by Sarah Mace
A Bluegrass Cat colt out of a half-sister to Golden Missile was the top-selling New York-bred at the Fasig-Tipton’s Florida sale, which took place for the first time at Gulfstream Park on Wednesday. A filly by Tale of the Cat, who issues from an accomplished family of New York-breds, took the top honors on the distaff side.
The bay Bluegrass Cat colt (Hip 81) was purchased by LRK Stable Inc. for $185,000 from the consignment of Eddie Woods, Agent LXIII, after working an eighth of a mile in 10 1/5 seconds in Monday’s under tack show. A successful pinhook, colt sold previously in Saratoga as a Fasig-Tipton New York-bred preferred yearling for $80,000.
Bred by WinStar Farm, LLC and foaled on February 26, 2013 at Vinery New York at Sugar Maple Farm, Hip 81 is out of winner-producer Santa Vindi (Vindication). Santa Vindi is a half-sister to multiple graded stakes winner, $2.1 million-earner and successful New York sire Golden Missile (A.P. Indy); their dam is multiple graded stakes winner Santa Catalina.
The top-selling New York-bred filly (Hip 95) was purchased by Lexington-based Xavier International Bloodstock, Agent, for $170,000 from the Crupi’s New Castle Farm consignment. The bay filly by Tale of the Cat, who breezed a furlong in 10 4/5 in the under tack show, was previously purchased as a yearling by Dylan Venosa at the Fasig-Tipton New York-bred preferred sale for $130,000.
The filly was bred by Akindale Farm, where she was foaled on March 3, 2013. John Hettinger purchased the filly’s second dam Avichi (Damascus), who is a full-sister to multiple graded stakes winner Honorable Miss, for $102,000 at the 1986 Keeneland January sale. For Hettinger Avichi produced multiple graded stakes winner Lady D’Accord (D’Accord) and graded stakes winner Missymooiloveyou.
Avichi’s unplaced daughter So Long Dearie, the dam of the sale filly, and has produced multiple stakes winners My Dinah ($450,391) and Them There Eyes ($289,300), as well as 13-time winner Cayo Hueso ($211,768).
A noteworthy New York-bred RNA at the Fasig-Tipton sale was Hip 2. The bay colt offered by Hartley / De Renzo from the first crop of Ice Box failed to attain his reserve after being bid up to $395,000. Bred by Christopher Shelli and out of the unraced Ghostzapper mare Fear This, he was the co-top-selling colt last summer in Saratoga, when he went to Nick Zito for $230,000.
