Storied farms continue dispersals at Fasig-Tipton Saratoga

Two dispersals of high-profile Thoroughbred operations continued to play out in the background of the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga selected yearling sale, with four yearlings from Sam-Son Farm and one from Pin Oak Stud selling.

Sam-Son was responsible, from what will be its final crop of yearlings, for a Medaglia d’Oro filly sold to Live Oak Stud for $625,000; a Street Sense filly sold for $535,000 to Phil Schoenthal, as agent for D. Hatman Thoroughbreds; an Into Mischief filly sold for $450,000 to Tracy Farmer; and a War Front filly sold for $180,000 to agent Mike Ryan. This crop of yearlings will continue to be dispersed with six representatives at Keeneland September.

Ontario-based Sam-Son Farm, founded by the late Ernie Samuel in 1972 and responsible for multiple Eclipse Award and Sovereign Award championships over nearly five decades, announced last October that it would disperse its holdings over the course of the year. It began the process with broodmares during the winter mixed sale season, highlighted by a dispersal at the Keeneland January horses of all ages sale that brought $6,733,000 from 21 sold. Top prices included Danceforthecause, the dam of the Street Sense filly, at $925,000; Deceptive Vision, the dam of the War Front filly, at $900,000; and Southern Ring, dam of the Into Mischief filly, at $875,000.

One yearling from Pin Oak Stud, which is in the process of concluding its commercial breeding operations, was offered at Saratoga, with Quarter Pole Enterprises going to $100,000 for a son of Flatter.

Pin Oak, owned by Josephine Abercrombie, will disperse its remaining broodmares and weanlings and a handful of racing-age fillies at a special Fasig-Tipton sale on Sept. 12 in Kentucky – the day before Keeneland September, where the remaining 14 yearlings from the farm will be offered, begins.

Although retired broodmares and racehorses will remain on the farm, the dispersal represents the end of commercial breeding operations for Pin Oak, which has been downsizing over the past several years as part of a planned exit.