'He's an amazing stallion' - $800,000 Into Mischief filly tops Fasig-Tipton sale

Fuelled by an enthusiastic and diverse crowd of buyers, the Fasig-Tipton July Sale posted increased numbers over 2019 as it returned to the marketplace after a hiatus forced in 2020 by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Fasig-Tipton's select yearling sale - the first yearling sale of the season - saw 277 hips through the ring, with 208 sold for gross receipts of $21,608,500, a $2,987,500 increase from the 2019 gross of $18,621,000 for 202 horses sold.

The average price was $103,887, an increase from the average of $92,183 in 2019. The median price was $80,000, an increase from the $75,000 median achieved the last time this sale was held. With 69 horses not sold, the RNA rate fell to 24.9 per cent from 32.7 per cent in 2019, when 98 horses failed to meet their reserve.

With just six horses by Into Mischief offered at the sale, progeny of Spendthrift Farm's flagship sire were in high demand.

The son of Harlan's Holiday was represented by the top price of the day on Tuesday, a striking bay filly out of the Indian Charlie mare Cashing Tickets that sold for $800,000 to Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and LNJ Foxwoods. Consigned by Burleson Farms as hip 123, the filly sold for Jack Sims of McKenzie Bloodstock.

Fasig-Tipton's president and CEO Boyd Browning jnr said: "He's an amazing stallion. You look at the leaders and Into Mischief is at the top of the board.

"He's a phenomenal stallion - he produces colts, he produces fillies. He's a horse that can produce Derby winners, Classic winners, grass, dirt, fillies, colts, short, long, he's the constant professional as a sire and there's great demand for him, as there should be because of the performance and potential he has on the racetrack."

Aron Wellman of Eclipse Thoroughbreds added: "I think Fasig-Tipton did a great job of bringing really good athletic horses here. And then you sprinkle in an Into Mischief filly with a pedigree and physical like that — there's something for everybody, for sure."

From the $800,000 filly it was a significant drop to the second highest-priced horses of the day: a $350,000 Candy Ride colt consigned as hip 111 by Taylor Made Sales Agency and purchased by James Bernhard and a $350,000 Into Mischief filly offered as hip 339 by Four Star Sales and purchased by Mike Rutherford of Manchester Farm.

Trainer Kenny McPeek was the sale's leading buyer with gross receipts of $1.4 million, taking home 13 prospects, many by exciting new stallions, all of which carried superb physicals.

The sense of optimism consignors felt going into Tuesday's sale was validated by the marketplace. Taylor Made Sales Agency led the pack, with gross sales of $2,051,500 and 16 sold from 23 offered.

Mark Taylor, Taylor Made vice-president of sales and marketing, said: "I think the market has been good. I think we've had a good sale overall. When you get into this market, the buyers here - a lot of pinhookers, a lot of pros - they're very discerning.

"If you bring a horse here that either has vet imperfections or has a little imperfection on conformation or their walk or correctness, those people can filter those out and maybe they would have been better off in a later sale, in my opinion.

"We had a mixed bag of that. A couple that maybe didn't quite belong physically, and then, as always, some vet hiccups. Everyone on the farm thought they vetted, and then they came over here and some people found something they didn't like, so that's frustrating. But the horses that vetted well and fit with this group of horses, sold really, really good. I think that bodes well moving forward through the rest of the market."

Browning couldn't help but smile when discussing the results of the 2021 sale and looking forward to the Saratoga Sale, Fasig-Tipton's select sale of yearlings in Saratoga Springs next month.

"I don't think any of us would have been hoping to surpass 2019 numbers," he said. "2019 was a pretty good marketplace. And to be up, way over 2019, is very, very encouraging.

"I'm proud of the group of horses that our inspection team put together for this sale and the consignors trusted us with some really nice horses.

"For years our reputation in July has been great physicals and we may be forgiving a little bit on pedigree or sire power, but if you have a good-looking colt or good-looking filly that's precocious, they're mature, they're athletic, that's what we're about in July. And those horses sold extremely well."

The return after an 11-year absence of Fasig-Tipton's Freshman Sire Showcase, offering progeny of first-crop yearling sires, proved a success.

"It helps breeders to have a real chance to hit a long ball with a first-crop stallion," said Browning. "They don't necessarily have to have the highest stud fees, but there's a real viable marketplace for them and there's a lot of demand for them."

Andrew Cary of Cary Bloodstock bought the top offering by a first-crop yearling sire at the sale in hip 174, a $230,000 City Of Light filly consigned by Bluewater Sales. Cary landed one other yearling on Monday, hip 130, a $200,000 Midnight Lute filly offered by Indian Creek.

"I thought it seemed pretty strong," Cary said of the market. "I was shopping for a couple of different guys and I got blown away on quite a few. It seemed very competitive in the $75,000-$150,000 range, which makes a lot of sense.

"There's a lot of pinhookers and end-users all in that range. Certainly a premium on physicals, but it seemed like a lot of the young sires did well.

"I thought it felt like a good, back-to-normal July Sale. It's definitely hard to buy the ones you want, which is a sign of a good market."

The success of the sale came from all directions, Browning said.

"This sale has been the bread and butter American racing [sale] since basically its inception," he said. "It produces really high quality dirt product.

"That's our niche right here in July. American racing, precocious, mature, early, great physicals. That's who we are and what we are in July in terms of the yearling side of things."

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