Fasig-Tipton sale has $100K topper, 41 percent buy-backs

Closing Move, a 3-year-old Bernardini filly from Darley’s racing stable, brought $100,000 Tuesday at Fasig-Tipton’s Saratoga mixed and racing-age sale, where she was the most expensive horse at an auction whose debut was marred by a 41 percent buy-back rate.

The one-day sale in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., sold 119 horses for $1,933,600, resulting in an average price of $16,249 and a $12,000 median.

Tom Voss bought Closing Move, a Darley homebred. The bay filly is out of the Storm Cat mare Show Me the Roses, a three-quarter-sister to former juvenile champion and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Johannesburg. Closing Move’s best performances so far were a pair of seconds in maiden special weights in November 2011 and February 2012. Her 4-year-old full brother, Opening Move, has earned more than $80,000 to date.

A pair of weanlings from Munnings’s first crop were the auction’s top weanlings. Bernard Stables paid $67,000 for the Munnings daughter of That’s Ok, a full sister to Spinaway runner-up Forever Partners. Vinery Sales sold the chestnut filly, a Feb. 24 foal. Earlier in the session, a Munnings colt out of Nice Kitty Kitty, by Forest Wildcat, fetched a $57,000 bid from buyer Mill Creek Farm, agent. He is a March 26 foal and a half-brother to Canadian winner Pure Blue. The family also includes graded winner Dancinginherdream and recent juvenile stakes-winner Doubled. Vinery also sold the $57,000 colt.

Only two of the top 15 prices were for mares. The top-priced broodmare was $55,000 Song of Broadway, a 5-year-old Tiznow mare carrying a May foal by Freud. A three-time winner, Song of Broadway is out of stakes-winner Morning Sun, by Dehere, and sold to Anthony Muiccio. Darby Dan Farm, agent, was the consignor.