Fasig-Tipton: Indian Charlie colt tops sale at $600,000

Fasig-Tipton's reformatted Midlantic 2-year-old sale ended Tuesday afternoon in Timonium, Md., with a dozen horses fetching $200,000 or more, including the $600,000 sale-topping Indian Charlie colt.

The EQB agency snapped up the bay Indian Charlie colt out of Bally Storm, by Summer Squall. Becky Thomas's Sequel Bloodstock agency sold the colt, who had worked an eighth-mile in the auction preview's second-fastest time of 10.2 seconds.

Offered as Hip No. 492, the colt is from the family of Grade 2 winner Yarrow Brae.

Fasig-Tipton expanded the sale from one day to two this year, putting together a catalog of 600 horses, as compared with last year's 405. The two sessions in 2011 grossed $16,211,100 for 343 juveniles, up from last year's one-day total of $13,099,500 for 273 horses. This year's average price was $47,263 and the median was $25,000. The two-day buy-back rate was 18 percent.
In 2010, the single-session auction's average was $47,984, median was $27,000, and the buyback rate was 13 percent.

Another Indian Charlie colt, this one out of the Seeking the Gold mare Cariada, brought $300,000 later in the session. Carolyn Vogel bought him from Breaking Point Farm.

Four other juveniles had brought $200,000 or more at Tuesday's final session. They were Hip No. 409, a $300,000 More Than Ready-Uncork filly that agent Lynne Boutte sold to Mandy Pope's Whisper Hill Farm; Hip No. 403, a $240,000 More Than Ready-Trippi Street colt that David and Katie McKathan's M & H Training and Sales agency sold to Kingsbury Stables; Hip No. 551, a Tapit-Chief's Honey colt that Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds, agent, sold to Sky Chai Racing; and Hip No. 483, a $200,000 Forest Grove-Asheville colt that Pike Racing, agent, sold to Charles J. Cella.

Monday's session-topper was a $390,000 Malibu Moon filly who is a half-sister to champion turf horse Paradise Creek, Forbidden Apple, Wild Event, and Paradise River, dam of English champion David Junior. Bob Baffert bought her from Bridlewood Farm's agency.