Fireworks As ‘Damn Good’ Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale Concludes with a Trio of Seven Figure Mares

LEXINGTON, KY – The Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale, which had never produced a seven-figure offering in its history, had three million-dollar mares go through the ring in an action-packed final hour of its two-day run in Lexington Tuesday. The final horse through the ring, Zetta Z (Bernardini), supplemented to the auction just Sunday, provided an exclamation point of the auction when selling for $2 million to Coolmore Stud. As expected, the dispersal of the bloodstock of the late Robert Lothenbach dominated the results sheet, accounting for the $1.3 million Bell's the One (Majesticperfection), who sold to the bid of bloodstock agent Catherine Hudson, and the $1.1 million She Can't Sing (Bernardini), who sold to Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa.

Eleven of Tuesday's top 12 prices were from horses from the dispersal, including the auction's top-priced short yearling, a colt by Into Mischief purchased for $650,000 by North Ocean Equine. In all, 62 horses sold for the dispersal for a gross of $8,263,000. The dispersal average was $133,274 and the median was $42,500.

“It was unfortunate circumstances with Mr. Lothenbach passing, but we are very appreciative of the estate giving us the opportunity, between the digital sale and today and yesterday,” said Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning. “But it is also a reflection of a man who had a program that raised and raced horses the right way. He gave horses time and he used trainers who took care of the horses. He had a long-term perspective and he was in it for all the right reasons. He loved racing. And that shared passion of racing is ultimately what fuels everything that we do in our industry.”

Bolstered by the dispersal, 372 horses grossed $21,687,000 for an average of $58,298 and a median of $17,000.

Outside of the dispersal, Browning said the auction's results proved demand for horses remained strong.

“It wasn't just on three horses,” Browning said. “Talking to the consignors across the board, the ones that sold horses for thousands of dollars or ten of thousands of dollars or hundreds of thousands of dollars, they felt like it was a very, very legitimate marketplace. Buyers, whether they had $5,000 to spend, $50,000 to spend or $500,000 to spend, found competition and found it not easy to buy horses. Which is where you want the marketplace to be. You want it to be competitive on both the buying and selling side of things. We saw that the last two days.”

Browning concluded, “All in all, it's been a fantastic two days. It wildly exceeded our expectations and we normally have high expectations for ourselves and for the quality of horses we are selling. It was damn good and it feels really good to say in February it was damn good. And it was.”

 

Coolmore Pays $2 Million for Dam of Nysos

Zetta Z (Bernardini) (hip 536), added to the Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed catalogue just hours after her son Nysos (Nyquist)'s tour de force victory in the GIII Robert B. Lewis S. Saturday, ended the two-day auction with an exclamation point when selling for $2 million to Coolmore Stud.

“She is a beautiful mare and she completely stood out here,” said Coolmore's Adrian Wallace after signing the ticket on the mare in the back walking ring. “Obviously being the dam of such a talented young colt with his whole future ahead of him, she was a must-have. Mr. [John] Magnier and M V [Magnier] were very interested in her from the very beginning.”

The 14-year-old mare, consigned by Grovendale Sales, sold Tuesday in foal to Cyberknife and will likely have a date with Triple Crown winner Justify this year, according to Wallace.

“She's a wonderful mare and she is obviously in foal to a very exciting young sire,” Wallace said. “Hopefully, she will be a nice mare to add to Justify's book when the time comes.”

In addition to Nysos, Zetta Z is also the dam of a now-yearling colt by Yaupon who sold to Randy Hartley and Dean DeRenzo's AAA Thoroughbreds for $450,000 at last year's Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale.

The mare is out of Seresa's Spirit (Rahy), an unraced daughter of GI Breeders' Cup Distaff winner Unbridled Elaine (Unbridled's Song).

Unraced herself, Zetta Z sold in foal to Street Sense for $35,000 at the 2021 Keeneland November sale. Three Times a Charm was the name on the ticket that day, but according to Grovendale's Chance Timm, the mare had changed hands since that auction.

“She changed hands sometime last year,” Timm said, while declining to name the mare's owner.

Of the mare's presence in the sale, Timm said, “James [Keogh] had been in really close contact with the owner leading up to the race, so fair credit to him. I am grateful to be his partner and to be a part of it, but James did all the heavy lifting here and we are grateful to the owners for the opportunity.”

Timm added, “We were watching the Bob Lewis with a little bit different interest on Saturday, that's for sure. But it's great fun and we are privileged for the opportunity.”

Zetta Z became far-and-away the highest-priced horse to ever sell at the Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed sale.

“I think it's hard to expect that kind of money at that sort of level for any kind of horse, but these are the types that can do that when it all lines up,” Timm said of the final price. “That's why we have horse sales, to have two people hook up and do what she did today. Any time they are at that level, it's hard to expect that. But she deserved to make that. That's the kind of mare she is.”

Wallace summed up, “She looks like…well, $2 million, instead of $1 million, but she's a lovely mare.”

 

Bell's The One Lights Up Fasig-Tipton

Bell's the One (Majesticperfection) (hip 476), the brightest star in Robert Lothenbach's decades in the sport, proved the most sought-after offering of the late owner's dispersal when selling for $1.3 million at Fasig-Tipton Tuesday. Bloodstock agent Catherine Hudson, bidding while on the phone from a seat in the pavilion, signed the ticket on the 8-year-old mare on behalf of an undisclosed client.

“We loved her,” Hudson said. “I bought her for a private client. He's an admirer of collector's items and we felt like she is one of them. She is a beautiful mare. We appreciate her and her racing and everything the Lothenbach family did for horse racing. We are sad the dispersal is happening, but we were very, very fortunate to be able to step up and buy her.”

The hard-knocking Bell's the One, purchased for $155,000 as a Fasig-Tipton July yearling in 2017, won 11 stakes races in the Lothenbach colors, including the 2020 GI Derby City Distaff S. and earned over $2 million during her racing career. She RNA'd for $2.6 million at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton November sale and was put in foal to Flightline. The mare aborted that foal in September.

Of potential 2024 mating plans, Hudson said, “We have had a lot of reports, nicking, research and haven't decided yet. We are just working on it now. We think Justify's book got closed. We are hoping they might reopen, but we will talking to a couple of the farms about it.”

Hudson, who confirmed the mare would stay in the U.S., said the seven-figure price range was within expectations.

“I thought I would get outbid by maybe the Japanese,” she admitted. “I had $1.2 million to $1.3 million, but I didn't think my client would go any more than $1 million.”

Hudson had the client on the phone during the bidding and, asked to describe the conversation, she said, “I didn't want to know what he was going to do–I didn't want to know too much. I had a hopeful feeling he might keep going, but I didn't think he would go over $1.2 million, so I was very happy when he said go ahead with it. I think he appreciates collector's items.”

 

She Can't Sing to Hill 'n' Dale

Graded-stakes winning broodmare prospect She Can't Sing (Bernardini) (hip 485) will be joining the band at the Sikura family's Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa after selling for $1.1 million during the Lothenbach dispersal at Fasig-Tipton Tuesday. The 7-year-old mare, bred and campaigned by the late Robert Lothenbach, won four stakes during her racing career, including the 2022 GIII Chilukki S. She is out of Distorted Music (Distorted Humor) and from the family of multiple Grade I winner Music Note.

“She is beautiful and obviously a very talented racehorse,” said Jes Sikura. “We are collecting a broodmare band at Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa to kind of improve on what we already have and create a new generation. [Hill 'n' Dale stallion] Curlin loves Bernardini. We thought this would be a great nick. Hopefully we will get a beautiful foal out of her.”

Of the seven-figure price tag, Sikura said, “We were willing to pay a high price for something with that quality. Bernardini/Distorted Humor mare, it doesn't get better than this. She was a great racehorse. And we really thought she would fit our program. She's exactly what we are looking for.”

While the 22-year-old Sikura signed the ticket on the mare, he admitted it was his father, John, who did the bidding in the back walking ring.

“I was told to step back,” Sikura said with a laugh. “I didn't want to make any mistakes.”

The younger Sikura signed for a Constitution short yearling at $300,000 on behalf of a pinhooking partnership during Monday's first session of the auction. He also signed for the broodmare Audrey's Time (Uncle Mo) (hip 474) at $525,000 in the name of Imaginary Partners earlier in Tuesday's session.

“I am probably UK's least favorite student right now–the least classes attended student right now,” he said. “I am working on bloodstock on the farm and trying to get my own little thing going and learn as much as I can about the business. I am getting involved, selling some seasons and shares, just working on our stallions and promoting the farm.”

Sikura admitted getting more involved in the racing industry became a more immediate concern once his hockey career had run its course.

“I always knew I wanted to be involved at some point,” he said. “I grew up as a hockey player–not a great one–that's why I came back to Kentucky at 19. And then once I realized I was not going to be a professional athlete by 17, I started to look a lot more into the horses and enjoying it more. And now I feel like I am starting to understand it a little bit and following in my dad's footsteps, as well as other great mentors that I've been lucky enough to be around.”

 

Logan Strikes for Into Mischief Colt

Darby Dan Sales Director Renee Logan, bidding on behalf of an undisclosed client, went to $650,000 to acquire a short yearling by Into Mischief (hip 494) Tuesday at Fasig-Tipton. From the Lothenbach dispersal and consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, the bay colt is out of Distorted Music (Distorted Humor) and is a half-brother to graded winner She Can't Sing (Bernardini). He came into the ring some 10 hips after his half-sister sold for $1.1 million and some 25 hips after his dam sold for $375,000.

“It's for an undisclosed buyer,” Logan said. “He's a longtime farm client who loves racing and loves to sell as well. So he might race or sell. We'll just see how things go.”

Robert Lothenbach purchased Distorted Music for $190,000 at the 2011 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. She won three of eight starts in the late owner's colors and She Can't Sing was her first foal to the races.

“I like the fact that he was very well-balanced and he had a beautiful walk,” Logan said of the short yearling's appeal. “He's very correct. He's a half-brother to a great filly who just brought a million, which vindicated our decision. That's why we went the extra mile.”

Logan added there was extra appeal in purchasing the youngster from a breed-to-race operation.

“He wasn't overly prepped,” she said. “What you saw is what he actually is. So that was another thing that I liked about him.”

Of the colt's final price tag, Logan added, “If you want a nice horse, you're going to have to pay for it.”

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Bell’s The One Brings $1.3 Million at Fasig-Tipton

Grade I winning Bell's the One (Majesticperfection) brought a final bid of $1.3 million from bloodstock agent Catherine Hudson, bidding on behalf of an undisclosed client, Tuesday at Fasig-Tipton. Part of the dispersal of the bloodstock of the late Robert Lothenbach, the 8-year-old mare was consigned by Vinery Sales. She will remain in the U.S., according to Hudson, who added mating plans are still to be decided.

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$400,000 Lemieux Provides Icing on Steady Fasig-Tipton Winter Sale

LEXINGTON, KY-The Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale went through its supplemental catalogue and into its addendum to finally find its top-priced offering when Lemieux (Nyquist) sold to Nice Guys Stable for $400,000 just hips before the auction concluded its two-day run Tuesday in Lexington with steady results.

“We saw a continuation of the marketplace that we experienced yesterday and that we saw in January and we saw in November, October, September and July,” Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning, Jr. said at the sale's close Tuesday. “I think it's a very fair marketplace. I think that if you are trying to buy horses, the horses that you want to buy, you generally have to pay more than you wanted to. When you are selling horses, if you've got quality, you are probably getting around what you thought, maybe a little more. But there is no euphoria. If you are trying to sell on the lower end, it's tough. It's been tough the last 10 years. And the reality is that that's the marketplace. But if we had 50 more good ones to lead through in here right now, they'd be lined up in here to bid on them and buy them.”

Through two sessions, 402 head sold for $14,105,200. The average of $35,088 was down 12.3% from last year's figure, while the median of $15,000 was down 6.3%. With 65 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate was 13.9%. It was 11.5% a year ago.

An initial catalogue of 465 lots was bolstered by a supplemental catalogue of 121 head, to which was added eight additional entries in an addendum. Stakes-winner Lemieux sold seven hips from the end of the auction, with bloodstock agent John Williams making a final bid of $400,000 to acquire the 4-year-old filly on behalf of Nice Guys Stable.

The filly, whose half-sister Brilliant Cut (Speightstown) topped the 2022 Winter Mixed sale, was one of 15 horses to sell for $200,000 or over during the auction. Fourteen hit that mark in 2022.

“If you look at a global, or big picture standpoint, the ability to create liquidity helps every marketplace,” Browning said of the importance of being able to add horses with current form as supplements to a catalogue. “It allows people to turn assets into dollars and then hopefully reinvest those dollars into similar or like kind of assets along the way.”

Lemieux Keeps the Family Tradition Going

Stakes-winner Lemieux (Nyquist) (hip 588), whose half-sister Brilliant Cut (Speightstown) topped the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale, brought the highest price of the 2023 renewal of the auction when selling for $400,000 to the bid of John Williams, acting as agent for Steve Spielman's Nice Guys Stables. The 4-year-old broodmare prospect was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency.

“She is a lovely mare and quite a standout in this catalogue,” Williams said. “The man I bought her for is continuing to improve his broodmare band and this is the kind of filly that could do that.”

Racing for D J Stable and trainer Mark Casse, Lemieux won the 2021 Brethren Juvenile Fillies S. She won twice from 10 starts and earned $140,216 before RNA'ing for $300,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton November sale.

Lemieux is out of Polish a Diamond, a half-sister to multiple Grade I winner Diamondrella (GB) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}) and multiple Grade I placed Bonnie Blue Flag (Mineshaft), and from the family of Life is Good (Into Mischief). The 8-year-old mare produced a colt by Essential Quality last week.

Lemieux's half-sister, GI La Brea S. runner-up Brilliant Cut (Speightstown), sold for $750,000 to Katsumi Yoshida at last year's Winter Mixed Sale and was bred to Gun Runner in 2022 before being shipped to Japan last fall.

Williams said there was plenty of blue sky in the family.

“There are great possibilities with her dam being young and her half-sister being bred to the likes of Gun Runner,” he said. “Her dam had an Essential Quality just last week and the second dam is still active. And there is a pretty nice sire prospect under there. So she had a lot of things going for her. And she is by Nyquist, who we very much are still a fan of.”

Of the filly's sale-topping price tag, Williams said, “I thought we would have to spend that kind of money. The market says that that's what quality costs. Is she worth that? I'm so old school, I can't get my head around those kind of numbers. But that's the market and you have to adjust to it.”

Established in 2016, the Nice Guys Stables partnership spearheaded by Spielman has already had success on the racetrack, where their first horse, Piedi Bianchi (Overnalyze), took them to the Breeders' Cup in 2017, as well as in the pinhooking arena, where they sold an Arrogate filly for $1 million at the 2021 OBS April sale.

“One of the great things about Nice Guys Stables is that they are both commercial and he races,” Williams said. “So he will do both. And boy do we need those. Because it's about racing.”

Nice Guys Stables had graded success last fall when King Cause (Creative Cause) won the GIII Knickerbocker S. The gelding was sixth in last week's GI Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational.

“He's got 14 2-year-olds that he's breaking now,” Williams said of Spielman. “He's just a great young guy. And I think Nice Guys Stables has a terrific future if he keeps buying this kind of mare.”

Curlin Blessing Joins Repole Band

Curlin Blessing (Curlin) (hip 545) will be joining the broodmare band of Mike Repole after bloodstock agent Jacob West made a final bid of $230,000 to acquire the 4-year-old daughter of champion Indian Blessing (Indian Charlie).

“She's by a stallion that we've had a lot of luck with and she's out of a champion mare,” West said. “So it was pretty easy. She's by a champion out of a champion. She stood out here to us from a pedigree standpoint and a physical standpoint. Mike is trying to play the high-end breeding game a little bit now. So she was a mare that fit the bill.”

The broodmare prospect, who was consigned by Hill 'n' Dale at Xalapa, was a two-time winner at Turf Paradise while racing for her owner/breeder Patti and Hal Earnhardt. The couple also bred and campaigned Indian Blessing, who was a five-time Grade I winner and was named champion 2-year-old filly in 2007 and champion female sprinter in 2008.

Of potential mating plans for Curlin Blessing, West said, “Eddie Rosen will decide who we will breed her to. My vote is Life is Good–that's what I hope we do. But it's 100% up to Ed. Mike will let Ed make that decision.”

Good Magic Filly Sets Early Pace

A short yearling by Good Magic (hip 350) led early returns during Tuesday's second session of the Fasig-Tipton Winter Mixed Sale when bringing a final bid of $225,000 from bloodstock agent Catherine Hudson, acting on behalf of Michael Sucher's Champion Equine. The bay was consigned by Vinery Sales.

“She was a gorgeous, leggy daughter of Good Magic, who has four horses on the Kentucky Derby trail,” Hudson said of the filly's appeal. “She just had a great outlook with a beautiful eye. Everything seemed great and I think there is some improvement in her. She seemed to get better as the days went by at the sales grounds. She showed a lot of class.”

The filly is out of Rich Love (Not For Love) and her half-sister Ruby Nell (Bolt d'Oro) topped last year's Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream Sale when purchased by Spendthrift Farm for $1.2 million. The now 3-year-old debuted with a runner-up effort at Santa Anita Jan. 22.

“She was second with a bad trip,” Hudson said of the half-sister. “And she's breezed back. So we like that, too.”

Bred by Theta Holdings, the yearling RNA'd for $115,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton November sale. Her dam, carrying a full-sibling, sold for $140,000 at that same sale.

“I'm not quite sure what the client wants to do with her at this time, but we will just get her home and figure it out,” Hudson said.

Vinery Sales and Theta Holdings was responsible for another

yearling by Good Magic who sold for six figures Tuesday at Fasig-Tipton. The consignor/breeder duo sold a colt by the champion (hip 355) for $100,000 to Davant Latham. The dark bay had RNA'd for $70,000 at last year's Keeneland November sale.

Kirkwood Consignment Comes to a Close

South Carolina horseman Kip Elser, who has shifted his focus to public and private bloodstock purchases, evaluations and racing stable management, sent the final three horses through the ring under his Kirkwood consignment banner Tuesday at Fasig-Tipton.

“I feel excited to change leads and roll on down the stretch,” Elser said after watching his final horse go through the ring. “Sure, I will miss consigning. And I love training horses. But I have done it a long time and now it's time to change.”

Tuesday's offerings were bittersweet as two belonged to Elser's longtime friend and client, the late Steve Schwartz.

“It was emotional because Steve was a 25-year friend, client, and partner,” Elser said. “And he was just a wonderful guy. So of course there were some emotions, because were together for a long time.”

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Beloveda, Saguaro Row Top Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Winter Mixed Sale

The Kentucky Winter Mixed sale, the final breeding stock sale before the breeding sheds open, ended Tuesday with gains across the board. The sale took place at Fasig-Tipton's Newtown Paddocks in Lexington, Ky.

Beloveda (Hip 328), a daughter of Ghostzapper in foal to Street Sense, topped the sale when sold for $510,000 from the consignment of Gainesway, agent.

A graded stakes placed winner herself, Beloveda is the dam of two winners from three to race, including stakes placed Mistress of Love (Scat Daddy). The chestnut mare is a half-sister to graded stakes winner and stakes producer Golden Mystery, as well as of All Saint's Day, whose six winners to date include stakes winners Holywell and Sinister Brew.

The sale's top racing/broodmare prospect was multiple stakes winner Saguaro Row (Hip 675), a six-year-old daughter of Union Rags.

The bay mare was purchased for $500,000 by Catherine Hudson, agent from the consignment of Blake-Albina Thoroughbred Services, agent. A two-time stakes winner and graded stakes placed runner, Saguaro Row earned $342,354 for owners Newtown Anner Stud Farm and Mark D. Breen and trainer Michael Stidham. She is a half-sister to stakes winner Pinnacle Peak out of a half-sister to champion filly and Grade 2 winner My Wandy's Girl.

Stakes winner Whoa Nellie (Hip 625) was the best-selling broodmare prospect, purchased by $450,000 by St Elias Stables from the consignment of Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent for Fox Hill Farms. A twice graded stakes-placed stakes winner, the daughter Orb won six times for owner Fox Hill Farms and trainer Larry Jones, with earnings of $353,830.

Other broodmare prospects sold for $400,000 or more include:

  • Gold Standard (Hip 671), a multiple stakes placed winner by Medaglia d'Oro sold for $435,000 to Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings from the consignment of Gainesway, agent for Stonestreet and LNJ Foxwoods; and
  • Fiftyshades Ofgreen (Hip 640), a stakes placed daughter of Bernardini, sold for $400,000 to St Elias Stables from the consignment of Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent.

The sale's top short yearling came in the form of a Nyquist colt (Hip 480) out of multiple Grade 2 placed winner Honey Chile. The chestnut colt was purchased for $170,000 by Machmer Hall from the consignment of Bill Reightler, agent. The West Virginia-foaled colt's second dam is multiple stakes winner Christmas Time, who also produced his dam's multiple stakes winning full brother Prince of Time.

Last-out Jimmy Winkfield Stakes winner Hello Hot Rod (Hip 672) sold for $335,000 as the top racing and/or stallion prospect. The dark bay Maryland-bred colt by Mosler was purchased by George Sharp from the consignment of ELiTE, agent. Hello Hot Rod is a half-brother to five-time stakes winner Hello Beautiful, from the immediate family of Grade 2 winners Hello Liberty and Significant Form.

During the two-sale sale, 425 horses sold for a gross of $12,506,700, up 28 percent from $9,777,100 for 368 sold in 2020. The average was $29,428, an 11 percent increase over last year's average of $26,568. The median rose 18 percent from $8,500 in 2020 to $10,000 this year. The RNA rate fell 6 percent from last year to 18.9 percent.

Full results are available online.

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