Banimpire, a five-time group stakes winner, brought about $2.5 million Tuesday as the day’s most expensive horse at the Tattersalls December breeding stock sale in Newmarket, England.
Reiley McDonald of Eaton Sales agency made the winning bid of 1.5 million guineas for the 4-year-old Holy Roman Emperor filly but did not disclose his client’s identity. Her sale was the highlight on a day that saw mixed results overall.
Henny Hughes, currently ranked second on the North American juvenile sire list, will return to the United States for the 2013 Northern Hemisphere breeding season. John T.L. Jones III, managing director of Walmac Stud Management, announced Tuesday that Walmac has leased the 9-year-old son of Hennessy from his owners at Rangeview Stud in western Australia. He will stand at Walmac Farm in Lexington, Ky., for a fee of $7,500 when the foal stands and nurses.
Considering that last year's Fasig-Tipton Midlantic December mixed sale featured the high-profile dispersal of the late Carl Lizza Jr.'s Flying Zee Stable, sales figures were expected to be down at the conclusion of Monday's renewal at Timonium, Md., and they were.
The final numbers from Monday's single session, however, compared favorably with last year's sale after the dispersal horses were taken out of the equation.
A weanling half-sister to recent Grade 1 winner Unbridled Command became the first offering to break the six-figure mark Monday at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic December mixed sale. McMahon and Hill Bloodstock, agents for Edition Farm, purchased the Read the Footnotes filly for $100,000.
The gray or roan filly is out of the unraced Unbridled’s Song mare Unbridled Betty, who has produced four winners from five to race. Her most successful offspring, Unbridled Command, won the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby on Nov. 25 and won the Grade 3 Saranac Stakes and a listed stakes earlier this year.
Twyla Tharp, dam of reigning European champion filly The Fugue, became the first horse at this year’s Tattersalls December breeding stock sale to bring seven figures when she sold for more than $2.8 million Monday in Newmarket, England.
Mandore International Agency outgunned American agent David Ingordo for the 10-year-old Sadler’s Wells mare, who sold in foal to Oasis Dream and brought a hammer price of 1.7 million guineas, or $2,873,850.
Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Gary Barber announced Monday that their Grade 1 winner In Lingerie has been retired from racing. The 3-year-old Empire Maker filly will be bred to two-time Cartier European Horse of the Year and Juddmonte Farms stallion Frankel in 2013, his first season at Banstead Manor Farm in England.
Dual classic winner I’ll Have Another will enter stud for a fee of 3.2 million yen, or about $38,900, in 2013 at Big Red Farm in Hokkaido, Japan.
I’ll Have Another, a son of Flower Alley campaigned by J. Paul Reddam, won the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby in April before taking the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. His bid to become American racing’s 12th Triple Crown winner ended when he was retired with tendonitis in his left front leg the day before the Belmont Stakes.
Toby's Corner, winner of the 2011 Wood Memorial Stakes, has been purchased for stallion duty by Hidaka Stallion Station in Hokkaido, Japan. The 4-year-old Toby’s Corner arrived at the farm on Nov. 28.
Trained by Graham Motion, Toby's Corner won the Whirlaway Stakes and finished third in the Gotham Stakes, both at Aqueduct, before edging Arthur's Tale and Uncle Mo in the Wood Memorial. However, he subsequently missed the Triple Crown, and the remainder of the season, with an injury.
Fasig-Tipton will conduct its Midlantic December mixed sale on Monday at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium, Md. There are 243 horses cataloged for the single-session sale, which begins at 11 a.m. Eastern. It is the last public auction in North America this year.
Tattersalls concluded its four-day sale of foals on Saturday with steady economic indicators and increased activity at all market levels, as the sale posted the best clearance rate in this century and surpassed the 24 million guineas mark for only the third time in history.
