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 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 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 increased 15.1 percent from last year’s $104,178, while median held steady at $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 Throroughbred 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, 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 Salluso and Kimmel, agent for MWG.
Bred by Stone Bridge Farm LLC 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.”
Hip 522, a daughter of Street Sense bred by Thirty Year Farm, sold for $400,000 Monday. Susie Raisher Photo.
Hip 522, 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 Thirty Year Farm LLC 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, 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 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, 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 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.
