Citidancer filly leads Midlantic sale

LEXINGTON, Ky. - As Fasig-Tipton Midlantic's December winter mixed sale entered its second and final day in Timonium, Md., a $100,000 Citidancer filly was the early session leader, as of 5 p.m. Eastern.

Buzz Chace, agent, signed for the weanling daughter of the stakes-winning Majestic Light mare Majestic Dream. Litz Bloodstock Services, agent, consigned the chestnut filly.

The auction's opening session on Sunday posted strong gains from last year's equivalent session. The Sunday opener sold 192 lots for $1,783,800, up 39 percent from last year, when 192 lots sold for $1,283,000. The first-session average rose 4 percent to $6,974, and median climbed slightly, from $2,600 last year to $2,700 in 2001.

But the buyback rate also increased, from 20 percent last year to 32 percent at this year's opening session.

The stakes-placed broodmare Buckles and Kinks brought $90,000 as Sunday's top-selling lot. Virginia horseman Edward F. Schuler bought the 7-year-old Waquoit mare in foal to Concern. She is the dam of stakes winner Bronze Abe, a Two Punch filly who captured the Heavenly Cause Stakes this year and also finished second in the Maryland Million Lassie Stakes. Russell and Richard Jones's Walnut Green agency sold the mare for the estate of Nancy Bayard.

* The Tattersalls December foal sale ended Saturday in England with a record average of 26,400 guineas, or about $39,362, from 514 lots sold. Topped by a $1,640,100 Sadler's Wells-Urban Sea (by Miswaki) filly who is a full sister to dual classic winner Galileo, the four-day foal portion of the company's December mixed auction grossed $20,232,497 and posted a median of $16,400.