Chace, Contessa busy at Fasig-Tipton

More than 100 registered New York-breds were among the 541 sold at Fasig-Tipton's Midlantic three-day Eastern fall yearling sale in Timonium, Md. on Oct. 1-3.

The 101 New York-bred yearlings sold brought $1,263,600, while another 35 registered New York-breds were not sold when they failed to meet their reserve prices. The top-selling yearling went for $180,000.

The New York-bred sales topper was a $100,000 colt by Grindstone, out of the World Appeal mare, Worldly Nell. The colt was consigned by Marshall W. Silverman, agent, and was bought by agent Buzz Chace, who was one of the auction's leading buyers, with nine yearling purchases. The colt was bred by Cynthia McKee of Middleburg, Va., and foaled at Lou Salerno's Questroyal Farm in New Hampton, N.Y. Last November, the Grindstone colt sold as a weanling for $32,000 at Keeneland.

Chace also acted as the buying agent on the sale's top-priced New York-bred filly, a daughter of End Sweep, out the Nasty and Bold mare, Labiblica. The filly, who sold for $55,000, was consigned by Harry L. Landry Bloodstock, agent, and was bred by Landry in partnership with John Clarke and Mr. and Mrs. James Weaver.

New York-based trainer Gary Contessa was busy at the Midlantic sale, where he signed the sales slips for 12 yearlings, 11 of them New York-breds.

The Midlantic sale brings the total spent on 295 New York-bred yearlings sold at auction this year to $9,261,850.

Overall the sale, the first on the East Coast since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, was down considerably from last year. There was a 15 percent decline in the average price to $16,919 and a 12 percent drop-off in the median price to $8,000. Buy-backs jumped from 22 percent in 2000 to 28 percent this year.

Thirty yearlings foaled in New York are among the more than 600 horses catalogued to Keeneland's two-day sale Monday and Tuesday.

Among the sires representing these New York foals are A.P Jet, Distinctive Pro, Editor's Note, Gold Fever, Grindstone, Ormsby, and Tomorrows Cat.

Another stakes winner for A.P Jet

Volley Ball, a 2-year-old, became New York stallion A.P Jet's fifth stakes winner with his win in last weekend's Storm Cat Stakes at Philadelphia Park.

Volley Ball is owned by New Farm and Ben Perkins Sr., who bought the colt for $115,000 at the Midlantic fall sale last year. Two days before Volley Ball's purchase, his half-sister, Spavinaw, won the Joseph A. Gimma Stakes by 3 1/4 lengths at Belmont

A.P Jet's other stakes winners are Bluesbreaker, Crispy Jet, Jini's Jet, and J. P. Jet.

A.P Jet, whose first crop are 3-year-olds this year, stands at Howard Kaskel's Sugar Maple Farm in Poughquag, N.Y., where his fee last year was $5,000, live foal.

Gander nominated for Showcase day

Nominations are out for next weekend's New York Showcase Fall Festival at Belmont Park. Among those nominated to the seven stakes for New York-breds are graded stakes winners Gander ($250,000 Empire Classic); Critical Eye (Empire Classic and $150,000 Ticonderoga); Say Florida Sandy ($150,000 Hudson); and Dat You Miz Blue ($125,000 Iroquois).

Gander, who would be a heavy favorite in the Empire Classic if he starts, is also under consideration for the $4 million Breeders' Cup Classic, a race he finished ninth in last year. Pre-entries for the Breeders' Cup close on Monday.

o The next board meeting for the New York State Breeding and Development Fund is Thursday at 11 a.m. at the Fund's New York City offices at One Penn Plaza, Suite 725.