Midlantic auction ends with declines

Fasig-Tipton Midlantic's May 2-year-old auction ended Tuesday afternoon with losses after a quiet final session.

The two-day auction sold 246 juveniles for $10,497,500, down 33 percent from last year's gross for 327 horses. This sale's average price, $42,673, was 11 percent lower than last year's, and the $25,000 median also was off by 11 percent. But buybacks improved sharply, ending at 23 percent as compared to 34 percent in 2008.

Monday's opening session had mixed results after heady prices for two lots, a sale-record $850,000 Tapit-Shopping colt and a $485,000 half-brother to Kentucky Derby winner and Preakness runner-up Mine That Bird. But Tuesday's session was comparatively subdued, with a $280,000 Eurosilver-Dolly by Golly colt the top seller.

Bloodstock agent Steven W. Young bought the dark bay or brown colt, who sold as Hip No. 258 as part of Eddie Woods's consignment. The colt is a half-brother to the winners Ecton and Buc the Spartan.

Young also bought the $850,000 sale-topper sold Monday. That was a half-brother to Grade 1 winner Miss Shop consigned by Cary Frommer on behalf of the Hobeau Farms dispersal.