Classic Empire colt brings $310,000 at October sale

By Tom Law

A colt foaled in New York from the first crop of champion Classic Empire from the family of international champion and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Johannesburg sold for $310,000 to top Thursday’s final session of the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October yearling sale in Lexington.

Consigned by St George Sales, agent, Hip 1398 was purchased by bloodstock agent Mike Ryan. Bred by EKQ Stables Corp. and foaled at Sugar Maple Farm in Poughquag, the colt is the second foal out of the winning Bernardini mare Delay of Game.

EKQ Stable purchased Delay of Game, in foal to Street Sense, for $90,000 at the 2017 Keeneland November breeding stock sale. The subsequent foal, a filly named Spa Ready who brought $260,000 as a yearling, provided a significant update for the family when she won a maiden special weight at first asking Sept. 27 at Belmont Park for owner Wise Racing and trainer Chad Brown.

Delay of Game is also the dam of a weanling New York-bred filly by Accelerate and was bred back to Hard Spun in 2020. Delay of Game is out of the Storm Cat mare Show Me the Roses, the granddam of graded stakes winner Stanford and stakes winner Hedge Fund and a half sister to 2001 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Johannesburg.

Thursday’s session-topper, the fifth highest-priced horse in the sale, led all New York-bred or foaled yearlings over the four-day sale and was one of four that sold for six figures.

Fasig-Tipton reported sales on 17 of the 19 New York-breds offered Thursday for $698,500, an average price of $41,088 and median of $25,000. Over the four sessions 68 New York-breds sold for a total of $2,139,700, an average of $31,466 and median of $19,000.

Two of the four six-figure yearlings sold during Tuesday’s opening session, including Hip 282, a colt by Liam’s Map purchased by Marshall Gramm’s Ten Strike Racing and Rick Keuber for $220,000. Bred by Loch Grove Farm and foaled at Song Hill Thoroughbreds in Mechanicville, the colt is the first foal out of the unraced Bodemeister mare Locked On. Noel Murphy’s Castle Park Farm consigned Hip 282.

Hip 335, a filly by Cupid and half-sister to Grade 1 Shadwell Turf Mile winner and Breeders’ Cup Mile pre-entrant Ivar, sold for $110,000 during the opening session. Dave Stack bought the filly, who is out of the Smart Strike mare May Be Now, from the consignment of Perrone Sales Ltd., agent for breeder Apache Farm.

The other six-figure New York-bred sold during the second session when Phil Hager’s Taproot Bloodstock went to $100,000 on behalf of Shirl and Mary Ann Penney’s Team Penney Racing for Hip 728, a filly by Central Banker and half-sister to last year’s Grade 1 Hopeful Stakes runner-up Shoplifted. Consigned by Hunter Valley Farm and bred by Peter Moore, Adrian Regan and Fergus Galvin, the filly is out of the winning Yes It’s True mare Shopit.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2020/10/29/classic-empire-colt-brings-310000-at-october-sale/

---