The top of the North American auction market has been increasingly strong over the past several years, and the Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream select 2-year-olds in training sale displayed that on Wednesday with near-record average and median sale prices, led by a pair of $1.2-million juveniles. The buyback rate increased and fewer horses were sold than last year, however, resulting in a drop in gross. The average and median prices hit their second-highest points in the history of Fasig-Tipton’s Florida select juvenile sale, and continued the pattern of growing in each edition since the auction moved to Gulfstream Park in 2015. The average increased 15 percent to $389,746 to $339,392, while the median increased 9 percent to $295,000 from $270,000. Those returns trailed only the all-time high average of $403,812 set in 2006, the year The Green Monkey brought a record $16 million, and the high-point median of $295,000 set in 2013. The boutique auction finished with 59 horses sold for revenues of $22,995,000, down 9 percent from last year’s edition, when 74 horses changed hands for $25,155,000. One of the main factors for the lower gross was a growing buyback rate, which finished at 35 percent, a return more typical of the select Gulfstream sale compared with an unusually low 15 percent in 2017. “I think if you look historically, this is more similar to what you’ll find in an upper-end 2-year-olds in training sale,” Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning said about the buyback rate. “The other thing that’s happening right now, and will happen tomorrow, all of them will get sold, but there will be a lot of private sales transacted in the next 24 to 48 hours, some of which will go through us, and some of which will go through the consignors. “There’s demand for horses, but you need to be realistic with your valuation and you need to be realistic with yourself on how your horses perform on the racetrack, and its physical conformation, its appearance in the barn area, and how it vets,” Browning continued. “The market’s healthy. It’s not exuberant, and it’s not crazy.” :: Get breeding & sales news, Beyer info, and more delivered right to your email! Three horses broke the seven-figure threshold on Wednesday, tying the number to do so in 2017. The number of transactions at the $750,000 price point or above rose to nine from seven, while sales of $500,000 or more grew to 19 from 16. “The top of the market might have changed a little bit, not dramatically from last year, but we didn’t see a whole lot of crazy numbers last year,” Browning said. “There was a lot of people that would give you $500,000 to $750,000 for a horse. If you get much north of that, then it gets a little thinner than in recent years, but overall, I thought it was a successful exercise and bodes well for our next sale in Timonium in May.” Two horses tied for the sale’s highest price, each going to their new owners for $1.2 million. Barbara Banke’s Stonestreet Stables struck first, hitting the mark on a Medaglia d’Oro filly out of the stakes-placed Distorted Humor mare Mi Vida. The dark bay or brown filly is a sibling to two runners out of Mi Vida, including one winner. Bred in Kentucky by Don Alberto Corp., she is from the family of Grade 1 winners Majestic Warrior, Dream Supreme, and Spinning Round, as well as Peruvian champion Kung Fu Mambo and Argentine Group 1 winner Sweet Sorrel. The purchase was familiar territory for the Stonestreet operation, which campaigned the Medaglia d’Oro filly Rachel Alexandra to Horse of the Year honors in 2009. "I like Medaglia d'Oro fillies,” Banke said.“I've had very good luck with them. I actually have two really good ones back at our training center - one out of Kauai Katie, and one out of Fully Living, and this will be a third. I love them to race, and I love them as broodmares. "I knew that it was probably going to be over $1 million,” Banke continued.“There were a lot of horses that didn't make it through the process and didn't pass the vet, but this was our pick.” Banke said the filly would be sent from the sale to the Stonestreet Training Center in Summerfield, Fla., and a decision on a trainer would be made at a later time. While the ticket was signed solely for Stonestreet Stables, Banke said Jamie Roth of LNJ Foxwoods had discussed partnering on the filly prior to the sale. "We've been talking about owning a horse together for years, but we haven't gotten it done, so we'll see if she wants to,” Banke said. “If she doesn't, that's fine, too." Niall Brennan Stables consigned the filly, as agent. She breezed an eighth of a mile in 10 seconds flat during the pre-sale under-tack show to tie for the fastest time at the distance. "We knew she was very popular,” Brennan said. “She's a beautiful filly with a lovely pedigree. The cross has worked, and Distorted Humor mares are so valuable. “She's a beautiful physical and unbelievable on the racetrack,” Brennan continued.“She's just like a machine on the racetrack. She jumped through all the hoops, as they say. I didn't know how much she would bring. I just knew that she'd be well up there. There were a lot of people on her. I think Darley were the underbidders.” The filly was a $200,000 purchase by Hades Stable at last year’s Keeneland September yearling sale, where she was offered in the bellwether auction’s premier first book. Larry Best of OXO Equine made a big splash during his debut appearance as a buyer at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Gulfstream sale, landing the sale topper. He returned to grab a share of the top status on Wednesday as the winning bidder of an Into Mischief colt. The bay colt is the second foal out of the winning Lawyer Ron mare Assets of War, whose first foal is the stakes-placed Aerial Assets, a full sister to Wednesday’s co-sale-topper. Bred in Kentucky by Stoneway Farm, his extended family features Grade 1 winners Book Review and Irish Smoke, Grade 3 winners Added Asset and Added Elegance, and Peruvian champion Mr. Ninja. Eddie Woods consigned the colt, as agent. The colt also tied the fastest time for an eighth of a mile at 10 seconds flat. "I loved it,” Best said about the under-tack show effort. “Very strong breeze, very strong horse. Eddie Woods does a nice job with breaking in horses, and it adds to the comfort value that I know Eddie has managed the horse up to now."  Best said the colt would be sent to trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, who also conditions his Grade 3 winner Instilled Regard, who is being pointed for the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby for his next start. Wednesday’s transaction was the first seven-figure juvenile sold at auction sired by Spendthrift Farm resident Into Mischief. Woods acquired the colt through his Quarter Pole Enterprises for $190,000 at last year’s Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July yearling sale. "He's grown up a lot,” Woods said. “In July, they're very babyish, and you've got to look through a lot, but he had all the right parts. He had one little issue when we bought him and it's still there today, but it's very, very minor in behind. Everyone looked it with common sense, and here we are today.” Rounding out the trio of seven-figure purchases at the Gulfstream sale was a colt from the final crop of sire Scat Daddy, who went to the Coolmore partnership for $1 million. Scat Daddy, who died in 2015, stood at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud, and the global operation has been aggressive in buying his foals as the final ones enter the auction ring. Bred in New York by Sanford Bacon, the colt is the first foal out of the six-time stakes-winning Limehouse mare Risky Rachel, also a Bacon-homebred. Grade 2 winner Say Florida Sandy and Grade 3 winner Dancin Renee can be found on the page. The colt also breezed an eighth in 10 seconds flat. Trainer Todd Pletcher signed the ticket for the Coolmore operation. "He's by world-class stallion Scat Daddy, who is one of my all-time favorites,” Pletcher said. “Having trained him, it's great to see him have so much success. It was a big loss for the industry, him going to soon. “He's a beautiful-moving horse,” Pletcher continued. “This is one that we had on the radar for a while, and had been talking about. He had been training really well in Ocala. He came in here, had a super breeze, and came out of it in good order.” For hip-by-hip sale results, click here. Fasig Gulfstream, top five purchases Price Pedigree Buyer Consignor $1,200,000 filly by Medaglia d'Oro - Mi Vida, by Distorted Humor Stonestreet Stables Niall Brennan Stables, agent $1,200,000 colt by Into Mischief - Assets of War, by Lawyer Ron OXO Equine Eddie Woods, agent $1,000,000 colt by Scat Daddy - Risky Rachel, by Limehouse Todd Pletcher, agent for M.V. Magnier SGV Thoroughbreds, agent $900,000 filly by Orb - Taboo, by Forestry Baoma Corp, Donato Lanni, agent Tom McCrocklin, agent $850,000 colt by Uncle Mo - Potra Classica, by Potrillon Speedway Stable Crupi's New Castle Farm, agent