Fasig-Tipton Kentucky: $725k Justify colt tops leaderboard on Day 3

LEXINGTON, Ky. — A $725,000 Justify colt took over atop the leaderboard of the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall yearling sale, topping the third and penultimate session on Wednesday.

Fasig-Tipton reported 262 yearlings sold on Wednesday at its Newtown Paddocks headquarters in Lexington for gross receipts of $14,226,700. In last year's second of four sessions, 273 yearlings brought $13,012,600.

The session's average price was $54,300, climbing 14 percent compared to $47,665 in last year's corresponding third session. The median was unchanged, at $25,000. The buyback rate was 22 percent, compared to 18 percent.

Session-to-session comparisons for this sale, which wraps up the North American yearling sale season, will be less meaningful than the final figures at the end of the sale. Although this is a large sale, with 1,605 yearlings cataloged - second only to the bellwether Keeneland September auction in terms of size - this event is an open sale, and is not divided into books or sessions based on the perceived quality of the horses. Yearlings are instead slotted alphabetically based on their dam's name. Because of that, horses targeted by different segments of the marketplace could come in any session, thus affecting that day's comparable figures.

With Wednesday's strong gain in average price, the cumulative average for this sale sits at $49,343 heading into the final session - just behind last year's final figure of $50,388. The median is currently $23,500, just behind 2022's $25,000.

The Justify colt who led Wednesday's session was purchased by agent Jesse Longoria, on behalf of Zane Kiehne and Grier Brunson, new faces on the scene after making their first Thoroughbred purchases at Tuesday's session.

Triple Crown winner Justify is in the midst of a successful international season, which has resulted in his stud fee climbing to $200,000 for 2024 at Coolmore's Ashford Stud, ranking him among the highest-priced stallions in Kentucky. Justify's current yearlings were conceived on a $125,000 fee in his third season at stud.

Justify's current sale leader, a May foal, is the second foal out of the winning Hard Spun mare Palace Princess, daughter of Grade 2-placed Arienza. The latter's dam is 2002 Horse of the Year Azeri. That champion's 10 foals to race are all winners, led by multiple graded stakes winner Wine Princess.

For hip-by-hip results, click here.

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