Two colts of top-winning Kentucky stallions led Fasig-Tipton’s first auction of New York-bred yearlings, purchased by buyers with deep ties to New York horse racing.
Hip 315 is a Structure (Water tap ) foal out Forestry The colt was bred by the mare See the Forest and sold for $300,000 to West Bloodstock, agent for Repole Stable. Consigned by ELiTe, agent, the colt was bred by Ten Strike Racing.
See the Forest is claimed by Ten Strike and hip 315 is the first foal they have bred and sold. This mare has produced three winners and five runners to earn over $200,000.
“We’ve always bred her to race,” said Clay Sanders, co-founder of Ten Strike Racing. “She did so well for us, we thought we’d try her with a commercial stallion, and if the foal looks good, we’ll sell her.”
“He’s Constitution,” said Jacob West, explaining why he was willing to spend $300,000 on the colt. “(Owner) Mike (Repole) loves supporting the New York program, and we’ve had great luck with Constitution, so it just makes sense to do it now.”
Constitution stood firm in the 2024 season at WinStar Farm for $110,000, quite a contrast to Galilee (Uncle Mo ), another stallion for which West paid six figures.
Hip 350 was the first yearling to be bred at Hidden Lake Farm in New York for $3,500. The colt was bred from a consignment by Eaton Sales, a dealer, and was bred by Blue Chip Bloodstock, and West bought him for $220,000.
“Welcome to Repole Stables,” West said with a grin, explaining the pedigree he had purchased. “I told Mike that if I put this horse up and said it was Uncle Mo’s, he would bring (at least double) what he brought tonight. Galilean is a pretty talented horse in his own right, and well-bred.”
“I like this family of women,” added Ed Rosen, a member of the team that works with Repole on sales.
The Hip 350 is a model from Three Am Tour with Irish origins.
The first session of the two-day auction ended with 66 horses selling for a total of $6,860,000, up 14% from last year’s first session total. The average price was $103,939, down 2% from the 2023 session, and the median price also dropped from $100,000 to $89,000. The RNA rate dropped 6%, with 29 horses selling for at least $100,000.
“We’re off to a great start,” said Fasig-Tipton President and CEO Boyd Browning. “There has been consistent trading from start to finish, and I’m pleased to see the buyout rate come down, which is typically high at this sale because New York breeders have the opportunity to race horses.”
“Most of the people I’ve talked to at the sales think there’s a slightly higher percentage of good horses (Monday) than there were today,” he continued. “I expect a very strong portfolio (Monday).”
Trainer Christophe Clement bought another colt worth $300,000, a Vekoma (Candy Trip ) foal out Shackleford Alana’s Allure mare. Sold as a weanling for $100,000 to Good Luck Farm, this chestnut colt was bred by Cheryl A. Prudhomme and Dr. Michael Gallivan and is being sold from the consignment of Taylor Made, the dealer.
“It looks fast,” Clement said with a grin. “It’s probably too much money, but I’m keeping the dream alive. My son Miguel told me about it, and I bought it for the asking price, so now I need to find some owners to support me and go from there.
“You always overspend on things you like. This was a great sale and I’m glad I got it.”
