LEXINGTON, Ky. - Fasig-Tipton Kentucky's two-day October yearling sale followed up a strong opening session Monday with a $140,000 session-leader Tuesday afternoon.
With the final session nearing its conclusion at 5 p.m., Tuesday's top price was $140,000 for a Grand Slam colt bought by Buckram Oak Farm from Woods Edge, agent.
The colt is out of the Lyphard mare Pracer, who won an Italian Group 2 and finished second in North America's Grade 1 Santa Barbara Handicap.
The Tattersalls auction house in England rang up a record sale at its October yearling auction. The five-day auction, which ended Saturday, sold 701 lots for $48,827,741 and set records with an average price of $69,654 and a median of $48,510. The average and median were up 24 percent and 43 percent, respectively, from last year.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - A well-bred filly from the family of champion Dance Smartly added a spark to the early selling at Fasig-Tipton's October yearling auction on Monday. The filly, a daughter of the stallion Kris S., brought $300,000 on a final bid from Dinwiddie Farm.
Craig Bandoroff's Denali Stud, agent, offered the filly as Hip No. 77.
As of 5 p.m., Hip No. 77 remained the session leader at the first of two days of selling at Fasig-Tipton's Kentucky pavilion, Newtown Paddocks.
The Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's fall mixed sale, Oct. 7-11, ended with some promising numbers.
The gross receipts were about even with last year. At this sale in 2001, 838 head were reported sold for $6,210,700. This year, 746 sold for $6,194,700.
"This was a good sale," said Brent Fernung, manager of Cloverleaf Farm, co-owner of Journeyman Bloodstock, and one of the sale's leading consignors. "If you had the merchandise, you got the money. I was very pleased with the sales of the horses from our consignment."
West Virginia native Sam Huff, along with partner Carol Holden, has seen his vision of a day celebrating West Virginia racing blossom. The West Virginia Breeders Classics, which were inspired by Huff and Holden's visit to the first Maryland Million in 1986, had its 16th renewal on Oct. 12 at Charles Town with a record-equaling $850,000 in total purses offered for the eight-race card. This year's Breeders Classics attracted 68 runners and all eight races were won by West Virginia-breds.
ARCADIA, Calif. - California breeders are relying on Disturbingthepeace and Humorous Lady to score on Saturday's Breeders' Cup program at Arlington Park and keep a winning streak alive for statebreds.
California-breds went winless in the first 16 Breeders' Cups, then California-bred Tiznow won the Classic in 2000 and 2001.
Disturbingthepeace was supplemented to the six-furlong Sprint. Humorous Lady was pre-entered for the Juvenile Fillies, to be run at 1 1/8 miles.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - There are fewer active Thoroughbred stallions in North America, but their book sizes are growing. That's the message from The Jockey Club's Reports of Mares Bred for the 2002 breeding season.
The Jockey Club reported Thursday that 3,364 stallions covered 59,090 mares in North America this year. That is a decline of 2.7 percent in the active stallion population since last year, but the number of mares bred rose 1.3 percent in the same time frame. The number of stallions bred to 100 or more mares this year was 93, up from 77 last year.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - The Sleepy Hollow Stakes at Belmont Park on Saturday is a showcase for 2-year-old New York-bred colts and geldings, and the favorite for the race, Funny Cide, owned by Sackatoga Stable, appears to have the potential to reach center stage in open company. Unbeaten in two starts, Funny Cide ran a Beyer Speed Figure of 103 in his last start, the Bertram Bongard.
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Kentucky Derby winner and Horse of the Year Charismatic has been sold to the Japan Racing Association and will move from Lane's End in Kentucky to Hokkaido starting in 2003.
California agent Rollin Baugh brokered the sale.