Hip 101, a Girvin colt, led all New York-breds at this week’s Fasig-Tipton Timonium yearling sale. Fasig-Tipton photo
Derek MacKenzie didn’t exactly call it the moral of the story, but . . . believe him when he says he “would go to the Arctic” to look at a horse for the Vinery Sales consignment. The move paid off Monday when a Girvin colt brought $140,000 to top all New York-breds at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic fall yearling sale at Timonium, Md.
“Someone called me and said, ‘Hey come look at this horse in the field,’ MacKenzie said of a trip to Irish Hill Century Farm in Stillwater. “He was with a bunch of colts and I went out there and he caught my eye right away. I had a feeling that it was him because you could see his dad in him and I was really impressed. You never know what to expect with something like that.”
Bred by Mary Lester out of the unraced Tiznow mare Tiz Possible, the colt wasn’t nominated to Fasig-Tipton’s summer New York-bred sale at Saratoga, but Timonium fit the schedule. He wound up cracking the overall top 10 at the sale on a bid by Tom McCrocklin for Champion Equine.
A February foal, the dark bay is a half-brother to winner Francisca Spell. Second dam Proud Spell was champion 3-year-old filly of 2008, an earner of $2.1 million and is the dam of stakes winner Indian Spell, stakes-placed winner Estrucan and five other winners.
Grade 1 winner Girvin’s first foals are 2-year-olds this year and launched him to a strong start at stud. Damon’s Mound won the Grade 2 Saratoga Special this summer while Atomically and Devious Dame also won stakes.
That pedigree, the sire power, and the colt’s conformation, rewarded MacKenzie’s decision to visit Irish Hill.
“He was really nice, and stayed that way,” he said, “and the sire is really hot. I never don’t go see them. That’s why I have so many horses.”
Beyond the Girvin colt, Vinery’s consignment went 44 deep and included several New York-breds. A Solomini colt brought $55,000 on a bid by agent Julie Davies. Agent Nick Sallusto bought a Leofric filly for $50,000 while bidding for Thorostock. Trainer Tim Hills landed another Solomini colt for $50,000.
“The Solominis that didn’t quite get into Saratoga did well here, the Leofrics we brought here did really well,” MacKenzie said. “They were very close to being in that sale [at Saratoga] maybe but we came here. They were nice horses. It was a good market if they looked good and they vetted well.
See the Girvin colt’s catalog page.
Michael Kipness purchased Hip 416, a filly by Central Banker out of the stakes-placed Posse mare Might Be, for $100,000 during Tuesday’s session.
Bred by Richard Nicolai and foaled at Carlland Stables in Avon, the filly was consigned by Maryland-based Marshall Silverman. The filly is the first foal out of the $228,605-earner Might Be, runner-up for Nicolai’s Fortune Farm in the 2017 Empire Distaff Handicap at Belmont Park. Might Be also finished second in the 2019 Jack Betta Be Rite Stakes at Finger Lakes.
Cary Frommer purchased the second most expensive New York-bred colt at the sale, going to $90,000 for Hip 218.
Bred by Newtown Anner Stud, foaled at Jack’s Farm on the Hill in Millbrook and consigned by Blake-Albina Thoroughbred Services, the Flatter colt is out of the winning Arch mare Cap. A full-sister to stakes winner Sower and half-sister to stakes winner Vast, Cap is the dam of the winning Kitten’s Joy mare Widow of Nain.
Fasig-Tipton reported sales on 65 of the 77 New York-breds offered during the two sessions for $1,452,300, an average price of $22,343 and median of $12,000.
