Prices up on Fasig-Tipton's second day

The second session of Fasig-Tipton Midlantic's May preferred 2-year-old sale on Tuesday saw higher prices one day after the auction saw dips across the board. By 4 p.m., Tuesday's high note was Puglisi Racing's $575,000 bid for a Lion Heart-Bye the Bye colt.

The auction was still under way at Timonium in Maryland late Tuesday afternoon.

Crupi's New Castle Farm agency consigned the colt, whose pedigree made him an obvious target for buyers. The dark bay or brown colt is a half-brother to dual Grade 1 winner Schossberg and stakes winner San Romano as well as to stakes-placed winners Seayabyebye and Wilusa.

Sold as Hip No. 402, the Lion Heart colt was one of six horses to bring $200,000 or more by that point and one of three to fetch more than $300,000.

Monday's opening session sold 158 horses for $7,213,300, down from 176 sold for $9,158,700 last year, a decline of 21 percent in gross. Average price dropped 12 percent, from $52,038 to $45,654, and median fell 8 percent, from $29,500 to $27,000. The buy-back rate climbed from last year's 28 percent to 35 percent this year.

The session topper Monday was a $230,000 E Dubai colt out of Twice Forbidden. Donald Brooks purchased the colt, a half-brother to stakes winners Don Corleone and Tin Cup Chalice, from agent Nick de Meric.