Seven-figure horses abound as Fasig-Tipton mixed sale rises 23 percent

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- High-profile winners, an international marketplace, the dissolution of old partnerships, and the formation of new ones fueled gains across the board at the star-studded Fasig-Tipton Kentucky fall selected mixed sale on Tuesday evening.

Led by multiple stakes producer Magical World for $5.2 million, 2020 Kentucky Oaks winner Shedaresthedevil for $5 million, and Eclipse Award champion Swiss Skydiver for $4.7 million, Fasig-Tipton reported that 149 horses changed hands during trade at its Newtown Paddocks headquarters in Lexington, amassing total gross receipts of $103,699,000, a sale record. At last year's sale, 142 horses sold for a total of $80,237,000. The previous sale record gross was $89,473,000 in 2016.

The average price on Tuesday night was $695,966, rising 23 percent from $565,049 in 2020. The average was the second highest in this sale's history, checking in behind only $772,297 in 2008.

"A remarkable evening tonight," Fasig-Tipton president Boyd Browning Jr. said. "We were so fortunate to have a tremendous group of horses on the grounds. ... Couldn't be any more pleased. I think I'll pinch myself for the next few days."

This year's sale lacked an outlier at the top of the marketplace to help fuel the average, as was the case last year when two-time Eclipse Award champion Monomoy Girl sold for $9.5 million, one of the sale's best figures ever. However, there was strong competition across the board for high-end mares to fuel the average. Of the 86 broodmares or racing/broodmare prospects who sold, 26 of them, or 30 percent, changed hands for seven-figure price tags. Another 24 mares sold for half a million or more.

In a similar vein, the median price, which many consider an important indicator of market health because it is less influenced by outlying horses the way the average can be, spiked 50 percent, to $300,000 -- the sale's third-highest figure all-time -- from $200,000.

The buyback rate improved significantly to 23 percent, after checking in at 33 percent in 2020.

Mandy Pope, who breeds and races as Whisper Hill Farm, is known for her high-profile purchases of accomplished fillies and mares, and she joined forces with other major entities for the two highest-priced horses of the night. Pope first teamed up with Three Chimneys Farm to acquire the multiple stakes producer Magical World, in foal to two-time reigning leading sire Into Mischief, for a sale-leading $5.2 million. The winning daughter of prominent broodmare sire Distorted Humor was being sold to dissolve a partnership between Hill 'n' Dale and Three Chimneys, with Hill 'n' Dale handling the consignment, as agent.

Magical World is the dam of four winners from as many starters, led by Guarana, winner of five of six starts, including the Grade 1 Acorn and Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks as a 3-year-old, and the Grade 1 Madison Stakes last year at 4. Guarana also went through the ring on Tuesday night, with Hill 'n' Dale going to $4.4 million to buy its partner out. Pope said she also inspected Guarana on the sale grounds.

"We liked her, but we preferred to go this way," she said.

Magical World, also the dam of Grade 2-placed stakes winner Magic Dance, is out of the Seeking the Gold mare Pleasant Home, winner of the 2005 Breeders' Cup Distaff. This is the immediate family of champions Sky Beauty, Dayjur, and Gold Beauty and Grade 1 winners Maplejinsky, Pine Island, Point of Entry, Tale of Ekati, and Violence.

Later in the evening, Pope was also involved in the $5 million purchase of 2020 Kentucky Oaks winner Shedaresthedevil, who will remain in training for 2022 with Brad Cox. The 4-year-old Daredevil filly was being consigned by Hunter Valley Farm, as agent for the racing partnership of Staton Flurry's Flurry Racing Stables, Qatar Racing, and Big Aut Farms. Flurry and Qatar Racing elected to remain involved with their stable star, joining forces with Pope in the new partnership.

"I'm very excited to have such a lovely racehorses, and to have the opportunity to be on board with my new partners, and to go racing for another year," Pope said. "[Bloodstock agent Alex Solis II] kind of put us all together. I'm looking forward to it, and to having a lot of fun."

Shedaresthedevil has earned more than $2.3 million to date while winning seven graded stakes, highlighted by the 2020 Kentucky Oaks over eventual Eclipse Award champions Swiss Skydiver and Gamine in stakes-record time of 1:48.28. She added additional Grade 1 wins this season in the La Troienne and the Clement Hirsch. She came to Fasig-Tipton off a sixth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Distaff on Saturday at Del Mar after racing near a scorching early pace.

Swiss Skydiver, a familiar foe to Shedaresthedevil, meanwhile is headed to Northern Farm of Japan to begin her broodmare career after being purchased for $4.7 million, leading several high-ticket purchases for Japanese interests on Tuesday night. Various entities from that jurisdiction, which notched a pair of historic Breeders' Cup wins on Saturday, purchased 11 of the seven-figure horses.

"Our friends from Japan have become a major component of this sale," Browning said. "People have [horses] to sell that have a great appeal to the Japanese ... we've been entrusted with those horses to sell, and they've gotten used to coming here and they've enjoyed great success with them. ... For a long period of time, they've sought the best and we continue to see the emergence of the fruits of their efforts in developing breeding programs and racing programs, and I'm thankful that they continue to find horses that they love at this sale."

Swiss Skydiver was the Eclipse Award champion 3-year-old filly of 2020, with a country-crossing campaign in which she ripped off wins in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks, Grade 3 Fantasy at Oaklawn, and Grade 2 Santa Anita Oaks; finished second against colts in the Grade 2 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland; rebounded to win the Grade 1 Alabama at Saratoga; and was second in the Kentucky Oaks. In her virtuoso performance, she then outdueled Kentucky Derby winner Authentic by a neck in the Preakness Stakes, finishing the 1 3/16 miles in 1:53.28, the second-fastest time to Secretariat's 1:53 stakes record.

"It was a very, very tough race," Shingo Hashimoto of Northern Farm said of the Preakness. "It was amazing that a filly beat the colts in the classic. It was a great challenge, and she deserved that win. It was a great performance."

Swiss Skydiver, who was consigned to Fasig-Tipton by Runnymede Farm, on behalf of owner Peter Callahan, won just once in five starts after that, taking the Grade 1 Beholder Mile early this year. She finished her career with more than $2.2 million in earnings.

Before the major fireworks of the evening came from the star-studded draft of fillies and mares on offer, a selection of weanlings set the table at the start of the catalog. The leader of that group was a $750,000 Curlin filly, with bloodstock agent Jacob West bidding and signing the ticket on behalf of Robert and Lawana Low.

"Just a well-bred filly that is by a sire that needs no introduction," West said. "Just kind of lucky to land her here. Horses were so hard to buy in [the yearling marketplace], we just kind of figured we'd come in here, and if we found a nice filly that had the pedigree and the physical and everything to match, we'd make a big run at her, and there we were."

The filly, who was consigned by Taylor Made Sales, as agent, is the second foal out of the Orb mare Sippican Harbor, winner of the Grade 1 Spinaway Stakes as a juvenile. Sippican Harbor is a half-sister to Grade 3-placed Bodacious Babe. Group 1 winner Peter Davies, Mexican champion Inspirato, and graded stakes winners Cinemine and Greengrassofyoming also appear on the catalog page.

A colt by two-time reigning leading sire Into Mischief was the second most expensive weanling, selling for $570,000 to Brookstone Farm.

The colt, out of the Medaglia d'Oro mare Moi, was consigned by Taylor Made Sales, as agent. Moi, out of stakes winner Distorted Passion, is a full sister to multiple graded stakes winner Mrs McDougal, and a half-sister to stakes-placed Pendleton. Grade 2 winner Warbling appears on the catalog page.

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