Strong Opener to Fasig-Tipton New York Sale

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — Bidding remained fast and furious in Saratoga, as the Fasig-Tipton New York-Bred Yearlings Sale, held just three days after a record-setting Saratoga Selected Yearlings Sale, opened Saturday evening in the Humphrey Finney Pavilion.

“We hit the trifecta again tonight from a sales perspective,” said Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning, Jr. “The average was up, the median was up and the RNA rate was down. I think we saw a continuation of the same trends from the select sale earlier in the week.”

During Saturday's session, 93 yearlings sold for $8,155,000. The average of $75,000 was up 13.5% from last year's sale average of $77,246. The median rose 25% to $60,000. The buy-back rate was 24.4%.

The sale opened just hours after Pure Silver, a New York-bred daughter of Mission Impazible, won the GII Adirondack S. at the historic racetrack across the track from the sales pavilion. That result, and a continued improvement in stock on the sales grounds, further solidified the competitiveness of the state's breeding program, according to Browning.

“There was tremendous activity on the sales grounds yesterday and today,” Browning said. “There was a notable improvement in the quality of the horses on the grounds, both in terms of pedigree and physical conformation and there was lots of activity and interest in the New York-breds. It certainly helps that, on one of the busiest weekends of the year in Saratoga, you have a New York-bred 2-year-old win the Adirondack. That just cements the competitiveness and the ability of New York-breds to compete at the highest levels throughout the major racing centers of the world. Two-year-old racing here at Saratoga is exceptional and to see a New York-bred filly win certainly validates what is happening within the program.”

Bloodstock agent Mike Ryan made the night's highest bid when going to $350,000 to secure hip 371, a colt by City Zip, from the Indian Creek consignment. In all, six horses sold for $200,000 or more during the session. That figure was five during last year's first session.

The New York-bred sale continues Sunday with a final session beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Ryan Strikes for City Zip Colt

Bloodstock agent Mike Ryan, bidding on behalf of a Minneapolis-based client, went to $350,000 to secure a colt by the recently deceased City Zip to top Saturday's opening session of the Fasig-Tipton New York-bred Yearlings sale.

“I thought he was an exceptional colt by an exceptional sire,” Ryan said of hip 371. “I expect this horse to be competing in open company. He is that kind of physical. I've never seen a City Zip with the dimensions of this horse: the scope, the physique, the strength of him and he's handsome to go with it. The mare has thrown runners from not-great stallions and City Zip is by far superior to any of the other stallions she was bred to. He is almost a June foal and he looks like a 2-year-old already. I thought he was the best horse in the sale. I guess time will tell. If we read about him 12 months from now, we'll know.”

The bay yearling is out of the unraced Nick's Honor (Jump Start), who is also the dam of multiple stakes winner The Lewis Dinner (Posse) and stakes winner Kelli Got Frosty (Frost Giant) and stakes-placed Princess Phoebe (Defer) and Frosty Gal (Frost Giant).

Of the youngster's new owner, Kindred Racing, Ryan said, “He is developing a quality racing stable and he has some horses here in New York with Brad Cox and Rudy Rodriguez. He's not new to it, but he's new to racing in New York. He had a good horse last year and he has some nice horses who are going to run later in the meet. He loves the game, his family loves it. He's enthralled with it.”

Bred by James Lamonica, Lee Sacks and Soave Stables, the colt was purchased for $240,000 by Osprey Bloodstock at last year's Keeneland November sale. He was consigned to both that auction and Saturday's night's sale by Shack Parrish's Indian Creek.

“We sold him as a weanling and the purchasers approached us about reselling him here, so we said, 'Of course, yes,'” Parrish said. “So this was for completely different people. He's a late May foal, so he's just coming into his own now.”

Ryan remained busy during Saturday's session of the two-day New York-bred sale. In addition to hip 371, he was also involved with the purchase of four horses under the name Vineyard Ventures.

“It's a long-standing client of [trainer] Chad Brown's,” Ryan said of the buyer. “Chad and I do a lot of work together and they win a lot of races.”

Vineyard Ventures purchased a filly by Cross Traffic (hip 312) for $175,000, a filly by Lemon Drop Kid (hip 345) for $180,000, and a colt by Noble Mission (GB) (hip 422) for $80,000. The entity made its biggest purchase with hip 357, a son of Maclean's Music who was purchased for $275,000–second highest price of the evening.

Ryan purchased another son of Maclean's Music for $200,000 at the 2015 Keeneland September Yearling Sale on behalf of Klaravich Stables and William Lawrence. Now trained by Brown and named Cloud Computing, the dark bay won this year's GI Preakness S.

“I'm very impressed with the Maclean's Musics,” Ryan said. “Cloud Computing is a beast–he was so impressive as a yearling and I watched him breeze this morning and I think his best days are still ahead of him. This yearling is bred the same way, out of an A.P. Indy-line mare. Cloud Computing is out of an A.P. Indy mare and this horse is out of a Mineshaft mare [My Canary], so they are bred the same way.”

Masiello Gets His Union Rags Filly

Robert Masiello had expected to sell a yearling Saturday night at the Fasig-Tipton New York-bred sale, but ended up adding one to his burgeoning racing stable. Forced to scratch hip 347, a filly he co-bred, due to illness, he returned strongly late in the session when signing the ticket at $270,000 to secure a filly by Union Rags (hip 428) from the Hunter Valley consignment.

“The Congrats filly spiked a fever a few days ago, so we didn't sell her,” Masiello, who has campaigned horses with the West Point Thoroughbred partnership, said. “So I haven't been too lucky the last few days, but we loved this filly. Every time we pulled her out of the stall, she just put her head down and walked. She's a beautiful filly and we love Union Rags. I knew she was going to bring some money. There were a couple other horses that I bid on a little bit earlier in the sale, but I was trying to keep my power because I knew this was a filly I wanted.”

Hip 428, who was purchased by Central Bloodstock for $70,000 out of the 2016 Fasig-Tipton New York Mixed Sale, is out of the unraced Seattle Society (A.P. Indy) and is a half-sister to graded stakes placed Society Beau (Curlin). Her second dam is graded stakes winner Westerly Breeze (Gone West).

“She could be one that I could try to resell, but I really want to race her,” Masiello, who did his bidding alongside trainer Tom Morley, said. “I will see if West Point would want to take a leg, I'll have to talk to Terry [Finley]. Tom Morley will get her if I race her and I will more than likely race her. I'll send her to Eddie Woods and if Eddie says she would make a ton of money at a 2-year-old sales, I might sell.”