A blockbuster $2.6 million colt by leading sire Into Mischief sold to the Coolmore group led a quartet of seven-figure horses as the 100th edition of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale took its place in history with a record-tying median and its second-best average all-time.
A $1.6 million Uncle Mo colt led the way as high-end Thoroughbred trade returned to Saratoga on Monday evening. The Fasig-Tipton Saratoga selected yearling sale, which is celebrating its 100th edition this week, found steady going in its opening session, setting the stage for what could be a solid finish at its second and final session Tuesday night.
The domino effect caused by the coronavirus pandemic rippled with increasing speed through the Thoroughbred bloodstock industry in 2020, disrupting the North American juvenile and yearling sales seasons. The turn of the calendar to 2021 was welcome, and indeed, fortunes have been turning.
After a year's hiatus, New York breeders and owners once again have a local marketplace to showcase their stock to prospective buyers as the Fasig-Tipton New York-bred preferred yearling sale returns to Saratoga Springs on Aug. 15-16.
Among the many events the coronavirus pandemic pushed off the calendar in 2020 was a celebration of the 100th editions of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga selected yearling sale. With the pandemic hopefully receding, Fasig-Tipton is back with a full slate of sales this year, including what it has dubbed “the sale of a century.”
Following are horses to watch during the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga selected yearling sale.
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.
