$925,000 Street Sense colt ties record at Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall yearling sale

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Led by a $925,000 Street Sense colt who tied an all-time record, the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall yearling sale's penultimate session on Wednesday pushed the yearling season finale closer to finishing out the calendar with a bang.

With three of four sessions in the books, Fasig-Tipton reported 856 horses sold through Wednesday evening for gross receipts of $39,511,600. With one session still to go, the Fasig-Tipton October sale has not only already surpassed last year's final four-session gross of $32,743,700 from 961 sold, it also has already eclipsed this sale's all-time record. At the 2019 Fasig-Tipton October sale, 1,008 horses sold over four sessions for $38,258,900.

Barring a huge drop-off in momentum in the sale's final session, the other key economic indicators also are poised to improve across the board, with record numbers easily within reach. The sale's cumulative average price sits at $46,158 through three sessions. That also is trending well upward from last year's final figure of $34,073. The sale record, also established in 2019, is $37,955. The current median price is $21,000, which would represent a spike from last year's final figure of $15,000. The category record of $18,500 was set in 2014.

"It's beyond what you would have hoped for," Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning Jr. said.

The buyback rate through three sessions is 17 percent. Last year's sale finished at 22 percent.

The Street Sense colt who took over the sale lead in Wednesday's session sold to the partnership of Vinnie Viola's St. Elias Stables and Mike Repole's Repole Stables, with Jacob West acting as agent. His price tied the Fasig-Tipton October sale's all-time record, matching a Storm Cat filly sold in 1999.

The colt was consigned by his breeder, the legendary Canadian operation Sam-Son Farm, which is in the process of dispersing its stock, in a decision announced in October 2020.

"Obviously, the sale-topper's a little bit bittersweet," Browning said. "You hate to see a 50-year operation like Sam-Son make a business decision – the family dynamics have changed. But they've just had a wonderful program. They've brought some wonderful horses to us here. . . . It was a great tribute to [their team] and to the Samuel family to [tie] the record here in October."

This colt is out of the winning A.P. Indy mare Dance With Doves, dam of Grade 2 winner Dance Again and Grade 3-placed Swoop and Strike.

Dance With Doves is out of Canadian champion Dancethruthedawn, winner of the Queen's Plate and Woodbine Oaks and later a Grade 1 winner in New York. Dancethruthedawn is out of Eclipse and Sovereign Award champion Dance Smartly, winner of the Canadian Triple Crown and Breeders' Cup Distaff and a Hall of Famer on both sides of the border.

Dance Smartly, a half-sister to Grade 1 winner and leading sire Smart Strike, among others, went on to a renowned broodmare career in which she produced another Queen's Plate winner in Scatter the Gold, as well as Grade 2 winner Dance With Ravens. This also is the family of Grade 1 winners Full of Wonder, Moreno, and Say the Word.

The Fasig-Tipton October sale concludes Thursday. For hip-by-hip results, click here.