Cat Thief colt tops FTK

A day after posting declines across the board at its opener Monday, Fasig-Tipton Kentucky's fall yearling sale saw several six-figure lots by late afternoon Tuesday.

As of 5 p.m., the top lot on the final session's result sheets was Hip No. 634, a $140,000 Cat Thief-High Heeled Honey colt that Newtown Farm bought from Tom Evans's Trackside Farm, agent. The colt is a half-brother to a Grade 1-placed stakes winner, High Heeled Hope, Grade 2-placed Solly's Honor, and stakes winner Koennecker.

The afternoon's other six-figure horses at that point were Hip No. 510, a $102,000 Coronado's Quest, and Hip No. 607, a $125,000 Lemon Drop Kid.

The two-day auction in Lexington, Ky., saw a top price of $230,000 on Monday. Narvick International, agent, paid that to acquire a Richter Scale colt from Ricky Higgs, agent.

But the Monday session's figures were down overall. The session sold 255 yearlings for a total of $3,752,400, down 20 percent from last year's opening day, when 269 lots brought $4,691,800. The average price fell by 16 percent to $14,715, and the median slipped 22 percent to $7,000. Meanwhile, buy-backs rose from 23 percent last year to 30 percent.