New Yorker is top colt in sale

New York-bred juveniles were in demand at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-olds in training sale on Monday and Tuesday.

Fifty-five of them sold for a total of $2,230,000 - or an average price of $40,545, a major increase over the New York-breds sold at the corresponding sale in 2004.

Last year, the gross was $1,879,700 for 66 sold - an average of $28,480.

The 2005 numbers represent a gain of 19 percent on gross and 42 percent on average. The sale as a whole was up 43 percent in gross and 31 percent in average.

The top price for a New York-bred - and the highest-priced colt at the auction - was $275,000 for a son of More Than Ready, purchased by Bluewater Sales as agent for Circle C Stables.

He is out of the stakes-placed Strike the Gold mare Miss O'Keefe, who is a half-sister to multiple stakes winner Becky's Queen. Miss O'Keefe is also the dam of stakes-placed New York-bred Show Boot.

Also in the family is Flama Ardiente, winner of the Grade 3 Falls City Handicap, and the good sire Mt. Livermore. The colt's name is Get Involved, and he was consigned by Moonshadow Farm (Mark and Tina Casse).

A filly by Unbridled's Song, Hip No. 418, topped the sale at $450,000.

Selling for $150,000 was an unnamed daughter of New York sire Artax who is a half-sister to this year's fine statebred 3-year-old Naughty New Yorker, who placed in the Grade 3 Gotham Stakes.

She was consigned by Eddie Woods as agent, and purchased by Buzz Chace.

The filly is out of Naughty Natasha, a daughter of Known Fact who has also produced stakes winner and Grade 2-placed Pupil.

This immediate family includes stakes winners Victorica and Noble Minstrel, who placed in the Group 1 French 2000 Guineas.

Eclipse Award sprint champion Artax, the sire of Grade 1 winner Friendly Michelle, stands at Metropolitan Stud in Pine Plains.

A third six-figure New York-bred is a son of Victory Gallop named R Clear Victory, who was purchased for $100,000 by Coastal Racing Stable and consigned by Niall Brennan Stables.

Out of the Mt. Livermore mare Minigroom, R Clear Victory's third dam is Maximova, a multiple Group winner in France.

Maximova is the mother of Group 1 winner and sire Septieme Ciel. She is also the dam of Macoumba, winner of the Group 1 Prix Marcel Broussac, and Maxigroom, winner of the Grade 3 Fort Marcy Handicap.

Prime Timber, who stands at Sez Who Thoroughbreds North in Stillwater, was represented by a filly who drew a winning bid of $50,000 - from trainer Gary Contessa, as agent, from the consignment of Moonshadow Farm.

The filly is out of Musical Diablo, by Diablo, who is a half-sister to stakes winner Musical Sweep from the family of Preakness and Belmont Stakes winner Tabasco Cat.

Sugar Maple Farm stallion A. P Jet was represented by a filly that sold for $40,000, consigned by Hoppel's Horse & Cattle Co., agent, and going to trainer Linda Rice as agent.

She is out of the Talc mare High Talent, who has also produced New York-bred Hanselina, winner of the Park Avenue Division of the New York Stallion Stakes and an earner of more than $300,000.

The family also includes the outstanding turf mare Miss Unnameable, a multiple graded stakes winner of $682,259.

The Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale was the fifth major juvenile sale in the East, coming after the February and March Ocala Breeders' Sales auctions, Fasig-Tipton's March sale at Calder, and the Keeneland April sale.

Total receipts for the 203 New York-breds at these sales is $11,819,500, an increase of $951,300 over the corresponding five sales in 2004, in which 203 head were also sold.

Speed of Sound wins in debut

New York-bred juvenile Speed of Sound opened his career on May 19 at Belmont Park with a victory over open company in a maiden special weight race at five furlongs.

He was purchased by trainer Steve Klesaris for $550,000 at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company selected 2-year-olds in training sale on Feb. 8, which was the second-highest price of the auction.

Bred by Barry Ostrager and Steven S. Mukama, he is from the first New York-conceived crop of Phone Trick, who stands at Milfer Farm in Unadilla.

Speed of Sound is out of Lark Creek, a stakes-placed daughter of Meadowlake who is a half-sister to Midnight Cry, winner of the Grade 3 Stonerside Forward Gal Stakes at Gulfstream Park.

His third dam, Mythographer, by Secretariat, is the dam of Heart of Joy, winner of the Group 3 Nell Gwynn Stakes in England and second in the Group 1 Irish 1000 Guineas.