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Fasig-Tipton Releases New York-Bred Catalog

A total of 308 horses have been cataloged for the Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearling Sale, to be held Sunday and Monday, Aug. 15 and 16 in the Humphrey S. Finney Sales Pavilion on the sales grounds in Saratoga Springs, New York. The New York-bred sale returns to its normal spot on the sales calendar after COVID-19 caused the New York-bred yearlings to be sold at the Selected Yearling Showcase in Lexington last September.

“We are thrilled to be conducting this sale back in Saratoga Springs–where it belongs–following last year's cancellation due to the pandemic,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning. “We annually offer the cream of the New York-bred yearling crop at this auction, and the quality of sire power and conformation on offer this year is most impressive.”

As the New York-bred program has continued to thrive–state-bred maidens are running for $85,000, not to mention a robust state-bred stakes program at all of the New York tracks–the aforementioned sire power looks nothing like your typical regional sale.

A plethora of Kentucky stallions have youngsters cataloged for the sale, headlined by the 11 entered by Practical Joke, whose 'TDN Rising Star' Wit was so impressive in winning the GIII Sanford S. July 17. Constitution, whose son Tiz the Law fetched $110,000 from Sackatoga Stables' Jack Knowlton at this sale in 2018 and went on to win last summer's GI Runhappy Travers S., has eight in the catalog, while others include Candy Ride (Arg)– sire of impressive July 18 maiden winner Senbei–Distorted Humor, Hard Spun, Into Mischief, Liam's Map, Maclean's Music, Munnings, Nyquist, Street Sense, Uncle Mo and Violence. New York-based stallions include the reliable Central Banker, Freud and a dozen by the sadly departed Laoban.

Freshmen sires are also strongly represented in the catalog, including nine each for GI Kentucky Derby winner Always Dreaming (Bodemeister); Army Mule (Friesan Fire), whose first yearlings were coveted at Fasig-Tipton July last week; Good Samaritan (Harlan's Holiday); and Into Mischief's half-brother Mendelssohn (Scat Daddy).

Owing to the day's scheduled racing program at the nearby racetrack, Sunday's session is set to begin at 7 p.m., while Monday's round of bidding will begin at 12 noon.

The online catalog may be viewed by clicking here and will also be available in the Equineline sales catalog app. Print catalogs are also available.

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Saratoga Opening Week Handle Tops $90M

Handle for the opening four-day week of the Saratoga meet soared to more than $90 million, easily besting the corresponding 2020 and 2019 numbers. The New York Racing Association added a day to the previous three-day opening week Saratoga schedule in 2019.

The exact handle total for the 41-race week was $90,112,254, an increase of 12.18% from last year's number of $80,325,660, which was affected by the lack of spectators at Saratoga due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It also represents an increase of 22.7% from the $73,441,101 total in 2019. Racing resumes Wednesday with a first post of 1:05 p.m.

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Malibu Moon Filly Cruises to Rising Stardom at Spa

Sophomore filly More Moonshine (Malibu Moon) sat off a quick pace and skipped home in the muddy stretch to earn the 'TDN Rising Star' nod for an impressive belated debut Sunday at Saratoga. Having been very close to an unveiling here last year only to suffer a setback, the dark bay showed an upbeat local tab for a barn that can win with a firster but doesn't often get bet like it, and was let go at 6-1. Away in good order, the Summer Wind Equine homebred sat in a distant sixth among a strung-out group as favored Equal Pay (Quality Road) took pressure through splits of :22.44 and :45.49. Florida invader Perfect Grace (Tapit–Havre de Grace) ranged up and briefly looked like the winner approaching the straight, but More Moonshine soon caught the eye out wider and cruised past Perfect Grace in upper stretch. Never shown the stick by Junior Alvarado, she cantered away by 6 1/2 lengths, stopping the clock in 1:23.59. Perfect Grace was far in front of the others. Equal Pay faded to last, one spot behind well-bred newcomer Mezcal (Pioneerof the Nile–Cathryn Sophia).

The winner is a full to fellow 'Rising Star' Moonshine Memories, MGISW, $549,056, a $650,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga grad and two-time highest-level winner at two; and half to precocious runner and former California-based sire Indian Evening (Indian Charlie), SW-Can, GSP-USA, $140,172, who was third in the local GII Saratoga Special S. in 2011. Another half-brother, stakes-placed Mo for the Money (Uncle Mo), stands in Arkansas.

Dam Unenchanted Evening–a half to Horse of the Year and champion 2-year-old Favorite Trick (Phone Trick)–was also bred by Jane Lyon's Summer Wind. She has a 2-year-old full-brother to More Moonshine and Moonshine Memories who cost $375,000 at Keeneland September before being exported to France. Unenchanted was not bred back for 2020, but produced a Justify colt this term.

Malibu Moon, who died in May at age 24, has now sired an impressive 22 'TDN Rising Stars'.

7th-Saratoga, $100,000, Msw, 7-18, 3yo/up, f/m, 7f, 1:23.59, my, 6 1/2 lengths.
MORE MOONSHINE, f, 3, Malibu Moon
                1st Dam: Unenchantedevening, by Unbridled's Song
                2nd Dam: Evil Elaine, by Mediaval Man
                3rd Dam: Distinctive Elaine, by Distinctive
Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $55,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG. Free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
O/B-Summer Wind Equine LLC (KY); T-William I. Mott.

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Another Godolphin 1-2 in the Diana

In a virtual repeat of last month's GI Just A Game S. going Belmont's one-mile turf configuration, Godolphin's Althiqa (GB) (Dark Angel {Ire}) and Summer Romance (Ire) (Kingman {GB}) proved too strong for their American counterparts, this time in the nine-furlong GI Diana S. at Saratoga.

As she did downstate, Summer Romance cut out the running Saturday afternoon, tracked closest by GIII Eatontown S. victress Vigilantes Way (Medaglia d'Oro) through a solid opening couple of furlongs in :23.57 as Althiqa raced with just two rivals behind turning up the backstretch. Luis Saez was able to back the pace down some during the Diana's middle furlongs–the half-mile was posted in :48.17–and Summer Romance continued to hold Vigilantes Way at bay as they raced into the second turn. Harvey's Lil Goil (American Pharoah) caught the eye with a three-wide sweep leaving the three-eighths pole, but Althiqa was drafting in behind and following that one's move into the stretch. Produced off the heels of her fellow gray rival with about a furlong and a half to race, Althiqa grabbed Summer Romance at the sixteenth pole and was punched out by Manny Franco to score comfortably. La Signare (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) rallied to just touch Harvey's Lil Goil out of third.

“I just wanted to wait as long as I could, because I knew the distance was further than the last race,” said Franco, whose 2020 Spa season included Grade I wins aboard Tiz the Law (Consitution) in the GI Runhappy Travers S. and Channel Maker (English Channel) in the GI Sword Dancer S. “That was the question, but she did it. They didn't tell me much. They just told me to cover her [up] and follow somebody until I made my move. I think that was the key; that she was so relaxed behind horses and then she gave me a nice move and nice kick.”

A listed winner at Deauville and placed at group level at that venue, at Goodwood and at Doncaster last year, Althiqa returned from a September layoff to post a stylish victory–with Summer Romance fifth–in the G2 Cape Verdi S. at Meydan Jan. 28 before finishing third to her stable companion in the G2 Balanchine S. three weeks hence. Racing first-up for 3 1/2 months in the Just A Game, Althiqa settled well off pacesetting Summer Romance and rallied at the rail in the final eighth of a mile beneath Mike Smith to score by 3/4 of a length.

Pedigree Notes:

Althiqa is one of eight top-level winners, and–remarkably–three of those have achieved those victories in the U.S., Raging Bull (Fr) and Hunt (Ire) being the others. Dark Angel is the sire of one of the world's fleetest turf horses, Battaash (Ire), who could face an American challenge in the form of Golden Pal (Uncle Mo) in next month's G1 Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe S. over a straight five furlongs at York. The Yeomanstown Stud inmate is also the sire of Godolphin's 4-year-old colt Real World (Ire), impressive winner of the Listed Steventon S. at Newbury Saturday.

Mistrusting is the dam of Althiqa's 2-year-old full-sister Before Dawn (Ire), second on Newmarket debut in May and a narrowly beaten runner-up over the Kempton all-weather when last seen June 30. She produced a Dark Angel colt last year and a filly by Kodiac (GB) this term.

Saturday, Saratoga
DIANA S.-GI, $500,000, Saratoga, 7-17, 4yo/up, f/m, 1 1/8mT, 1:47.65, gd.
1--ALTHIQA (GB), 122, f, 4, by Dark Angel (Ire)
                1st Dam: Mistrusting (Ire) (SW-Eng, $120,206),
                                by Shamardal
                2nd Dam: Misheer (GB), by Oasis Dream (GB)
                3rd Dam: All For Laura (GB), by Cadeaux Genereux (GB)
O/B-Godolphin (GB); T-Charles Appleby; J-Manuel Franco.
$275,000. Lifetime Record: GSW-UAE, MGSP-Eng, SW &
GSP-Fr, 11-6-2-3, $741,213. Werk Nick Rating: A++. Click for
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Summer Romance (Ire), 120, f, 4, by Kingman (GB)
                1st Dam: Serena's Storm (Ire), by Statue of Liberty
                2nd Dam: Princess Serena, by Unbridled's Song
                3rd Dam: Serena's Sister, by Rahy
(300,000gns Ylg '18 TATOCT; €800,000 2yo '19 ARQMA).
O-Godolphin, LLC; B-Round Hill Stud (IRE); T-Charles Appleby.
$100,000.
3–La Signare (Fr), 118, m, 6, by Siyouni (Fr)
                1st Dam: La Teranga (Fr), by Beat Hollow (GB)
                2nd Dam: Adrastea (Ire), by Monsun (Ger)
                3rd Dam: Akasma (Ger), by Windwurf (Ger)
O-Madaket Stables LLC, Tim & Anna Cambron & Bradley
Thoroughbreds; B-Moussa Mbacke (FR); T-Brendan P. Walsh.
$60,000.
Margins: 3/4, 1 3/4, NK. Odds: 3.95, 2.70, 16.40.
Also Ran: Harvey's Lil Goil, Pocket Square (GB), Magic Attitude (GB), Vigilantes Way, Lemista (Ire).
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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