Record Colt Paces Fasig-Tipton NY Bred Sale

The Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearlings Sale, condensed down to one session when severe weather in Saratoga forced the cancellation of Saturday's scheduled evening session, concluded Sunday with a sales-record $450,000 top price even as figures were off slightly from 2015.

A total of 177 yearlings sold for $13,672,500. The average was down 5.5% to $77,246, while the median dipped 7.7% to $60,000. A year ago, 182 horses grossed $14,876,500 for an average of $81,739 and a median of $65,000.

“I think it was a pretty similar marketplace to last year,” said Fasig-Tipton President and CEO Boyd Browning, Jr. “It might be a tiny bit tighter. We saw slight declines, not alarming declines, but slight declines. If you are in the upper echelon of the catalogue, whatever catalogue it happens to be, you're going to be in really good shape and there is plenty of activity. Bunches and bunches of horses sold way above their reserves in that echelon. But when you are in the bottom half of the catalogue at a sale like this, it is hand-to-hand combat. It's tough and you better know who you have on your horse and you better hope you have someone on your horse. The perceived less-quality horses are difficult to sell. That hasn't changed at all in recent years and rather than narrowing the definition of what is not perceived quality, that definition might be expanding slightly.”

The 2016 buy-back rate was 32.7%. It was 27.8% a year ago.

“Historically, if you do a chart for this sale over the last 10 years, this is basically right in range with the traditional buy-back rate,” Browning said. “The beauty and the curse of a New York-bred is that they have the ability to run for significant purse dollars. Those earnings potentials apply to breeders as well as to buyers. And the breeders probably have a greater tendency to retain their horse because they can control where it races. If you are a New York breeder and you buy your horse back, it's going to run in New York in virtually all instances.”

Everett Dobson of Cheyenne Stables purchased the sale's top-priced lot, going to $450,000 to take home a son of Uncle Mo (hip 458). The yearling, highest-priced in the history of the New York sale, was consigned by McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds on behalf of his breeder Andy Beadnell.

The sale topper was one of 43 yearlings to bring six figures during Sunday's sale. Fifty reached that level a year ago, with a filly by Tiznow bringing top price of $350,000.

When torrential rain, coupled with dramatic thunder and lightning storms hit Saturday evening just around sales time at the Humphrey S. Finney Sales Pavilion, it caused Fasig-Tipton officials to call an audible. Saturday's session was abandoned and instead the sale was held in one continuous session which began at 3 p.m. and lasted to just after 10 p.m.

“I didn't talk to a consignor or a buyer who thought [the delay] was going to have an impact,” Browning said. “Some loved it, they thought it would be easier to get commerce done. You don't ever want to go against live racing at Saratoga, but at the end of the day, I think the results would have been virtually identical if we hadn't had a rain storm last night. I don't think the format change had any impact on the sale at all.”

Fireworks for Uncle Mo Colt
Everett Dobson of Cheyenne Stables went to a sales-topping $450,000 to secure a colt by Uncle Mo during Sunday's Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearlings Sale.

“I'm feeling great now,” Dobson smiled after signing the ticket on hip 458.

Consigned by McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds on behalf of breeder Andy Beadnell, the yearling is out of stakes-placed Miss Bodine (Vindication) and from the family of Canadian champion Bear Now (Tiznow).

“I liked his presence,” Dobson said of the yearling's appeal. “Obviously Uncle Mo is maybe the most exciting young stallion we've had in this sport in many, many years. And it's a New York-bred–I like that. I race up here a lot. He checked all the boxes and I'll be glad to put him in the racing stable–thrilled to put him in the racing stable.”

Dobson, who currently has about 15 horses in training, said the yearling would head to Florida.

“She'll go to Randy Bradshaw in Florida for her early training,” Dobson said. “But after that I'm not sure where she'll go.”

For Beadnell, the result was a high-water mark in the sales ring.

“We knew he was going to sell well, but we didn't know he'd go that high,” Beadnell said. “Joe [McMahon] knew. He knew who was on him and he put the reserve higher than what I was kind of happy with, but it worked. He went way past his reserve.”

Beadnell and his wife Susan are the breeders of the New York-bred Haveyougoneaway (Congrats), recent winner of the GII Honorable Miss H., and the couple have a commercial broodmare band of 10 head.

“My mares are all in New York, but I do go to Florida or Kentucky to breed,” he explained. “I only race what I can't get sold.”

Miss Bodine produced a colt by Mucho Macho Man this year and was bred back to Central Banker.

City Zip Colt to Rosenblum
Sheila Rosenblum, who was co-buyer of last year's sale-topping filly by Tiznow, was back in action at the Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearlings sale Sunday going to $375,000 to secure hip 385, a son of City Zip.

“We looked at quite a few and he definitely stood out, with his conformation and the way he walked,” Rosenblum, who did her bidding alongside trainer Linda Rice, said. “We are looking for two-turn horses. Ideally for a colt that is distance, dirt or turf, or a filly with a decent pedigree. And New York-breds are very good for us since we're both in New York. These City Zips are really proving themselves.”

Rice, who trained the Grade I-winning sire, agreed City Zip was a large part of the yearling's appeal.

“City Zip has had an incredible year,” Rice said. “This horse is a City Zip that looks like he'll get two turns–he's really a stretchy horse. He's a New York-bred and I think he'll run long.”

The yearling is the first foal out of the unraced Flaunted (Tale of the Cat), a half-sister to GISP Lady Melesi (Colonial Affair) and from the family of champion broodmare Relaxing.

He was consigned to the sale by Shack Parrish's Indian Creek on behalf of breeder John Laurello. Originally from Amsterdam, New York, Laurello is now based in Birmingham, Alabama, and is a principal in the commercial real estate firm Southpace Properties.

“We're very happy with that sale,” Parrish said. “Our expectations were good. He's been a star ever since he's been here. Every time the pressure was on, he just stepped it up to another level.”

Of Laurello, Parrish added, “He has a very small broodmare band. He has about four mares now. They foal here [in New York] and then they come to us in Kentucky.”
Flaunted was bred to City Zip this year.

Rice and Rosenblum were back in action later in the session, going to $335,000 to acquire hip 490, a son of Mineshaft out of Party Silks (Touch Gold). The yearling is a half-brother to MGISP Upstart (Flatter) and was consigned by Summerfield.

“I picked out three colts here,” Rice said. “The City Zip colt, the Uncle Mo colt that we were the underbidder on and let go, and this one. So we were a little sad about the Uncle Mo colt, but we got this one.”

More Spa Glory for Dialed In
Not long after sire Dialed In (Mineshaft) was represented by his first graded stakes winner when Gunnevera closed with a vengeance to take the GII Saratoga Special, the freshman sire was in demand in the sales ring with Saratoga Seven Racing Partners coming out on top for hip 447. Consigned by Preferred Equine, the yearling is out of May Who (Lion Heart).

Saratoga Seven Racing Partners is a partnership led by Tony Malatino of Sugar Plum Farm.

“We loved him,” said Peter Edwards, one of the group's partners, who signed the ticket. “His body is awesome. We felt like the City Zip and that one were the two best in the sale and we tried the City Zip and didn't get it.”

Bill Mott will train for the partnership, which also purchased a colt by Gemologist (hip 398) for $50,000 Sunday, as well as a colt by Paynter (hip 53) for $255,000 during Monday's session of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select sale.

David Reid's Preferred Equine consigned hip 447 on behalf of an undisclosed client who purchased the youngster for $55,000 under the name F.U.N. Farm at last year's Fasig-Tipton New York Mixed Sale.

“We were very confident with him,” Reid admitted. “Since he got here, he just moved forward, put his head down and showed well at every show. He is an individual who stood out in my opinion and everything lined up.”

Asked if Dialed In's graded stakes winner had an impact on the yearling's sale, Reid added, “The sire is off to a great start. [The graded win] doesn't hurt. I'd rather have it in my favor, but I think he had plenty of merits of his own and he stood out all weekend in my opinion.”

Reid, a stalwart at the Standardbred sales, was making his fourth appearance at the Fasig-Tipton New York Sale. The consignment sold a To Honor and Serve filly for $300,000, the auction's second highest price, a year ago.

“We're just a little boutique and enjoy it very much,” Reid said of his once-a-year Thoroughbred consignment. “I really can't cheer enough for the people who buy the horses because that is what is going to make it. We just want to sell winners. That's what we pride ourselves on in the Standardbred business. We do very well at that. This is a little niche for us at Saratoga. I'm not going to quit my day job, but this is lot of fun.”

The Factor Yearlings Popular at Saratoga
Early in Sunday's marathon single-session Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred sale, a pair of yearlings by freshman sire The Factor attracted plenty of interest in the sales ring. Former New York Giants coach Bill Parcells went to $290,000 to secure a colt by the gray stallion (hip 384) in the name of his August Dawn Farm, while Pat Schuler went to $230,000 to acquire a filly (hip 407).

“He was a really straightforward horse all along,” said Allaire Ryan of Lane's End, which stands The Factor and consigned the colt. “He had great bone and a natural substance to him with a great walk. He was a really straightforward, no nonsense kind of individual and I think that's what gave him all the appeal. [The Factors] come in all shapes and sizes. This colt is a good representative of his sire. That was one of the reasons we brought him up here.”

The yearling, out of Flash Act (Sky Mesa), a daughter of MGISW Missy's Mirage, was bred by McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds and was purchased by Lane's End Bloodstock for $190,000 at last year's Fasig-Tipton Kentucky November sale.

Hip 407 will be joining Schuler's racing stable, which currently numbers six horses allocated between trainers Tom Bush, Dale Capuano and Bill Mott. Schuler did her bidding on the youngster, who is out of Headstrong Beauty (Latent Heat), out back while standing alongside bloodstock agent Debbie Easter.

“I loved the way she looked, I loved the way she walked and I loved everything that Debbie told me about her,” Schuler said. “It was close to what we thought she'd bring. We tried to get the City Zip and that was way above us.”

Headstrong Beauty, a half-sister to multiple stakes winner Reata's Quik Punch (Two Punch), was purchased carrying this yearling for $47,000 at the 2014 Keeneland November sale. The yearling was bred by Hart Farm.

Schuler campaigns multiple stakes winner So Lonesome (Awesome Again), who she purchased at the New York sale for $55,000 in 2012.

Anthonys See Action at Fasig New York Sale
Under the name of Loblolly Stable, John Ed Anthony campaigned champions Temperence Hill, Vanlandingham and Prairie Bayou. Now racing as Shortleaf Stable, Anthony and son Ed Anthony were in action at the Fasig-Tipton New York sale Sunday evening to secure a pair of yearlings by GI Belmont S. winner Union Rags. The father/son team went to $200,000 to secure hip 357 from the Winter Quarter Farm consignment. Later in the session, the two Arkansans went to $70,000 to take home hip 576.

Anthony admitted he has plenty of experience with Lane's End's freshman sire.

“We own a Union Rags and watched him develop and he is promising,” Anthony said. “And we raced against Union Rags. We had a colt named Atigun and he was third in the Belmont S. that Union Rags won.”

The younger Anthony is responsible for the pedigree analysis for potential Shortleaf runners, having worked for Three Chimneys, as well pedigree analyst Bill Oppenheim. Bloodstock agent John Gasper completes the Shortleaf buying team.

“John Gasper and I go back to 1973 when he was training at Philadelphia Park,” Anthony recalled. “He had horses for me there when we were racing at Monmouth Park and I remember he won three or four in a row and you remember those things. But John is very knowledgeable and knows everyone in the industry. He's been everywhere and done everything, so it's always good to have that kind of advice.”

Anthony continued, “Ed and John scope out the yearlings in these sales and come back with what they consider to be the kind of horses we want in our stable.”

Shortleaf currently has about 30 horses in training.

“We have three or four trainers,” Anthony said. “We use Tony Dutrow, Brad Cox and Ron Moquett and Shug McGaughey has a couple of horses for us. We scatter the babies around.”

Anthony sees plenty to like about shopping at the New York sale.

“This sale has blossomed in recent years,” he said. “When I raced as Loblolly, we bought some nice horses here, but they were pretty pricey and the market was really strong in the early part of the week. This sale has produced some nice horses and we race in New York. It fits our program.”