Justify cut an unmistakable presence on the racetrack in 2018, with his blazed face and imposing chestnut frame appearing in the winner's circle after all six of his starts. And, as the first foals by the Triple Crown winner and Horse of the Year began appearing in the fields and in the sale ring in 2020, that blazed face found itself front of mind again.
The Northern California yearling sale is in the midst of a growth spurt. Tuesday's one-day sale, conducted by the California Thoroughbred Breeders' Association at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, has a catalog of 140 horses compared to 126 in 2020.
A dispersal of broodmares supporting the late young stallion Far From Over provided the catalyst for the latest evolution of the Fasig-Tipton July sale, but ultimately, the three-in-one packaging provided by in-foal broodmares with 2021 foals alongside didn't prove the top draw of the breeding stock session.
The brilliant but lightly raced Army Mule has made a fine start to his stud career with a well-received first crop in the commercial arena. That was most recently highlighted when a colt sold for $200,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July yearling sale to rank as one of the best prices for a first-crop sire in the market kickoff event.
A filly by Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile and Pegasus World Cup winner City of Light sold for $230,000 to fetch the top price for a first-crop sire at Fasig-Tipton July.
An Into Mischief filly lit up the bid board at $800,000 as the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July yearling sale returned to its place on the calendar to kick off the North American yearling marketplace in solid fashion on Tuesday.
Stakes winners Front Run the Fed and Stilleto Boy, both of whom brought recent form to the sales pavilion, sold for $440,000 and $420,000, respectively, to lead the way as Fasig-Tipton offered an eclectic group of horses to kick off its July sales at its Newtown Paddocks headquarters.
In one way, the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky July sale this week represents a return to normalcy. But in another way, things continue to change at this auction. This year's sale, on July 12-13 at Fasig-Tipton's Newtown Paddocks facility in Lexington, offers one-stop shopping.
Led by a Tiznow filly purchased for $250,000, Wednesday’s Fasig-Tipton 2-year-olds in training sale at Santa Anita saw a slight increase in average price, but a decline in number of horses sold and gross revenue compared to a similar sale in 2019.
Two years after its launch, the Fasig-Tipton Santa Anita 2-year-olds in-training sale will be conducted for the second time on Wednesday, the nation's final auction of the year devoted to juveniles.
