Hard Spun filly leads Fasig-Tipton session at $310K

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Irving Cowan dispersal produced the $310,000 early session-leader Tuesday at Fasig-Tipton’s October yearling sale, a Hard Spun filly out of Cowan’s champion Hollywood Wildcat.

Lakland Farm purchased the filly, a three-quarter-sister to 2000 Breeders’ Cup Mile winner and sire War Chant. She also is a three-quarter-sister to Grade 1-placed Ivan Denisovich and a half-sibling to graded-placed Double Cat, Ministers Wild Cat, and Shintoh.

The Taylor Made agency consigned the filly as part of the Cowan dispersal’s first phase at the Lexington auction.

The Hard Spun filly was the sale’s most expensive yearling as of 3:30 p.m. Tuesday. The second session’s highest-priced colt at that hour was a $100,000 Street Sense son out of the Grade 1-placed Louis Quatorze mare Good Student. Ciaran Dunne of Wavertree Stables bought the dark bay or brown colt from Hunter Valley Farm, agent.

The Street Sense colt was the Tuesday session’s only other six-figure lot at that hour.

On Monday, the first of three sessions posted increases in gross receipts and average price, but the median fell. Fattened by a larger catalog, gross rose 57 percent as 224 yearlings grossed $3,078,000, and average also climbed 24 percent, from $11,065 to $13,741. Median slid 17 percent, falling from last year’s opening-day figure of $6,000 to $5,000. Buy-backs remained level with last year’s opening-day figure of 32 percent.

Monday’s session-topper was a $280,000 Tapit colt out of stakes-winner Classic Woman, by Storm Bird. Mark Casse, agent, bought the colt from Dapple Stud, agent. The bay colt is a half-brother to winners City Stormer and Unseen Evidence.