Colt a $625K sale record

A record $625,000 Johannesburg colt got the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic preferred 2-year-old sale off to a hot start Monday in Timonium, Md.

Agent Joe Brocklebank purchased the colt on behalf of Jeff Singer. Danzel Brendemuehl's Classic Bloodstock agency sold the colt, a son of the World Appeal mare Hasty Appeal. He is a half-brother to Grade 3 winner Dr. Park and currently is named Zounds.

At Tuesday's second and final session, the highest price at 5:30 p.m. was $330,000 for Hip No. 409, a Red Bullet-Patooie colt offered by Ciaran Dunne's Wavertree Stables agency. The EQB agency bought the colt for Erik and Paula Nygaard.

Monday's $625,000 top price was the highest ever for a horse at any Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale, topping the $500,000 high mark set at the 2004 Eastern fall yearling sale and the $450,000 Timonium 2-year-old record set in 2004 and equaled in 2005.

The record colt helped Monday's opening session ring up gains across the board. The company sold 183 lots for $9,827,000, well up from last year's $9,035,500 for 194 juveniles. The average price jumped 15 percent, from last year's figure of $46,575 to $53,699. The median climbed 5 percent, from $30,500 to $32,000. The buyback rate was 27 percent, up from last year's 25 percent.