Munnings, but didn't get her in foal. She has a Justify colt by her side. I am hoping we can continue on. The dilemma for breeders is that this is a filly that I would have loved to keep. But you can't. But as the mare gets older, you want to keep something out of her. But you don't want to keep just a horse that is no account.”

Arnold said he plans to breed the mare back to Munnings next year. @JessMartiniTDN

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Fasig-Tipton Marks 100 Years in Saratoga

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY – The Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Selected Yearlings Sale, swept away by the pandemic last summer, marks its 100th anniversary when bidding on the two-day boutique auction starts Monday evening at 6:30 p.m. in the Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion.

“We are thrilled to be back,” Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning said while overseeing action at the sales barns on a brilliantly sunny Sunday morning in upstate New York. “It's wonderful to be here and to feel the excitement and the energy on the sales grounds. And there is that same energy and excitement on the racetrack and on the backside and when you walk around town. People feel so upbeat and positive. There is a bounce in their steps. I think the year's absence has made us all appreciate Saratoga even more.”

While uncertainty kept much of the market in check in 2020, Browning said he is expecting plenty of competition this week in Saratoga.

“There are a lot of positive things happening in our business right now,” he said. “People feel good about the economy and the racing industry and there is vibrancy which I think is pervasive now.

He continued, “I think there was certainly some scale back at the top of the market last year–I think there was less competition for the really expensive horses overall. Lack of certainty in any aspect of life is tough and I think last year people didn't know how long the pandemic was going to go on and what was going to be the outcome. I think that psychologically changed some buying habits or limits. I think the top end was compressed last year and I would expect it to be more vibrant this year. To me, the top end is $500,000 and up. I don't think we are going to see the return of crazy, expensive yearlings, but I think there will be increased competition at the upper level of the market this year.”

Consignors were kept busy at the sales barns Sunday, with a strong contingent of pinhookers making the rounds alongside trainers and end-users.

“I think everybody is delighted to be back,” said Hunter Valley Farm's Adrian Regan. “There is a great buzz around the place. The action at the barn has been good. It was steady yesterday and very busy today. As usual, Fasig has done a great job creating the atmosphere and attracting the people. So we are very hopeful of a good sale.”

The Saratoga sale comes on the heels of an exciting weekend of racing at the track across the street and the energy permeates throughout the town.

“I think there are a lot of people around town and I think everybody is happy to be back here,” said Paramount Sales' Gabriel Duignan. “The racing is very good at the moment. The town seems to be hopping and it's been very busy here at the sales grounds. I am optimistic it will be a good sale–everything is pretty healthy in our business at the moment. The 2-year-old game was good, the racing is good. So I am optimistic.”

With travel between countries still difficult because of the ongoing pandemic, foreign participation will likely be lighter than in recent years, according to Browning.

“There is a reasonable representation of foreign buyers here,” Browning said. “There are still some restrictions, both getting into the United States and returning to some countries. The Japanese have a really hard time going back to Japan. And certainly there are some initial barriers for folks coming from Europe. We've been able to work with various representatives to accommodate some travel requests. But I would expect less international participation than we have had in recent years–obviously not 2020–but the North American buyer bench will be very, very strong and very enthusiastic.”

Fasig-Tipton will again be offering internet bidding for buyers unable to make it to the auction and, already positioning itself for the next 100 years, is unveiling an option to buy horses with cryptocurrency.

“It will be interesting to see what happens,” Browning said of the company's first foray into cryptocurrency. “I don't think it will dramatically change the impact of this sale or the immediate future. But we are always open to new ideas. We should be forward looking. I think if a lot of people before us hadn't been innovative and creative, this company wouldn't be here for 100 years. I think we have a responsibility to position the company moving forward to be successful. Not everything you try is going to be successful, but you certainly have to be looking for new ideas and new ways to attract new people to the business. And we think this is a possibility, so we are going to see where it goes. We are not going to measure success based solely on the activity of this one sale. That's certainly not our intent.”

Of overseeing the Saratoga sale's centenary celebration, Browning said, “It feels like an awesome responsibility. There is a lot of pride. I am proud of the way we do business. And I think we continue, as the organization has done for a long time, to provide a high level of customer service. We are going to strive to do that and do an even better job of it when possible. It's an honor, but it's also a responsibility to make sure you position the company, not only for the company's success, but there is a responsibility to the industry as well.

“I have believed for years that there is no better place in the world to introduce people to Thoroughbred racing and Thoroughbred sales than Saratoga,” Browning said. “If somebody is interested in the business and they can't come here and enjoy the experience and get an adrenaline rush, whether it be at the racetrack or the sales grounds, then this game is probably not for them. So we have a responsibility to the industry to continue to make this place–and this place is Saratoga in its totality, with the racetrack and with us and with the local community–to take this opportunity to let people see the passion and the enthusiasm that we have for what we do in our sport. And we take that seriously because we love it.”

At the 2019 sale, four horses sold for seven figures, with a pair of colts by Curlin sharing top price of $1.5 million A total of 135 yearlings sold in 2019 for $55,547,000. The average was $411,459 and the median was $350,000.

A total of 210 yearlings have been catalogued for this year's Saratoga sale, which will be held Monday and Tuesday evenings with bidding beginning each day at 6:30 p.m.

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