Steep losses at New York-bred sale

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The closing session of Fasig-Tipton's New York-bred preferred yearling sale sold seven horses for $100,000, which helped trim the rate of decline, but the two-night auction still put up double-digit losses.

The sale ended Sunday night with 107 yearlings sold for a total of $4,353,500, an average price of $40,687, and a $27,000 median. Compared to last year's auction, which sold 100 yearlings, the 2009 sale's gross was down 20 percent, while the average and median fell 25 percent and 40 percent, respectively. Buy-backs fell slightly from last year's 47 percent to 46 percent.

Monday's opening session saw steeper drops of 42 percent in gross, 43 percent in average, and 47 percent in median. But Sunday night's session ended with a 3 percent increase in gross as compared to last year's closing night and average lost only $210, though median declined by 14 percent. The comparative strength of Sunday night's session lessened the 2009 opening night's negative impact on the overall sale results but couldn't entirely offset the losses.

The sale-topping yearling was Hip No. 502, a $275,000 Medaglia d'Oro colt out of Argentine Grade 2 winner Miss Mary, by Southern Halo. Thorndale Farm consigned the bay colt on behalf of Akindale Farm, and Seth Benzel purchased him for Whitehall Stable.

The Peacock Ridge agency consigned a $200,000 Sky Mesa filly that was the night's highest-priced female and the only other horse to sell for $200,000 or more. Todd Quast, agent, purchased the filly for Goldmark. The dark bay or brown daughter of stakes winner Mandy Mack, by Native Prospector, is a half-sister to Grade 3 winner The Judge Sez Who, an earner of more than $950,000.