Share in Complexity sells for $510,000 at Fasig-Tipton

A share in breakout freshman sire Complexity sold for $510,000 on Tuesday night at Fasig-Tipton, with Heider Family Stables set to join the syndicate.

Airdrie Stud, which stands Complexity, an 8-year-old son of Maclean’s Music, in Kentucky, handled consigning duties for the share. The auction took place at the start of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga selected yearling sale’s second and final session, with Fasig-Tipton auctioneers and bid spotters presiding over bids both at the facility and off-site. David Lanigan cast the winning bid as agent for the Heider stables.

Entering Tuesday, Complexity, who stood for $12,500 this past season, led not only the North American freshman sire earnings list, but also the overall 2-year-old sires list. He is tied for wins with Vekoma atop both categories, with 13 each. Complexity’s winners have come from 22 starters overall, led by Group 2 Richmond Stakes winner Black Forza, Grade 3 Sanford Stakes winner Mo Plex, Victoria Stakes winner Mensa, and Astoria Stakes third-place finisher French Horn.

“I don’t believe we’ve ever had an Airdrie stallion get off to a more promising start,” Airdrie president Bret Jones said. “Complexity was a brilliantly talented racehorse and he has been making the case since his first foals hit the ground that he could be an equally successful sire."

Complexity won the Grade 1 Champagne as a juvenile. At 4, he finished a close second in the Grade 1 Forego Stakes before winning the Grade 2 Kelso Handicap, earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 110, the third-highest number of 2020. Overall, Complexity won 5 of 10 career starts and earned three triple-digit Beyers.

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Last year, Complexity's first-crop yearlings averaged $83,583, from 84 sold, more than 6.6 times his stud fee. That return on investment is only rising. Earlier this year, the 43 2-year-olds from Complexity’s first crop averaged $101,076 during the breeze-up season, with the majority of those sold before his first crop began racing in earnest. At this year’s first two yearling sales, the Fasig-Tipton July auction and Fasig-Tipton Saratoga selected sale, Complexity is averaging $131,667 from six sold.

Fasig-Tipton included a stallion share in its Saratoga selected yearling sale last year as well, when a share in prominent young sire Not This Time, representing a 2 percent interest in the stallion, sold for $2 million. The sale of that share was not factored into the yearling sale’s results, setting the precedent for how sale figures will be reported this year.

While Complexity’s sale will not help along the figures, his half-brother was among the seven-figure lots on a strong first day for the auction, his stock no doubt boosted by his future stallion potential. John Stewart’s Resolute Racing went to $1.5 million for the colt from the first crop of Charlatan who is not only a half-brother to Complexity, but to graded stakes winner Valadorna.

“How often do you get a chance to buy a half to a stallion, especially one like Complexity, with what he’s doing on the track right now?” said Stewart, who bought Mensa for $740,000 earlier this year. “We’ve done well with [Complexity], and we think Charlatan is going to emerge as a good stallion as well.

“There’s a few horses here that, in my mind, they’re 100 percent going home with me, and this was one of them,” Stewart added.

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