Record-breaking New York-bred sale wraps up strong Saratoga sales season

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Hip 502, a colt by Practical Joke bred by Stone Bridge Farm, brought the sale’s co-top price at $525,000 Monday. Fasig-Tipton Photo.

The two-day Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale posted significant gains over last year, established records and concluded an extremely strong summer auction season in upstate New York for 2025.

Fasig-Tipton reported sales on 199 of the 254 yearlings through the ring over the two days for a record total of $23,870,000, up 23.9 percent from last year’s $19,273,000 for 185 sold. The sale’s average price of $119,950 also set a record and increased 15.1 percent from last year’s $104,178, while median held steady at a record $85,000. The sale’s buyback rate finished at 21.7 percent, down from 26.3 percent in 2024.

The New York-bred sale followed a blockbuster select sale, which saw total sales soar past $100 million and records across the board.

“Four spectacular days of sales in Saratoga. I don’t know any other way to describe it,” said Boyd Browning Jr., Fasig-Tipton president and chief executive officer. “Fantastic marketplace. We had a really, really strong group of horses on the grounds for the New York-bred sale as well as the main sale. And that’s what happens when you have quality horses. This New York-bred program is, I don’t think there’s any question, the best state-bred program in the United States.”

Browning praised the Empire State’s breeders and the New York Racing Association for continuing the build on past successes of the program and take it to the next level.

“There continues to be concerted and a collected effort to improve it with the breeders and with NYRA,” Browning said. “We also have to be cognizant and give some gratitude to the political arena, who have supported Thoroughbred racing in the state of New York. It’s thriving and that’s reflective in these sales results. Virtually everybody you talk to that’s involved in the New York-bred program is very optimistic about the future of it.”

Buyers combed the grounds all weekend and into Monday looking for future racing prospects that will compete in the lucrative New York-bred races and open-company events around the world.

Hip 502[2], a colt by Practical Joke out of the unraced Cherokee Run mare Cuello de Luna, commanded the top price Monday and finished as the co-leading seller on a $525,000 bid from Sallusto and Kimmel, agent for MWG.

Bred by and foaled at Stone Bridge Farm LLC in Gansevoort and consigned by Indian Creek, agent, the colt is the ninth foal out of the half-sister to stakes winner Neck of the Moon. Cuello de Luna is the dam of six winners, including $329,263-earner Sundaeswithsandy and $144,888-earner Crack Shot.

“We’d totally be lying through our teeth if we told you we expected it,” Indian Creek’s Sarah Sutherland said of the price. “I think we saw in the first sale and then again last night, the horses that people want, those (that have) really nice physicals with some sire power, the market is very strong behind them. Then you’re rewarded in multiples if you line up that way. Nice horses bring in a whole lot of money, and anything below that, it starts to get a little trickier.”

While Sutherland might not have expected the co-top price, she did know the colt would be in demand from his presale activity.

“He was well received from the get-go, just from our initial all shows all the way through, re-looks in the vetting process,” she said. “He was staying on lists for everybody. We had a great level of support from pinhookers and end users and trainers and everything else. We knew we were in good shape, but it takes a special horse for people to line up and spend that money on, and we’re just happy to be in that position for his breeder.”

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Hip 522, a daughter of Street Sense bred by Thirty Year Farm, sold for $400,000 Monday. Susie Raisher Photo.

Hip 522[4], a daughter of Street Sense out of the winning Galileo mare Evening Primrose, brought the top price of the day for a filly on a bid of $400,000 from Alan Quartucci, agent for Ed Swyer’s Hudson River Farm.

Bred by and foaled at Thirty Year Farm LLC in Saratoga Springs and consigned by Paramount Sales, agent, the filly is the second foal out of Evening Primrose. She’s also the dam of the New York-bred 2-year-old Twirling Candy filly Cosmic Candy Girl, a $130,000 purchase out of last year’s Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October yearling sale. She finished second in her debut July 31 at Saratoga Race Course.

“We love the filly’s pedigree and she’s got a great walk,” Quartucci said. “I know Joe DiRico owns the half-sister who placed here at Saratoga, so I think the family’s young. We hope she can be a nice two-turn filly on the grass. Galileo mare, we like that. Street Sense is a very solid stallion and very good with fillies.”

Those two yearlings were among 11 who sold for $300,000 or more in the final session.

The final session also posted strong gains over last year. Fasig-Tipton reported 132 yearlings sold Monday for $15,172,000, an average price of $114,939 and median of $80,000. The total rose 26.9 percent and average increased 3.9 percent for the second session.

“Hopefully we’ll continue to see more and more activity, better and better quality horses, more stallions coming to New York and more racing in terms of New York-bred opportunities,” Browning said. “Particularly with the new Belmont coming on track. Lots of reasons for optimism for New York. … People are enthusiastic to own quality racehorses right now. We’re fortunate to that that’s what we bring to this area, have the ability to offer in Saratoga is quality racehorses. As I said, you’ve heard me describe it as the quinella. The gross is up, the average is up, the RNA rate in down, the medium is up.

Hip 552[5], a daughter of Bucchero and half-sister to stakes winner Kay Cup, commanded the top price for a yearling by a New York-based sire on a bid of $240,000 from Corbin Blumberg, agent.

Bred by Robert Cotran, foaled at Amsterdam Two Farm in Middleburgh and consigned by Denali Stud, agent, the filly is out of the winning Lemon Drop Kid mare Gypsy Jo. She’s the dam of two winners led by Kay Cup, winner of the Bouwerie Stakes during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival in June at Saratoga and most likely headed for the August 21 Fleet Indian Stakes. Cotran purchased Gypsy Jo in foal to Bucchero for $15,000 out of the 2024 OBS winter mixed sale.

Bucchero, a 13-year-old son of Kantharos out of the General Meeting mare Meetmeontime, stands for $10,000 at Ironhorse Stallions in Stillwater; Hip 552 was conceived in Florida before his move to the Empire State.

Hip 539[6], a daughter of four-time leading New York sire Central Banker out of New York-bred champion and stakes winner Frosty Margarita, sold for $160,000 to Whisper Hill Farm.

Bred by Gabrielle Farm and Saratoga Glen Farm, foaled at Saratoga Glen Farm in Schuylerville and consigned by C & S Thoroughbreds, agent, the filly is the third foal out of $599,876-earner Frosty Margarita. She earned New York-bred champion 2-year-old filly honors in 2015. Frosty Margarita is the dam of Power Dam, a New York-bred son of Yaupon who sold for $250,000 in the 2025 Fasig-Tipton February Digital sale and then for $700,000 in the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May sale of 2-year-olds in training.

Central Banker, a 15-year-old son of Speightstown out of the Go for Gin mare Rhum, stands for $7,500 at McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds in Saratoga Springs.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2025/08/11/new-york-bred-sale-wraps-up-strong-saratoga-sales-season/

New York-bred sale wrap: What they’re saying

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Hip 502, a colt by Practical Joke bred by Stone Bridge Farm, sold for $525,000 Monday at the Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale. Susie Raisher Photo.

The Saratoga Special’s editorial team of Miles Clancy, Alec DiConza, Darby O’Brien and Julia Reedy covered Monday’s second session of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga grounds and talked with buyers, sellers and sales company officials about the results:

Boyd Browning Jr., Fasig-Tipton: “It was an improved sale, or an improved sales result. … It’ll be fun to start recruiting for next year. We always try to improve the selection process, we always try to improve the recruiting process. It’ll be a little tougher task to have significant meaningful improvement for 2026, but we’ll try. We’ll hope our game stays really healthy. We’ve been doing this since 1898, 127 years, so to say we’re invested in the Thoroughbred industry would be a pretty significant understatement.”

Sarah Sutherland, Indian Creek: “We love it. The New York-bred program is a really important part of what we do. We’re obviously based in Kentucky, but it’s a program that we have a lot of owner support and we’ve really enjoyed being a part of over the years. So to come up here with one that we didn’t necessarily foal but we raised, it feels neat to have that joint effort with the breeders.”

Buyer John Eaton, who purchased Hip 408, a Constitution filly, for $390,000: “Loved her pedigree, love the fact she’s supported by the owners of the mare. She’s got athletic ability, hope so. She’ll fit in my broodmare band very nicely. She checked all the boxes, as far as I’m concerned.”

Reiley McDonald, Eaton Sales: “We thought (Hip 400) would bring in the $300,000 to $400,000 range and she brought $390,000. At the top end of the market, it seems to be very strong. The middle end might be a little soft here. She’s by Constitution, who’s having a great year, and this is the first foal out of a stakes winning mare. I thought that was right in line with what she should’ve brought. Physically, a very nice filly. John Eaton followed her all along from Day 1 and he saw what we saw. Really lovely filly with a good pedigree. … It’s been a good sale. The middle is a little soft and the lower end is a little softer than it was last year.”

Trainer Chad Brown, representing Klaravich Stable on its four purchases Monday along with Mike Ryan, including Hip 403, a Nyquist filly that sold for $370,000: “That’s about where we appraised her. We’ve had luck with Nyquist before with Randomized, particularly the fillies. Mike and Mary Ryan do all the work for us, and they both graded the horse very high. When I relayed that to Mr. Klarman, he said ‘Make this one of our top choices.’ It’s right exactly where we appraised her. …We’re familiar with what the best Nyquist fillies look like, and you have to pay for them. The sire is doing fabulous, and she’s got a little bit of an extra bonus being a New York-bred, in case we need to do that.”

Browning: “Everyone always says how do you all put together the catalog? New crops, new sires … We’re not smart enough to do any of that stuff. We had Mind Control that came on board this year that was strongly represented in the catalog. We’ll have some Americanrevolution coming on board with some other interesting horses. We try to be supportive and recognize that there’s a time and a place for all the horses. And we want good Mind Controls and we want good Americanrevolutions. And we also want good New York-bred Practical Jokes and good New York-bred Nyquists and things of that nature. We’re striving. We’re a physicals-first sales company and that’s in our DNA and will continue to be our DNA.”

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2025/08/11/new-york-bred-sale-wrap-what-theyre-saying/

Strong gains at Saratoga New York-bred sale opener

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Hip 331, a daughter of Preakness winner Early Voting bred by Sequel Thoroughbreds LLC and Tuscany Bloodstock, sold for $525,000 to top the opening session of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale Sunday. Susie Raisher Photo.

The momentum from last week carried into Sunday night’s opening session of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale.

Fresh off a record-setting Saratoga sale of selected yearlings, the first session of the New York-bred sale saw gains in total sales, average price and median, along with a slight increase in buyback rate.

Fasig-Tipton reported sales on 64 of the 84 offered for $8,338,000, up 21.5 percent from last year’s opening session when 66 yearlings sold for $6,860,000. The opening night average price came in at $130,281, up 25.3 percent from last year’s $103,939, while median rose 18 percent from $89,000 in 2024 to $105,000 this year.

“An outstanding opening session of the 2025 New York-bred yearling sale,” Fasig-Tipton President and CEO Boyd Browning Jr. said. “The positive momentum from the Saratoga Sale last week clearly continued tonight. It really is a result of having an improved quality of horses on the sales grounds in terms of pedigrees and physical conformation. The quality of the New York-breds that we’re exposed to in our inspection process continues to improve each and every year and it’s indicative of the results tonight. The sale started off very, very strong and ended very, very strong. It was a very good night.”

Six yearlings commanded bids of $350,000 or more, including a pair of fillies that sold for $525,000 and $500,000.

Hip 331[2], a filly from the first crop of 2022 Preakness winner Early Voting, landed the top price of the session from a group that included trainer Danny Gargan, bloodstock agent Megan Jones and Hal Mintz of Sabby Racing.

“Beautiful filly, best one of the sale,” Mintz said. “Didn’t really want to get into a bidding contest with Mr. (Tom) McCrocklin, but that’s what happens. The market is really hot and when people see a really nice filly it can get a little out of control. Even at the New York-bred sale. I’m happy to have her. There will be a couple partners that Danny (Gargan) will bring to the table. Hopefully next year we’ll be excited come summertime with her.”

Bred by Sequel Thoroughbreds LLC and Tuscany Bloodstock and foaled at Sequel Stallions New York in Hudson, the filly is out of the winning Ghostzapper mare Owl Moon. She was sold by a pinhooking partnership by Thorndale Farm, agent, after originally bringing $150,000 as a weanling at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Saratoga fall mixed sale.

“The market is bullish,” Jones said. “We thought she was the best filly in the sale. Amazing body, great physical. She had a lot of Gun Runner in her, I thought. We just loved her. She’s very smart. We just liked her all the way, and now we’re going to take her home. One of the best New York-breds that we can celebrate.”

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Hip 329, a filly by Practical Joke bred by Dutchess Views Farm, SGO Thoroughbred LLC and Winding Road Thoroughbreds, sold for $500,000 Sunday at the New York-bred yearling sale. Fasig-Tipton Photo.

Hip 329[4], a daughter of Practical Joke who sold as a weanling at last year’s Saratoga fall mixed sale for $62,500, commanded a $500,000 bid from bloodstock agent Jacob West for Mike Repole’s Repole Stable. Bred by Dutchess Views Farm, SGO Thoroughbred LLC and Winding Road Thoroughbreds, foaled at Irish Hill Century Farm in Stillwater and consigned by Hunter Valley Farm, agent, the filly is out of the Gemologist mare Our Hope Diamond.

“The beauty of it was that she’s a very nice filly, but she’s also a New-York-bred,” West said. “It gives you a little bit more confidence that you can bid away, knowing that you’ve got a strong New York-bred program behind you. Physically she was very nice. She’s out of a family that seemed precocious and could run and she seems like it.”

Hunter Valley also sold the third highest-priced yearling, Hip 393[5], a daughter of Medaglia d’Oro that went to $410,000 to Phil Hager’s Taproot Bloodstock, agent, for Lee Lewis. Bred by and foaled at Rockridge Stud, LLC in Hudson, the filly is out of stakes winner and Grade 3-placed Archarcharch mare Strategic Dreams.

“Really pretty Medaglia filly; the owner loves Megdalias,” Hager said. “There are some updates in the pedigree, which was nice. The New York-bred is always good, too. We liked some Medaglias in the last sale, and I would put her up with some of those as well. It’s nice to get one for a little bit less than what some of those were bringing.

“We were feeling like (it would be in) that range. The average price for Medaglias so far has been $415,000 for the year. I told him it was going to be around there.”

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Hip 400, a colt by Life is Good, sold for $400,000 as the final yearling through the ring Sunday. Susie Raisher Photo.

The final yearling through the ring, Hip 400[7], brought the highest price of the session for a colt. Kenny McPeek, bidding on the phone, went to $400,000 to purchase the son of Life Is Good out of the unraced Tapit mare Tapas.

Bred by Sequel Thoroughbreds LLC and Magnolia Mares LLC, foaled at Sequel Stallions New York and consigned by Sequel New York, agent, the colt is a half-brother to three winners, including the stakes-placed Editor in Chief and Tawaret, a daughter of Pioneerof the Nile that sold in foal to Life Is Good for $175,000 at last year’s Keeneland November breeding stock sale.

The first yearling through the ring, Hip 301[8], a colt from the first crop of multiple Grade 1 winner Mind Control, sold for $110,000 and ended the night as the leading seller by a New York-based stallion.

Mike Ryan, agent for e Five Racing Thoroughbreds, signed for the first foal out of the winning Ghostzapper mare Madera. Bred by James Hogan and Harry Landry and foaled at Hebert Farm in Saratoga Springs, the colt sold as a weanling for $25,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Saratoga fall mixed sale. He was consigned at this year’s sale by Paramount Sales, agent.

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Mind Control led the way for a yearling by a New York-based stallion when Hip 301, a colt out of the Ghostzapper mare Madera, sold for $110,000 to lead off the session. Susie Raisher Photo.

Mind Control, a 9-year-old son of Stay Thirsty out of the Lightnin N Thunder mare Feel That Fire, stands for $8,000 at Rockridge Stud in Hudson for the Rockridge Stud/Irish Hill Dutchess Views Venture.

Sackatoga Stable went to $80,000 to purchase the session’s second highest price for a yearling by a New York-based sire – Hip 327[10], a colt by Honest Mischief and half-brother to Grade 1 winner Haveyougoneaway.

Bred by Andy and Susan Beadnell, foaled at Bead Land & Cattle Co. in Pottersville and consigned by McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds, agent, the colt is out of the unraced Wiseman’s Ferry mare One Wise Cowgirl. She’s the dam of 11-time winner and $907,425-earner Haveyougoneaway, who sold for $1.1 million at the 2016 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky November mixed sale. One Wise Cowgirl is also the dam of five other winners, including the Central Banker gelding and $127,750-earner Top of the Mint and the Girolamo mare and $116,698-earner She’sakittykat.

Honest Mischief, a 9-year-old son of Into Mischief out of the Grade 1-winning Seattle Slew mare Honest Lady, stands for $7,500 at Sequel Stallions New York in Hudson.

The sale continues with the final session at noon Monday. The catalog features 204 yearlings and Browning knows the true test of the market comes on the final day of the Saratoga summer sales season.

“We’re not even at halftime. In hockey terms, we’re not through the first period. We’ve got two more periods to go, there’s a third of the catalog tonight and two-thirds of the catalog tomorrow,” Browning said. “But a very, very encouraging start. It gives continued confidence in the marketplace, to not only say that this is a very elite level like we saw last week. Very encouraging results. Our July yearling sale had encouraging results. It should provide confidence to the marketplace as we continue throughout the yearling process, which should translate into the mixed sales beginning in October and November. It’s fun selling horses right now.”

– Reporting by The Saratoga Special’s Julia Reedy, Darby O’Brien and Miles Clancy

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2025/08/10/strong-gains-at-saratoga-new-york-bred-sale-opener/

What they’re saying at the sales

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Hip 518, a Karakontie colt from the Gainesway consignment, shows ahead of the Fasig-Tipton New York-bred Yearling sale. Susie Raisher photo.

The Saratoga Special’s editorial team of Miles Clancy, Alec DiConza, Darby O’Brien and Julia Reedy combed the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga grounds to talk with consignors in advance of the two-day New York-bred yearling sale that opens Sunday and continues Monday:

Ron Blake, Blake-Albina Thoroughbred Services: “We have a couple of Mandaloun’s, McKinzie’s, Munnings’ and Drain The Clocks’, some very popular stallions … The Munnings’ sold very well in the select sale, so I suspect she (Hip 455) is going to do well. She’s a May foal so she’s maybe not as forward as the ones that were in the select sale, but she’s a good filly.”

Brian Graves, Gainesway: “We have six horses here and they’re all solid horses by different sires. We have some young new sires like Epicenter — his first crop — and Drain The Clock. And then we have some proven sires like Vekoma, and an especially fast-looking nice colt by a sire who’s the leading second crop sire and doing very well. So we’re excited about him. We’ve got a nice Twirling Candy, and he’s just having another great year on the track and just a proven stallion. We’ve got a Karakontie and a Blame. So hopefully we have a little something for everybody.”

Lili Kobielski, The New Hill Farm: “The main sale was so amazing and record-breaking. I hope it just keeps rolling and I would expect it to. There’s a lot of energy — we’ve been busy all morning. It’s been nonstop … Honestly, across the board, it’s (the crop) a very consistent group. The feedback we’ve gotten so far is that it’s a nice group overall. We only started selling our own horses that we either bred or raised at the farm so we can stand behind what we’re bringing to the sale. So they were all foaled, raised and kept with us.”

Jonathan Thorne, Thorndale Farm: “I try to bring a select group up here. They’re all really nice horses being well-received. I’m excited. I’ve got two homebreds and two horses that I got as babies. I’ve got a lot of first crop sires that I like — Corniche, a champion 2-year-old, his first crop; Drain The Clocks, he’s been stamping them pretty well, so they’ve been popular. Early Voting is an exciting horse by Gun Runner who’s doing great. So those horses I expect to do real well.”

Sarah Seitz, Brookdale: “We have two nice fillies that are a little bit different. The Runhappy (Hip 556) has a nice update, with being a half to the New York Derby winner (Train The Trainer), so that’s a nice update to have right before the sale. It’s always exciting to be in Saratoga and bring horses up here. The weather’s been great, the atmosphere is fantastic. It seems like there’s a lot of energy around the sales grounds and the races.”

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Joe McMahon watches as Hip 327 heads to show at the McMahon of Saratoga consignment. Susie Raisher photo.

John McMahon, McMahon of Saratoga Thoroughbreds: “I think it will be a very good sale. We’re predominantly a New York-sired New York-bred farm. We have a couple of Kentucky-sired New York-breds in this group. I have a couple very young mares who are represented by their first foals, with Hip 536, a Bolt d’Oro filly out of a mare named Free Chickens. I’ve got a proven producer with a Yaupon who has a nice, standout physical. We have a Central Banker colt out of a multiple stakes producer. He’s Hip 477, a very good bodied, fast, precocious, 2-year-old type. I’ve got a really solid consignment top to bottom.”

Conrad Bandoroff, Denali Stud: “This is the best group that we’ve personally brought up here. We have a very strong group with some real sire power. We have a very nice Not This Time colt, a couple Constitutions. Some really top individuals and I think it will be a very strong market. It’s just a very consistent group of physicals and in addition to the New York stallions, we have a strong representation of some top Kentucky stallions as well.”

Frank Taylor, Taylor Made Farm: “I would think the sale will be good, just judging from the previous sale. There’s a lot of nice horses here. We have a really nice Cyberknife, Hip 322, out of My Favorite Day. That’s a really nice colt. We’ve got a really good Twirling Candy, Hip 336, out of Pharoah Fawcet. That’s a nice horse. We’ve got a real nice Drain The Clock, Hip 337, out of Picturesque. They’re very nice individuals and look like runners. In this sale, people look for horses that have a little pedigree but also good physicals. It’s a little bit of a larger group this year. I think each year, the sire power gets a little better. The horsemanship, the prepping and raising these horses is getting better by the year. Everything’s trending positive here.”

Fergus Galvin, Hunter Valley Farm: “We’ve a really nice Medaglia d’Oro filly. We just got a nice update, her half-sister was second in a stake at Presque Isle the other night. We have a Practical Joke filly that’s very nice. Great mover. It changes from year to year. About half of them are pinhooks, half of them are homebred, some are owned, some are clients. We’ve been selling up here for a number of years. This is a pretty strong group.”

Carl McEntee, Ballysax Bloodstock: “We’re just coming off the heels of a very, very good sale in the select sale. Obviously, different kind of horses, but still. There’s a vibrancy to the market and just being here the last couple weeks, there seem to be a lot of young people in town. Looks like racing is becoming cool again, which is really exciting for everybody in this industry. I brought three really nice New York-breds up here. A very good Corniche, obviously freshman sire stands at Coolmore. Mo Donegal stands at Spendthrift Farm, really sort of typey, early-looking horse. Sharp Azteca out of Truth Goddess. Truth Goddess is the dam of Her Laugh, who had 30 points on the Kentucky Oaks trail this year. She got hurt in the Fair Grounds Oaks and she just went back into training here last week. A lot of exciting things. They’re the right horses for the marketplace, but overall activity has been steady. It should be a positive sale. All the regular crowd are here, and some people I haven’t seen before.”

Kerry Cauthen, Four Star Sales: “We’ve got a number of good horses here. I’ve got a Good Magic that I really like, an Early Voting that I like, that people are picking up. We’ve got quite a nice group of horses overall and we’re looking forward to seeing which ones they decide they like the most.”

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Buyers at the Indian Creek consignment. Susie Raisher photo.

Sarah Sutherland, Indian Creek: “Everybody is pretty optimistic and has a little bounce in their step off of last week. I’m sure you’ll see that enthusiasm carry over here and on to the sales in September and October as well. It’s been very steady all morning. With more horses on the grounds here, everybody has a place where they like to start and a way they organize themselves. We’re not slammed, but we’re very steady and consistent. This is probably one of the best groups top to bottom that we’ve brought here. We’re represented by some really nice stallions, some proven horses as well as some young freshman sires, so it’s kind of a good mix. There’s a little bit of something for everybody. It’d be hard to sort of peg a couple over the others.”

Chris Shelli, Fort Christopher’s Thoroughbreds: “We’re just really excited after the showing at the select sale. We’re very optimistic and we’re hoping some of that transcends into the New York-bred sale. From the beginning of this morning, we’ve been very busy, so we’re very happy with the traffic and the showings so far. We have a really nice Nyquist in this consignment and as hot as Vekoma is, we’re excited to have two Vekomas as well.”

Marshall Silverman, Marshall Silverman: “I’m optimistic. It is what it is. They like the Drain The Clocks and I know he’s as nice as any of them that are here. I’m optimistic that he sells well. He’s a very well-balanced horse, he’s correct, he’s got plenty of bone. Just a good colt. He’s the only one I had this year to bring. I like coming up here. I could’ve sold him in the Maryland sale, but I figured I’d just come up here since he is a New York-bred. We’ll see what happens. You get a bigger audience.”

Colin Brennan, Colin Brennan Bloodstock: “We’ve brought a pretty solid group up here. I’m really looking forward to it. … We scratched down to nine (from 11). Probably the Mandaloun filly, Hip 600, is probably going to be the standout. Hip 326, by Cyberknife out of One Time Baby, should also do quite well. But it’s a solid group and it’s hard to pick apart the rest of them. I’m quite happy with what we brought up here. They all deserve to be here … Hip 344, Cyberknife out of Queen Bess, (after saying hello to some kids through the fence) is very sweet. My sister and I both have little kids that are always in the barns, and we prepped all but one of these yearlings so they’re quite accustomed to little kids and getting pets on a regular basis.”

Sarah Estrada, C&S Thoroughbreds: “The Drain The Clock (Hip 360) filly is a very useful horse. Not only for pinhookers but for end users as well. The Central Banker filly (Hip 539), her half-brother sold for $700,000 as a 2-year-old. And the Pinehurst (Hip 595) is very forward … There’s plenty of foot traffic and people are here to buy horses. We haven’t stopped since 8 a.m.”

Tom Eastham, Legacy Bloodstock: “I’m really encouraged. Generally, I’m an optimist, so you’ll probably get more of a positive spin off me. But I’m really encouraged about the enthusiasm with the horse business. Now, some people are saying it’s the depreciation. The tax depreciation that has motivated sales and boosts that we’ve had. We’re doing a good job with our product. The tracks are getting more aware of the customer service aspect of it and the owner experience. This sale’s going to be good, but I think it’s an accumulation of a lot of different factors. It’s good timing for us to be good and tax depreciation is going to make it be really great.”

[4]

Becky Thomas accompanies buyers examining Hip 359 at Sequel New York. Susie Raisher photo.

Becky Thomas, Sequel New York: “I have two Yaupons that have been very popular so far. We have a Nashville and a nice Life is Good that have both been very nice. It’s hard because I’m a 2-year-old consignor. It’s hard for me to decide which horse to sell or which horses to train and raise. For me, it’s mostly driven by cashflow. Do I need money? We’ve got to put some horses in here. That’s about it. I love training. Every one of these horses are homebreds. All of them live at our farm except one. It allows us to see how to breed the mare next time, how they mature and what we’re looking at. We get so much more money for the regional horses the further we go, and the closer we are to racing. People want horses to be ready to go for Saratoga and the Belmont Fall meet. It’s much more effective as these horses are ready to go.”

Bill Johnson, Turning Point Bloodstock: “We’ve got a lot of sire power in our group this year. Really good physicals. We’ll see how the market likes us … This is overall a really solid group. They’re just different physicals, different horses in general. We have the brother of Mo Plex (Hip 316) going in the ring. We have Hip 374, a Twirling Candy out of Sister Margaret. We’ve got a lot of updates just across the board. Almost half of our horses have something that did something somewhere recently. We’re excited about those. There’s always those horses that everybody is looking at. Then there’s a handful of horses that will kind of sneak up on people. I have a Volatile out of Lemon Drop Kitty (Hip 592) that I think is going to make somebody very happy as an owner. Liam’s Map (Hip 509) and Nashville (Hip 409), too. These horses are definitely checking the boxes here. … Everybody gets excited about the sale. We’re ready to start selling.”

Martha Jane Mulholland, Mulholland Springs: “There are several that I love. Hip 500, the Uncle Mo out of Cry Value, is exquisite. She’s quite beautiful, lovely walk. Big hip, nice family, half to a stakes horse. The way Uncle Mo’s were received last week, there’s no telling what this horse could bring. I’m looking forward to it.”

Pat Costello, Paramount Sales: “Especially after last week, you have to feel confident it’s going to be a good market. The other thing, too, is they’re going to be running for the same purses as the open horses next year, so that has to encourage people with the New York-breds, too.”

Jim Perrone, Perrone Sales: “We’ve got two nice horses, they’ve been well received thus far, and just about everybody from the first sale is still here looking. We’re in the perfect spot, the weather is beautiful, we like it. The market is wonderful. This is a little bit different, but I do think it’s going to carry over. People are anxious to get nice horses. The Speaker’s Corner is out of a mare Passe. She’s produced a really nice Grade 1 horse who also produced a Grade 1 winner. The family is wonderful, good racehorses.”

Jorge Gonzalez, Point of Gravity Thoroughbreds: “I think I have a well-balanced horse (Hip 370). She’s going to become a really nice, athletic filly. Obviously, she’s got a long way to go because she’s a May foal, but I love her. She’s got a good mind, discipline. I think she’s going to be a great horse.”

Austin Winfrey, Straight Line Equine Sales: “Pretty high expectations. We brought a good group up here. We bought most of them out of the sale up here last year in October. They have all come together really well. They’ve got good pedigrees, good physicals. They stand out really well with the group that’s up here.”

Francis Vanlangendonck, Summerfield: “The number of people and the quality of people that are looking today are really good. I watched the horses ship in, and there were so many good horses. The New York breeders do such a great job of bringing in good pedigrees and raising them where they look like an athlete that can compete. And then, they have the program with the New York-breds running for the same money as open horses. With all of those things together, I expect this to be a good sale.”

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2025/08/09/what-theyre-saying-at-the-sales/

Four Square: New York-breds shine on second session of Saratoga select sale

[1]By Alec DiConza

Four New York-breds sold during the second session of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale of selected yearlings, headlined by the $400,000 purchase of Hip 167. A chestnut son of Charlatan, Hip 167 was consigned by Archie St. George’s St. George Sales and sold to Pete Bradley’s Bradley Thoroughbreds, agent for Rodeo Creek Racing.

“He was an absolute athlete, he exuded class and he was in my price range,” Bradley said. “Well balanced, had a hip on him like a washer woman and was a physical specimen.”

Out of the More Than Ready mare More Than Speed, Hip 167 is a half-brother to Baby Yoda, the winner of last year’s Grade 2 True North at Saratoga Race Course. Hip 167 was bred by Town & Country Farms and was born at Mahoney Eden Manor in Saratoga Springs.

St. George was pleased with the interest shown in Hip 167.

“It was a very good sale,” St. George said. “He was very popular. First of all, I’d like to thank the buyers, Pete Bradley and Devon Bradley. I wish them the best of luck. He’s a very nice horse. The main thing now is he goes and runs for the buyers.”

Charlatan is a freshman sire this year and has produced two winners. Bradley is excited about purchasing a New York-bred by the young stallion.

“His first crop as 2-year-olds, he’s had a couple of nice winners, but I think he’s one of those horses that people are a little iffy to buy at this point. I think that could change in two or three winners, it usually does,” Bradley said. “He’s a lovely horse. The New York-bred program, the way it’s shaping up right now, has some of the best money in the United States. You’ve got to be looking at those kinds of horses.”

In total, eight New York-breds sold during the two-day sale, up from five in 2024.

Hip 152, a chestnut daughter of Jackie’s Warrior, sold to Amerman Racing through agent Bob Feld for $350,000.

“She was very correct and I liked everything about her,” Feld said. “It’s always a gamble on first-year sires. I’ve had a lot of luck buying first-year sires. My son and I have done very well doing that. You always roll the dice, but Jackie’s Warrior was a pretty impressive racehorse. She’s very nice.”

After selling for $200,000 as a weanling at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Mixed Sale, Hip 152’s success Tuesday pleased Kitty Day of Warrendale Sales.

“Very much satisfied,” Day said. “She was a $200,000 weanling, she more than realized a profit for the owners. We’re very pleased, they’re pleased. She was bought by a great family to race, so we’re very happy.”

Bred by Emcee Stable and Fortune Farm, Hip 152 was born at Mill Creek Farm in Stillwater, N.Y. Feld said the filly out of the Yes It’s True mare Martini would likely travel to Barry Berkelhammer’s Abracadabra Farm in Ocala, F.L. to start preparing for a racing career next year.

[2]

Hip 181, a filly by Golden Pal bred by Fred Hertrich III and Rob Tribbett, sold for $375,000 to Mike Ryan Tuesday night. Susie Raisher Photo.

Hip 181, bred by Fred Hertrich III and Robert Tribbett, sold for $375,000 to Mike Ryan, agent for e Five Racing Thoroughbreds. Out of Prisoner’s Dilemma, the dark bay filly by Golden Pal was consigned by Taylor Made Sales Agency. She was born at Sugar Maple Farm in Poughquag, N.Y.

Taylor Made Sales Agency also consigned Hip 141, who went to China Horse Club, Maverick Racing and First Go Racing for $175,000. The dark bay son of Charlatan is out of Lark Rise, by More Than Ready. She was born at Mill Creek Farm and bred by Mill Creek and Fortune Farm.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2025/08/06/four-square-new-york-breds-shine-on-second-session-of-saratoga-select-sale/