The Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July horses of racing age sale sure started out fast, trending higher compared with last year’s sale for much of the session, but a dead spot late in the day dragged down the overall average. Such is the nature of sales of horses of racing age – due to the variance in the quality of the catalog year over year – so it’s hard to reach conclusions based solely on average price. However, for the FTK July sale this year, the sign that there was a strong demand for horses could be seen by looking at the full parking lot, the crowds in the barns in the mornings and afternoons, and the number of people evaluating horses in the walking rings while the sale was taking place. The sale finished down slightly from a year ago, with 100 horses selling for a total of $9,318,000, an average price of $93,180 and a median of $50,000. In 2017, 84 horses sold for $8,083,000, an average of $96,226 and a median of $56,000. This year’s sale saw a buyback rate of 16%, while last year 15.2% of the horses through the sales ring were reported as not sold, so the relatively low buyback rate says a lot about the marketplace and demand. :: Get breeding & sales news, Beyer info, and more delivered right to your email! Boyd Browning, CEO of Fasig-Tipton, said he thought the sale was strong and was representative of the current market. “The catalog had a lot of appeal, domestically and internationally,” Browning said. “I thought horses sold very fairly. And consignors and buyers were both happy with the level of commerce in the marketplace.” The racing age portion of the FTK July sale attracts breeders looking for quality mares, others looking for stallion prospects, and still others looking for horses ready to race today. All types of horses were in ample supply at the sale, and judging by the final prices paid, all factions were often able to fill some of their needs. Females in particular were in strong demand, as 18 fillies or mares brought final bids of $100,000 or more (with 10 males reaching that threshold), topped by the $700,000 paid for My Miss Tapit and the $675,000 paid for Alter Moon. Alter Moon, one of the last horses consigned to the sale, who sold for $675,000 as the second-to-the-last horse through the sales ring. She was purchased by Steve Young, agent. The 3-year-old Alternation filly won the Azalea Stakes this year and has earned $128,255. She is from the first crop of Alternation. The sale topper, as expected, was My Miss Tapit, who brought a final bid of $700,000 from Breeze Easy LLC, the partnership of Sam Ross and Mike Hall, both from West Virginia. My Miss Tapit, a 4-year-old daughter of Tapit, is a minor stakes winner and has earned $108,005, though her price spiked sharply when after being cataloged she finished third in the Grade 2 Princess Rooney at Gulfstream on June 30. She is out of the Broken Vow mare Sindy With an S, a Grade 3 winner and earner of $330,959. My Miss Tapit is a full sister to two Grade 3 stakes-placed winners, I’ll Wrap It Up and Rattataptap. My Miss Tapit was a $550,000 Keeneland September yearling and was trained by Todd Pletcher. She has won 3 of 6 career starts. She was consigned to FTK July by Elite, agent. Ross and Hall have been expanding their racing stable and wanted the stakes-winning My Miss Tapit to carry their banner on the track. Ross and Hall primarily have been involved in the breeding side of the business. Randy Hartley, who advises the two and who raises their foals in Florida at Hartley/DeRenzo Thoroughbreds, said Ross and Hall spend $3 to $5 million a year in stud fees breeding horses and want to expand their footprint in racing. “They are looking for racehorses and building a broodmare band,” Hartley said. “They have 27 mares and they want to breed and buy the best.” Hartley said My Miss Tapit will go back to Pletcher and be based in Saratoga. A number of stakes-winning colts and horses with strong pedigrees were sold, and even if they may not do much more on the track, their value in the breeding shed is what dictated their sales price. Some of the horses falling into that category include Fire Away, One Liner, Revved Up, and Mississippi. Fire Away, who brought a bid of $450,000, and Revved Up, who sold for $350,000, were both sold by Claiborne Farm, agent for the Phipps Family stable and part of that operation’s annual culling process. Both Fire Away and Revved Up share Racing Hall of Famer Personal Ensign as their second dam, and the family has produced a number of successful sires. Fire Away, a graded stakes-winning son of War Front, was purchased by Joseph Brocklebank, agent, for $450,000. The 6-year-old Grade 3 winner is a half-brother to stakes winner Mr Speaker. Revved Up, a stakes-placed son of Candy Ride out of champion Storm Flag Flying, was sold to Empire Thoroughbreds, agent for Kingsport Farm. Revved Up has won 4 of 21 starts and $292,117. Mississippi, a $700,000 purchase as a 2-year-old in Ocala in March, was bought by Steven Young, agent, for $190,000 as a stakes-placed winner of $157,066. He was third in this year’s Grade 1 Florida Derby. By Pioneerof the Nile, Mississippi is out of the stakes-winning Storm Cat mare Katz Me If You Can. He will stay in training. One Liner, a 4-yearold-colt by Into Mischief, was purchased by Whispering Oaks for 400,000. Consigned by WinStar Racing agent, One Liner won the Southwest Stakes at 3 and was second in the Grade 3 Pimlico Special in May. Trained by Todd Pletcher and raced by WinStar and China Horse Club, One Liner has won 4 of 7 starts and earned $427,320. He is from the family of Albertus Maximus and Daredevil. The one-day yearling session of the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July sale begins tomorrow at 10 a.m. Eastern and features a catalog of 349 yearlings. For complete hip-by-hip results of the horses of racing age sale, click here.