Hip 315, a colt by Constitution and half-brother to three stakes winners including Looms Boldly, sold for $300,000 Sunday night at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale. Susie Raisher Photo.
How’s this for a catalog update?
Three days removed from Looms Boldly winning his third stakes in the John Morrissey Handicap down East Avenue, a half-brother to that gelding from the same breeder’s program made his way into the sales pavilion early in the opening session of Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale.
The response proved favorable as Hip 315, a son of Constitution and half-brother to two other stakes winners, sold for $300,000 to finish tied atop the list of sellers Sunday night. Jacob West signed for the colt out of the winning Forestry mare See the Forest, representing Mike Repole’s Repole Stable.
Bred by Ten Strike Racing, the Constitution colt consigned by ELiTE, agent, shared top honors on the night with Hip 386, a colt by Vekoma and half-brother to 2023 New York Derby winner Allure of Money.
“He was an excellent physical, a good looking horse,” West said. “The first day they were showing over here I saw the horse there and we went over everything the past couple of days. … When it all got whittled down and whittled down, he was one that was near the top so it worked out pretty well.”
See the Forest, a six-time winner and earner of $126,313, is also the dam of multiple stakes winner and $303,795-earner Critical Value and six-time winner and $380,435-earner Whittington Park.
See the Forest, claimed by Ten Strike Racing’s Marshall Gramm for $12,500 out of a victory in early October 2010 at Philadelphia Park, is also the dam of 10-time winner and $457,124 earner Grit’n’grind, five-time winner and $261,995-earner Steam Engine and winners three other winners. See the Forest did not produce a foal in 2021 or 2022 and is the dam of a colt by Warrior’s Charge born in New York March 6.
“It looks pretty strong right now,” West said of opening night and Hip 315. “That was about what we thought he would bring in all honesty. It looks solid from what I have seen, first seven hips through the ring, I think they have all been six figures. It’s no shock with the money that’s on offer for the New York-breds, it’s off the charts. In this case we hope he is a horse that can compete in open company as well.”
Hip 350, a son of New York-based sire Galilean bred by Blue Chip Bloodstock, sold for $220,000 Sunday at Fasig-Tipton. Susie Raisher Photo.
West also signed for the opening session’s top-priced yearling by a New York-based sire, going to $220,000 for a colt by Galilean on behalf of Repole Stable.
Consigned by Eaton Sales, agent, Hip 350 is out of the Strategic Prince mare Three Am Tour. Bred by Blue Chip Bloodstock Inc., the colt is a half-brother the the New York-bred Oscar Performance colt Set, winner of the Cutler Bay Stakes this winter at Gulfstream Park, and the stakes-placed War Dancer filly Busy Morning.
Galilean, an 8-year-old son of Uncle Mo out of the El Prado mare Fresia, stands for $3,500 at Hidden Lake Farm in Stillwater.
Christophe Clement, just a few hours removed from sending out Carson’s Run to victory in the Grade 1 Saratoga Derby Invitational, signed for the other $300,000 yearling.
Bred by Cheryl Prudhomme and Dr. Michael Gallivan, the colt is the third foal out of the unraced Shackleford mare Alana’s Allure. Out of the Group 2-placed Chilean-bred Dancing Groom mare Bella Madame, Alana’s Allure is the dam of seven-time winner and $213,807-earner Allure of Money and the 2-year-old Mo Town colt Leon Blue, a $100,000 graduate of last year’s New York-bred sale who finished second in his debut July 24 at Saratoga.
Hip 386, a colt by Vekoma and half-brother to New York Derby winner Allure of Money, also sold for $300,000 Sunday. Susie Raisher Photo.
“He looked fast,” Clement said. “It’s probably too much money but we’re keeping the dream alive. I liked him very much. He looked very athletic. My son, Miguel, told me about him and I liked him. I bought him on spec so I need to find some owners to help me and we’ll go from there. He’s a lovely, lovely horse. You always overpay for what you like. That’s life.
“I trained one Vekoma that I like. This is a very live family. One horse just won very well in Saratoga from the same family. Unfortunately, that’s the way it is. You always have to slightly overpay for what you like.”
Fasig-Tipton reported sales on 66 of the 87 yearlings offered Sunday for $6,860,000, an increase of 14.4 percent over last year’s opening session total of $5,999,000 for 53 sold.
Average price for the opening session dipped 8.2 percent, from $113,189 in 2023 to $103,939 this year, and median slipped 11 percent to $89,000.
“Excellent start to the 2024 Fasig-Tipton New York-bred yearling sale,” Fasig-Tipton President and Chief Executive Officer Boyd Browning Jr. said. “Very, very, very consistent trade from start to finish. We don’t ever make too many bold predictions or comparisons with just one night, we have 200 more to go. We’re a third of the way through the sale. Very, very, very good trade. I would expect very positive statistical indicators after the sale ends tomorrow night.”
Browning pointed to the opening session’s buyback rate 24.1 percent, down from 31.1 percent on Night 1 in 2023.
“Probably the thing that was most encouraging tonight was the buyback rate,” Browning said. “This sale has traditionally had a little bit higher of a buyback rate because the breeders have so many opportunities themselves to race these horses. And oftentimes it’s maybe more and more for them to have horses racing in New York than it is to get sold and move to another state. But it was very encouraging to see a very manageable RNA rate tonight.”
The sale continues at noon Monday with 200 yearlings cataloged.
“We’ve got a very, very strong catalog,” Browning said. “Most of the people that I’ve talked to on the sales grounds thought there were a little bit higher percentage of good horses tomorrow than today. But I thought it was an excellent start tonight. Once again, it’s kind of similar to what we saw in the main sale, very consistent bidding throughout.
“We didn’t have any quote-unquote breakouts tonight, but a bunch of horses sold for over $100,000. Pleased with the start and look forward to continued positive momentum tomorrow.”
