Larry Best walked onto the Fasig-Tipton sale grounds on Monday afternoon after attending to some other business in town, and fell in love at first sight with a daughter of prominent filly sire Malibu Moon.
Got Stormy, who smashed a course record while defeating males in the Grade 1 Fourstardave Handicap, represents one more feather in the cap of her late granddam, multiple graded stakes-producing broodmare Air France. Got Stormy's family will be prominently represented at next month's Keeneland September yearling sale.
Last week, perennial leading sire Tapit helped get the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga selected yearling sale off to a strong start, with the top-priced lots of the opening session. This week, it was Tapit's son Constitution's turn to shine. The young stallion, currently North America's leading freshman sire, was represented by a colt sold for $340,000 to top the opening session of the Fasig-Tipton New York-bred yearling sale, which posted not-unexpected declines in some areas.
The brief yearling sale season in California begins on Tuesday with the Northern California yearling and horses of racing age sale at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton.
Less than a week after two New York-bred yearlings fetched prices over half a million at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga selected yearling sale, the spotlight turns exclusively to the statebred program for the auction company's New York-bred yearling sale Aug. 11 and 12 in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
Two of the most consistent American classic sires in recent years have been Curlin and Tapit. Perennial leading sire Tapit is the only sire in the modern era to be represented by three winners of the Belmont Stakes; meanwhile, two-time Horse of the Year Curlin was represented by a classic winner or classic-placed runner from each of his first six crops.
It was a night of dominance by perennial leading sire Tapit as the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga selected yearling sale opened on Monday evening. A $1 million colt and a $950,000 filly by the Gainesway stallion went through the auction ring back-to-back as the first of two sessions of the boutique sale at the Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion closed with gains in average and median.
The yearling sale season is underway in North America, and the spotlight is about to fall on the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga selected yearling sale, the first marquee auction of the season. Daily Racing Form will have you covered throughout the season, taking a closer look at market trends, standout stallions, first-crop sires, issues in the sale industry, and more. That begins with our special edition, presented by Stonestreet Farm.
The active female family of Sea Hero that was cultivated to many stakes successes at Saratoga for Paul Mellon has been ably carried on by other major outfits. Several horses from that family are expected to contest stakes at the meet, led by Grade 1 winner Elate. The family also is represented in the catalog for the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga selected yearling sale.
Khozan, who had a brief but brilliant racing career, has had a brilliant start to his stud career which well might continue continue in the sale ring at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale.
