Hip 385, a colt by Bernardini and fourth-generation homebred for Chester and Mary Broman, sold for a record $3.55 million Tuesday at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic May sale. Fasig-Tipton Photo.
By Tom Law
Led by a record-selling colt from one of the leading breeders of New York-breds, Fasig-Tipton posted increases in key metrics for its two-day Midlantic May sale of 2-year-olds in training sale that wrapped up Tuesday in Timonium, Md.
The sale of a Bernardini colt from Chester and Mary Broman’s breeding operation based at their Chestertown Farm in Chestertown for $3.55 million helped pave the way to significant gains during the sale’s second session Tuesday. Total sales for the second session jumped 20.6 percent, from $17,865,500 in 2021 to $21,542,000 in 2022, and the average price on the day rose 3 percent from $95,537 last year to $98,365 this year. Overall, Fasig-Tipton reported a 10.7 increase in total receipts ($37,297,700 in 2022 compared to $33,692,00).
A significant portion of the gross came from the record $3.55 million sale of a colt by Bernardini out of the winning Medaglia d’Oro mare G Note. Named Berning Remarks and offered as Hip 385, the colt was purchased by bloodstock agent Gary Young on behalf of Zedan Racing.
Bred by the Bromans, foaled at their Chestertown Farm and consigned by Becky Thomas’ Sequel Bloodstock, Berning Remarks breezed an eighth in 9.4 during presale workouts to quickly become the “talking horse” of the Midlantic sale.
The $3.55 million hammer price set a record for the Midlantic sale and is the most expensive Thoroughbred sold at public auction in Maryland and the sire’s highest-priced offspring sold at auction worldwide.
The late April foal is out a daughter of Grade 2 winner and $392,830-earner Seeking the Ante. G Note is a half-sister to New York-bred stakes winner Mineralogist and stakes-placed New York-bred Risk a Chance, the dam of 2022 Rebel Stakes winner Un Ojo. G Note is the dam of two winners bred in New York by the Bromans – Bank Note (by Central Banker) and Passing Notes (by Friend Or Foe).
Fasig-Tipton’s record-breaking colt – a son of Bernardini from Chester and Mary Broman’s breeding program – zips an eighth in 9.4 before selling for $3.55 million Tuesday. Fasig-Tipton Photo.
Berning Remarks was one of 18 2-year-olds at the sale to sell for $100,000 or more and the lone seven-figure purchase over the two days.
Fasig-Tipton reported sales on 90 of the 102 New York-breds during the sale for $9,718,000, an average price of $107,978 and median of $42,500. Those returns represented significant gains over last year’s figures of 66 New York-breds sold for $4,623,000, an average price of $70,045 and median of $33,500.
The third most expensive New York-bred of the sale sold during Tuesday’s concluding session. Phil Hager’s Taproot Bloodstock, agent, went to $210,000 to purchase Hip 555, a son of Violence out of the unraced Pulpit mare Oenophile. Bred by Richard Lugovich Jr. and Barbara Nelson, the colt was consigned by Top Line Sales, agent. He was offered by not sold on a $45,000 bid at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-bred yearling sale.
The second most expensive New York-bred colt and most expensive New York-bred filly sold during Monday’s opening session.
Hip 30, a colt from the first crop of multiple Grade 1 winner Bolt d’Oro, wound up the second leading colt on a bid of $675,000 from Spendthrift Farm and Frank Fletcher Racing. Bred by Mark Toothaker and Keith Crupper, foaled at Sequel Stallions New York in Hudson and consigned by Pike Racing, the colt is out of the stakes-placed and stakes-producing Aldebaran mare Shine Softly.
Hip 203, daughter of third-crop sire Frosted out of the Indian Charlie mare Auspicious, commanded a final bid of $330,000 from Lane’s End Bloodstock, agent for West Point Thoroughbreds, Monday and held up as the sale’s top-selling filly.
Bred by Danzel Brendemuehl Classic Mares, foaled at Mahoney Eden Manor in Saratoga Springs and a half-sister to last year’s Albany Stakes runner-up and $110,560-earning New York-bred Bobby Bo, the filly named Longlive the Queen was consigned by Scanlon Training & Sales, agent. Scanlon Training & Sales purchased the filly for $130,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Saratoga New York-brd yearling sale.
The sale’s top-priced New York-sired juveniles also went through the ring during Tuesday’s session.
Hip 438, a colt by The Lieutenant out of the Storm Cat mare Janetstickettocats, sold to Linda Rice, agent, for $135,000. Bred by Destiny Oaks of Ocala, the colt was consigned by Vargas Sales, agent. The Lieutenant, one of four stallions who died after a farm invasion in Peru in December 2019, previously stood at Sequel Stallions New York in Hudson.
Hip 381, a colt by Central Banker out of the Flatter mare Glaze, brought the top price for a New York-bred filly on a $135,000 bid from Mentz/Harson/Robertson. Bred by Hidden Brook Farm, the filly was consigned by Classic Bloodstock, agent. The filly previously sold for $15,000 to EXL Racing at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October yearling sale.
