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A trio of weanlings shared top price of $150,000 during a day of vibrant trade at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Fall Sale Monday in upstate New York. By the close of business, 136 horses had sold for $4,533,200. The average of $33,332 jumped 48.5% from the 2021 auction and the median doubled to $20,000. With 46 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate was 25.3%. It was 29.7% a year ago when 163 horses grossed $3,657,800 for an average of $22,440 and a median of $10,000.

“The market up here was very strong and very honest all the way through, from the top to the bottom,” said Stuart Morris, who consigned two of the three co-toppers. “We were fortunate to bring some quality horses in here with good pedigrees and be rewarded by a strong marketplace. We are in a very fortunate cycle in our industry right now where we have a very high purse structure and, obviously the production level isn't what it was in the past, so I think that's feeding it as well.”

Glencrest Farm, with Dailey Bloodstock, as agent, purchased hip 196, a colt from the first crop of multiple Grade I winner Vekoma (Candy Ride {Arg}) from the Morris consignment for $150,000. The weanling is out of Nice Smile (Smiling Tiger), a half-sister to multiple Grade I-placed Red Vine (Candy Ride {Arg}). The chestnut was bred by Constance Wickes, Amy Rabanal and Highclere, Inc., who purchased Nice Smile with the colt in utero for $70,000 out of this sale last October.

“My father and two of his partners bred him and he's always been a lovely colt,” Morris said. “Our expectations coming up here were strong, but not aggressive and we were very happy with the result on the horse. We thought he would be in that range and we were very happy to be rewarded by the marketplace and that they agreed with our opinion of his quality.”

Morris also consigned hip 167, a filly by Not This Time who sold to trainer Christophe Clement for $150,000. The weanling is out of Lookin Sharp (Lookin at Lucky), a half-sister to stakes winners Malibu Beauty (Buffum), Steady Warrior (Cherokee's Boy) and Steady N Love (Not for Love). She was bred by Drumkenny Farm, Springhouse Farm and Magnolia Mares. Magnolia Mares purchased Lookin Sharp for $53,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton February sale.

“She was a super, quality filly,” said Morris. “We had similar expectations for her and we were also rewarded by the market.”

Glencrest and Dailey Bloodstock also purchased a colt by Complexity (hip 179) for $100,000 Monday.

The trio of co-toppers at the Saratoga auction was rounded out by a filly by Malibu Moon (hip 14), who was purchased by Carolyn and David Cannizzo's Willow Brook Stables. Consigned by Vinery Sales, the weanling is out of graded-placed Stopspendingmaria (Montbrook) and is a half-sister to stakes winner No Mo' Spending (Uncle Mo) and to stakes-placed Blewitt (Uncle Mo). She was bred by Rockridge Stud, Ascendant Farms and Spendthrift Farm. Rockridge Stud purchased Stopspendingmaria for $32,000 at the 2019 Keeneland January sale.

“I thought she was a standout of all the fillies in the sale,” trainer David Cannizzo said of the purchase. “She was the top horse on my short list; she had a good pedigree, great physical and a great walk. She really stood out. I thought she was the sale topper by the end of Saturday morning and it proved to be correct. I was prepared to go a little higher if I had to. I thought she was a special individual.”

Asked for plans for the filly, Cannizzo said, “We will see how she grows and go from there. You might see her in a yearling sale or she might be a racehorse.”

Willow Brook enjoyed pinhooking success buying out of this sale a year ago. The operation acquired a colt by Bolt d'Oro for $120,000 at the Fall sale and resold him for $355,000 at the Fasig-Tipton New York-bred Yearling sale in August.

“It could be a very similar move,” Cannizzo said of this year's weanling purchase.

Willow Brook came back later in the session to acquire a colt by Practical Joke (hip 222) for $95,000.

Cannizzo said the strength of the state's racing and breeding program allowed him to buy New York-breds with extra confidence.

“The New York market is always very good because New York racing is at the top of the list with the great purses and great program we have for New York-breds,” he said. “You can always bail a client out, or bail yourself out, with a horse that you might have pushed a little harder to get to with the money you paid for them, but there is always a way out with the way the purses are in the New York breeding program.”

Dean and Patti Reeves, who purchased the 2021 Fall Sale topper, a $195,000 daughter of Catalina Cruiser, were active again Monday in Saratoga, purchasing seven weanlings for $555,000. The group was led by a filly by Maclean's Music (hip 96) who sold for $140,000 and a filly by King for a Day (hip 97).

The Reeveses led a strong contingent of end-users who competed with pinhookers to create a vibrant market in Saratoga.

“There is a very consistent and strong end-user market up here for the weanlings in November,” Morris said. “I sold the Not This Time filly to Christophe [Clement] and some end-users were underbidders on the Vekoma as well. Dean Reeves and Jimmy Gladwell have led that charge and Christophe has some other folks that are doing the same thing. And not just at the higher end, but at all levels. There were some horses I sold for lesser money to racehorse outfits up here as well. So it's becoming a place where there are some end-users sprinkled in every year to buy the weanlings and I think that helps drive the market.”

Morris also consigned the auction's top-priced broodmare, Ventriloquist (Nyquist) (hip 38), who sold in foal to Frosted for $90,000 to MWG, LLC.

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