Hip 42, a colt by City of Light bred by Fred Hertrich III and John Fielding, sold for $260,00 to lead the way for short yearlings at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky winter mixed sale. Fasig-Tipton photo.
By Tom Law
A yearling half-brother to recent La Verdad Stakes runner-up Eloquent Speaker and Eloquent Speaker herself commanded the two highest prices for New York-breds at the two-day Fasig-Tipton Kentucky winter mixed sale that wrapped up Wednesday in Lexington.
Hip 42, a colt by City of Light out of the unraced Broken Vow mare Spoken Not Broken, led the way on a $260,000 bid Tuesday from Peter Pugh, agent for Cherry Knoll Farm.
Bred by Fred Hertrich III and John Fielding and foaled at Waldorf Farm in North Chatham, the colt is a half-brother to Eloquent Speaker and the 2-year-old Frosted filly Wicked Frost that sold for $62,000 at last year’s Keeneland September yearling sale.
Consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, agent, the City of Light colt was the most expensive yearling at the sale and the fifth highest-priced horse overall.
Eloquent Speaker, offered as Hip 536 as a racing or broodmare prospect, went to Bluewater Sales LLC, agent, for $200,000 during Wednesday’s session.
Also bred by Hertrich and Fielding and consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency, Eloquent Speaker is 4-3-3 in 14 starts with $236,860 in earnings. She won three of eight starts last season and opened her 2022 campaign Jan. 2 with a narrow runner-up to Bank Sting in the $97,000 La Verdad going 7 furlongs at Aqueduct.
Eloquent Speaker sold for six figures at auction on two other occasions – to Friendship Stable for $100,000 at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale and to Anthony Mitola for $200,000 at the 2020 Keeneland horse of racing age digital sale.
Trainer Natalia Lynch claimed Eloquent Speaker for $45,000 from Anthony Mitola, Stephen Mitola, White Own Stable and Jeff Drown out of her runner-up finish in a state-bred optional Dec. 11 at Aqueduct. She raced for Lynch as owner and trainer in her subsequent two starts – a win in an open-company allowance Dec. 17 at Aqueduct and the La Verdad.
The second most expensive New York-bred short yearling – and highest-priced filly – was Hip 462, a daughter of New York-bred champion and Grade 1 winner Audible, purchased by Castleton Way for $165,000.
Bred by Newtown Anner Stud and foaled at Jack’s Farm on the Hill in Millbrook, the filly is the second foal out of the stakes-winning Flatter mare Rachel’s Temper. Winner of the 2016 Summer Colony Stakes at Saratoga, Rachel’s Temper is also the dam of the 2-year-old New York-bred Practical Joke filly Practical Rachel. Blake-Albina Thoroughbred Services, agent, consigned by Audible filly.
