Record price for Texas auction

Fasig-Tipton's Texas yearling sale set a record for top price in its second and final session Tuesday at Lone Star Park. The new mark is $330,000, paid by Robert and Mary Harris, agent, for a Pleasant Tap colt out of Tensie's Pro.

The underbidder was Sheikh Mohammed al-Maktoum's representative, John Ferguson.

The dark bay or brown colt sold as Hip No. 254 from the Legacy Bloodstock agency's consignment. The record colt is out of a stakes-winning Distinctive Pro mare who has produced five winners from six starters. His price beat the previous record of $150,000 for a Hennessy-Driving Miss Sally colt in 2000.

"That just proves you can't hide a good horse," said director of sales Tim Boyce.

The two open sessions grossed $3,283,200 for 241 yearlings. That was up 2 percent from last year, when 272 sold. The $13,623 average price was also a sale record since the auction went to an all-open format in 2002. The average price this year gained 15 percent over last year's figure. The median also rose, 13 percent to $6,200. But buy-backs climbed from 33 percent last year to 37 percent.

Hip No. 254 was one of three yearlings to bring bids above $100,000 at the closing session. The others were Hip No. 276, a $145,000 Even the Score-Willailla colt that B. Wayne Hughes bought from Inside Move, agent, and Hip No. 304, a $130,000 Indian Charlie-Ballagren colt that Richard and Karen Papiese bought from Green Jean Farm (Elysian Bloodstock, agent).