Barretts sale-topper brings $220,000

George Bolton’s $220,000 bid for a half-brother to Sinister Minister topped Monday night’s Barretts May 2-year-old auction, which saw mixed results overall.

Bolton’s sale-topper, a Wavertree Stables consignee, was by Hard Spun and went through the ring as Hip No. 55. The dark bay or brown colt was one of seven 2-year-olds to bring six-figure prices and had worked the co-fastest quarter-mile time of 21.40 seconds at the under-tack preview.

The session sold 73 horses, including one racing-age horse, for a combined $2,662,000. That was down 14 percent from last year’s auction, which sold 86 for $3,096,000. But the average price climbed 1 percent, from 2010’s figure of $36,000 to $36,466. Median also ended nearly level with last year, falling 2 percent from $20,500 to $20,000. Thirty-one horses, or 25 percent of the catalog, scratched from the one-night sale, but buybacks fell to 20 percent from last season’s 25 percent.

The auction’s highest-priced filly was Hip No. 77, a $150,000 Speightstown daughter of Bridled, by Unbridled. Stephens Thoroughbred, agent, sold the chestnut filly to James McIngvale. The filly is from the family of multiple Grade 1 winner High Yield. She had the co-fastest eighth-mile time of 10 seconds at the under-tack show.

The horse of racing age that sold was Hip No. 122, a 4-year-old Dixie Union filly out of Eggs Binnedict. Named Miss Prosody, she brought $5,000 from Kyle Kaenel. The Havens Bloodstock Agency was the seller.

Miss Prosody is a half-sister to Grade 3 winner Artemus Sunrise, stakes-winner Hash It Out, and Grade 2-placed Princes Melissa.