The Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearling Sale is a showcase event for the Empire State's breeding program, but it can still be hard for a New York-sired horse to shine through in a catalog full of Kentucky-sired offerings. When one does, especially from a stallion's first crop, it's worth taking notice.
That honor belonged to McMahon of Saratoga's Redesdale at this year's renewal. The son of Speightstown was responsible for the highest-priced yearling by an active New York stallion, with Hip 379 selling to Reeves Thoroughbred Racing for $140,000 during Sunday's opening session.
Bred by Ron Bowden, the colt is out of the winning Lemon Drop Kid mare Dakota Kid, herself a half-sister to Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Dakota Phone. The colt was born at The New Hill Farm in Hoosick Falls, N.Y., and the operation raised raised him and consigned him on Sunday.
“He's always been pretty, from the day he was born,” said The New Hill's Lili Kobielski. “He's correct. What I think really stands out about him is there are some horses that get to the sale and just fall apart, since it's such a crazy environment, but he actually improved. He looked great, he kind of puffed himself up, he was walking like a demon. He seemed to get better as the sale went on and people were looking at him. He kind of thrived on the busyness.
“I was not going to be surprised if he brought six figures, just by how pretty he is,” Kobielski continued. “He was very popular, but he way, way exceeded the reserve we had on him.”
The colt was part of a 48-horse first crop for Redesdale, who stood his first season at Hidden Lake Farm at Questroyal North in Stillwater, N.Y., then was relocated to McMahon of Saratoga in 2020 after the farm bought into the stallion's partnership.
Redesdale raced four times during his on-track career, winning his first three starts, then coming out of his first graded stakes try with a career-ending injury.
Syndicate manager Chris Bernhard said investing in a stallion with a light race record was a risk – a risk he took with partners Schumer Bloodstock and 3C Stable – but the horse's physical, his page, and the potential he showed in his brief career made it one worth taking.
A product of the Juddmonte Farms breeding program, Redesdale is out of a half-sister to the top international sire Danehill, and his fourth dam is the great broodmare Natalma, who produced breed-shaper Northern Dancer.
“You come up with a horse that didn't win a stakes race, but was a fast horse that looked like he had genuine talent,” Berhhard said. “He was a pedigree play for us. We figured if we could get enough quality mares to him, we'd have a shot. For Fasig-Tipton to take a couple of them and give us a shot up here was very rewarding. I'm excited for my friends over at The New Hill for having the horse sell so well.”
Redesdale figures to have a solid pipeline of foals to get him started. In addition to the 48 foals in his first crop, he covered over 100 combined mares in each of his next two seasons at stud.
In the immediate future, Bernhard said the stallion will have a busy month in October, with plans to send some first-crop Redesdale yearlings to the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Fall Yearling Sale in Maryland on Oct. 4-5, and Fasig-Tipton's Saratoga Fall Sale on Oct. 18. The stallion's partnership also has several Redesdale foals that it will take directly to the races.
“Most of the babies I've seen by him have all been big hipped, fast-looking horses that the pinhookers really liked,” he said.
To learn more about Redesdale, read his recent Stallion Spotlight feature in the PR Back Ring.
The post First-Crop Redesdale Colt Leads Active State-Sired Offerings At Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Sale appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
