Son of Nyquist on Top at Fasig Midlantic Finale

A son of Nyquist brought a sale-topping $205,000 during Tuesday's second and final session of the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Fall Yearlings Sale in Timonium, MD.

With a catalogue some 20% smaller than it was last year, the 2023 renewal of the auction saw 289 head fetch $7,078,000 at an average of $24,491 (down 7.9% year over year from $26,597) and median of $12,000 (down 20% from last year's cumulative figure of $15,000).

Last year there were 23 horses to sell for $100,000 or more–there were only 12 to reach that number this week.

For Tuesday's longer session, which came after a later-starting afternoon of selling Monday, 190 yearlings changed hands for gross receipts of $4,715,000. The average was $24,816 and median was $12,000.

“I thought it was fairly consistent, very much in line with previous years,” said Fasig-Tipton President and CEO Boyd Browning, Jr. “The catalogue was smaller this year, which obviously had an impact on the gross. Average declined slightly, median declined a little bit, which are trends we've been seeing in the regional markets. All in all, I thought the sale was fine, it was fair, it was consistent, and really as expected–it was in line with our expectations and what we've seen in this marketplace in recent years.”

The overall buy-back rate was 21.5% compared to 17% 12 months ago. The RNA rate was 25.5% at the conclusion of the session Tuesday–it had been 16.2% at last year's corresponding session and was 19.5% on Monday–but Browning noted that post-sale transactions were still being processed and the RNA rate would come down as those additional sales were finalized and recorded.

Nick Sallusto's Thorostock LLC and Seth Morris Thoroughbreds purchased the sale and session's top two lots Tuesday: hip 160, a Maryland-bred Nyquist colt from Becky Davis Inc., agent; and hip 376, a $175,000 son of fellow Darley resident Street Sense offered by Northview Stallion Station.

The sales top five sellers all went through the ring Tuesday. Eight of nine toppers for the sale were colts, with the lone filly in that group hip 368, a Maryland-bred miss from the first crop of Vekoma. Northview also consigned that filly, who was purchased by Golden Lion Racing.

“I think, generally speaking, the average person would generally rather have a colt than a filly to go to the races with,” Browning said. “And I think that's even more so the case in a regional marketplace where you don't have collector-type pedigrees, generally speaking, so I think there's always going to be an affinity for colts.”

Yearling season will wrap up later this month when Fasig holds its four-day Kentucky October Yearlings sale Oct. 23-26, and Browning isn't anticipating any more surprises back in Lexington: “There were no real emerging great signs or negative signs with the marketplace [in Maryland]. We already have a pretty good idea of where things are, it was in line with what we've already seen this year and I would when we go back to Kentucky in a few weeks for the last yearling sale of the year it'll again be very similar to what we've been seeing.”

Visit www.fasigtipton.com for complete sales results.

Sallusto 'Stocks' Up

Nick Sallusto's Thorostock, in partnership with Seth Morris Thoroughbreds, took home Tuesday's top two lots, the $205,000 Nyquist colt consigned by Becky Davis, Inc. as hip 160; and hip 376, a $175,000 son of Street Sense bought out of the Northview Stallion Station consignment.

The purchases, along with four other more inexpensive pick-ups ranging from $15,000 to $50,000, will be heading to next year's 2-year-old sales.

Hip 160 is out of Laurel debut winner How My Heart Works (Not For Love), who has been a very productive mare for Maryland breeders Bowman and Higgins Stable. Her first foal Monday Morning QB (Imagining) fetched $25,000 at this sale in 2018, but has racked up more than $334,000 in earnings, including two stakes victories and a graded placing. A 3-year-old full-sister to hip 160 sold to Cary Frommer for $200,000 here in 2021, then brought $450,000 back in the Timonium sales ring last May. Now named Asawer, she was third in this year's G3 U.A.E. Oaks. A still-unraced Arrogate colt from the mare sold for $180,000 to Cash Is King and LC Racing here 12 months ago.

“I think he's very much like his father–he's got a very similar physical to his daddy; very beautiful type of horse,” Sallusto said of hip 160's appeal. “He's very, very well put together–near perfect conformation. He's got plenty of development left in him, he's still a little bit of a baby. I'm a big fan of the sire, he's got a stallion's pedigree, he already has a full-sister who's graded-placed, the mare already has two graded stakes horses from two with a 2-year-old who hasn't started yet. There were just too many things to like about him to not take a swing at him. We just felt lucky that we had the money to buy him today.”

The dark bay also hails from the family of last year's MGISW sophomore colt Cyberknife (Gun Runner), highest-level winners Well Armed and American Patriot, et al.

Sallusto said the final price paid for hip 160 was in line with what he was expecting. When asked if the absence of the colts groups, which have been such a force at the major yearling auctions in Kentucky and Saratoga, made for an easier time shopping for higher-end male prospects, he said, “There's a little less resistance I would say, but I think he was fairly bought,” adding of the market as a whole: “There's good support for the locally based Maryland-bred horses, and overall I think the horses who vet clean and have good physicals are bringing fair money.”

Later in the session, Sallusto was back at it acquiring another top-end Maryland-bred colt by an established Kentucky sire. Hip 376 is the second foal out of Victory Rally (Jump Start), who was a stakes winner going a main-track mile. His second dam is SW American Victory (Victory Gallop) and third dam is MGSW and good producer Who Did It and Run (Polish Numbers).

Hip 376 had RNA'd for $90,000 in August at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga. He was bred by Sycamore Hall Thoroughbreds. A now 2-year-old half-brother by Union Rags sold for $75,000 here last term and has most recently been breezing in Kentucky.

Nyce Sale for Davis

Consignor Becky Davis admitted that she knew heading into the Midlantic Fall Yearlings sale that she was coming with some standouts, and the market agreed. Davis's consignment grossed $1,005,000 from 25 sold, led by Tuesday's session and sale-topping Nyquist colt as well as another $110,000 son of the Darley stalwart.

“I haven't gone to Saratoga or Kentucky in a long time. I've specifically focused on bringing everything to Maryland and trying to improve our offerings,” Davis said during a brief lull in the action Tuesday. “A lot of what we sell are horses we've raised on our farm. We started sending a lot more mares to Kentucky and improving what we were breeding to when we started missing out on the Two Punch and Not For Love and the Allen's Prospect era. So, I know that we're breeding some of the higher-quality horses in the region. A couple years ago, I made a commitment–along with some other consignors–to try and make the Maryland sales better and take everything we had here. There was a group of us who decided that the sales weren't going to get any better unless we brought our own best, so that's what I've done.”

Davis had also consigned each of hip 160's aforementioned prior foals.

“I think overall, he's been the nicest foal the mare has had. He's phenomenal. I sold his full-sister here two years ago, and she sold for $200,000, but this is a nicer horse than she is,” Davis said of the Apr. 26 foal. “Honestly, he's darn near perfect. Since he was a foal, you just couldn't really pick out anything wrong with him. Some people may have liked to see him be bigger because he's a colt–I would call him average sized–but he's just so well put together, and such an athletic horse with a really good walk. He moves in the field like a dream. He's just the whole package. I was not disappointed by what he brought, but I wouldn't have been surprised if he brought a good bit more.”

Davis notably includes footage of her offerings in the field as part of her promotional walking videos (click for hip 160's video). When asked why, she explained:

“In [2002], I sold [eventual GII Pennsylvania Derby winner] Love of Money (Not For Love) here [for $70,000]. The sale was huge, there were 600-some horses and we had tents in the infield. That horse got loose from a lot of my handlers, and he was running loose in the infield a couple of times. Samantha Siegel (of Jay Em Ess Stable) bought him from me and she told me later that she bought him because she got to see him run.

“I believe it was the very next year–it's been a good 20 years now that I've been doing videos like that. I used to send DVDs out to people. I've been selling horses for a long time, and I've always done so much of it myself. I've prepped all the horses, raised half of them, so I started even doing the videos myself.

“This year, I did a lot of the footage myself… Then my 16-year-old daughter edited all the footage and put the videos together… Even with [hip 160], he was so tired [after being inspected so much]. I don't do any forced exercise on the farm, so none of them have been on walkers or lunged or anything like that. They're healthy horses, but they're not like fit athletes–they're babies. So when they get here, and they get shown as much as he did, they get tired. So, I want people to be able to see more than just a tired horse dragged up and down the asphalt… I've had a lot of people buy a lot of really good horses and tell me that they've bought it off of video.”

Davis's other Nyquist colt offering was hip 253, who was sold on behalf of breeder Glenangus Farm and purchased by David and Lori Hughes's Mens Grille Racing. The Maryland-bred is the second foal out of stakes winner and graded-placed turfer Peach of a Gal (Curlin). Second dam Richetta (Polish Numbers) was a Maryland standout herself, and also responsible for MSW/GSP Concealed Identity (Smarty Jones) and two other black-type performers.

“He's also another really impressive, big, strong colt, but not nearly the same [as hip 160],” Davis said of the chestnut. “He was bigger and taller, but not conformationally the same as the other horse. I think he benefitted from being behind the other horse because people who didn't get the first Nyquist I think were in there a little bit on this one. But, he's an athletic horse himself. He didn't have all the conformation to make him top dog… He's a nice colt. I think he'll be a good racehorse.”

Hip 253 had RNA'd for $185,000 at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga while consigned by a different outfit.

Davis acknowledged that while she was having a good sale, not everyone was.

“I've seen a lot of disappointments, for sure,” she said. “For me, it's going very well. But I think I brought the best group of horses I've ever brought here, and it's probably one of the best consignments this sale has ever seen overall… I honestly think the market is more realistic. To be honest, things have been so over the top; people quadrupling their stud fee. Nobody is happy anymore with just doubling their stud fee. You get caught up in these overinflated numbers and get disappointed… at some point we have to realize that people are losing their shirts and spending too much money and maybe everyone's just becoming a little more realistic.”

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Classic Empire Colt Tops Fasig Midlantic Opener

A $135,000 Classic Empire half-brother to a pair of recent stakes winners set the pace as the third hip through the ring during the first of two sessions of Fasig-Tipton's Midlantic Fall Yearlings Sale Monday and maintained that position throughout the afternoon.

At the end of trade, a total of 91 head had changed hands for gross receipts of $2,212,500. The average was $24,313, down from $27,222 during last year's corresponding session; while the median also dipped, from $14,000 last year to $11,500. The buyback rate was 19.5%–not far off the 18.5% it was 12 months ago.

This year's catalogue of 412 yearlings is down from the 526 it was in 2022. The opening session of 124 offerings, with a 3:00 p.m. start time, will be followed Tuesday by a longer session that begins at 11:00 a.m.

Glenn Bennett's LC Racing signed for the day's top two lots, the aforementioned New Jersey-bred Classic Empire colt consigned by Gracie Bloodstock, agent; and hip 116, a $130,000 son of leading freshman sire Maximus Mischief. The latter, a Pennsylvania-bred, was consigned by Marshall W. Silverman, agent.

LC Racing co-owns the session topper's MSW half-sister Girl Trouble (Fast Anna), and co-campaigned Grade II winner Maximus Mischief, who was acquired in the same Timonium, MD sales ring as a juvenile.

While five of the session's top six lots were colts, they were somewhat more diverse in their origins, with the breeding programs of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Maryland and Minnesota all represented.

Kilka and Connelly Cash in Early

A colt by Classic Empire provided an early jolt to the proceedings in Timonium Monday, as the well-related New Jersey-bred, consigned by Chris Gracie's Gracie Bloodstock as hip 3, was hammered down to LC Racing LLC for what was ultimately a session-topping $135,000.

Bred by Greg Kilka in partnership with Christine Connelly's Bright View Farm, the Apr. 29 foal is the third out of unraced Adorabella (Ghostzapper), a half-sister to 2022 stakes winner Alydiva (Quality Road) from the family of GSW/MGISP Gastronomical.

Kilka and Connelly paid just $14,000 for Adorabella at the 2020 Keeneland January sale, and the aforementioned black-type earned by her half-sister was certainly not the most noteworthy of updates the mare has gotten since then. The Fast Anna filly Adorabella was carrying at the time, who brought $15,000 at this auction in 2021, blossomed into multiple runaway Parx stakes winner and $283,000-plus earner Girl Trouble (Fast Anna). Adorabella's second foal is the flashy juvenile Book'em Danno (Bucchero), who crushed fellow Jersey-breds by 9 1/2 lengths first out at Monmouth for Atlantic Six Racing and trainer Derek Ryan in August before adding the open Smoke Glacken S. back at the Shore last month.

“I think it aligned with expectations. We've struck it rich, so to speak, with this mare that Chris Gracie picked out for us a few years ago,” said Kilka. “The mare, Adorabella, is throwing really nice babies and they all kind of have a similar way about them–they're all smart, they all walk very well, and now it has translated to the racetrack with the first two babies being Girl Trouble and Book'em Danno. This one's very similar to those.”

Kilka is a shareholder in Book'em Danno's young Florida-based sire, and was acquiring mares for Bucchero at the time.

“Chris picked the mare out,” Kilka said. “The page was a little light, but it was a young and active family and Chris suggested taking a shot. She's turned out to be a great purchase… Initially we acquired a few mares [for Bucchero], both with Chris and some I did on my own–the ones I did with Chris have been the most successful. We thought she aligned really well with Bucchero and we wanted to support the stallion in his first couple seasons. [Book'em Danno] has turned out to be very good so far.”

Book'em Danno was solid privately as a yearling after Girl Trouble had broken her maiden, but before she successfully stepped into stakes company. While Kilka and Connelly hadn't fully been able to cash in on Adorabella's production prowess as sellers until Monday, Kilka was quick to dismiss the notion that seeing Book'em Danno's success on the track might be bittersweet.

“It's all positive feelings; this is not an easy game,” he said. “We bred the horse to sell him, and we thought he would be a nice horse–you never know how nice they're going to be–but there are no regrets. We're happy to see the current ownership group having success with him. They're a group of Jersey guys and I'm happy to see that.”

Kilka and Connelly have set themselves up for further financial gain down the road, as they leveled up significantly from a stud fee perspective in choosing Adorabella's most recent mate, Medaglia d'Oro, who commanded a fee of $100,000 this past season.

“We have no plans to sell the mare as of now, although there have been inquiries. I guess for the right inquiry it's always possible,” Kilka said. “We'll see what happens with this Medaglia d'Oro baby and go from there.”

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Uncle Mo Filly on Top at Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Opener

TIMONIUM, MD – The Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Fall Yearlings Sale gained momentum throughout its first session Monday in Timonium, with a filly by Uncle Mo bringing the day's top price when selling for $320,000 to Legion Bloodstock.

A total of 145 yearlings sold Monday for $3,947,200. The average was $27,222 and the median was $14,000. The buy-back rate was 18.5%.

During last year's opening session, 149 horses grossed $4,577,300 for an average of $30,720 and a median of $20,000. The buy-back rate was 16.3%.

Ten yearlings sold for six figures Monday, compared to eight during last year's opening session.

“For the good horses, there are still plenty of people trying to buy them,” said Legion Bloodstock's Kristian Villante after making the day's highest bid. “You kind of have a polarized market here with a lot of the state-breds who are here.”

Bloodstock agent Tom McCrocklin purchased the second yearling to bring six figures during the session when going to $140,000 to acquire a colt by Girvin.

“The market is reflective of the horses,” McCrocklin said. “There is a lot of picking and choosing. But if you bring a good one in here, there is plenty of money.”

The Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale concludes with a final session beginning at 10 a.m. Tuesday.

Uncle Mo Filly Draws a Crowd

A filly by Uncle Mo (hip 158) was the highlight of the first session of the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Fall Yearlings Sale when bringing a final bid of $320,000 from Kristian Villante of Legion Bloodstock. The yearling is out of stakes winner Andina (Ire) (Singspiel {Ire}) and is a half-sister to graded winner Andina Del Sur (Giant's Causeway). She was consigned by Scott Mallory on behalf of Matt Dorman's Determined Stud.

“We bought her for a group of guys who have been with us for a long time,” said Villante. “She has a beautiful physical and she comes from a very good program–they are building a great broodmare band. She just kind of stuck out here.”

Of the Maryland-bred filly's final price tag, Villante said, “We kind of thought she would be in that $300,000 range, so it was a touch more than we were thinking, but it was in the ballpark.”

Villante said a trainer was still to be determined for the filly.

“We will let the guys figure it out,” he said. “She will go with Travis [Durr] to the training center and get broke there and go from there.”

Dorman purchased Andina, with this filly in utero, for $200,000 at the 2020 Fasig-Tipton November sale.

“She's been a great horse from the beginning, so it's great to see her go to some really good folks,” he said. “We are really happy with that result.”

Determined Stud, originally based in Dorman's home state of Maryland, set up shop in Kentucky last winter with the purchase of the former Sierra Farm. But a certain number of broodmares will remain in Maryland, according to Dorman.

“We will foal a certain number in Maryland every year,” he said. “So some are in Kentucky and some are in Maryland. We have a couple more big ones that are coming every year.”

Mendelssohn Again Popular in Timonium

Mendelssohn, who had the top two lots at last year's Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale, was again well-represented in Timonium Monday with Country Life Farm going to $155,000 to acquire a filly by the Coolmore stallion (hip 157) shortly after Cary Frommer went to $145,000 to acquire a colt (hip 119) by the half-brother to leading sire Into Mischief. Both yearlings were consigned by Northview Stallion Station.

Hip 157 is out of stakes winner Amie's Legend (Not For Love) and is a half-sister to stakes winner Ghoul's Night Out (Ghostzapper) and was bred by Two Legends Farm and Sycamore Hall Thoroughbreds.

Hip 119, who RNA'd for $145,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale in August, was bred by David Wade. He is out of Undisputed Legend (Domestic Dispute) and is a half-brother to multiple stakes winner Whereshetoldmetogo (El Padrino).

“He was a heckuva lot of horse,” Frommer said after signing the ticket on the pinhook prospect while sitting alongside Ellen Charles. “I just liked his attitude at the barn. He acted like he was special.”

Last year's Midlantic sale topper, a colt by Mendelssohn also consigned by Northview Stallion Station, resold for $1.3 million at this year's OBS April sale.

“He had a little bit of a slow start, but he started picking up at the end of Saratoga and I think they are going to be better 3-year-olds,” Frommer said of the stallion. “And that family–where do you get that kind of family?”

Frommer came back later in the session to purchase a filly by Mitole (hip 172) for $75,000 and also purchased a colt by Nyquist (hip 181) for $150,000 after the yearling, consigned by Becky Davis, was originally led out unsold.

Girvin Colt Destined for Resale

A colt by popular freshman sire Girvin will likely be appearing in a sales ring next spring after Tom McCrocklin purchased the yearling (hip 101) for $140,000 on behalf of Michael Sucher's Champion Equine during Monday's first session of the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale in Timonium. Consigned by Vinery Sales, the colt is out of the unraced Tiz Possible (Tiznow), a daughter of champion Proud Spell (Proud Citizen).

“He's by Girvin from a very good female family,” McCrocklin said of the colt's appeal. “He's a good-balanced colt. I think he has a lot of room to improve. And the plan would be to resell him at the 2-year-old sales.”

The New York-bred yearling was bred by Mary Lester and his dam was purchased while carrying the colt for $5,500 at the 2020 Keeneland November sale by Erin Fisher.

Girvin, who began his stud career at Ocala Stud in Florida, is relocating to Airdrie Stud for 2023. From his first crop to race, he has been represented this year by GII Saratoga Special winner Damon's Mound, as well as two other stakes winners.

“They are winning races,” McCrocklin said of Girvin. “He's moved from Ocala Stud to Airdrie, so I expect he is going to get better mares and I expect, with the better mares, he will be a proven, solid stallion.”

McCrocklin continued, “It's a very strong market. It's hard to buy horses and it's particularly hard to buy Girvins.”

Mens Grille Strikes for Honor Code Filly

David and Lori Hughes, bidding out back, made the first six-figure bid of the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Fall Yearlings Sale when going to $125,000 to secure a daughter of Honor Code (hip 84) from the Chanceland Farm consignment. The yearling, bred by Katherine Voss, is out of Tanca (Polish Numbers) and is a half-sister to this year's GIII General George S. winner Cordmaker (Curlin).

“We bought the filly largely because of Cordmaker. She was one of the ones I liked coming in,” David Hughes said. “And we know Katie. She takes care of a lot of our horses.”

Hughes said the filly's final price wasn't a surprise, but he added, “We weren't going any higher.”

The Hugheses have been racing under the Mens Grille banner since 2013 and have been represented by stakes winners Enchanted Ghost (Ghostzapper)–acquired by the couple from the Chanceland Farm consignment at this same sale in 2016–and Ghoul's Night Out (Ghostzapper).

While the Hugheses don't breed, the filly's potential future value as a broodmare impacted the purchase.

“One of the attractive factors about her is her residual value as a broodmare,” Lori Hughes said.

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Fasig-Tipton’s Midlantic Yearlings Catalogue Released

The catalogue is now available online for the 2021 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Fall Yearlings Sale, to be held Oct. 4-5 at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium. A total of 500 yearlings have been entered. The Monday, Oct. 4, session will offer the first 200 hips and will begin at 1 p.m., while the final 300 hips will be offered Tuesday, Oct. 5, starting at 10 a.m.

“We are very encouraged by the strength of this year's catalogue,” said Paget Bennett, Midlantic director of sales. “Sire power has ticked up once again this year, with a healthy mix of leading national sires as well as regional sires. Several of the nation's current leading first-crop 2-year-old sires are especially well represented, which adds additional interest to the catalogue.”

The online catalogue is available at Fasig-Tipton and will also be available via the equineline sales catalogue app.  Print catalogues will be available beginning Sept. 3.

“Midlantic Fall is the top-ranked major North American yearling sale by percentage of 2-year-old winners from horses sold–an impressive statistic that should give buyers extra incentive to shop this sale,” continued Bennett.

Phone bidding and online bidding will also be available.

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