Showcasing mare Bodhicitta soars for $450,000 at buoyant Fasig-Tipton opener

After a day's delay, the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Winter Mixed Sale got underway on Tuesday with trade ending on a high note, nearly doubling gross receipts from this day a year ago. The opening session saw 198 horses of the 236 on offer sold at the Newtown Paddocks near Lexington.

"The numbers are great, don't get me wrong, but it's the level of interest and activity," Fasig-Tipton's president and CEO Boyd Browning Jr. noted.

"It's the feeling when you walk around and seeing the reaction from consignors who are blowing past reserves - seeing a legitimate marketplace for all types of horses. Today was a very encouraging market for short yearlings, with great demand for both in foal broodmares and broodmare prospects. A tremendously healthy marketplace today."

The day concluded with increases across the board, with gross receipts of $6,598,800 for the first day of selling. A positive climb in average price to $33,327 was achieved and a median of $14,500.

There were 38 horses that failed to sell to represent an RNA rate of 16.1 per cent. At this time a year ago, gross receipts for the day came to $3,956,300 for 207 sold. The average was $19,113 and the median was $8,000. The 57 horses that went unsold represented an RNA rate of 22 per cent.

"The RNA rate is low, and we will continue selling them in the sales office tonight and tomorrow to reduce that even further," Browning said. "The market is healthy right now; there is a vibrancy to it. What is most encouraging is the activity for horses at $50,000.

"This might not be life-changing, not like when you get $500,000, but that extra $10,000, $15,000, or $20,000 goes a long way in helping reinvest, making payroll, paying your note to the bank, or feed bill. It provides some stability and a base for the industry, which is the most encouraging thing."

Top price honours for the day went to Bodhicitta (hip 177). The daughter of Showcasing sold for $450,000 to Japan's K I Farm. St George Sales, agent, consigned the mare who recently ran in second in the January 1 Robert J. Frankel Stakes and fourth in the January 29 Meghertz Stakes last out. K I Farm was the day's leading buyer by gross with their single purchase.

Bodhicitta, who began her career in Ireland before moving to America, made $450,000Credit: Fasig-Tipton Photos

"The market seems pretty solid, I have followed in a few and they seem to be selling well," consignor Archie St George noted. "If you have the right horse, you are rewarded. The yearlings that I have seen have sold well. It's the same old story: if you have the right commodity, you will do well."

Taylor Made Sales Agency consigned the days top two short yearlings, led by a colt by Lane's End Farm's City of Light who sold for $260,000 to Peter Pugh, agent for Cherry Knoll Farm. The New York-bred colt is out of an unraced Broken Vow mare Spoken Not Broken, the dam of the La Verdad Stakes runner-up Eloquent Speaker, who is offered in Wednesday's second session by Taylor Made Sales.

"Yearlings were stronger this year than last year, for one reason: we had better yearlings," Browning said. "Folks have watched the strength of the sale and saw a viable market in both November and January. We are appreciative of them allowing us to sell some high-quality short yearlings, and they were well received in the marketplace and those people were rewarded."

A few hips before, a Gun Runner filly sold for breeder Christian Black. The filly was purchased as a pinhook prospect by Joe Pickerell, under the name Stock Thoroughbreds, for $225,000. The Pennsylvania-foaled filly is out of Sororitysweetheart, a full sister to Grade 3 winner Classy Class and Grade 2-placed Full House.

"We are still looking; we are always shopping for good horses," Pickerell said. "It's just a matter of finding them at the price we like."

Later in Tuesday's session, Cocktail Party sold under the James B Keogh (Grovendale) banner for $240,000 to be the third-highest price and top-priced mare in foal. She sold in foal to Liam's Map on a March cover.

The Mizzen Mast mare is out of the Premiership mare Partyship, a producer of multiple stakes winner Barrier Reef and stakes-placed Arctic Party and Kissin Party. Dash Goff purchased the mare to add to his burgeoning broodmare band. She will stay in Kentucky with Bayne and Christina Welker at Spring Ridge Farm.

"The tax situation is good, and I had some money to invest… I think we got a lot more money coming into the industry, and these horses are going to go up some more," Goff said. "They're high now, they're really high, but I think they're going to hold their value or be more. I just like if you got a good foal out of a nice mare, they'll sell."

Brookdale Sales, agent, consigned the day's highest-priced mare listed solely as a broodmare prospect in After the Party. Initially catalogued as a racing or broodmare prospect, the four-year-old filly by Into Mischief sold for $110,000 to Clarkland Farm.

After the Party is out of the stakes-winning Bandini mare Defy Gravity, who also produced stakes winner Green Destiny. Defy Gravity is a half sister to Grade 1 winner Callback and further down the page, by way of the third dam Supercharger, is the 2010 Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver.

The first day of selling concluded with Taylor Made Sales Agency the session's leading consignor after 23 of their 26 head offered sold for gross figures of $1,807,500.

The Kentucky State legislature representatives were presented two cheques, each for $100,000, to Marshall and Fulton County from the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association-Kentucky Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders. These funds were raised to help with relief from the tornadoes that ravished Western Kentucky on December 10.

"It was nice having the state representatives here for the KTA presentation, walking with them into the back ring today, where it was packed, and the outside walking ring was filled," Browning said.

"They were filled with people from our industry who aren't billionaires but hard working like their constituents. It was healthy for the legislators to see that we live in a political world, and this is our signature industry here in Kentucky."

The sale concludes on Wednesday with hips 301-608 set to sell, beginning at 10am ET.

"We will have some fireworks tomorrow as well. The fireworks are great, but it's the trading of the 90 per cent of horses that walk through," Browning said.

"The fireworks will take care of themselves. It's being able to get those horses moved at a fair price, where the sellers can recoup some or all and maybe make a little profit. That is the backbone of the industry, being able to support the men and women that are in the trenches."

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