$410,000 Uncle Mo colt takes over atop leaderboard at Fasig-Tipton October yearling sale

LEXINGTON, Ky. - A $410,000 colt by Uncle Mo and a $400,000 filly by Runhappy joined the leaderboard as the Fasig-Tipton October yearling sale continued to post gains in average in its third of four sessions Wednesday here.

Fasig-Tipton reported 240 yearlings sold during Wednesday's session for revenues of $8,378,100, compared to 244 sold for $7,990,900 during the comparable third session in 2018. The October auction is an open sale, with the catalog arranged alphabetically by dams' names, rather than by the perceived quality of the offerings, meaning that high-priced lots may come at any point. Therefore, the year-to-year, session-to-session averages may fluctuate, meaning the most meaningful statistical comparisons will be those made at the end of the sale. However, the session-to-session average prices have been up each day of this year's auction, leaving the sale poised to finish with gains. Wednesday's average price was $34,909, a jump of 7 percent from $32,750 in 2018's third session. The 2018 sale finished with an average of $35,576. To this point of this year's sale, the cumulative average price is $37,266.

"Three straight days of increases in average and increases in gross is certainly very encouraging," Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning said. "The resilience and depth of the market never ceases to amaze me. ... It's been three really good days so far, have one more day to go, and have no reason not to be optimistic."

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The median price for the third session finished at $10,000, down 17 percent from $12,000 last year. The 2018 sale finished with a median of $15,000. Through three days, this year's median sits at $13,000. Wednesday's buyback rate was 26 percent, compared to 24 percent in the comparable session last year.

Bloodstock agent Mike Ryan went to $410,000 for a colt by young classic sire Uncle Mo who took over as the sale-leading yearling. The colt was consigned by Indian Creek, as agent.

The colt is the second foal out of the unraced Stormy Atlantic mare Picardia, a half-sister to Grade 1 winners Lear's Princess and Pretty City Dancer. Their dam, Pretty City, is a half-sister to Grade 1-winning millionaire My Big Boy and stakes winner and producer Forever Command.

A filly from the first crop of champion sprinter Runhappy sold for $400,000 to Speedway Stables from the consignment of Woods Edge Farm, as agent. She is tied for the second-most-expensive lot of the sale, matching a $400,000 Medaglia d'Oro filly sold in Monday's opening session.

The Virginia-bred Runhappy filly is out of the stakes-winning Forestry mare Queens Plaza, whose five winners from as many starters include stakes winner Queen Caroline, Grade 3-placed Queen Teuta, and stakes-placed K P Slickem. Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies winner and Eclipse Award champion Folklore appears on the catalog page, as does Grade 1 winner Come Dancing, expected to be among the favorites in next week's Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint.