Remedy sells for $570,000 to top Fasig-Tipton Kentucky winter mixed sale

LEXINGTON, Ky. – A strong second and final session of the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky winter mixed sale featured one of the most expensive horses sold in the recent history of this auction, leading to a gain in average from the comparable session of the 2019 renewal. However, the sale, the final major-market auction of the mixed sale season, could not overcome a slow start in its opening session, finishing its two-day run with declines in various economic indicators.

Graded stakes-placed Remedy, who is a granddaughter of Broodmare of the Year Leslie's Lady, sold for $570,000, making her one of just two horses in the last five editions of this sale to fetch a price in excess of $500,000. Cinnamon Spice sold for $700,000 to lead the 2017 renewal of Fasig-Tipton February. Led by Remedy, four horses sold for $250,000 or more during the two-day sale, compared to two who met that mark last year, with a top price of $300,000.

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Tuesday's second session finished with 188 horses sold for gross receipts of $6,407,900, compared to 181 horses sold for $4,982,200 in the comparable second session last year. The session's average price was $34,085, jumping 24 percent from $27,526 in last year's final session. The median was $10,000, a drop of 23 percent from $13,000 in 2019.

Tuesday's strong figures were not enough to overcome an opening day in which the year-to-year, session-to-session average dropped 42 percent and the median dropped 56 percent. The two-day sale finished with 368 horses sold for revenues of $9,777,100, compared to 327 sold for $9,659,400. The cumulative year-to-year average thus dropped 10 percent, to $26,568 from $29,539. The median fell 43 percent, to $8,500 from $15,000.

The buyback rate was 25 percent, compared to 20 percent in 2019.

Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning Jr. cited continued market trends playing out in the background of this week's results. Since recovering from the recession of a little more than a decade ago, the commercial Thoroughbred marketplace has been highly selective, but willing to pursue quality offerings.

"It's a continuation of the world we live in," Browning said. "The quality horses walk in here, and you hear bidding all over the house for the perceived quality horses. There are six, seven, eight bidders on lots of horses. And there's either multiple bidders on your horse, or you hope to goodness you have one bidder. That's the reality of the marketplace in any type of sale – whether it's a mixed sale, yearling sale, or 2-year-old sale. I suspect we'll be having this same conversation throughout 2020. There's a lot of strength for the horses that kind of jump through the hoops and meet the expectations of buyers – and when you miss, you'd better be real careful with setting your reserve and have a very good assessment of your market value. It's hard to appraise horses in the world we live in today. The ones that jump through the hoops bring significantly more than you thought they would have, and the ones that miss bring significantly less.”

The sale-leading Remedy was purchased by Twin Creeks Farm, which had recently campaigned her in partnership with the Taylor Made affiliate Medallion Racing and Parkland Thoroughbreds. Sending horses through the auction ring when a partnership goes its separate ways is common in order to establish a fair current market value on the horse, and it is not uncommon for one of the partners to go home with the horse. Taylor Made Sales handled the consignment of the 5-year-old Remedy, who was listed as a broodmare prospect, as agent. Twin Creeks went home with the mare for the second time, after initially purchasing her for $200,000 at the 2016 Keeneland September yearling sale from the consignment of Airdrie Stud, which stands her sire, Creative Cause.

Remedy, who has won 3 of 13 career starts, was most recently seen finishing seventh in the Pippin Stakes on Jan. 25 at Oaklawn Park. She was multiple Grade 3 placed as a 3-year-old, finishing second by 1 1/2 lengths to She's a Julie, eventually a Grade 1 winner, in the Remington Park Oaks, and second by three-quarters of a length to Blamed in the Comely Stakes.

Remedy is out of the unraced Orientate mare Daisy Mason, the dam of four winners from as many starters, including Grade 3-placed stakes winner Harry's Holiday. Daisy Mason is out of stakes winner and blue hen Leslie's Lady, the dam of four-time Eclipse Award heroine Beholder; Grade 1 winner and leading sire Into Mischief; and globe-trotting Grade 1 winner and popular young stallion Mendelssohn. Along with Daisy Mason's stakes production, two other daughters of Leslie's Lady have produced stakes-placed runners, boding well for the continued success of Remedy and other daughters in the breeding shed.

The top price for a yearling at the Fasig-Tipton February sale also came during Tuesday's session, as the pinhooking venture First Finds went to $265,000 for a Street Sense filly.

The filly, who was consigned by Bluewater Sales, as agent, is the first foal out of the winning Rockport Harbor mare Froyo Star. The mare is a half-sister to multiple Grade 1 winner Sweet Reason, by Street Sense, as well as to Grade 3 winner Don't Forget Gil, stakes winner Battle Girl, and Grade 3-placed Meantime. Another half-sister, You Laughin, is the dam of stakes winner Zenden.

For hip-by-hip results, click here.