LEXINGTON, Ky. - A Curlin colt sold for $600,000 as the final horse through the ring, ending Tuesday on a high note as the Fasig-Tipton July sale posted gains as it kicked off the North American yearling sale season. "I think there's a sense of relief," said Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning Jr. "Despite what we tell everybody on the pre-sale prognostications about how great it's going to be, and how optimistic we are, there's always, when you start off the season, there's always a little uncertainty. And we've certainly seen some changes in the financial marketplace in the last six months." Fasig-Tipton reported 189 yearlings sold during the single-session sale at its Newtown Paddocks headquarters in Lexington, Ky., for gross receipts of $21,763,500. That was just ahead of last year's $21,608,500, despite that sale trading more horses, at 208. The average price was $115,151, a gain of 11 percent from $103,887 last year. The median jumped 13 percent, to $90,000 from $80,000. The double-digit gains in the average and median bore out the cautious optimism consignors had expressed prior to the sale, noting the dueling factors of enthusiasm to race for strong purses, even as the economy remains uncertain. :: Get ready for Saratoga and Del Mar with a Quarterly subscription to DRF Past Performances "I think there's less concern about anything horse related than there is about the world, the economy," breeder and consignor Carrie Brogden of Machmer Hall said. "People need to pay rent, and they need to have food and shelter and health care - but they don't need racehorses. But the purse structures - I mean, what's happening in Kentucky is beyond thrilling to me, having a Kentucky farm. With the breeders' awards, and then, when you have $120,000 maidens, I mean, that's a big chunk of change to get back on your initial purchase, right as you break your maiden." The buyback rate was 24 percent, compared to 25 percent last year. The Fasig-Tipton July sale can be extremely selective as buyers seek out an exceptional athlete, which is the focus of the sales team in assembling the catalog. The July sale can showcase yearlings who have physically developed early to stand out in their class at this stage, as opposed to the horses who will target sales in August, September, and October. "The Fasig guys have an incredible reputation for having the right kind of physicals here, and those right kind of physicals go on to be the right kind of racehorses," Bret Jones of breeder and consignor Airdrie Stud said. "We've had a lot of luck here not only selling well, but going on and racing well. We try to bring the athlete, try to bring a horse that is really looking like they can be a good racehorse." The sale-topping Curlin colt, purchased by Leonard Green’s D. J. Stable from the consignment of Gainesway, as agent, certainly fit the bill of an athlete, as a tall, streamlined model. However, his long stride showcased what was a stamina-laden and exceptional pedigree, as well. The colt’s sire, two-time Horse of the Year Curlin, and broodmare sire, Lookin At Lucky, are both classic-winning champions by Smart Strike, and both have become classic sires in their own right. The colt’s dam, unraced Four Sugars, produced Gronkowski, a stakes winner in England who was second to Triple Crown winner Justify in the Belmont Stakes, and second to Thunder Snow in the Dubai World Cup. Grade 1 winners Flashy Bull, Perfect Soul, and Zipessa also appear on the catalog page. A colt by leading young sire Gun Runner sold for $430,000 to de Meric Sales to rank as the second-highest price of the day. :: DRF BREEDING LIVE: Real-time coverage of breeding and sales The colt, who was also consigned by Gainesway, as agent, is from the third crop by Horse of the Year Gun Runner, last year's record-setting leading freshman sire with champion Echo Zulu and others to his credit. Gun Runner went on to record a classic winner from that first crop, with Early Voting taking the Preakness Stakes. This colt is the second foal out of the stakes-winning Majesticperfection mare Perfect Wife. Her first foal, the Gun Runner filly Runaway Wife, was recently second in the Grade 3 Indiana Oaks. Grade 3 winner Jungle Prince, who was also multiple Grade 1-placed, appears on the catalog page. Three other yearlings brought prices of $400,000 or more. They were a filly from the first crop of Omaha Beach, purchased by bloodstock agents Alex Solis II and Jason Litt for $410,000; a filly from the final crop by the late Arrogate, purchased for $400,000 by bloodstock agent Donato Lanni; and a colt by young classic sire Uncle Mo, purchased for $400,000 by Glassman Racing. For hip-by-hip results, click here.